sparkmygenius.com

• 09Jun

  4 out of 5 People Suffer Brain Injuries

  cognitive decline, mTBI, stress No Comments

  Does it seem like 80% of the people you work with are touched in the head? Eighty percent of people will sustain a brain injury and not get adequate treatment. Think you’re safe just because you don’t skateboard or Rollerblade?

  Wrong. Brain injury is an enemy that infiltrates all social classes and cultures.

  Most victims will suffer financial, emotional and physical limitations for the rest of their lives. Why is this silent epidemic…well, silent? Unless victims sustain a coma or cannot walk and talk, then the concept of brain injury is casually dismissed by society and the courts.

  It is no coincidence that many cases of teenage rebellion coincide with an earlier bump on the head.

  The effects of brain injury may not surface in entirety until many months after the injury. Most of us think that unless someone needs stitches, they haven’t sustained a “serious” injury. The scary truth is that a head injury can occur faster than it takes to form a thought or even say a word. Adults are prone to shaken baby syndrome too. There is help and there are signs.

  Adults are prone to shaken baby syndrome too.

  Try the complimentary 39 Point Learning Assessment to see if you can be set free from brain fog and live in the land of clarity! CDC has published a very helpful guide about what to do if you or a loved one has experienced a head injury.

  http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/tbi/tbibook.pdf

  Dr Amy Price

  Dr Amy Price is a Patient Volunteer & Executive Director
  at the Spinal Injury Foundation
  http://www.spinalinjuryfoundation.org

• 08Jun

  This is Your Brain on Music. Any questions?

  auditory, music No Comments

  

  This is your brain on music.  Any questions?

  Music is a universal language. Music has been recognized as a source of motivation, inspiration and guidance for thousands of years. Prophets of old would call for musicians as they sought to define the future. Musical groups were sent out first to prepare armies for war and to calm people for peace. It is used in restaurants to mold our eating habits. Opulent music in places of class and fast loud music to generate eating speed in fast food establishments. Music tells stories of love and of anarchy. Even with no lyrics our brains are hardwired to pick up the signals. Animals can be encouraged to perform better with the right music and plants listening to music grow and prosper.

  It is no surprise that music can frame our minds to produce our future and increase learning capacity. Science is showing that music can be specially formulated to increase ability for motor skills, language skills and creative capacity. Take a look at this article by Advanced Brain Technology to see if music can be the next revolutionary in your life!

  http://www.advancedbrain.com/Article_Spoonful_of_Music.asp

  Dr Amy Price

• 07Jun

  Teach Your Old Brain New Tricks

  cognitive decline, mTBI, memory No Comments

  “The brains of adult mammals are slowly, constantly churning out new brain cells,” it said recently in LiveScience. 

  Click here for the full article.

  That’s right, adult brain cells can definitely keep growing and actually change their structures in response to new experiences.

  The growth is much smaller than what goes on during the critical period of development, but the fact that it goes on at all is earth-shattering, “said a neuroscientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

  New research shows these new adult brain cells may actually help old cells adapt to new experiences and be used to rejuvenate our aging brains.

  “Young neurons are generated in two areas of the brain: the hippocampus and the olfactory bulb. The hippocampus, in particular, appears almost like a fountain of youth. The new cells produced in the area, said neuroscientist Hongjun Song, make the whole system younger.”

  

  New neurons are labeled to show green fluorescence in the adult mouse brain.
  Credit: Kurt Sailor, Guo-li Ming and Hongjun Song
  
  

  Most of us know how fast children learn — much faster than we do (I’m 64). Their brain plasticity is phenomenal. But we adults can continue to adapt to new experiences even though our brains are more hardwired than our children’s brains.

  At Sparks of Genius we see this all the time in children as young as six and adults in their eighties. Both young ­and old are capable of new learning.

  Dr. Paul Nussbaum, a clinical neuropsychologist, writes how important new learning is for adults, especially the elderly.   Not any kind of learning but novel, rich and complex learning.

  In other words, engage your mind in mentally stimulating activities!

  Adult and elderly clients at Sparks of Gemius use a special combination of computer programs to train their brain for more successes in life. They can improve cognitive skills like memory, attention, listening and thinking. The can even increase the central processing speed of their brains.

  The Sparks of Genius message to adults and seniors is: “Defy labels. Move beyond limitations decided by others. You can do more than you ever thought you could.”

   Dr. Rohn Kessler

• 06Jun

  Music and Memory and…something else, I forget

  cognitive decline, mTBI, memory, music No Comments

  Here is a great music video about the wonders of aging and fading memories.  Take three minutes to watch it: the laughs are good for you, even when they are at your own expense.

  Note to young people: you won’t get it.

• 06Jun

  Mental Obesity

  ADHD, ADD, art, aspergers, cognitive decline, learning disability, memory, parenting, school, social skills No Comments

  Think of your brain like your body.  What do you feed it each day?  A brain diet high in video games and low in cognitive demands will lead to mental obesity!

