She actually saw my posts on here and invited me to her website. She has done a lot of work. I have been there and have posted about my crawling.

I hope it works for your children. I know that it has worked for me. I think that if the STNR reflex is what is causing the ADD or the ADHD in your children, then it will work. It has worked for me,

Please everybody, don't listen to the other Anni here on this board. This is somebody who is trying to act like me and is saying things that I would not say. So, please look for the right Anni the one spelled correctly.

Wow, you would think that people would have something better to do than to pretend to be someone else and say things that I would never say.

Annidagostinni ----- Why don't you just post your ideas and your results under your own user name? I would have so much more respect for your opinion, even if you disagreed with me.

Sorry it hasn't worked for you. Maybe you could call the website and ask them for advice.

You might want to give it more than a month. I didn't crawl at all as a baby due to casts on my legs, so I might have gotten the fast results because of that factor. If you gave it more time, you might see better results. The authors say that it will take 8 months. So, you probably need to give it more time.

On a totally different note, has anybody else's kids been bugging them, as badly as mine have been bugging me, to hurry up with reading the book so they can get to the part that makes them all better? I swear I can't possibly read fast enough to suit them! If we don't see positive results from doing these exercises, I'm afraid I'll have a family mutiny on my hands!

I sure hope it works for your family. I have all the confidence in the world in the exercises. I am starting my own son on it too. I am just not consistent enough. I have only done them three times with him.

As you are reading the book, do the symptoms that the book talks about match your children's symptoms? When I read it, it was like looking in a mirror at all the things I had done all my life and struggled with. I was so glad to have something concrete to deal with. And to actually have hope that there might be something that could cure this incurable disorder. That was an amazing thing to me. I was worried about the disappointment that I might have if they didn't work. But they have worked for me.

Wow, and I thougth I was gushing on too much about the possibilites of the book. I guess I should have put my concerns to the other areas of my writting.

Well, likewise not to open this thing back up after it took so long to quite it down, but I used the ill fated word so maybe I should explain.

When we first heard my sons diagnosis: I was upset; my head was spinning; I was told there is no easy solutions; and the Drs gave us some nasty drug as a "remedy" (statement made based on personal experience with my son using specific medications. He currently takes Strattera.). I used the word "epidemic" to convey how confused and frustrated I was at that time with: Drs who didn't seem to be much help; Teachers who said your son will not sit still, pay attention, do his work, etc. (and wanted me to "SOLVE it"... like I had all the answers)

When I was a kid in elementary school, I knew 2 maybe three kids in my whole grade level that in retrospect could have had ADD or ADHD. Today, it seems to be like 1 out of every 5 kids could be classified as ADD / ADHD. I base that on observation of my son's public school classes for the past 3 years. Every year there are 4 to 5 children out of 20-25 who demonstrate behavior similar to my son's. So, it might have been around for years, but in my PERSONAL OPINION it is more prevelant than when I was a child. My question was and still is "WHY"?

However, I think this whole subject brings up a good point. Is there that much frustration out there with how "the public" views ADD and ADHD? Are we who deal with it in ourselves and/or loved ones finding it a constant battle to fight skeptisim and ignorance on the subject. If so, I suggest we created another thread to discuss ways to deal with that specific problem.

You make some very valid points. The authors of the Stopping ADHD book say that the reason so many people are suffering from ADD and ADHD now is due to all the devices that we use to help us raise our children and that prevent crawling enough - swings, walkers, playpens, jumpers, etc.

Others say that television causes ADD. Others point to our diet that has changed so much over the last little while. There are so many preservatives in food and it is so processed! Others point to inactivity. There are so many changes in our lives now compared with years ago. I think many more studies will have to be done to answer all the questions.

Yes it did seem that the book is talking about me, I mean my children. I was a bad kid then, they are ADHD kids now...that's an improvement. Back then, I got my backside tanned at least once on a daily basis, but now that we know that the condition is one that is not easily helped and they have put a name to it so it can be officially researched, kids are not as likely to be punished for their actions and are dealt with in a much different manner. Even if this book doesn't solve all of our problems, at least that advancement has been made! I think we will be ready to start the exercises next week. Did anybody notice a difference in the way they or their children felt and dealt with the issues of the day if they did the exercises before starting their day or did them at the day's end? Just trying to pre-think scheduling issues. Also, on average, how much time does this take each day?

If I may ask a question about the board's interlopers...what would they have to gain by trying to side-track the thread? All I can think of is just the amusement factor...are they truly that petty? You said that you knew who they were. I encounter people like that all of the time in the military, but they rarely have any real success in approaching anything that way.

Kelly, When Dr. ODell said the school is helping them, does that mean the kids are doing excercises at school or helping in other ways?

Also, Anni, our real Anni, you noticed improvements sooner than 8 months right? Good to know though that it may take awhile, eight months. Now that is perseverence. I think most of us dealing with add/adhd know what perserverence is all about!

