Marcia Lee @ NMAEYC Conference – Self-Regulation Through Simple Movement and the Impact on Behavior, Development, Learning, and ADHD

  The NMAEYC Early Childhood Conference on March 3^rd was a huge success and wonderful experience for all of us who attended. Teachers, caregivers, administrators, and parents attended a wide range of presentations on family, childcare, multi-cultural approaches, early literacy, creative activities, play-based learning, relationship building, life skills, movement and more.

  Over 87 attendees came to my presentation on The Child’s Relationship to Body and Brain. I offered a hands-on experience of Children’s Brain/Body Balancing which included effective teaching strategies for school and home using simple movement to help children focus and self-regulate in under a minute. We tried out several movements. I think Wash Off was the biggest hit (see the video on my website – solutionswithoutdrugs.com). We explored childhood brain development, how to promote self-awareness in the child’s search for balance and growth, and the positive impact of movement on learning and behavior, particularly behavior labeled ADHD 

  And yes, you wonderful fans inspired my courage to lie down on the floor and demonstrate Upside-Down Bug on a Rug, even though I was wearing a business suit! I loved your enthusiasm. Your dedication and love of children shines through. I am so proud to be part of the New Mexico teaching community. I look forward to the next opportunity to demonstrate how to use simple movements to help children self-regulate!

Marcia Lee, Presenter at NMAEYC Annual Spring Conference, Albuquerque, NM March 3, 2012

 Marcia Lee, Presenter:  Self-Regulation Through Simple Movement and the Impact on Behavior, Development, Learning, and ADHD – The Child’s Relationship to Body and Brain

 This mini-workshop presents effective, practical teaching strategies for classroom or home showing how to use simple movement to help children focus and self-regulate in under a minute. Explore childhood brain development, how to promote self-awareness in the child’s search for balance and growth, and the positive impact of movement on learning and behavior, including ADHD.

The New Mexico Association for the Education of Young Children (NMAEYC) promotes quality care and education for the well-being of ALL young children, birth to eight, through professional development and advocacy. The NMAEYC annual conference will be held at the Albuquerque Convention Center in Albuquerque, NM. Educators and administrators working with the care and education of young children will gather together to study exciting strategies and trends in young childhood growth and development. For more information, see the NMAEYC website at http://www.NMAEYC.org

Exciting ISEPP 2011 Conference – Alternatives to Biological Psychiatry Draws Large Enthusiastic Audience

The 2011 ISEPP Conference, “Alternatives to Biological Psychiatry – If We Don’t Medicate, What Do We Do?” held in Los Angeles recently was a huge success. This conference drew an eager crowd of clinicians, researchers, students, parents, doctors, and mental health professionals. First time attendees were overwhelmed with the wide range of alternatives to biological psychiatry.

My presentation on “Childhood ADHD Behavior: The Neuroscience Behind Using Movement to Self-Regulate Instead of Medication,” received a warm and appreciative welcome from the audience. All of the attendees jumped right in to sample the movements I teach for helping children self-regulate.

Attendees also asked for the Amazing Brain Charts I’ve created that explain what happens to each hemisphere of the brain under stress – symptoms that are currently being labeled “ADHD,” but are actually normal behavior for anyone under stress.

I attended several remarkable presentations. DuBose Ravenel, M.D., a pediatrician and author from North Carolina (“The Diseasing of America’s Children”), presented drug-free solutions for behavior problems labeled ADD, ODD and Childhood Bipolar Disorder. His approach included parenting research, nutritional guidelines, educational practices, and extensive research on the serious, detrimental side effects of medication.

Scott Shannon, M.D., a pediatrician and author (“Please Don’t Label My Child”), from Colorado, spoke about “The Ecology of the Child: A New View of Pediatric Mental Health.” His presentation offered a critique of the current diagnostic and treatment system, the lack of scientific evidence for reliability of medications, and a range of positive interventions that honor and manage the challenges of the larger web of interactions in each child’s life.

Noelene Weatherby Fell and Brian Kean from Australia spoke about the non-medical intervention piloted and taught at the University Wollongong that supports the mental health of both students and teachers using positive, non-invasive, life-affirming methods for the classroom, particularly with new teachers. Australian innovations in teacher education would be a great asset for U.S. schools.

Kudos as well go to Michael Gilbert, Psy.D., one of many hardworking conference organizers. Michael Gilbert founded a not-for-profit clinical and resource center called “It’s About Childhood and Family, Inc.” He recently launched the “Inner Wealth Initiative,” a grassroots movement to provide families an alternative to the traditional mental health system.

Here’s a brief video of Al Galves, Executive Director of ISEPP speaking with me at the ISEPP Conference about my program, Solutions Without Drugs, helping children self-regulate using simple movements.

Marcia Lee Presenting at ISEPP Conference: “Alternatives to Biological Psychiatry: If We Don’t Medicate, What Do We Do” on October 28, Doubletree at Hilton Inn, LAX

Marcia Lee, Educational Trainer, Reading Specialist, ADD/ADHD Consultant, and founder of Solutions Without Drugs and the Children’s Brain/Body Balancing Program, will speak at the upcoming ISEPP (The International Society for Ethical Psychology and Psychiatry) Conference: “Alternatives to Biological Psychiatry: If We Don’t Medicate, What Do We Do?” in Los Angeles at the Doubletree at the Hilton Inn, Culver City, on Friday, October 28, 2011 at 2:15 p.m. in the Marinas Room.

World renowned speakers will address a multitude of alternatives to biological psychiatry and the most current approaches, modalities, and therapies for parents, teachers, professionals, and psychiatric survivors. Registration for the ISEPP Conference is available online at psychintegrity.org or at the door on October 28 and 29.

Marcia Lee’s presentation focuses on:

“Childhood “ADHD” Behavior – The Neuroscience Behind Using Movement to
Self-Regulate Instead of Medication”
Current neuroscientific research demonstrates that movement is one of the most effective means of stimulating and balancing the brain. The physiology of a child’s developing brain creates the opportunity for self-regulation through simple movements that balance both hemispheres of the brain without the use of medication, ameliorating childhood behaviors labeled “ADHD” (which are actually normal behaviors) in the classroom, at home, and on the go. Research also indicates that using movement before any learning activity improves learning and retention, creating an effective teaching strategy for the classroom.