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BPI Blog

What if I choose the wrong school situation?

By: Cathy Linney
Posted on: August 19, 2020

It goes without saying that the changes to our schedules have been extreme during this pandemic. Here's some guidance....take a breath. As a parent, it has been so difficult and so stressful to suddenly be thrown into the education arena. That stress compounded during the summer months, as we faced children unable to engage with others, visit grandparents, hang out with friends.

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Posted in: Virtual vs In-Person Instruction
Tags: COVID, Virtual school, online learning


Midyear grade crisis!

By: Cathy Linney
Posted on: February 21, 2018

NOW is the time to save the school year. There are several months remaining and with some immediate intervention, it is possible to save the grades for the second semester, and for the school year.

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Posted in: 2nd semester grade decline
Tags: APD, low grades, LD, ADHD


Sleep and Memory

By: Alisa Raney
Posted on: November 4, 2017

SLEEP may be the most important activity to improve your brain. During sleep the brain makes connections, saves memories, and repairs itself. Sleep-dependent learning, a new scientific discovery, means that a person stores what they learned that day as he/she sleeps.

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Posted in: memory, sleep
Tags: memory, sleep


Summertime Shutdown?

By: Cathy Linney
Posted on: June 8, 2017

It's the age-old dilemma. What do you do with your kids this summer? Do you give them a "pass", allowing no mental activity requirements in the midst of playtime?

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Posted in: Summer Brain Activities
Tags: Exercise and the brain, summer cognitive planning


Is It Dementia?

By: Cathy Linney
Posted on: April 4, 2017

As a member of the "Baby Boomers " generation, I hear many of my friends expressing concern that they just aren't "as sharp as they used to be". They are also concerned for what they fear is increasing dementia in their aging parents.

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Posted in: Dementia
Tags: Dementia


Aging and MCI

By: Cathy Linney
Posted on: March 12, 2017

Slower processing of information, difficulty recalling words, repeating same information-all are changes we sometimes see in our parents, or even ourselves, as we age. This may be symptoms of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). It is important to note that all who eventually develop dementia, started with MCI; but not all who develop MCI will progress to dementia.

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Posted in: Mild cognitive impairment
Tags: MCI, Mild Cognitive Impairment, early dementia, mild dementia, memory


Can't Seem to Follow Simple Directions

By: Alisa Raney
Posted on: May 16, 2016

Many of our CAPD students were first a frustration to their families because they would always fail to follow directions at home...Then when school started, they often misunderstand verbal instruction from their teacher in the classroom.

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Posted in: Central Auditory Processing Disorder
Tags: CAPD, APD, Central Auditory Processing Disorder, frustration, task completion


What does brain training have to do with Social Skills?

By: Cathy Linney
Posted on: October 23, 2015

For a person diagnosed on the high level of the Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) scale, intelligence is very often not in question. Cognitive skills are typically at or above normal rankings for these individuals. So, why are things so tough academically? The answer is that it isn't about skill or intelligence; it's about the ability to discern what is being asked!

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Posted in: Students with Aspergers/High Functioning Autism
Tags: ASD Communication. Asperger's Communication Issues; Brain Training and Asperger's; Brain Training and ASD


My child hates school!

By: Cathy Linney
Posted on: October 14, 2015

The school year is in full stride; the review of the previous year's information has completed and the acquisition of new knowledge and skills has begun. Except for your child...he or she hates school!! Every evening begins the homework wars, those struggles between the parent and child that all of us have faced on occasion. That is normal and even expected.

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Posted in: Learning Disabilities
Tags: CAPD, ADD, ADHD, LD, APD, Processing Issues


Exercise and Remember

By: Alisa Raney
Posted on: August 11, 2015

Feeling fuzzy and trying to remember something? Try doing a few jumping jacks, or jog in place. Doing something physical can help you remember. This also works when you have been reading the same chapter over and over.

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Posted in: Memory
Tags: memory, exercise, recall


Walk Over a Threshold

By: Alisa Raney
Posted on: August 4, 2015

Passing over a threshold cues the brain that you're finished with the situation at hand (stress) and ready to move on to something new, say scientists at the University of Notre Dame.

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Posted in: Reset Your Thoughts and Brain
Tags: stress, anxiety, brain health


Coloring to Reduce Stress

By: Alisa Raney
Posted on: August 4, 2015

Coloring will bring out memories of simpler times, make you feel creative, and help you de-stress, all at the same time. Our brains need time off and help de-stressing to stay healthy. Do something like this for yourself.

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Posted in: Relaxation technique for brain
Tags: stress, relaxation, anxiety, creativity, health


Brain Health

By: Alisa Raney
Posted on: July 14, 2015

At ANY age, research always shows, that healthy exercise for your brain, like games and puzzles, make the brain react like an exercised muscle, growing bigger and stronger.