Still waiting for my book!

You make some valid points about the reaction people have to ADD today compared with yesterday. I'm sorry you had to go through that as a child.

I usually do my exercises in the evening during the week and after I get up in the morning on the weekend. Sometimes I forget to do them - I teach school and I have a family to care for at home - but I am keeping on with them. You don't have to start over or anything if you skip a few days. It just takes longer.

I will love to hear how the exercises are going for your children in the months ahead! I do hope they help.

[QUOTE=cynthiatweedle]Original Anni---

I appreciate your patience, gentleness and kindness, too. You are also intrepid, a quality I greatly admire. Keep posting. It's great to have you here.
[/QUOTE]

Thanks cymthiaweedle, I love this board. I enjoy your posts too. I hate to see things like this happen, but people have their own choices to make.

In my classroom I allow postural freedom without making a big deal about it. If a child is sitting with legs up by his or her chest, I just don't say anything. I allow them to be as comfortable as they can be. I have one little girl who actually gets out of her chair and sort of hovers around her desk. I don't say anything unless she is blocking someone else's view. I also seat her on the edge of the class, toward the front, so that I can redirect her in a non-obvious way. I just touch her desk as I go by or point to her chair while I am still talking so I don't make it obvious to others that I am redirecting her back to her work.

A teacher I work with has always had the policy that if you are tired of sitting, you can stand by your desk, as long as you don't bother another student. She makes it a rule for everybody in the class and doesn't single out any one child. A policy like this might help.

kppy, the book has a chapter in it that tells about a school that actually did and experiment for the authors of the book. They had about 200 students sign up for the study who showed signs of the reflex bothering them. They gave them all tests at the beginning and recorded the scores. (tests that test for attention, etc.)

Then they had half the group do the exercises and the other half not. At the end of the year, the TEACHERS all wanted the other half to do the exercises too. They gave the tests again at the end of the year and the group that exercised scored higher in almost every test - if not all, I can't remember. The other group scored higher in just one test.

I think you could contact the school to make sure the experiment was legitimate. I can't remember the name of the school and I lent my book to someone so I cant' go look it up. But it is in there.

I think it would be great if OT's got trained in this therapy. I have found some on line that use it, but it was only one that I found. I haven't searched anymore. And to have them at a school would really help the students who struggle.

I would love to go back to school, get a masters in Learning Diabilities in education and implement this therapy in schools in which I would work. I think it would help a lot. That would take a long while, but it would be so worth it to be able to do more studies about it and further this work.

anni's taken some heat for being enthusiastic about the book, Stopping ADHD. Well, I bought the book and have only read a few chapters but I can already see the logic behind it. The idea is that for an infant, crawling is an important exercise as well as a developmental milestone. However, the use of things like playpens, walkers, bouncers and swings cuts down on the time a baby spends crawling. The "back to sleep" campaign has also contributed to it (lay the baby on his/her back to sleep in order to prevent SIDS). Newborns have a reflex that usually is suppressed by about 6 mos called the Symmetric Tonic Neck Reflex. This is part of the reason babies have an automatic sucking reflex among other things. When an infant does not spend enough time crawling before he/she walks, this reflex is not suppressed. This causes discomfort down the road when a child attempts to sit still, write, participate in atheletics, etc. making it hard to concentrate.

As I think back, my son did not crawl a whole lot as a baby. We were in a house that had wood floors that were cold in the winter. He also had asthma and we didn't really want him down on the floor, for fear that he'd have an asthma attack. I can see where this deficit might have a role in ds's ADD.

I've only read 3 chapters, but I'm posting to say that anni may be on to something. I'm going to finish this book and then give it to my husband to read. I'm going to try the excercises, too. I'll keep you posted.

It would be interesting to see the results after an intense week of crawling exercises.

If you read the study in the book the kids all crawled together and had 6th graders who were their partners ( ha kids will do anything to get out of class) .It was probably lots of fun in the group setting. My son is not a fan of the exercises but I think it may be helping. At least the days he does some exercises before school seem to be better.

That sounds like a great idea. I think it takes longer than a week though, even if the crawling is intense. But it would be a good training for the parents and the kids.

Susieb, I'm glad you can see how much sense it makes, too. When I first started to post here about it, nobody had heard of it. So it is nice to have others who can see how much sense it makes.

And if it can help a child out there - even one ! - I think it is worth taking some some heat, hey! even being impersonated!!!

What was your undergrad work? I have a degree in education, but not special ed or anything. I'd like to study about this reflex mostly.

as far as the pol-loves things goes, people are going to do what they are going to do. It is too bad that all of this has sidetracked us from the real reason we are all here, to help each other and to help our kids.

