AF (Alvaro Fernandez): Dr. Lavin, thanks for being with us. Can you explain the source of your interest in brain research and applications?
AL (Arthur Lavin): I am fascinated by how the mind works. How can neuroscientists' increasing knowledge improve kids' lives?
AF: Some readers may think that a major part of the problem we face today is that kids are simply "lazy". What do you say to that?
AL: I have never met a lazy kid. All people want to succeed, in life if not in school. The ones that are labeled as "lazy" are typically ashamed of their lack of capacity to deal with demands, and resort to evasive strategies.
AF: You mention a "lack of capacity to deal with demands". Is that gap growing?
AL: Yes. I can see how complex homework assignments are these days even in 3-4rd grade. Kids need to plan and prepare a whole matrix of tasks that require good organizational work to complete. They need to sequence what they do today, tomorrow, the day after. The major difficulty, for which such young brains may not be fully ready, is to deal with an overwhelming amount of information and demands.
AF: that seems to imply a higher need for good executive functions than years ago. A kid needs to have good working memory to retain, prioritize and sequence much information into actionable plans, and then execute them. We know that a common problem with many kids with diagnosed attention deficits is, indeed, working memory (the ability to hold in mind and manipulate several units of information). Can you explain what you see in your work with schools?
AL: I am afraid that many schools are too quick to diagnose ADD/ ADHD and consider drugs as the only potential intervention. The label itself can be misleading and counterproductive. School psychologists have wonderful expertise in evaluating subject-related problems and describing attentional deficit symptomatology, but are not trained or asked to complete neuropsychological profiles of a child's cognitive functions. Up to a point, many kids with attention problems would benefit from educational, not medical, interventions to improve cognitive functions such as working memory. I am seeing it first hand, having used a Working Memory Training program with 15 pre-screened kids: 80% of them presented a substantive improvement. With 50%, the results we have seen have been dramatic.
AF: Please give us some examples.
AL: Let me give you 3 vignettes, all 3 with diagnosed attention deficits.
Patient 1: 11-year-old boy, very impulsive, even on medication. Doesn't do homework, constantly forgets chores. After the 5-week program, he is able to sit down and listen instructions, engaging in fewer arguments with his parents. He can do better mental math- for the first time in his life able to do so without using his fingers. He finds that following school and doing homework is easier, grades have improved dramatically.
Patient 2: 16-year-old girl with ADD. She has trouble executing homework, often telling parents she had done it when she really hadn't. Her parents thought she liked to lie. Yet, when I talk to her, she is clearly more ashamed than dishonest. The working memory training program helps her develop a much improved perception of time. For example, she starts to manage her shower time better, being aware of when 5 minutes have passed-instead of spending 30 minutes in the shower, as before. Much improved school work, lying at home has dropped dramatically.
Patient 3: 19-year-old boy in college, who often became paralyzed when he was faced with complex challenges. He had a tough time with the cognitive training program, but after a while he started learning new strategies and developing self-confidence, and showing marked improvement. Now, he can break complex tasks into manageable pieces . His attentional deficits appeared to threaten his opportunities in his family business. Unable to keep track of change at the cash register, lines at the business would grow and customers get angry, leaving him out of consideration for key start-up employment in the business. Now he can manage day-to-day challenges such as these, and the door to being part of the family business is now open. He can sequence tasks and execute then with a clear plan in mind, without being distracted and losing sight of that plan.
AF: Dr. Lavin, this is all very exciting news. Thank you very much for your time.
AL: Thank you.
Copyright (c) 2007 SharpBrains
I think everyone I knew as a child, including myself, would have been diagnosed with ADD. There were many afternoons my brother would come home with his clothes torn and his face bloodied as a result of a fight at school. No reports were filed. No police was called. No counselors or lawyers were consulted. Boys just punched each other, and no alarm bells sounded.
I remember fondly when recess consisted of wall ball or dodge ball when kids were smashed, pummeled, battered and bruised with balls all over the playground. We were full of energy and aggression, and the adults just accepted it. Even the B.B. gun shoot outs and the rock fights did not brand us as sociopaths. But when my brother got caught shooting out street lights... now that got attention. The police came to the house saying "naughty, naughty" and demanded payment of $550. But there were no hand cuffs, no therapists, no labeling, just kids being kids.
I remember days spent careening down the hill on our bikes with arms and legs flailing in the wind, many times returning home with tears for band-aids and a hug. That was kid fun, and we could play like that for hours, dreading the ring of the dinner bell and end of our fun. Even at school, we were not cooped up for long. There were free periods throughout the day when we could run around and expel pent-up energy, because kids were kids.
Contrast that with today. Most schools have cancelled free play-recess time, completely. The children are forced to spend the whole day in overcrowded classrooms without being allowed to run around and expend energy. If the children are permitted to go outside, they must wear the appropriate safety equipment and usually play an organized sport with no winners or losers because keeping score might hurt the self esteem of the losers. At home whether it be riding a bike, going to the beach, or playing a group sport, physical safety and lack of legal exposure is the primary concern. Playgrounds are designed and build by certified ergonomics engineers and must be erected on an injury resistant surface. Parents have been so frightened with dangers that many avoid physical harm by keeping their children inside and encouraging entertainment with electronic gadgets.
If a child has an argument with another, an all present supervisor intervenes using conflict resolution methods to solve the rift. If that fails, parents, therapists, or police are summoned. And the participants and the situation are separated, segmented, analyzed and evaluated. And the professionals always find the appropriate solution.
This hyper-vigilance is excessive and unnatural. Kids are prevented from solving problems in kid ways, while learning valuable life lessons on their own, and finding new and more effective ways of handling situations as they mature. This is normal and natural.
What happened to ?you're wrong and I'm right!" or "If you don't stop bugging me I am going to punch you in the nose!" The natural reactions of children today are so suppressed that they have no idea how to act and react to the world around them. Some even breed a seething rage which is a direct result of their confusion.
Normal behavior has been labeled as dangerous and in need of control. Huge dramas are made of situations that should have been handed on the kid level, thus avoiding permanent labeling.
I know my brothers and I could never have endured this control and pressure. We would have gotten ADD drugs from the medicine man.
Today most children are raised in environments that are unnatural and interfere from developing into creative self-starters required in our entrepreneurial culture.
I could never subject my children to these abuses to nature. Children's enthusiasm and energy should be acknowledged and exalted, not scorned and medicated.
Both Alvaro Fernandez & Pamela Connolly are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Alvaro Fernandez has sinced written about articles on various topics from Aging, Brain and Aspen Travel. Alvaro Fernandez holds an MA in Education and MBA from Stanford University. He has been teaching the class Exercising Our Brains at the San Francisco State University, and will be teaching The Science of Brain Health at UC-Berkeley Lifelong Learning Insti. Alvaro Fernandez's top article generates over 201000 views. to your Favourites.
Pamela Connolly has sinced written about articles on various topics from Kids and Teens, Home Schooling and Travel and Leisure. Pam Connolly is a professional educator with the San Diego School District. She has been teaching kids how to type for over 11 years. To teach your child typing, visit