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We present interactive demonstration-rich
workshops on systemic family therapy, learning disabilities,
family secrets and relationship health. Email us if you wish a workshop in your area.
What are Learning Disabilities?
If a child or teenager shows a lack of concentration or
curiosity, or is a nuisance to teachers, the child may be called learning disabled.
Children with learning disabilities are expected to have diminished creativity
and spontaneity, depressed motivation
and diminished sense of life. Yet many children diagnosed with learning
disorders reflect simple nutritional or relationship disturbances.
Few learning disorders can be confirmed in a laboratory. These
terrible labels are judgments by teachers and psychologists. Some children
diagnosed with learning disorders will seek refuge in
alcohol or drugs. Some will become delinquent, perhaps leading
to lives of crime. Many will enter the working world with inadequate
education. Some will withdraw from other people into isolation - and a
few will withdraw from reality into psychosis or suicide.
Some children with learning disabilities show biochemical
imbalances and irregularities
in medical imaging - although other children with similar imbalances and irregularities
may learn easily and quickly. Some people believe that biochemical imbalances cause
learning disabilities - while others believe that learning disorders cause
biochemical imbalances.
A practitioner who believes that metabolic
imbalances cause learning disorders will likely prescribe
psychotropic drugs; while a practitioner who believes that learning disorders
cause metabolic imbalances will likely recommend dietary analysis,
remedial
therapy and/or systemic coaching.
[
Children of Divorce
. Systemic
Education .
Food Allergies ]
Education Success
Educational success represents
academic success and social success. As educational success reflects
the needs of governments, teachers, parents and employers, children cannot change the rules.
Major blocks to a successful
education are societal beliefs about "What is possible in education?",
parents' beliefs about "What can our children accomplish?" and
teachers beliefs about "What
can be changed at schools?". Current beliefs are likely to limit funding for
educational research.
While academic success can be measured with
examinations and tests, the social success of education can be summarized as attitude.
Children from dysfunctional families are
less likely to relate to other children with friendly confidence - instead they
may become loners or form
gangs. A boost to attitude occurs if friendship skills are taught by
teachers who demonstrate friendliness.
[
Parental Alienation .
Parent
Coaching .
Emotional Incest ]
Diagnosis of Learning Disabilities
Guidelines in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of
Mental Disorders (DSM) require that children show typical learning disabilities
for at least six months. Differences in diagnostic frequencies between
professionals indicate that psychiatric labels may be applied to children who are
perceived as nuisances by teachers. (That is, many students suffer from
teaching disabilities).
Learning Disabilities & Nutrition
Many children with learning disabilities subsist on sugar and
sugar-forming junk foods and/or suffer family chaos,
both of which can cause and worsen learning disorders. Even so, food
sensitivities are rarely explored - instead amphetamines
provide a simple solution, regardless of their side-effects.
Many children with learning disabilities are
intolerant of or allergic to common foods. Foods such as wheat, potatoes, milk
or corn products can cause children to show depressed or hyperactive behavior,
leading many doctors to manage those children with amphetamines such as Ritalin or
Dexedrine.
Some psychological symptoms of allergies to common foods may
be diagnosed as learning disorders. These symptoms include aggressiveness,
anxiety, depression, dizziness, hyperactivity, indifference, insomnia,
irritability, sleepiness, slurred speech and stuttering.
A person is rarely aware of foods that cause psychological
symptoms although hidden allergies and intolerances associated with
common foods. Food intolerance tests can diagnose toxic reactions. Studies
of food intolerance tests showed a 70% success rate, while only 20% accuracy
with skin testing. (Note: Many people are addicted to foods to
which they are allergic or intolerant).
Dietary analysis does not always solve learning disorders, but
careful observations and follow-up tests can expose potential food triggers.
Your children's food has a great impact on their lives.
Learning Disabilities & Drugs
As many health professionals believe that learning disorders
are caused by a biochemical imbalance, health
professionals routinely prescribe mind-altering drugs to children.
Amphetamines can subdue hyperactive children and reduce the problems
faced by parents and teachers. However, many children medicated with
addictive drugs will show dysfunction into their adult lives.
Ritalin has a
similar molecular structure to cocaine.The side effects of
amphetamines include lost appetite: medicated children are often underweight and
grow more slowly than their peers. Other side effects include addiction, elevated blood
pressure, irritability, emotional instability and fatigue.
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Excerpts
from "Essential Guide to Psychiatric Drugs"
In most people the effects of
stimulant drugs are short-lived and there is often a letdown or "crash"
after they wear off. During this "crash" the patient can feel
very depressed, sleepy, and sluggish.