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Posted in: Brain Strength
Tags: memory, Brain Health, puzzles, games


Studying

By: Alisa Raney
Posted on: May 19, 2015

Spend a few minutes looking through a chapter before studying/reading through it. Notice titles, headings, and pictures. By doing this you are making connections your brain can use as you read through the material for real. That's what memory is all about, connections!

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Posted in: Memory
Tags: memory, studying, school, tests, textbooks


Vitamin B and Memory

By: Alisa Raney
Posted on: October 31, 2014

A vitamin B-12 deficiency — most common in older adults and vegetarians — can cause various signs and symptoms, including memory loss.

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Posted in: Vitamin deficiencies
Tags: memory, Vitamin B, Alzheimer's


Brain Food

By: Alisa Raney
Posted on: October 21, 2014

"Nuts and berries added to "trail Mix" makes you SMARTER", American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,

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Posted in: Healthy Snacks
Tags: memory, depression, snacks, diet


ADD Routine

By: Alisa Raney
Posted on: August 24, 2014

Give your ADD kid (or yourself) structure/routines/habits. External structure helps so much because they have no internal structure.

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Posted in: Structure needed in ADD
Tags: ADD, ADHD, Habits, Routines, Structure


Testing Naps

By: Alisa Raney
Posted on: August 24, 2014

A study where some people took a nap and some didn't, interestingly showed not only that at 6 p.m. that night the napping group tested better than those who didn’t take a nap, but that the napping group actually performed better than they themselves had earlier that morning!

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Posted in: Brain efficiency
Tags: naps, napping, brain rest, brain drain, testing best, efficiency


Feel Happier

By: Alisa Raney
Posted on: July 17, 2014

Make yourself smile when you are feeling down, it will release chemicals into your brain that will make you feel happier:-)

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Posted in: make yourself feel happier
Tags: happiness, mood, depression, brain chemicals


Memory-Essential Oils

By: Alisa Raney
Posted on: July 17, 2014

Scientists find that sniffing Rosemary can increase memory by 75%!

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Posted in: boosting memory
Tags: memory, essential oils, studies


Working Memory

By: Alisa Raney
Posted on: July 17, 2014

Working memory controls our ability to review our past, evaluate our current, and plan our future!

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Posted in: working memory
Tags: memory, college, working memory, planning, brain exercises


Reading/Studying

By: Alisa Raney
Posted on: July 17, 2014

Read with a pen or pencil in hand...underline and make notes in the margin, and then you are also ready for all those other thoughts that suddenly occur to you!

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Posted in: Reading Comprehension
Tags: memory, reading, studying, college, school, taking notes


Sleep and Memory

By: Alisa Raney
Posted on: July 17, 2014

Get a good night's sleep! People who don't sleep well tend to be more forgetful than people who sleep deep

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Posted in: Memory
Tags: memory, brain, sleep


Brain Workout

By: Alisa Raney
Posted on: May 31, 2014

Our brain gets a perfect workout anytime we talk to another human being--even just for 10 minutes!

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Posted in: brain exercise from conversation
Tags: brain exercise, workout, talking, conversation


Adult ADD/ADHD

By: Alisa Raney
Posted on: May 29, 2014

If you have always had trouble remembering things, keeping organized, and controlling your impulses, you may have ADD. Adults can benefit from ADD/ADHD treatment!

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Posted in: Adult Treatment ADD ADHD
Tags: ADD, ADHD, memory, Adults, organization, impulses


Aerobics and the Brain

By: Alisa Raney
Posted on: May 24, 2014

Study shows that a year of "modest aerobic exercise" reverses normal brain shrinkage by 1 to 2 years-a 2011 study published in PNAS.

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Posted in: exercise helps brain
Tags: brain, exercise, aging


Start a Hobby

By: Alisa Raney
Posted on: May 24, 2014

Start a hobby! "My recent study showed that older adults who spent 15 hours a week learning a new hobby for three months improved their memory--and the effect was maintained a year later!" Denise Park, Ph.D., Researcher.

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Posted in: Improving Memory
Tags: memory, brain, Alzheimers', Aging


ADD Diet

By: Alisa Raney
Posted on: May 24, 2014

Most people with ADD do better on a higher protein/lower-carb diet!

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Posted in: ADD diet
Tags: ADD, ADHD


CAPD

By: Alisa Raney
Posted on: May 24, 2014

When a preschooler just doesn't seem to "get it" -Connections in thinking/jokes/the world, just don't seem to be developing as you expect: Very possibly-Central Auditory Processing DIsorder-CAPD/APD-

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Posted in: CAPD
Tags: CAPD