By Wendy Rice, Psy.D. Licensed Psychologist
Today the incidence of ADHD has risen to 7-10% of children world-wide and about 2-5% of adults. The use of ADHD medication is on the rise, with usage more than tripling worldwide since the early 1990’s. This leads many parents to search for supplemental or alternative treatments for their kids.
Based on research as well as personal and professional experience, Cognitive Training as an alternative and adjunct approach used in conjunction with other, more traditional types of treatment, can be effective when a child needs more than just medications or the family refuses them.
Many children struggle to pay attention or stay on task.
These behaviors are often associated with a diagnosis of Attention Deficit Disorder or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and medication is a common solution to manage these behavioral problems. But medication only serves to mitigate the symptoms and is only one part of a comprehensive treatment approach. Medication doesn’t solve the underlying problems that can be contributing factors to a student’s attention struggles.
Here at Rice Psychology in Tampa, FL, we have an alternative and effective answer. With our BRAIN TRAIN® program, we use a scientifically based method to help children and adults think faster, focus better and remember more. It has been proven to increase working memory capacity – that means that people can hold more information on their “mental desktop” to be able to solve problems and learn more easily. The technical name for this approach is computer-based “cognitive training” used to build “working memory capacity.”
BRAIN TRAIN® is a proven, computer-based cognitive training program that helps to improve attention, self-control, listening skills, reasoning ability, and memory – the basic and critical skills you need for success in school and in life. Brain Train can be used in conjunction with or in place of prescribed medications for attention deficit disorders. It is ideal for kids who show signs of ADHD, ADD, or LD, and all students who struggle to retain and apply information.
The differences between BRAIN TRAIN® and programs you can find on-line are:
- In a professional practice, a trained psychologist can determine whether or not this method is an appropriate and helpful tool for an individual patient.
- The psychologist selects the appropriate exercises and is present to administer them.
- The length and frequency of “play” time is an important part if its effectiveness and can only be determined by a professional.
- Dr. Rice chose BRAIN TRAIN® specifically because it is one of two of the most validated and well respected programs in the world.
Training your brain using cognitive techniques can offer a long term solution to some of the causes of the ADD and ADHD behaviors, whereas medications only work when you take them regularly. The BRAIN TRAIN® program exercises and improves brain function that is needed to improve focus, memory and attention, and can make a real difference in the life of a child struggling with an attention deficit diagnosis. In fact, the BRAIN TRAIN® Memory Gym program for Children recently won a Mom’s Choice Award (click for details).
If you would like more information on the BRAIN TRAIN® programs available in our Tampa Bay locations, please Click Here to Contact Us and we will be happy to answer any questions you may have.
