You already know that driving and texting don’t mix, but researchers have figured out why it’s even worse than talking on a cell phone while you drive.

According to a new study published in “Human Factors” it has to do with attention patterns. They used driving simulators to test 20 men and 20 women between 19 and 23 and found that drivers who texted (vs. those who talked on cell phone):

• had more crashes

• responsed more slowly to brake lights on cars in front of them

• showed impairment in forward and lateral control

The researchers found evidence that when talking on cell phones, drivers attempt to divide their attention between talking and driving, “adjusting the processing priority of the two activities depending on task demands.” But texters switch their attention from one task to another rather than dividing it.

Reading messages proved to affect braking times even more than composing them (which surprised me).

Here’s the study:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174761.php

You likely already know that tobacco smoke is bad for babies in utero – and even second-hand smoke for babies/kids. But this study has linked tobacco smoke to symptoms of ADD/ADHD.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173623.php

Kids first exposed to tobacco smoke after birth (vs. in utero) have a 1.3 times higher rate of behavioral issues. Kids who were ALSO exposed in utero have a doubled risk of these issues.

The behavioral issues include things like hyperactivity, attention deficits or problems in their relationships with peers.

And yes, the results of the study were “independent of affects from the social environment in which the children were growing up.” Meaning, they ruled out that kids from poor/less educated families (who smoke) would be more likely to have behavioral issues.

http://webinars.learningrx.com/index1.php

Next dates are January 11 and February 3, 2010

(There’s also a pre-recorded webinar on the page)

Topics to be covered:

1. What causes most learning struggles

2. What brain training is and why it works

3. Who brain training can help

4. The first step you should take

http://learningrx.lyrishq.net/newsletter-13—december-2009-1/the-five-ages-of-the-brain-old-age/

The link above is to an article debunking the myth that mental fitness is not a lifelong possibility.

If you don’t have time to read the whole article, here are some highlights that I found to be the most important:

1. Research proves that the brain can continue to grow neurological connections well into the senior years.

2. The right cognitive training can lower the risk of Alzheimer’s.

3. Seniors who undergo brain training show major improvements in memory, problem solving and concentration.

I’ve written about other similar studies to this “new” one published in today’s issue of NEURON. The results are always the same (in a good way): We now know the brain can improve its connectivity between neurons if given the correct brain training. We’re not talking meds and we’re not talking tutoring, we’re talking about intensive cognitive skills programs that strengthen the learning skills needed excel.

Cognitive skills include things like auditory and visual processing, attention, logic and reasoning, processing speed and memory. Yes, these can be strengthened and IQ can be raised!

So this study took 35 poor readers (8 years old) and put half in a classroom with a teacher and the other half went through a remedial reading program (NOT tutoring). Maybe something like ReadRx.

Six months after the training, the white matter of the kids who went through the training had a higher quality. There were more connections in the region of the brain that was stimulated with the intense training.

Read the study here:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173540.php

http://www.clipsyndicate.com/video/play/1201950/smart_mom_s_toy_box

This is a good video about choosing common games that build your child’s cognitive skills. I thought it was especially appropriate at Christmas. Many of these games are $10 or less.

More good news from brain researchers.

A new study of mice showed that there’s a new source in the brain for generating nerve cells. 

The finding show that dead brain cells can be replaced by the generation of new ones. The nerve cells they studied control memory storage and recall (among other things), which is obviously good news for memory-related issues like Alzheimer’s and traumatic brain injury.

Although this study was in mice, they’re hoping the results are the same in humans. The researchers are wondering if this could lead to procedures that could stimulate the body’s replacement mechanism.

Think cell regeneration – like a starfish (they now call them “sea stars” actually!) – but in the brain. The possibilities are endless…

Here’s a link to the study:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172667.php

We know that the brain is plastic and capable of changing itself for the better – at any age. One of the best ways to keep your brain active and create new neural connections is to play games.

AARP has a bunch of free games worth checking out:

http://games.aarp.org/

If you haven’t read my posts before, cognitive skills are the tools that allow people to learn. They include things like memory, logic and reasoning, processing speed, visual and auditory processing, and attention. (These have sub-skills. Memory, for example, has short-term, long-term and working memory.)

While games are good to do on your own, if you really want to improve your cognitive skills and are suffering from age-related cognitive decline, consider intensive one-on-one cognitive skills training. This is NOT tutoring (which works on specific topics, like history) but rather brain-training treats the root cause of learning problems: WEAK COGNITIVE SKILLS.

Do a Google search or check out www.LearningRx.com to learn more about cognitive skills training.

I’m always telling my husband not to microwave plastic because of the links to cancer (not to mention lowered testosterone in boys – and I have a 2-year-old son!). Now I’ve got even more of a reason for him to not do it: a link between common plastics chemicals and ADHD.

Korean scientists recently published a report about phthalates (components of common consumer products, like toys, cleaning materials, plastics and even personal care items!) that does not look good. They measured the concentration of phthaltes in the urine of school-aged kids and found that the higher the concentration, the worse the child’s ADHD symptoms.

Although the study doesn’t prove the link, it certainly suggests a strong correlation. 