... People who abuse
amphetamines and other stimulants--usually in attempts to lose weight or
stay awake for prolonged periods--often find that a dose that had worked
for a while is suddenly ineffective and they need a higher dose. ... Soon,
the person is addicted to the drug. Stopping it suddenly
leads to a severe withdrawal reaction characterized by depression
and extreme fatigue. Suicides have been
reported in people who suddenly stop taking amphetamines.
Patients must understand that
they
will probably become addicted to the medication and that they should never
stop taking it abruptly." |
Systemic Coaching & ADD (Attention Deficit
Disorder)
Children diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorders
(ADHD or ADD or ADS) often appear to be inattentive, hyperactive and impulsive,
as are most children at times. Children may be diagnosed with ADHD
if they become bored
quickly, make careless mistakes, daydream and do not concentrate on educational
tasks. (Many children diagnosed with ADD can
complete interesting tasks.)
Psychiatrists and doctors
may not give physical exams for suspected ADD, but just fill out checklists. A
diagnosis of ADHD cannot be confirmed in a laboratory, as can an infection. This
label may indicate that a health professional simply does not know what is wrong.
If chaotic family relationships, food sensitivities or allergies are causing
a child's symptoms, then that child does not have ADD.
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ADHD |
About 3% to 5% of
school age children are diagnosed with ADHD, with 20% in some schools. About 10 boys are diagnosed
with ADHD for each girl. A
common treatment is methylphenidate (Ritalin) - a drug of convenience
for many parents and caretakers. Giving children psychoactive
drugs should be a last option - not a first choice. |
Many people experience temporary attention deficit in a
crisis, or if there are many
simultaneous conversations or background noise. Others experience attention
deficit if there is too much internal conversation or self-talk. These
people with ADD may benefit from Soulwork sessions that control or decrease
inner criticism and inner conflict.
You can help children diagnosed with ADHD or ADD by providing dietary analysis
for the children and systemic couple coaching for the parents.
Correcting the diet of children with learning
disabilities often helps improve their behavior. Testing for food allergies and
sensitivities and providing vitamins and minerals can help "learning disabled"
children.
Coaching the parent to rebuild love and family harmony can help
many learning disabled
children. During systemic coaching, parents can identify and resolve their
conflicts, transferences and bonds - which show up as immature behavior and family
secrets. Children, especially if under the age of 12, often respond quickly,
positively and dramatically to their parent's increased happiness. [ Evaluating
Partnership . Predictable Partnership
. Couple Coaching ]
Relationship Coaching & Autism
Autism impairs a person’s ability to
maintain normal contact with the world. Autism was once thought to be
caused by trauma. Some scientists theorize that parents caused autism by rejecting a
child, or by failing to bond emotionally.
Although coaching may help children modify their behavior and improve communication,
systemic coaching is often more effective for helping parents of
autistic children.
Relationship Coaching & Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a disability about learning
to read. Research suggests that up to 20% of people (1 in 5) show some dyslexia.
Dyslexia is often diagnosed when reading
difficulties seem to be uncorrectable.
If dyslexia can be corrected - it is not dyslexia! Many dyslexic people
seem to have a basic left-right confusion, often
accompanied by confusion between memories and expectations. Dyslexia seems to be more common if a child witnesses chronic parental confusion,
role reversal or
conflict.
Soulwork coaching with parents may reduce any "systemic
need" for dyslexic symptoms, and then subsequent coaching for children diagnosed
with dyslexia can produce a significant increase in reading
speed and comprehension.
Relationship Coaching & Mental Retardation
Mental retardation is
characterized by an inability to meet the common demands of daily life. Mentally
retarded people often lack basic skills: communication, self-care, home living,
use of community resources, self-direction, health and safety,
leisure, or work.
The causes of mental retardation include genetic and
hormonal disorders; dietary deficiencies; infections; toxic substances and
brain injury. And sometimes the presence of mentally
retarded children seem to hold families together.
Special education for students with
substantial limitations in mental functioning, and systemic coaching for the
parents, can
dissolve the need for some children to carry this burden.
Relationship Coaching & Psychosomatic Disease
Psychosomatic symptoms may be diagnosed as learning
disabilities. Psychosomatic disease has no apparent physical
or organic cause, and appears to result from emotional conditions such as anger, anxiety
and depression, which reflect a person's relationships.
Psychosomatic symptoms
indicate that the body can create physical disease symptoms that compensate for
dietary or relationship deficiencies. (For example, hypnosis-induced allergic
reactions indicate that a person's immune response
can dramatically change during an intense relationship).
Systemic coaching can remedy both the physical and emotional aspects of
psychosomatic symptoms. Objective physical symptoms may fade when a person’s
subjective environment improves.
NOTE: Consult a physician regarding any opinions about medical symptoms or medical treatments.
Next Steps: What Can You Do?
Soulwork systemic coaching
can help people
change the components of relationship, emotional and mental problems.
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