Are you dyslexic? ADHD? dysphraxic?

[Aunty Ichigeki]

It seems a lot of people who do karate have!

My son has dyslexia. He's 7 and it became apparent because he reverses his letters & numbers and is finding learning to read difficult.

The theory has always been the cerebelum is the small part of the brain that controls auto responses. Recently it was discovered if the cerebelum is underdeveloped (hereditary or problems with birth) then this will cause problems like dyslexia, ADHD & dysphraxia, even Asbergers. They call it CDD. There are physical exercises that will develop the cerebelum and (the theory is) will cure the problem forever!!

Learning about the tests and doing the exercises has been fascinating because 1. there seem to be a LOT of people with CDD doing karate & 2. the exercises are mostly about balance and coordination so they relate to the stuff we do at karate 3. the exercises can be used to improve reactions for high performance sports people.

I'm thinking of relating this topic to karate (somehow) for my nidan essay. Out of curiosity I just wondered how many of you have/had learning difficulty. FYI many people with these problems have a very high IQ. They may reverse their letters or spell very poorly, and have trouble learning to read, or doing fast mental arithmetic, they may hold their pen differently to most, have short attention span, have trouble sitting still, get very tired after school/work, have trouble with throwing & catching balls, may feel isolated from groups and not love social situations, have trouble expressing themselves verbally or in writing.

[Nix]

My teachers in school thought something was wrong with me when I was 6-7 years old, as I did not pay attention, seemed distant and enjoyed devious pranks a little too much. They therefore had me examined by a doctor behind my mothers back. The doctor concluded that there was nothing wrong with me, but I was quite special as I was far ahead for my age. My despite for school and odd behaviour was caused by not beeing challenged. So I have in fact been tested, but the conclusion was that I have no learning disabilities whatsoever.

[Dent]

Osu!

Originally Posted by Aunty Ichigeki

It seems a lot of people who do karate have!

I've got more than thirty years on your son, Aunty Ichigeki, and I still flip letters and numbers.

I don't know about problems at birth, but I can vouch for heredity. I was diagnosed in college, my father after me, and knowing what to look for, my son was diagnosed in primary school.

We're all functional, but have developed individual coping strategies to deal with the problem.

I've also found a very large number of dyslexics in Karate, and I think part of it is that it is an opportunity to participate in an activity that maintains its complexity without burdening that part of the mind that deals with systems too much.

Osu!

[Dent]

Osu!

Originally Posted by Nix

My teachers in school thought something was wrong with me when I was 6-7 years old, as I did not pay attention, seemed distant and enjoyed devious pranks a little too much.

the conclusion was that I have no learning disabilities whatsoever.

Sounds like you just needed a good whack on the butt!

Osu!

[tmd]

Osu! Dent you've just hit the nail on the head buddy!

In the UK there has been a huge increase in reported cases of ADHD over the last decade and guess what? They have recently done a study and found over 50% of the kids in a sample of about 500 (just in one London borough by the way!) had been misdiagnosed.

This is a huge issue where schools and parents look to actually have disruptive kids labeled as having a serious mental condition simply because they can't control them - to my mind this is used as an excuse to cover up the fact that we have parents and teaches who have no idea how to discipline children.

The rule of thumb is simple if the kids a pain in the butt up to 90% of the time but fine 10% of the time he's just acting up - 100% of the time and it's a very serious uncontrollable mental condition. ( I am no mental health expert this is just what I picked up from the reports I read)

I was a horror at school but always good for my Mum and Nan - other kids are the reverse - it's called being a kid. One contribution to this was that they only 'discovered' I was left handed at about 8-9 years old so I was struggling to keep up in class and a way to disguise that you can't keep up is to play up. I come form a broken home, was a scruffy, disruptive little urchin and I'm pretty sure if I was a school today they'd have me Ritalin.

I am in now way belittling a very serious mental condition - in fact it angers me that parents and teachers who pull this card out too soon or too often not only wrongly label kids who need other types of support and guidance but also reduce the funding available to help those who need it.

[Dent]

Osu!

Originally Posted by tmd

Osu! Dent you've just hit the nail on the head buddy!

In the UK there has been a huge increase in reported cases of ADHD over the last decade and guess what? They have recently done a study and found over 50% of the kids in a sample of about 500 (just in one London borough by the way!) had been misdiagnosed.

This is a huge issue where schools and parents look to actually have disruptive kids labeled as having a serious mental condition simply because they can't control them - to my mind this is used as an excuse to cover up the fact that we have parents and teaches who have no idea how to discipline children.

The rule of thumb is simple if the kids a pain in the butt up to 90% of the time but fine 10% of the time he's just acting up - 100% of the time and it's a very serious uncontrollable mental condition. ( I am no mental health expert this is just what I picked up from the reports I read)

I was a horror at school but always good for my Mum and Nan - other kids are the reverse - it's called being a kid. One contribution to this was that they only 'discovered' I was left handed at about 8-9 years old so I was struggling to keep up in class and a way to disguise that you can't keep up is to play up. I come form a broken home, was a scruffy, disruptive little urchin and I'm pretty sure if I was a school today they'd have me Ritalin.

I am in now way belittling a very serious mental condition - in fact it angers me that parents and teachers who pull this card out too soon or too often not only wrongly label kids who need other types of support and guidance but also reduce the funding available to help those who need it.

Um, what TMD said!

I live in the country that invented the concept of diminished responsibility. Almost every class in my kids school has kids who have been diagnosed as suffering from X number of behavioral issues.

Having met these kids, I have yet to see any behavior that couldn't be cured with a little more discipline, and a lot more parental involvement.

My own childhood was great, but my upbringing was less than ideal. So what? I made do, as do most kids. Kids need structure, boundaries, and rules far more than they need TV or video games.

And Ritalin?! If most of today's teachers saw what my friends and I used to get up to, we'd be wearing those jackets with the extra-long sleeves, and be on morphine drips!

Osu!

[jcc]

Osu!

I´m also glad I got my schooling over a long time ago. This video is really frightening:

The Drugging of our Children (Gary Null) (SSRI...

A bit long, but worth watching.

[Dent]

Osu!

This is a long, but very interesting video so far. I've brought it up in an external window, and will keep watching it there.

I wonder what their conclusions will be?

Osu!