Your Tip of the Week is back!  Thanks for your patience while we were getting settled into our new office.  ADD Austin has officially opened its doors at 503 West 38th Street so please stop by for a visit. 
 
In addition to moving, I have been getting trained to offer an outstanding new program that enhances working memory.  Working Memory is the ability to keep information in our minds for a short period of time.  It underlies our ability to focus on a task and to remember what to do next.  We use Working Memory every day.  For example, it enables us to remember instructions and phone numbers; it helps us sequence a task so that we can perform each step in order; and it helps in linguistic understanding so that we can retain different parts of a sentence in order to understand the whole context.

Children with impaired working memory have difficulty staying focused, ignoring distractions, planning next steps, and starting and finishing tasks.  They may have problems in school, especially with reading comprehension and performing mental calculations for math.  Adults with working memory deficits have similar problems that often result in poorer performance at work or in daily tasks at home.

Those of us who specialize in ADHD have come to believe that deficiencies in working memory are a basic cause of the difficulties experienced in those with ADHD.  That is why I am very excited to tell you about Cogmed!

Cogmed is a computer-based training program that has been carefully studied and found to be very effective in improving Working Memory.  Research has found that 80% of participants have significantly improved their ability to concentrate and use problem solving skills after training. 

This is very good news!  Although there are several computer-based programs that claim to help with symptoms of ADHD, Cogmed is the only one that has been rigorously tested using careful research, including brain imaging that shows changes occurring in those portions of the brain that are crucial to working memory.  If you would like to learn more about Cogmed and the research behind it, give me a call or visit Cogmed’s website at cogmed.com/cogmed/. 

I am now offering Cogmed Working Memory Training (CWMT) to children and adults.  The training takes five weeks.  Participants have 5 trainings per week, and each training lasts about 40 to 45 minutes.  The training is done in your home using your own computer.  To see if your computer is compatible with the Cogmed software, go to the link above and scroll to the bottom of the home page to test your computer.  At this time Cogmed works best on PCs, but MAC users can download free software that makes the MAC compatible.

Those of you have known me for awhile know that I am very cautious in introducing new programs and strategies.  I’m definitely a “show me the data” person.  So when I recommend Cogmed it is because I believe that many of you will find it very helpful for yourself or your children. 

Please call if you would like more information.  Be sure to use the new number for ADD Austin:  512.459.5999.  And don’t forget to come by to say “hi”!