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Tips for athletes Cal Ripken Jr. answers the big questions The drive for success on the athletic field - which oftentimes is non-ending - may have a negative effect on a young athlete lost in the netherworld between competition and fun. Cal Ripken Jr., the baseball Hall of Famer, has some answers, as given to KidsHealth.org, the website devoted to children's health. Q: My child gets so upset after losing a game. What can I do? A: "Sports teach us a lot about adversity. They teach us a lot about failure and how we deal with failure. We shouldn't try to protect them and bypass it - we should let them feel it. Don't try to confront the issue as it happens. Try to look for a more appropriate time, maybe a day later, maybe two days later, to discuss what had happened." Q: How can parents foster good sportsmanship? A: "The old adage 'actions speak louder than words' is especially true when it comes to teaching kids the basics of good sportsmanship." Also from Ripken: - Show support - Be positive - Don't dwell on who won or lost - Be a good role model - It's about them - Keep your perspective - Have fun: Even if your child isn't the star, enjoy the game and think of all the benefits your child is gaining - new skills, new friends, and attitudes that can help all through life. Memo to coaches: To watch KidsHealth's exclusive interviews with Cal Ripken Jr., visit: kidshealth.org/parent/fitness/general/sportsmanship.html Or, kidshealth.org/kid/stay_healthy/fit/kids_cal.html STUDY SKILLS Brush up for the A-list As spring fever sets in and the end of the 2006-07 school year nears, it usually a good time to brush up on some study skills. "Having good study habits is a skill that is learned," explains Cari Diaz of Club Z! Tutoring, an education company with locations across the nation. "Children aren't born knowing how to study anymore than they are born knowing how to read. They need to be taught the most effective way to study in order to excel." Here are several studying tips from Club Z!: - Choose an ideal study location in the house that offers plenty of space for books, has good lighting, and is free from distractions, such as the television. - Keep school materials organized in a planner and use a calendar to mark important exams and project due dates. - Make sure the child is well prepared with all the necessary resources they need, such as pencils, paper and a dictionary. - Take breaks when frustrated. As much as parents may want to do the work for them, it's better if the student complete the work on their own. For more information: clubztutoring.com FAILING GRADE Many college freshmen unprepared for coursework Community college students' placement testing results are determining whether or not high school is preparing them well enough for college curriculum. Low test scores at community colleges across the nation are forcing students to enroll in remedial classes, which are non-transferable courses below English 100 and Math 100. Statistics show that 42% of community college freshmen nationwide take at least one remedial class. This postsecondary education is expensive, raising tuition and other costs, and prompting students to spend more time reaching their educational goals. These remedial classes are similar to high school classes and are miles away from the general education requirements. Students may have to take one to two of these classes depending on the subject just to enroll in a transferable class. Then they still have to go through several classes to reach their major requirements. It's a long, droning process, wasting time and money. How can high school students prepare for college? They should take four years of college-preparatory English and three years of college-preparatory math, science and history. The more challenging the work, the more ready they will be for college classes. Anna Katsuki, a professor of counseling at Orange Coast College, advises high school students on how to prepare for the next level of education. "Take English and math classes more seriously," she emphasizes. "A majority of high school seniors do not take math: If you don't use it, you'll lose it." Orange Coast College offers at least one free hour of tutoring a week to students and has practice exams for the assessment testing on their website. – By Ashley Eliot BRAIN WORKOUT Technology helps to calm restless minds By Genevieve Anton As a parent, most of us want our kids to spend less time playing Xbox, GameCube and Wii. But there is a computer video game that - given the proper guidance - can calm the restless young mind and improve your child's behavior. It's a natural, non-invasive technique known as neurofeedback. Think of it as exercise for your child's brain - a workout that could help control how it behaves. Backed by medical experts and scientific testing, neurofeedback is becoming a widely accepted method of treating children with autistic, attention deficit, obsessive-compulsive, oppositional defiance and anxiety disorders. "Kids today live in a world of constant stimulation and sometimes struggle with traditional psychotherapy," said Dr. Jeffrey Bone, director of The Mind Clinic in Orange County, which treats patients young and old using neurofeedback technique. "The nice thing about neurofeedback is that your child doesn't need to understand how it works. The only thing they have to do is play a video game with their mind - which they enjoy - while we're busy training their brain." Even a young child can learn to regulate and reduce negative behaviors through neurofeedback, because the brain will automatically adjust itself, explains Bone as he demonstrates the technique on a young patient. The 10-year-old boy with attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) squirms restlessly in the chair as Bone attaches painless, small electrodes to his earlobes and scalp. But as soon as the computer screen comes alive, the child's attention is riveted to the monitor. As he begins to relax and concentrate, a rocket flies across the screen, gobbling up electronic diamonds as it whizzes through a brightly colored tunnel. Bone analyzes the child's brain waves on a separate monitor, adjusting the rocket's response to coax the mind into a healthy, balanced state. Eventually, the brain will learn to regulate itself and the negative behaviors caused by an agitated central nervous system will fade away. "The child may not be aware that anything has changed, just that life is easier, mom doesn't yell at me so much, friends like me better or it's easier to do my homework - they don't know why, it will just be," says Dr. Siegfreid Othmer, chief scientist at the EEG Institute in Woodland Hills, which has trained more than 4,000 professionals in neurofeedback, also referred to as electroencephalogram (EEG) biofeedback. "Neurofeedback allows us to work with an entire range of EEG frequencies that influence behavior and the results are almost immediate," says Othmer. An extra benefit for kids who play sports, neurofeedback has been shown to enhance athletic performance by optimizing a player's alertness and concentration during competition. For more information, contact EEG Info at 818.373.1334 or eeginfo.com or The Mind Clinic at 949.375.4028. |
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