NEWS!

We are pleased to announce the latest services available at Holtz Psychological: Career and Career Change Counseling, and Substance Abuse Counseling. Please contact Marissa, our office manager, for more information: (631) 427-6669.

We are now able to accept credit cards for all services we provide!

Please follow us on Twitter @PANICDOCTOR and see our website for all of the latest information: www.Therapy-Now.com

Featured Article: Summer Activities for an Active Child

Summer is a time for outdoor activities. It is a time when the children are home from school and want to run around, play at the beach, and spend time in the sun. However, this can be a difficult and trying time for parents of children with ADHD. Keep these ideas in mind for your child while planning summer activities:

After-school snacks should include some protein like cheese or meat. Avoid high sugar items like soda, cookies and cakes or carbohydrates like potato chips and french fries.

If your child is in an after school program at a day care center, YMCA or at school; the program should include outdoor play that involves running, jumping, and so forth. If it is an indoor program, there should ideally be a gymnasium where the child can play sports that involve running and intense exercise like basketball and soccer. Baseball, volleyball and other sports that include a lot of standing around will not benefit ADHD children as much as intense exercise.

Dont let your child zone out during the day and in the evenings in front of video games and television. Screen time makes ADHD worse. Limit it to a half-hour a day.

For a family with ADHD children, vacation time can add even more stress. The children have nothing to do, and they are climbing the walls. You may want to consider an overnight summer camp designed especially for ADHD children. These camps are usually very structured, which will also help control ADHD symptoms.

If you take your child to a museum: Choose one that has hands-on exhibits and things they can touch, rather than things to look at. They may not last on a museum tour where a guide talks a lot.

Kids with ADHD usually do not do well at grocery stores, malls, and other shopping centers. They can get over-stimulated by all the noise and people. When shopping, keep your child involved in decision making and choosing foods. Invent a game they can participate in (identifying colors, products, prices) to keep their attention and offer a reinforcement for doing a great job.

The wilderness provides more natural and open surroundings that will aid in improving ADHD symptoms. In other words, you benefit more by exercising outdoors in the city park than working out in an indoor gym. But you benefit most of all by days spent fishing or hiking in a wilderness area. In one study, children who had a tree or park outside their windows at home actually got better grades than children did whose windows looked out on a parking lot.

Exercise three times a week. A good workout increases the flow of blood to the brain and decreases nervousness and anxiety. Exercise releases endorphins into the brain, giving you a feeling of calmness and well being. Examples of good aerobic exercise are running, tennis, bicycling and swimming. ADHD children should do between 30 and 40 minutes every other day. Keep it on a regular schedule, but make it interesting by offering fun activities after the workout as well. Keep in mind that any exercise, on any schedule is better than no exercise at all.

Want us to cover a particular topic? Just let us know.