Gifts that Give More than Fun this Holiday Season! by Elisabeth Miller, Speech and Language Therapist CCC-SLP

This Holiday season, consider playing games with your children. As busy as the holidays can be, it is important to take some time out and try having a little FUN! You and your children will be happy you took the time to spend together.

Games can bring much more than fun – they can help improve so many other crucial life skills for social, emotional, physical and cognitive development.  While pretend and make believe play are vital to a child’s healthy development, as children get a little older, more controlled play which consists of following rules can be just as important and can begin to assist them with other important developmental skills.

Below are a few game ideas for preschoolers and specific areas of development the games target.  Think about putting one of these games under the tree for your child!

Preschoolers – Age 3 - 5

Around ages 3 to 5, children begin to define their understanding of cause and effect. Toddlers are beginning to learn new words and develop fine motor skills.  All of the games below are great for teaching skills such as following directions, turn-taking, maintaining attention to task and developing eye-hand coordination. In addition, they teach precursors to speech and language development such as sharing, waiting, taking turns, and enjoying interaction with others.  Skills which mirror the communication exchange which they are beginning to learn. 

NAME	ADDITIONAL SKILLS TARGETED	AGES	# PLAYERS	PLAYING TIME
Chutes and Ladders	Math Skills/Counting	3+	2-4	20 + minutes
Candy Land	Color Recognition/matching, counting	3+	2-4	20 + minutes
HiHo Cherry-O Game	Numbers, counting, Math skills	3+	2-3	15 minutes
Spot it! Jr	Matching, visual recognition	3+	2-6	5 minutes
Boggle Junior	Letters, words, spelling, matching, memory pattern recognition	3+	1-2	10 minutes
Memory Game	Matching, visual memory	3+	1 or more	10+ minutes
Elefun	Dexterity, eye-hand coordination	3+	1-6	10 minutes
Don’t Spill the Beans	Dexterity	3+	2 -4	10 minutes
Don’t Break the Ice	Dexterity	4+	2-4	20 minutes
Zingo	Image/word recognition, matching, verbalization, concentration, memory, quick thinking	4+	2-6	5 minutes
Perfection	Dexterity, memory , shape recognition	4+	1	6 minutes
Scrabble Junior	Literacy, language skills	5+	2-4	20+ minutes
Gobblet Junior	Memory, Abstract Strategy	5+	2	5 minutes
Trouble	Math skills	5+	2-4	20 + minutes
I Spy Memory Game	Matching, visual memory	5+	1+	10 minutes
Rush Hour, Jr	Problem solving, logic, reasoning	5+	1	5+ minutes

Most of these games can be purchased at stores such as Target, Toys-R-Us and Walmart.   They can also be found on the websites below.

Websites: www.thinkfun.com , www.mindware.com , www.fatbraintoys.com

Keep in mind, at this age, children should be able to attend for about 10 – 20 minutes – give or take a few.   Attention may be negatively impacted by fatigue, lack of interest and difficulty level of task. Make sure to read your child’s cues and assist them as needed. 

Lastly, remember to give your child enough time to process what they are doing.  Playing these games with your children may just teach you a thing or two about patience!  Have fun!!

Stay tuned for my next blog which will give you some game ideas for older children!

Elisabeth Miller, M.S., CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

The Wellness Connection

The Key to a Joyful Holiday Season By Dina Hilaris Marriage and Family Therapy Intern

It’s easy to get caught up in the rush of materialism over the holidays. As we try to make the holidays special for our families, we often times fall into the trap of materialism and buy into what the retail industry is telling us: material gifts will make us happy.  However, research shows that materialistic people are less happy than their peers as they experience fewer positive emotions. So how do we make our children happy while also avoiding the effect of materialism? The key is simple: Gratitude.

Researchers are now finding that cultivating gratitude can counter the negative effects of materialism. So what connects gratitude and materialism? Gratitude helps us savor the good in our lives, rather than taking it for granted and yearning for what’s next. The practice of gratitude also enables us to appreciate the good that people bring into our everyday lives, which ends up strengthening our relationships. The research even finds that when we receive a gift, gratitude motivates us to pay it forward and give more to others.