In the meantime, you probably can’t avoid plastics entirely (wooden toys, anyone?) but at the very least, don’t microwave plastic or plastic wrap, and keep your kids away from cleaning materials in general.

As always, if you think your child is showing signs of ADHD, get their cognitive skills tested. Don’t treat the symptoms, treat the cure with cognitive skills training. It strengthens the three types of attention (sustained, selective and divided) and essentially eradicates ADHD. It’s not a pill, drug or gimmick. It’s a proven method of fixing the root cause of ADHD – weak learning skills. (www.LearningRx.com)

Here’s the study:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171682.php

From a LearningRx newsletter:

4 Games to Entertain Your Out-Of-Town Relatives and Your Whole Family

This month’s focus: 4 games that you can sit around playing at the dinner table that are all helpful for developing underlying learning and thinking skills. Who knew you’d finish Thanksgiving vacation just a little bit smarter? 

Nationally renowned brain-training experts Ken Gibson and Tanya Mitchell have created a free list to help parents shop for toys to help improve their children’s learning skills. “Our hope is that parents will shop wisely for toys this year, purchasing toys that can help develop the cognitive skills that make learning possible—like auditory and visual processing, memory, logic and reasoning, processing speed, and attention,” says Gibson. “Research now shows that learning skills can be taught—and therefore improved. Brain skills training does for the mind what physical exercise does for the body.”

“A parent whose child has Attention Deficit Disorder, for example, would want to shop for toys that improve attention,” explains Mitchell. “Likewise, a child who struggles with reading would benefit from games that practice sound blending and segmenting.”

Gibson is the founder of national brain training franchise LearningRx, and the co-author of “Unlock the Einstein Inside: Applying New Brain Science to Wake Up the Smart in Your Child” with Mitchell.

Things to Keep in Mind

• A smart toy box will focus on all major learning skills
• Parents can help their kids get smarter at any age
• Brain research shows the brain continues to grow throughout life
• Parents should help prepare a good learner for school by developing learning skills
• Parents should take 30 minutes 3 times per week to work on developing these skills
• The best way to strengthen learning skills is to use fun, game-like activities
• Studies show that reading problems can be prevented.

MAD GAB

$24.99 from Amazon.com

$9.29 from Buy.com (limited quantities)

Auditory Processing: to process sounds. Helps one hear the difference, order and number of sounds in words faster; basic skill needed to learn to read and spell; helps with speech defects.

Divided Attention: to attend to and handle two or more tasks at one time such as: taking notes while listening or carrying totals while adding the next column without making errors. Required for handling tasks quickly or completing complex tasks.

Executive Functioning: a constellation of several complex, inter-related mental operations or constructs, including the allocation of attentional resources, working memory, planning, problem solving, response inhibition, self-monitoring and regulation, and the maintenance of mental sets.

Numerical Concept: to understand the meaning of numbers and their relationship with other numbers and quantities.

PERFECTION

$7.99 for the Perfection fun on the run travel version from Buy.com

$16.99 from Amazon.com

$19.94 for the original version from Walmart.com

Long-Term Memory: to store information and fluently retrieve it later in the process of thinking.

Numerical Concept (see above)

Numerical Fluency: to quickly, efficiently, and accurately apply relationships between number concepts.

Planning: to prioritize information and organize processes into a logical, sequential order.

Selective Attention: to stay on task even when action is present.

Sequential Processing: to process chunks of information received one after another.

Short-Term Memory: ability to apprehend and hold information in immediate awareness and use it within a few seconds.

Simultaneous Processing: to process chunks of information received all at once.

Visual Processing: to process and make use of visual images. Helps one create mental pictures faster and more vividly; helps one understand and “see” word math problems and read maps; improves reading comprehension skills.

SEQUENCE

$18.33 regular edition from Amazon.com

$11.85 for the kids version from Amazon.com

$16.99 for the states and capitals version from Amazon.com

Logic and Reasoning: to reason, plan, and think.

Planning (see above)

Problem Solving: to organize information, define the goal of inquiry, plan a series of sequential steps and apply the steps accurately to satisfy the goal of inquiry.

Sequential Processing (see above)

Visual Processing (see above)

Working Memory: to retain information while processing or using it.

SQUINT

$18.72 from Amazon.com

$12.05 for the Junior version from Amazon.com

Divided Attention (see above)

Inductive Reasoning (Induction): to make generalized conclusions from particular instances.

Logic and Reasoning (see above)

Planning (see above)

Processing Speed: the speed at which the brain processes information. Makes reading faster and less tiring; makes one more aware of his or her surrounding environment; helps with sports such as basketball, football, and soccer and activities such as driving.

Problem Solving (see above)

Sensory-Motor Integration: to have sensory skills work well with motor skills – i.e. eye-hand coordination.

Short-Term Memory (see above)

Sustained Attention: to be able to stay on task.

Visual Processing (see above)

Working Memory (see above)
 

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These websites and analyses are provided by LearningRx. We do not support any particular website or store, but just want to bring you some initial resources to find these games more easily! We searched for the best prices to keep these games within a reasonable budget. Have fun!

To find out more about LearningRx’s programs for preschoolers, elementary students, middle and high school kids, college students, and adults, go to www.learningrx.com.