Did you know that schools receive more funding for children who are diagnosed with ADHD or learning challenges?  

With a cash incentive, that makes academia rather hasty in labelling kids.  According to some doctors, they are being pressured by school administrations and pharmaceutical companies to assess children as having learning challenges, when in reality, the majority of the children simply have different learning styles, or may have nutritional deficiencies

While schools may be benefitting from funding, the kids definitely aren't.  Kids are being labelled as problematic or 'special needs', when it is actually the school system that is problematic  

Diagnosing children as having a learning disability affects their confidence and self esteem.  It makes them feel damaged and different from other children.  They begin to believe they are not capable, and wlll never achieve.  That belief stays with them for the rest of their lives, and becomes an excuse for struggle and underachieving

There are 3 distinct learning styles.  Learning style will depend on your brain's hemispheric dominance  

A person who is left-brain dominant approaches life rationally and logically.  They process information sequentially, understand the linear concept of time, can organize and create routine, and perform mathematical calculations  

These people will likely be right handed.  An analytical person does not involve their senses to learn.  They can read or hear information and readily absorb it  

These people learn visually, or auditorally, or audio-visually.  Since the majority of people are left-brain-hemisphere dominant, school systems are designed to teach audio-visually

But, some people are right-brain dominant.  These people are often left handed or stronger on the left side.  Their awareness of the world comes through their senses and feelings.  They view the world from a 3-dimensional perspective.  These people learn kinesthetically

They may have a hard time keeping their bedrooms, locker or work-space orderly, and may not have a good sense of keeping a schedule or concept of time.  The vast majority of ADD sufferers are actually right-brain dominant  

The brains of kinesthetic people are 'wired' differently.  By the time they hear a segment of information, try to process it through the workings of their senses and emotions or internal visualization process, roll it back and forth to examine it in detail, and then absorb the results of their perceptions, they have missed the full gist of the information and are totally lost. Or, piqued by some piece of information. their thoughts may wander off in an entirely different direction.  What is missing is the engagement of the left hemisphere of the brain

Kinesthetic people learn well when they are interactively involved in the learning process, using touch, movement, and engaging all of their senses to make sense of what they are learning.  Physical movement and interaction is critical to integrating information.  Hands-on experience is important to their brain function, because when the senses and feelings are engaged, so is memory.  And, so they learn rapidly when they can be actively involved  

People who learn kinesthetically can be more creative and better able to 'think outside of the box.'  They may be introverted and day-dream, as they need time to process what they feel.  Sometimes they can be empathic, or very aware of social dynamics andsensitive to what other people are feeling  

Einstein learned kinesthetically, and because of that, he was labelled a slow learner when he was young  

Learning kinesthetically has nothing to do with intelligence.  It has everything to do with how we process information  

Sadly, because mainstream school systems are not designed to accommodate children who learn kinesthetically, these children are labelled as having a learning disability.  40-50 years ago, due to ignorance by learning establishments, kinesthetic children were thought to be of lower intelligence.  They were placed into tech courses like mechanics and woodworking, where they excelled due to the hands-on learning style employed   

These children would do quite well in a Montessori-type school setting.  Montessori schools recognize and utilize all three styles of learning to ensure that children fully engage in the learning process         

Apart from the 3 main styles of learning, there are other factors that can affect a person's ability to learn.  Children need brain food.  When a brain is deprived of nutrients, it it can't function properly.  The main 'brain' nutrients are oxygen and Omega 3-6-9 Essential Fatty Acids.  Children increase oxygen intake with physical activity.  So, sports and outdoor activities are important for proper brain function

Children also need sunshine!  At least 2 hours daily of sunshine directly on the retina of the eyes is needed for proper cognitive function    

For 3/4 of ADD sufferers digestion is the culprit.  The intestinal wall becomes more permeable and digestion is slowed, allowing toxins to enter the brain and organs more readily.  Metabolic poisons can affect learning and cognitive skills.  Toxins can result from dental mercury, parasites, candida, mould, food dyes and additives, junk foods, and heavy metals.  Metals, in particular, disrupt the neural pathways.  Liver toxicity causes high ammonia in the bloodstream, which can produce symptoms of mental illness  

Probably the most common culprit for ADD symptoms comes from sugar and high fructose corn syrup.  Sugar depletes nutrients and has the same effect on the brain and nervous system as cocaine.  Refined sugar causes acidity and interferes with the body's cellular ability to carry oxygen.  This can affect behaviour and thought processes so much that the individual loses control.  Sugar imbalances can also cause hypoglycemia, which is often misdiagnosed as mental illness

Do not overlook a physical issue as the cause for challenges in learning.  A visual or hearing impairment may be a contributing factor.  A subluxation of the spine, particularly in the neck area, can significantly affect behaviour and attention

And lastly, stress and lack of confidence can affect a child's ability to focus and learn.  Stress can be caused by fear, bullying, a challenging family situation, taking on too many activities and commitments, clutter in the home or bedroom, or lack of confidence

While most attention and learning problems have some underlying physiological cause, behavioural issues are emotionally based.  The only true solution is to find the source and address it 

We have developed some wonderful, gentle living flower essence remedies especially for children's needs.  Our living flower essences can help your child effortlessly overcome issues with self esteem, bullying, focus, or stress.  And that will make you feel good as a parent!