So how do we teach our children gratitude? A great way to teach your family how to practice gratitude is through modeling. Every night at the dinner table having each family member share something they were grateful for that day can be a great way to cultivate gratitude. It can be as small as “I had a really good turkey sandwich today” or as important as “I am grateful to have my friend at school who I can confide in.” This activity works best if the parents participate as well and honestly share their gratitude. Not only does this prompt family discussion, but it also teaches children to look for the good in their lives and be grateful for what they have. You may have many gifts for your children this holiday season, but as long as they can practice sincere gratitude, they won’t get lost in materialism.

Other ideas to cultivate gratitude include keeping a gratitude journal, and writing a gratitude letter to someone you appreciate in your life. Both of these ideas have been proven effective with children and adults and could become a beautiful holiday tradition.  Also consider age-appropriate community service opportunities to do as a family. Even encouraging children to choose some clothes or toys to donate to charity could get them involved in giving and teach them the importance and joy that comes from helping others. If you are still deciding what kind of gifts to give this holiday season, research has also found that people feel more grateful for experiential gifts rather than material ones. But no matter how you spend, give thanks for what you have and you will have a truly joyful holiday season.

Could it be ADHD? written by Sarah Haug, Psy.D.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a diagnosis that seems to be everywhere in the media and on the minds of parents who struggle with their kids’ behavior and/or academic functioning.  So how do we know when to get a child in for assessment by a psychologist or appropriate professional?

First, know that all children experience lapses in attention and concentration.  Kids with ADHD, however, have significantly more difficulty than their peers in getting organized,  attending to details, sustaining attention and effort during tasks, ignoring distractions,  keeping track of things, remembering what they are doing, and with task completion. 

Note that not all kids diagnosed with ADHD struggle with impulsivity and hyperactivity.  Kids with ADHD who do not have these behavioral issues may ‘skate by’ in the lower grades when organization is less important or their parents are more involved in supervising homework.  As organizational demands increase in middle and high school however, kids with ADD (without hyperactivity/impulsivity) tend to suffer academically and may lose their motivation  in school.

If these patterns sound familiar to you as a parent, you may want to consider having your child assessed by a psychologist or mental health professional who specializes in the diagnosis of ADHD.  Should your child be diagnosed with ADHD, treatment options will be recommended to improve functioning and he or she may be eligible for school support.  Getting treatment early on may lessen the impact of academic problems on your child’s self-esteem and improve motivation in school. 

Massage Therapy by Paula Miller

As a Massage Therapist most everyone on my table is in need of neck and back work.  Stress, stress headaches, lower back issues, sciatica are a few of those causes.  But lately I'm hearing of a new nagging problem--Hand, wrist and forearm pain.

People are now more locked into one position in front of a laptop.  The repetition of keyboarding brings overuse of those fine motor skills.  The muscles in our fingers actually originate in the upper forearm.  By massaging these I can help the hand relax.

Besides massage work, I always suggest stretching as much as possible if you can't leave your workstation and be aware of your posture in your chair.  Take breaks and walk around as well.

Susan McCormick, Founder of The Wellness Connection, LLC is chosen as Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce "Entreprenuer of the Year 2014"

Susan McCormick, founder and owner of The Wellness Connection, LLC, was named Entrepreneur of the Year at the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce Small Business Awards Banquet. The award was presented Friday, November 7th at the National Conference Center.

McCormick started the Wellness Connection in 2009, seven years after the death of her first husband's death from an automobile accident. At the time of his death, McCormick had a 10 week old son and later lost her job as Senior Vice President of Sales when her company filed for bankruptcy. She underwent therapy that changed her life in such a way that she wanted to do the same for others. She enrolled in a graduate school program and earned her Master's at Virginia Tech in 2007. WHit ha passion for holistic healing, McCormick began offering mental health services first under the name South Riding Wellness Connection. She later added fitness classes and nutrition and eventually leased a 4200 square foot space in Stone Ridge for a full service wellness practice.

The Wellness Connection now offers mental health services. counseling, psychological testing, psychiatric care, occupational and speech therapy, nutritional guidance, massage, acupuncture, chiropractic care, Chinese medicine and professional organization help. The practice hosts workshops, support groups, community-sponsored programs, and a farmer's market. Classes in the fitness studio include pilates, boot camp, zumba and yoga.

Breast cancer and toxins widely found in personal care products by Riki (Ulrike) Szalay

Make a commitment to reduce your risk - small changes can make a difference!

