ADD aids

[Claire]

Hi Robin,

 

I mentioned this once here in some thread and posted it on Braintalk, but I am cutting and pasting it here for you. This made a huge difference for my son's attention....

 

Twice now when my son has had issues with inattention (not the hyper distraction kind), I have intentionally used Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) playstation dance pad game with him and both times it has made a significant difference. We both notice the improvement ( I teach him math, so I see it directly in what math he can do in his head. We just let a month go by without it and just restarted and again things have improved!

 

I think of it for my son, it is a kind of 'neurotherapy', as to play it, he must focus in an optimal concentration zone. I think some know it as an arcade game--it is a playstation game played with your feet, ie on a dance pad. You follow the arrows on a screen and put your feet left right up and down or combinations of these, to 1/4 1/8 and 1/6 beats.

 

I met a principal last year with a dyslexic child once who said he was investigation equipment very similar to DDR that had been demonstrated to help kids with learning issues. Of course the equipment is specialized and expensive.

 

I mentioned DDR on another board. If you can get the old DDR 1 version, you can still use just the playstation 1 ($50), and a dance pad ($20) -the whole set is about $100. The only BAD thing is that the newer DDR CD requires Playstation 2 which is $180, vs the $50 playstation one. That is a bummer--I worry our original version will get scratched.

 

I don't know why this seems to work for him vs how normal computer games work, as they require some concentration also, but maybe because of the rhythm and whole body involvement, you must really get into a high concentration zone. In any case, it works for him.

 

It is great exercise, and great for gross motor coordination. I wonder whether it might help with left/right issues for dyslexia in the early years--almost as an intervention, but this is pure SPECULATION on my end.

 

I can report that when we first started playing it, my son's reading speed improved by 50%, presumably from the visual tracking exercise.

 

 

I think my son may be unusually responsive to computer input to his brain, but am posting this as something non-invasive that might be possibly effective for another child.

 

On the off chance you ever try out DDR, please do the training mode, as the speed can be slowed down to the right beginner level. Also the game mode is pass/fail and can be discouraging for a beginner. I have taught many many of his friends on it and they all love it and ask to play it when they come over. It is pure fun and great entertainment/exercise on a rainy day. We don't allow other playstation games, but that is just our own house rule.

 

I do it with him for exercise, though I am terrible at it compared to him. It is great exercise, good for my own concentration, fun, and quality time with him!

 

Unfortunately, there isn't one website to go to to get it. I think EBX (www.ebxgames.com) might carry each component--Konami makes the CD, Sony makes the Playstations, and Kani, Mad Catz and RedOctane make the Dance Pads. Target carries the Playstations. You can also get Dance pads on the web. We bought our 3 years ago at the San Francisco Metreon, and still buy parts--over time the cheaper dance pads wear out--we finally invested in the nice ones, but I wouldn't do that until you knew your child liked it.

 

The remarkable thing about this is that it is as appealing to my son and his friends as the sit-down games, but has all these benefits. The biggest thing I would tell to someone starting out is to please use training mode and make it just the right level. You can even replay different segments of the song if one set of steps is too challenging. They have levels of standard, difficult and challenging. Boom boom dollar is the best starter song to me. The arcade games are too hard for a beginner in my opinion.

 

It is remarkable, my son's performance on DDR got back to his 'normal' strong level this past weekend, and guess what he told me today: He read an entire chapter (3 lessons) in science today--and was in full concentration. This is after weeks/a couple of months having issues reading it during the noisy class time, since he does independent study in science, where we would compensate at home.

 

I must give high credit to DDR, and secondary to the melatonin for the good night's sleep. I rank the Melatonin #2, because he was still having some troubles even with a good night's sleep--though he was better.

 

Disclaimer: my son passed the ADD test that his neurotherapist did with him on the first visit before trying our failed attempt at neurotherapy. So his attention issues were less severe than most, and they were recent, thus perhaps easier to remedy.

 

Claire

[Claire]

I started this thread in the hopes that others would eventually post things that help with ADD/ADHD over time, since it can be comorbid with tics/ts.

 

Claire

[Guest Robin O]

Claire, this looks like something we should try!. We do have the sony playstation. So the cost would not be bad to add the extra things. How often do you do the DDR. Me and my son have tried it at the arcades and its HARD. He does not enjoy it much at the arcades but maybe at home he would enjoy it more.

 

Thanks for the advice. Robin

[Claire]

Robin,

 

I can't overemphasize how important it is thatyou use the training mode and pick the easier songs (e.g. Boom Boom Dollar) and slow the speed way down. If it is too hard it turns everyone off before they have a chance to like it. And again the game mode actually 'fails' you and stops play if you miss so many steps in a row. I have done this with so many children now, and all but 1 liked it--setting it at just the right level was the key. What I do with my son is to note his scores occasionally--how many perfects/greats/goods, and then he watches his progression. Again, if he likes it, the newer pads tend to register hits better than the cheapies and may make him feel more successful.

 

By the way, did you know that braintalk has an adhd/add board? I posted this there (my comments are the mostly the same, some are new), but it might be interesting to read other people's thoughts on the theories--from the rhythm to the jumping. No one else has tried it yet though.

 

http://neuro-mancer.mgh.harvard.edu/ubb/Fo...TML/004543.html

 

So my personal theory (unproven) is that the same children who react to computer games with tics or whatever, might be the same ones who could benefit from this--ie their brains respond to the game play.

 

On the other hand, if kids have an issue with flicker and tics, they might need the LCD monitor. In any case, I would observe closely.

 

As for your question on frequency, the neuro/biofeedback sessions were 2x a week for 30 minutes, but I have read of people who did it daily for faster results. I would say 20-40 minutes targeting every other day--more often only if he wants it. He has got to enjoy it, or I don't think the focus is there. So if initial he only wants 10 minutes, that is just fine. Let him decide when he is ready for faster speeds or new songs. Lately I am right there to encourage him. And I would get two pads to play with him--it makes them feel good to play with someone worse than them.

 

They even have controls such as 'hand clapping' to help you time the steps. And little on/off to turn of the 1/8 beats which are hard.

 

Claire

[Guest Robin O]

claire, I have checked out the ADHD board on braintalk. It does have some alternative advice but not much. I dont post much on the Tourette Board on Braintalk due to negative feedback everyone seems to get from one particular person. I talked to my son about the DDR and he wants to try it. I will let you know how it goes. He came home from school today feeling pretty bad. He got very anxious in school and that makes his attentions span almost nothing. His teacher did not realize he was anxious and embrassed him in front of the class. His tics have been really bothering him the last week. His neck/shoulder tics are constant.

 

He was doing so good and within hours they started to increase again. Its so frustrating!! I am so tired of tracking what he eats, see, smells. touches. nothing seems to be working.

 

Oh well so much for venting. Its been a long day with my 1 year old and now I have to try and convience my 9 year old that life is GREAT even with Tics, OCD. ADD and Anxiety. This too shall pass. ( soon I hope) Robin

[Claire]

Robin,

 

I am running off, but wanted to note something: When my son had the computer trigger for tics, it lasted a full week. You said that you think your son was set off by milk and maybe the gameboy? Try to be patient for a week--it is hard to do, but I found that my own's son system was always back to normal by then. And they didn't always even decrease at all for several days--once he was susceptible, other things seemed to set him off more easily.

 

I am so sorry for this trying time for you! I can definitely relate to times when it all seems to hit at once. And teacher's who don't understand what is happening, can inadvertently make it much worse. It happened to my son also. He was distracted, and her punishing him for it blew his concentration for the whole day due to his reaction to it. I talked to her about it and things changed after that until he made it through that trying period.

 

Claire