Patty Crawford, Ph.D. has joined the Parkaire clinical team as an Educational Consultant. Dr. Crawford earned her doctorate from the University of Virginia in special education and has more than 20 years of teaching experience working with children and young adults with disabilities. Her experience includes working with individuals who have Learning Disabilities (LD), Behavior Disorders (BD), Autism (AU), Mood Disorder, Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and Tourette’s syndrome (TS). She will be working at Parkaire as a Behavior Specialist, Learning Coach, IEP Consultant, and Autism Specialist. Dr. Crawford specializes in designing and implementing Functional Behavior Assessments (FBA) and Behavior Intervention Plans (BIP) and is available to work with parents to develop behavior plans in the home. She will also be providing Cognitive Behavior Intervention for Tics (CBIT) for individuals with vocal and/or motor tics.
Patty Crawford, Ph.D.
Are You Unknowingly Adding These Empty Calories to Your Family’s Diet?
Eating a whole foods diet is important for all of us, but particularly important for children and adults who are struggling with issues like ADD, Autism, Learning Disabilities and Tourette syndrome. Supporting one’s body with good nutrition is key to helping our brains function optimally.
Does this sound like real food to you?
- Natural Oil blend (soybeans, palm fruit, extra virgin olive oil, flaxseed, and canola), water, whey, salt, natural and artificial flavor, sorbitan esther of vegetable fatty acids, soy lecithin, Vitamin E, Vitamin A, Vitamin D, B6, B12, lactic acid, beta carotene for color, potassium sorbate, TBHQ, EDTA.
This list of ingredients is off a tub of margarine found at your local grocer.
How does this sound?
- Sweet cream; salt.
This is the label from butter.
Which would you prefer to serve to your family?
Consider the details:
Margarine
- Calories: These range from 30 calories per tablespoon to 50 calories.
- Margarine is often made up of a blend of various fats.
- Some products add flax seed to increase Omega 3’s but margarine is primarily an Omega 6 oil. We tend to eat too many Omega 6’s without the proper balance of Omega 3’s.
- Some products use canola oil, which can be genetically modified and should probably be avoided.
- Some products have hydrolyzed oil or trans-fats, which should absolutely be avoided.
- One product I found had zero fat in it. How can a fat not have any fat in it?
- Margarine has some nutrients added in like Vitamin E and A.
- Margarine gets its color from a natural source, beta-carotene. What color was it before? Why does it need color added? Have you ever thought about the manufacturing process of margarine? Can “real” food be “manufactured”?
Butter
- Calories: 100.
- Butter is 100% saturated fat.
- It is a good, natural blend of Omega 6 and Omega 3.
- It contains 12-15% short and medium chain fatty acids. These are different than long chain fatty acids, found in other animal saturated fats and margarine, because they get absorbed directly from the small intestine to the liver and are converted into quick energy. These fatty acids also have antimicrobial and immune supporting properties.
- Butter has Vitamin A, D, E and K, all fat soluble vitamins that our bodies need.
- Butter also contains trace minerals like manganese, zinc, chromium, selenium and iodine. All these minerals are important in supporting our endocrine system.
- Butter has a rich, satisfying taste.
- Butter gets its beautiful golden color from the nutrients in the grass the cow has eaten.
Note: Please keep in mind that many of the benefits of butter listed above are from organic, grass-fed butter which you can find in stores like Whole Foods.
Treat your family to whole, nutrient-dense foods as much as you can. I hope that you will add butter to your grocery list. It tastes yummy and will provide your family with healthy fats, vitamins and minerals!
To Your Good Health!
Vicki Steine, LCSW
DSc student, Holistic Nutrition, Hawthorn University
Reference:
Fallon, S. E., M., PhD. (2001). Nourishing Tradition (Revised Second ed.). Washington, D.C.: NewTrends Publishing, Inc.
2012 ADHD Coaches Organization Conference
This year’s ADHD Coaches Organization conference will be held in Atlanta, GA at the Crown Plaza Ravinia hotel near Perimeter Mall. The conference, which will be held on March 23 – 25, will celebrate the rapid expansion of the ADHD Coaching profession. In 27 creative workshops over two days, attendees will participate in stimulating presentations and learn about new, emerging client and niche opportunities for business building. Non-traditional business growth opportunities will be explored for their value and viability as emerging business markets.
Sherry and Dan Pruitt will be giving a speech titled “So You Expect Them To Leave Home? Transition Pitfalls to Independence” on Sunday. Click here for more detailed information.
