Brad Oostindie, MA, LLP
800 Ellis Road, Suite 245
Norton Shores, MI 49441
Toll-free: 1-800-850-0535
Appointments: info@readytofocus.com
Billing: billing@readytofocus.com
BRAD OOSTINDIE, MA, LLP
800 ELLIS ROAD SUITE 245, NORTON SHORES, MI 49441
Schedule an appointment today! 1-800-850-0535
Posted on February 10 2010
Ready To Focus is committed to excellence, honesty, and integrity in all that we do. We also actively measure whether or not we are meeting the high standards we set for ourselves in these areas. We measure this each week with our participants on the following scale:
Level of satisfaction responses were given on a 1-5 scale as follows:
1 - Poor
2 - Poor/Good
3 - Good
4 - Good/Excellent
5 - Excellent
Join our email newsletter FOCUS TIME and receive regular updates on how we are doing each month with our participant level of satisfaction. You can join FOCUS TIME by signing up off from our homepage at www.readytofocus.com. Or, you can become a Facebook Ready To Focus friend and see the updates as they are posted.
Posted on February 8 2010
By Brad Oostindie, MA, LLP - Clinical Director
Last month I had the pleasure of visiting the Meysen Academy in Sendai, Japan. This is the third international school I have visited (India - 2003 and Dominican Republic 2007) and I found the experience to be very informative. The Meysen Academy is known for its interactive learning style, teaching English as a second language, and is a community leader in the area. There are two Meysen campuses in Sendai and about 4000 students attend classes at the school everyday.
Prior to going to Japan I spent sometime researching topics related to the Ready To Focus program as it related to this trip. A recent UNICEF study placed Japan in the top 5 of countries for scores in math and science. Only 2.2% of the high school age students in Japan fell below international benchmarks of achievement. This is compared to 16.2% of students in the United States falling below benchmarks during the same time period. Also, you may not be aware of this but according to the National Institute of Health the United States uses approximately 85% of all the stimulant medication produced in the world. Although ADHD is recognized in Japan and different types of psychostimulant medication are used for treatment, the treatment model follows a paradigm of using medication as a last resort as opposed to a first line of intervention in all but the most serious cases.
In Japan the model of ADHD intervention is as follows:
1. Environmental coordination and psychoeducation.
2. Behavioral Therapy.
3. Review of these interventions.
4. Specialists (for drugs or other therapies).
A link to this research article is provided below.
There is so much more I could report regarding my visit to the Meysen Academy! I hope you find this information helpful as you consider your own child’s academic, behavior, and other needs and as you make decisions on how to best intervene for your child in these areas. Please feel free to email me at brad@readytofocus.com for more information.
Link to research article
Psychopharmacology_for_ADHD_in_Japan.pdf
Pictures of visit
Meysen.pdf
Posted on January 5 2010
Written by Brad Oostindie, MA, LLP
Gary (not his real name) is a 12 year old who had been taking Concerta (a common stimulant medication) for a number of years to address his problems with focus and distraction. Over time his dosage was increased to 54mg per day, which is considered a high dose of this type of medication. Prior to taking this medication he experienced problems with sustaining focus, distraction, and difficulties related to completing homework and other academic difficulties. Even with taking the medication he had difficulties with completing homework, sustaining attention and focus on tasks, and impulsivity.
When assessed at Ready To Focus, it was found that he did indeed have a slow wave dysregulation. Individuals with slow wave issues tend to have problems sustaining focus and with distraction and also tend to respond well to stimulant medication as the medication tends to help the brain activate (i.e. Get out of its slow wave pattern). Unfortunately, the assessment also showed that even though he was taking the medication, his performance on neuropsychological tests measuring sustained focus and distraction was still in a range considered impaired. He started a home-based biofeedback/neurofeedback program following a researched training regimen used all over the world in neurofeedback treatment centers for this slow wave dysregulation.
After approximately 20 hours of training (while on his 54 mg of medication) we observed his neuropsychological testing improve from impaired to the average range. At that point his parents decreased his medication to 36 mg and he completed another 10-15 hours of treatment. When retested at the 35 hour mark of total training (at 36mg) his scores remained in the average range. The medication was again reduced to 18 mg for another 5-10 hours of training and he was retested. Again – the results showed scores in the average range. At that point the big step was taken to eliminate all medication and train for another 5-10 hours before retesting. The last retesting showed attention scores in the above normal range, and distraction scores in the low average range. So, after approximately 45 hours of training Gary was off from the stimulant medication entirely, and scoring better on the neuropsychological tests than he was while on it.
Subjectively, during that time Gary (who had completed the first 3-4 months of school while doing all this) was doing his homework unassisted every night. Typically both he and his mother would have to do homework every night together – a 1-2 hour process each night. Also, he obtained higher academic scores/grades than in years past.
Because of the fact his distraction scores remained lower than what we would like them to be, we will have Gary continuing on an office-based once a week training schedule for the next month or two (also called “maintenance therapy”). The goal is to help him maintain his gains, improve the distraction piece even more, and make sure the gains stick. Research shows that approximately 80% of those who benefit from biofeedback/neurofeedback (minimum 20 hours training) maintain the gains in the one, two, three, and five year follow up studies. Because of how far he has come, and the areas yet to improve, we will do the maintenance therapy to make sure there is no regression.
Update (February 3, 2010): After one month of maintenance therapy (one neurofeedback session per week) and no medication Gary did indeed show some regression. We responded to this by restarting 18 mg of Concerta and doing one more month of the home based program. He has quickly responded to this and is back on track. We plan on continuing neurofeedback training on the 18mg for a few weeks, then training off the medication entirely for a few weeks to see if we can have complete success with getting him off the medication entirely!
Posted on January 5 2010
Written by Brad Oostindie, MA, LLP
According to the National Institutes of Health, one in three adults has occasional insomnia and one in ten adults has chronic insomnia. About 8% of the insured population took sleeping pills in 2006, versus 5% in 1998. The increased use of sleeping pills has been particularly sharp for young adults. The issue with using many of these sleeping medications is the addictive quality of them and the impairment they give even into the next morning in terms of focus and attention because of the sedative type quality of the medication. Also, they tend to impede the natural sleep process (sleep stages we go through during the night) making the medicated sleep less efficient than natural sleep. So, even though they promote sleeping, the quality of the sleep is lessened because the natural sleep cycles are impeded.
Sam (not his real name), a young adult in charge of running a business and supervising several employees, was one of the 10% of adults with chronic insomnia. About a year or so ago he was prescribed a sleep aid to address this issue, and was a nightly user of it at the time he contacted Ready To Focus. His insomnia resulted from a bigger issue with anxiety and stress. With a combination of biofeedback and neurofeedback training he was able to stop taking the medication very quickly. He also substituted over the counter melatonin (a natural sleep producer) to help restore his sleep cycle. Lastly, we are addressing his sleep (and anxiety) issues with use of a full spectrum light that he will use for 15-20 minutes each morning in conjunction with his biofeedback/neurofeedback schedule. This type of specialized lamp has been scientifically shown to improve the sleep-wake cycle and improve mood.