David Nowell – Changing the ADHD Brain: Moving Beyond Medication

Outline

Why Not Medication?

• Useful as a short-term tool
• Concerns with long-term use: Effects on the brain

ADHD and the “Immature” Brain

• Brain imaging evidence of ADHD
• Research regarding ADHD brain development
  • Frontal lobes mature more slowly in the ADHD brain
  • Excess theta brainwaves
• Implications for treatment

Movement-Based Strategies

• Wake up an underaroused ADHD brain
• Hyperactivity as an adaptive mechanism
• The impact of play and exercise on the brain
• Role of rhythm and timing training
• Integrated movement systems for ADHD

Frontal Lobe/Working Memory Strategic Tools

• Use it or lose it: Increase memory, attention and focus
• Games for impulse control and working memory
• Computerized cognitive training programs
• Meditation and mindfulness for ADHD
• Neurofeedback

Diet and Nutrition

• The impact of sugars, fats, proteins, and water
• Diet and dopamine
• Omega 3-6-9: What you need to know for brain health
• Multivitamins/mineral: Do they make a difference?
• Gluten, food additives, and pesticides

ADHD and Nervous System Overstimulation

• ”Overaroused” subtype of ADHD
• Stress, anxiety, and ADHD: the connection
• Breathwork and movement for nervous system calming
• Heart rate variability biofeedback
• Art therapy techniques to quiet and focus the brain

Environmental Influences

• Video games and Social Media
• Sleep deprivation
  • Same symptoms as ADHD
  • Strategies to help insomnia
• Environmental toxins: lead, phthalates, pollution
• The impact of time in nature on ADHD symptoms

Limitations of the Research and Potential Risks