  The NY Times is reporting that new web sites aimed at children, especially girls, are on the rise. These sites allow kids to chat, Instant Message, Accessorize their cartoon avatars, dress up dolls and play video games.  Sounds like fun, so what’s the problem?

  The problem is that your brain is like a muscle–use it or lose it.  Spending an hour or two playing high stimulus, low cognition games (or watching equivalent TV programs, or reading equivalent comic books) is fine IF IT IS PART OF A WELL-BALANCED BRAIN DIET.

  What makes a well-balanced brain diet?

  Introducing the Brain-Food Pyramid:

  • 1-2 Hours of High-Stimulus, Low-Cognition activities: video games, TV, passive music, chatting with friends, internet surfing.
  • 1-2 Hours of  High-Cognition Activities: reading above grade level, write an essay, playing a musical instrument, peak-performance athletics, planning a big project.
  • 1-2 Hours of Physical Activity: walking, jogging, swimming, unstructured playing, sports, bicycling, etc.
  • 1-2 Hours of Socializing: hanging out with friends and family.
  • 7-10 hours of sleep!

  “Kids these days” are packing on 4-14 hours PER DAY of high stimulus activities that require next to zero thinking.  They’re ignoring the other aspects of life, sacrificing social skills and physical health (including sleep) in order to get their next “fix” of almost-free brain stimulus.

  Your brain needs exercise every day in order to stay in shape.  Don’t let Barbie take that away!

  Good luck,

  Allen Dobkin

• 04Jun

  NEW: Attention Training Podcast

  podcast No Comments

  We’re thrilled to announce that our first podcast is coming Friday, June 8!

  A big thanks goes out to www.mindpulseinc.com —>they did a fantastic job of researching our work and interviewing our people to make this a huge success.  Check out their site and if you’re considering a Podcast, they are professionals all the way!

  The podcast will be available at www.SparksofGenius.com as well as on iTunes.

  Thanks Jeri!

  Allen Dobkin & Dr. Rohn Kessler

• 04Jun

  Get the Biggest Advantage for Your Child

  ADHD, ADD, Sparks of Genius, aspergers, homework, learning disability, parenting, school, social skills, teacher No Comments

  Our nation has shifted its educational focus to standardized testing performance, for good or bad. One result is that parents, schools and districts are all looking for ways to play the system. If a school can massage the numbers just right, they get more funding. If parents can have their child diagnosed ADHD or with a Learning Disability, then the child can get extra time on the FCAT and SAT, which leads to a higher score and better college prospects. Plus, a little Ritalin or Adderall goes a long way. For anyone. Are your children getting lost in the shuffle? We hope to show you a trick or two to make sure that your kid has the best advantages, no matter what gimmicks are used by other parents and schools.

  Are the children getting lost in the shuffle?
  We hope to show you a trick or two to make sure that your kid has the best advantages, no matter what gimmicks are used by other parents and schools.

  The NY Times ran an interesting feature highlighting the advantages in redshirting: keeping a child out of kindergarten until he or she is a little older, as much as a year.

  Click here for the full article.

  Tool #1: Train your child to think that he or she is the boss.

  This may seem counterintuitive. After all, we often fight our kids to get them to do their homework. You want to transition your child’s current thinking from the perspective of “Educational Victim” to “Educational Entrepreneur”.

  Educational
  Victim	Entrepreneur
  Homework is an imposition	Homework is a challenge/tool
  Teachers are authority figures	Teachers are like employees
  I’m never going to use this in real life	How can I use this in real life?
  No dreams beyond play	Big, earth-shaking dreams
  High level of concern with appearing smart or cool	High level of concern with overcoming challenges
  Parents complain about school system	Parents participate in school system

  The institution of education, whether by accident or design, tends to create Educational Victims. In order to transition your child to thinking like an Educational Entrepreneur, requires adult-to-adult conversation. Your child doesn’t have the tools to change their own attitudes, so you must show them the way. Here’s how you do it.First, fix the “Stinking Thinking.” When you hear your child say things like, “I’m never going to use this in real life”, or “Miss Stinkyfoot is a rotten teacher” or “I hate homework”, take ten minutes and walk through this process. First, ask them exactly what is bothering them. Make them get specific. “He’s a jerk” doesn’t cut it. Once the complaint is out in the open, you must reframe it from the perspective of an Educational Entrepreneur. Here are some common translations.

  Translate Stinking Thinking
  Stinkin’ Thinkin’	iThoughts
  Homework is boring	Let’s turn it into a challenge: how much can you finish in 15 minutes (then take a fun break).
  Mr. Soandso is mean to me	Let’s find a way to make him a friend…just like we would as an adult with a mean employee
  I’m never going to use this in real life	Sometimes the content isn’t what is important, but mastering the PROCESS is. The best businesses have the best processes, not necessarily the best products.
  The subject is boring.	Tie the subject in to real life and show how it is important.
  I’m bored/hate school.	This student is stuck in victim mode. Reframe the school experience so that the child is the boss. Consider that the child may be overwhelmed and need some one-on-one help.

  To be continued tomorrow.

  -Allen Dobkin

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