During the month of October, pink-ribboned Breast Cancer Awareness reminders are everywhere- and with good reason; this year some 295,000 U.S. women will hear the words: “you have breast cancer”. The odds of a woman developing breast cancer in a lifetime are 1 in 8. If we are increasingly aware and are getting better at detection, then why is this disease so prevalent, and what can we do to prevent it?

The answer is complex; it is known that approximately 10% of all breast cancers are attributable to genetic factors, leaving some 90% unexplained.  According to the non-profit Breast Cancer Fund, a foundation whose focus is on prevention and thus on understanding more about causality, environmental factors are thought to play a major role in triggering cell changes that lead to breast cancer.   A wide variety of chemicals, to which we are exposed over years and from many different sources, are being linked more directly daily as risk factors for breast cancer, among other adverse effects. Among the suspects are chemicals found in the plastics in which our foods are packaged, household items such as non-stick cookware, our dry-cleaning and the cleansers used to sanitize our homes, the air we breathe, the food we eat and the water we drink, and even exposures when we seek medical and dental attention.

EWG’s SkinDeep Database and Mobile App: A great tool to help you assess the safety of your personal care products

And finally, particularly troubling for women and teenage girls, cosmetics and personal care products are increasingly linked to breast cancer, hormone disruption and/or reproductive harm - from mascara to shampoo and conditioner to body lotions.  Given the fact that the average women puts  12-20 different personal care products on her hair and skin daily, exposure to these chemicals adds up daily, over years and decades. It is this cumulative and additive exposure that is increasingly being linked to elevated breast cancer risk.

Although the list of potentially offending, health impacting toxins is thousands long, unbelievably, these ingredients are completely unregulated under US law. Among those widely present include[i]

Phthalates: endocrine disrupting chemicals found in cosmetics like nail polish and synthetic fragrances (perfumes and fragrance ingredients in other cosmetic products) Phthalate exposure has been linked to early puberty in girls and a risk factor for later in life breast cancer;

Triclosan: a chemical used to prevent mold and bacterial growth in anti-bacterial soaps, deodorants, toothpastes. Classified as a pesticide, and linked to hormone disruption (impacting thyroid function and breast development); and

Parabens: a group of compounds widely used as preservatives and antimicrobials in creams, lotions ointments and many other cosmetics. They are absorbed through the skin and have been found in biopsied breast tumor tissues.

The bad news – these chemicals are present in many, many unexpected places. 

The good news – there are simple things we can do to cut our risk of exposure.  We need to do for our personal care products what most of us do for ingredient labels in our foods -  become informed and proactive as possible and select products that help to minimize the risk of exposure to these and other harmful chemicals.  In addition to online resources like the Breast Cancer Fund’s website (www.breastcancerfund.org), be sure to download the mobile app developed by the non-profit Environmental Working Group (EWG) which can be found in your mobile’s app store and online at www.ewg.org/skindeep.  SkinDeep is the most comprehensive database available of personal care products and gives ratings from 0 (low risk) to 10 (highest risk) based on available toxicity, allergenicity, carcinogenicity and reproductive harm data. The app will allow users to scan bar codes on their favorite products.

And finally, an October Awareness Challenge

Until there is a cure (and even when that day should dawn) we need to focus on prevention in our everyday lives. It has been shown that the trigger for cancer is not likely a one-time event or exposure, but a cumulative effect that results in cancer-related cell change. During Breast Cancer Awareness month, I would like to challenge each of us to consider identifying one change (like becoming more informed about environmental toxins) you can make to help minimize your risk of breast cancer or that of those around you. Make a commitment to make that stick, and share it with other women to consider as well!

Riki (Ulrike) Szalay has worked for the past 8 years in cancer research for two companies with novel cancer therapies in human clinical trials.  She also holds educationally-based workshops on the connection between toxins in personal care products and a variety of human health issues, notably cancer. She is an Independent Consultant for Beautycounter, a company whose mission is to get safe personal care products into the hands of everyone http://tiny.cc/BeautycounterStory.  For more information, email Riki at uszalay@verizon.org

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[i] The Breast Cancer Fund – www.breastcancerfund.org

The Wellness Connection, LLC has won "Best of Suburbs 2014" for Loudoun County!

The Wellness Connection, LLC has won "Best of Suburbs 2014" for Mental Health, Holistic/Wellness, Chiropractic and Nutrition. We are so excited and want to thank everyone who voted for us. To read the article on the Posh Seven website please go to http://www.poshseven.com/wellness-connection.html