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IQ CHANGES DRAMATICALLY DURING ADOLESCENCE

4/30/2019

Your IQ was thought to be stable throughout your life, but this isn’t true.

IQ test results change in response to brain growth, emotional health, education and experiences.

Changes in the grey matter areas of the brain that are related to muscle control, seeing and hearing, memory, emotions, speech, decision making, and self-control are responsible for the rise and fall of IQs in teenagers.

The teen brain undergoes many changes just like the more observable physical changes. It actually kills off parts of itself to stream line performance.

Because the changes occur from the back of the brain to the front, the regulating part is the last to mature resulting in impulsivity. Teenagers rely heavily on the emotional part of the brain, to make decisions…uh oh.

There’s a lot going on in there, no wonder IQ test results change!

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CANCER & PTSD. IT'S REAL. BELIEVE ME.

4/29/2019

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Just because you overcame cancer doesn’t mean you’re out of the woods. You still have the distressing symptoms related to posttraumatic stress disorder or PTSD.

Because you had an event that threatened death or serious injury, you have the core situation that results in PTSD.

But it wasn’t just one incident. With cancer, treatment-related events happen over and over and each time, the trauma and terror is reinforced.

The diagnosis, installation of the medi-port, every infusion of chemotherapy, every scan and procedure is yet another opportunity for trauma.

Many cancer patients experience avoidance and the flashbacks of the events for a decade.

Odors pose a real hazard. The smell of plastic tubing and syringes can cause panic. The sense of smell is a very powerful force in triggering flashbacks.

Surviving cancer is one aspect of the fight. Don’t surrender to the trauma.

Claudia

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JUST A THOUGHT

4/27/2019

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THE DR. CLAUDIA SHOW-SHOW NOTES FROM 4-27-19

4/27/2019

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Sometimes, we're silly/goofy and sometimes, things get painfully serious. We all learn from one another.

"What's going on?" "How do I cope?" "How else could I think about this situation?" and then, we have someone like Doris who reached out and talked about how her life was destroyed by her mentally ill mother who, apparently, suffered from Munchhausen's-by-Proxy Syndrome, which we now call Factitious Disorder (meaning made up/fake).

Two weeks ago, I received a question from Leo who asked about his wife's disturbing behavior, I explained the potential for his wife to have Factitious Disorder and that he needed to take immediate and serious steps to protect his son.

For Doris, the reality of "why" her life has turned out "this way" slapped her in the face. She finally had a name for "what" happened her.

Doris realized that her mother likely suffered from the same condition as Leo's wife and the abuse continued until Doris rose up and advocated for herself as best she could in those times. The damage had been done.

Many unnecessary surgeries left Doris unable to have children and the significant amount of school she missed, left her uneducated. Her life has very much been "less than".

I encouraged her to get help for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, her rage, depression and bereavement. She has a long way to go. Despite all of this, her attitude, as a 70-year old woman, is to live the best life she has left. Such inspiration.

If you can get to Denmark this summer, this fabulous structure is awaiting you. There's just so much to say about the Camp Adventure Forest Tower that I'm just going to give you the link with video footage because it's more than just a tower that takes you to the top of the trees with breathtaking views!

Here are some terrific photos!

Photo credit to CHADD.org

For the very first time, the FDA has approved a medical device that is designed to treat Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in children ages 7 to 12 years.

Check out this link to learn more. This machine provides low-level electrical stimulation to the areas of the brain associated with attention, emotional regulation, and behavior.

The diagnoses of ADHD have increased by 30% over the past 8 years. Too many very young kids, including toddler-age, are spending an excessive amount of time in front of digital devices and these activities may be rewiring their brains and not in a good way.

Image by eommina from Pixabay

I confessed it right then and there, right on the air. I have a strange affinity for housework. It's peaceful even when I'm using the vacuum cleaner. Maybe that's because I can't hear anyone calling me for the umpteenth time.

It's mindless. My mind wanders throughout the universe when I'm cleaning.

And then, there's the satisfaction. Oh yeah, I know that it'll last for about 10 seconds, but I work with people, kids, specifically, and they're never done. There's always another thing and another and another. Ugh.

What I might be experiencing that gives me such satisfaction is the increase in brain volume, or at least the joy that I'm not losing it, by doing a bit of cleaning every day. Researchers have learned that the more vigorous the exercise, the more brain volume you retain.

After the age of 60, we lose, on average, 0.2% of our brain volume every single year. And the more brain volume you lose, the more you're a candidate for Alzheimer's and other dementias.