30 Minutes a Day Could Change Everything
30 Minutes a Day Could Change Everything
How much time do you spend outside during the week? If you’re lucky, an hour or two when it’s nice out… on the weekend?
Maybe even less when the weather is more extreme.
Most of us spend the majority of our time inside. When we go do go out, we’re either bundled up to stay warm or slathered with sunscreen to protect ourselves from damaging rays.
It is important to protect ourselves from the sun, but it is also extremely important to expose ourselves to the sun too. We need to be exposed for about 20-30 minutes every day to ensure we have enough Vitamin D.
Vitamin D’s Numerous Benefits To You
• Key to bone health and strength (particularly important in the elderly)
• Muscle strength
• Reduction of high blood pressure
• Helps prevent multiple sclerosis
• Prevents rickets
• May help prevent cancer of the colon, ovaries, lung, kidney, breast and prostate, in fact, maybe all cancers
• May help prevent rheumatoid arthritis
• Helps regulate blood sugar
• Reduces tooth loss in the elderly
• Enhances mood, particularly with seasonal affective disorder (SAD)
• Assists in brain function and development
Autism Spectrum and Vitamin D
In a recent meta-analysis of 18 studies, it was clear that Vitamin D deficiency has become a major health concern. In particular, with autistic children and adults, deficiencies are common. Because Vitamin D assists the body in performing so many functions, including brain cognitions, it is extremely important to be sure you or your children’s levels are in the normal/optimal range.
How Do You Get Enough?
Getting outside and exposing your skin for 20-30 minutes a day during the middle of the day will give you an adequate amount of Vitamin D. If you expose yourself during the summer your body can store up Vitamin D for the winter months. Be aware that the darker your skin, the more exposure you may need to get to optimal levels. You can also consume it through certain foods. Good sources include oily fish like salmon, mackerel, sardines, egg yolks, or fortified foods like milk and orange juice. Or you can take a vitamin supplement; D3 is preferable to D2.
The Recommended Daily Amount Varies by Age:
0-12 months 400 IU (International Units)
12 months to 70 years 600 IU
70 years + 800 IU
While these amounts are recommended by the Institute of Medicine, it has been my experience that many people are so deficient that larger doses are necessary to get into the normal range and stay there.
20-30 minutes outside is the equivalent of 10,000 IU’s.
What should I do?
I recommend that you check with your doctor and get you or your child’s levels checked. It’s a simple blood test called 25-hydroxyvitamin D or 25-(OH) D. Then, based on your results, take a supplement, expose yourself to the correct ultraviolet light or spend time outside daily for several months. After a couple of months, have levels re-checked. If you are within normal range, (50-85 ng/ml), you may be able to cut back your amount of supplementation.
Many people take 1000-2000 IU’s daily to maintain health.
References
Lipski, L., PhD. (2006). Digestive Wellness for Children. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications, Inc.
http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2002/02/23/vitamin-d-deficiency-part-one.aspx
Cannell, J. J., & Hollis, B. W. (2008). Use of vitamin D in clinical practice. Altern Med Rev, 13(1), 6-20.
Humble, M. B., Gustafsson, S., & Bejerot, S. (2010). Low serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD) among psychiatric out-patients in Sweden: relations with season, age, ethnic origin and psychiatric diagnosis. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol, 121(1-2), 467-470. doi: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2010.03.013
Zhang, R. N., D. (2010). Vitamin D in health and disease: Current perspectives. Nutrition Journal, 9(65).
Cognitive Processing Speed
Processing speed refers to the pace and automaticity with which the student accumulates, assimilates, and integrates incoming information; retrieves information stored in long-term memory; and performs cognitive tasks. Processing speed influences attention, executive functions, memory, academic achievement, behavior, and social competence. Cognitive processing speed gradually increases throughout childhood and adolescence. [Read more...]
Working Memory
Working Memory is one of the short-term memories that are impacted by attention and the executive functions. It is often compared to RAM on the computer that stores information online while the information is being processed. RAM is having enough short-term memory on the computer to open multiple files, compare them, and create new files based on the information. Working memory is where complex tasks are performed and problems are solved. [Read more...]
Reparations
“You break it you bought it!” is a wise saying. The one that works well for teaching responsibility is, “if you break it, you fix it!” Holes in the walls requiring sheet rock or dry wall repair are one of the family secrets of some families with children with these disorders. This is why sheet rock classes are offered at our clinic. Reparation is one of the most effective tools in the family’s behavioral arsenal, and they can be done by earning money or doing chores if the actual repair is too difficult. [Read more...]