So, vacuum, scrub, dust, wash, whatever, just move it! Here's a little more info for ya'. You'll be clean and your brain will weigh more. Winner, winner!

Image by Enrique Zuñiga from Pixabay

I didn't see THAT coming!

Why are firefighters warning you to never leave bottled water in your car? Because if it's hot enough outside and the bottle is positioned "just so", you can set your interior on fire...

Plus, when the plastic gets hot, it can leach dangerous chemicals into the water.

It's always something...control the controllable.

Image by Alexas_Fotos from Pixabay

Have a job where you have to force a smile all day? Have a job where you work with the general public? (ugh!) Have a job where someone else is always controlling you? Also, are you impulsive?

If so, you may end up drinking heavily at night. Why? Because you have so little control over the quality of life you have for most of the day and because you're suppressing how you really feel, that you self-medicate.

Be careful. This combo may cause you to end up looking like this chick.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Jamie reached out about her 7 year old son who's dyslexic. He's working with a specialist in dyslexia who mentioned that the font from his reading materials may be interfering with his progress, but the specialist didn't know which ones??!! OK, I'm not convinced that this person is really a specialist, but here's what I know.

Fonts that enhance reading for those with dyslexia and impact reading speed and word recognition are Helvetica, Courier, Arial Verdana and Computer Modern Unicode or CMU which is open source and downloadable, as well.

During these early stages of reading, you may want to scan some of his educational materials and convert them into one of these fonts. Observe how he handles the materials. Which font works best for him?

You may also want to give him a bigger font for now and perhaps, make it bold. Let's do what we can to bypass some of the visual processing weaknesses and disorders seen in those with dyslexia.

Because I AM NOT certain that you have the right person to work with your son, you might want to seek out a board-certified educational therapist to work with him. Go to this website and learn more about the training and roles of an educational therapist and locate one in your area.

As well, consider the International Dyslexia Association for resources and self-education. If you don't know which type of dyslexia he has, dysphonetc, dyseidetic or both, reach back to the person who did the diagnosis and ask.

If he has not had a comprehensive evaluation, get one. Dyslexia can also appear as ADHD or other problems. Make sure he has an assistive technology assessment to determine the devices and software that will allow him to "learn around" the dyslexia.

Since dyslexia is a neurological condition, it's important to understand which learning functions it impacts and the way it affects them.

And, have his reading, math and written expression evaluated every year (might be about 6 tests) to make sure he is keeping pace the the curriculum (that's the stuff that's taught!).

I mentioned the Kurzweil 3000 system as a possible assistive technology resource to support him. Check it out here.

Finally, Dr Dave's AT Lab. Dr. Dave offers the latest in resources and explains their usage. His work is presented within the website for the International Dyslexia Association and can be accessed here. You can go to IDA's homepage and search for Dr. Dave's AT Lab to get his latest information as well as all of the archived material.

That's it for this week! Have a great one and see you next week on the radio.

Claudia

Join me on Facebook at Dr. Claudia McCulloch.

At DrClaudia.net, click on the "Ask Me" button and send me a question.

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A LITTLE GOES A LONG, LONG WAY!

4/26/2019

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Mom and Dad, is your daughter wearing too much makeup? And while we're at it, what is it about make up that is so powerful anyway?

Women who wear makeup are seen as more attractive, likeable, trustworthy and competent than those who don’t, but, the more makeup is applied, the less positively women are rated.

Could it be the case that wearing some makeup communicates to others that you feel positively about yourself?

Do they see that you feel worthy of the extra effort to make yourself look more vibrant?

People enjoy looking at you because you are, indeed, more attractive. People are more attracted to things that are pretty and the advertising industry relies on that attraction to sell a multitude of products.

Apparently, less is more when it comes to wearing makeup.

Mom, consult with a makeup artist in advance and set the rules about how you what the results to look. "A little of this, but never that and under no circumstances is XXXX allowed." Take your daughter for a professional session.

By doing this, you'll endorse her interests and give her the education she needs to look her best.

You'll reduce the conflicts and increase the trust factor! Win-win!!

Claudia

Join me on Facebook at Dr. Claudia McCulloch.

At DrClaudia.net, click on the "Ask Me" button and send me a question.

Sign up for the Sunday newsletter. Don't miss a thing!

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<<Previous

IQ CHANGES DRAMATICALLY DURING ADOLESCENCE

CANCER & PTSD. IT'S REAL. BELIEVE ME.

JUST A THOUGHT

THE DR. CLAUDIA SHOW-SHOW NOTES FROM 4-27-19

A LITTLE GOES A LONG, LONG WAY!

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