My son starts with the crawling exercises again tomorrow. We're going to do them MOn-Fri a.m. before school. I'm going to have to bribe him to do the exercises, so I bought a big pack of Yugio cards and I told him that I will give him 2 cards a week. One is for him not giving me problems with doing his exercises and the other is for him taking his Focus Factor vitamins and Fish Oil vitamins without giving me any problems. He keeps bugging me to give him the cards now. But, I am not going to!! I am going to stick to my guns this time!

He complained several times that the Rocking exercise was silly. But, I noticed that he struggled to keep his chin up and a slight swag in his back. And, he would drop to his elbows and lay his head on his forearms every so often to rest. I let him do this for twenty to thirty seconds and would start back up again.

He is small and I am tall so I used the option B of the Crawling I. He fought me on doing all 15 repetitions. Again, he was struggled even more with keeping his chin up and not arching his back. Once again after a few reps my son would collapse on the floor and complain about being tired or that it was difficult. He even tried to argue with me about how many he had remaining. (he's quite the trickster - but I won

)

In all, I found his difficulty in doing the exercises a positive thing. It must mean that he has an immature STNR! I told him that the book says if the exercises were easy to do then he would not need to do them. (i think it says that) In general my son is receptive to motivation and loves a challenge, so I played to that and got him to finish the first day. Only seven months and 29 days to go... LOL!

I was trying to figure out why they are working. I think that my brain did not connect back to the things I just thought. I would tuck it away and be able to remember it if I was reminded by some external reminder - like my kids, or a note, or the event passing and I see a reminder of it somehow.

Now, after crawling, I remember these things all by myself. It's like my brain got connected up somehow. I think about things I have to do tonight, tomorrow, this week. I just remember them now. I can't explain it any other way.

I read a site once that talked about how important crawling is, and I remember it saying that crawling will connect receptors in your brain somehow. Some people dismiss it because they think only of the physical aspects, but I think there is more to it. I think that crawling can connect the two sides of our brain, because it deals with both sides working in coordination.

I think that is what is happening in my brain. The receptors from one area that stores the information is connected up to the other area that puts it into my thoughts, before it just sat there until someone else reminded me.

It's not like I would forget those things completely. I would always say, "Oh, yeah! Great! I forgot!" Now, I just remember. It is so amazing.

I'm not sure if my explanation is correct. It is my hypothosis. I know that the exercise also make me more comfortable just sitting. I can sit at plays now, just fine.

I hope it works for your son and everybody's children on here who are trying it.

daughter pulled up and crawled all in same day. No disorders. She was the colic child.

I don't want to encourage the football thing TOO much

He has played every other sport to keep him away from football! He is a big kid, he weighs more than me and I only have about 4 inches on him. It is a workout to give him the resistance for the excercises! His grandfather wants him to play soooo bad. My husband played and had 2 knee surgeries and has a messed up shoulder. So it is the running joke around here that he will be the first 6'2" 280 lb. person to win Wimbledon! I probably will get him a jersey though, he would love it.

I have found that having a hard time keeping the head up is a sign that the STNR is bothering you. I would much rather have crawled with my head down. I crawl with a book on my head to remember to keep my head up. This is hard for a child because they can't balance it on their heads, but it really helps me to keep my head up. Maybe you could put a bean bag or a stuffed animal on his head to help him remember to keep his head up.

I think the more you do it, the easier it becomes. I tried to do the exercises that come later on in the program and they were actually pretty hard for me to do. The author told me that is because I didn't do all of the first ones!! So there is a reason for all the time you spend on each one.

I tried an experiment in my 4th grade class and had the students crawl with books on their heads to see how far they could go. I really wanted to see which ones had a harder time with the exercise.

The ones that show ADD and ADHD symptoms (some I know who are being treated for it) had the hardest time. They didn't want to keep their hands flat either and would get up on their fingers. The students who have an easy time staying in their seats seemed to be able to crawl with the books on their head quite easily and really enjoyed it. One little girl went home and did it for an hour!

I wanted to check that you got my reply. It mentioned that there was some sort of problem. So, I thought I'd better come here and let you know that I did receive it from you...thank you.

I just wanted to update things in my department. I have had some interesting results and I took the crawling test again.

I twist my hair - it sort of runs in my family. But I do it to a more intense degree than any of my family members. I twist until there is a big knot and sometimes I've even had to cut it out with scissors. I also chew on it if it is long enough.

But, hey, this is research, so I am letting you know a really embarassing thing about me.

It's strange, I can control it in public, but when I am home, or in the car (sort of by myself) I don't control it. I think it is a stress releaser.

Anyway, I have noticed lately that I still twist it, but the degree of intensity is lessened. I don't twist it so much that it is in a knot anymore. I cut it a little shorter, so maybe that is the reason. But I was wondering if the crawling is helping me.

And here is the update on the test: I took the crawling test today, the one where you crawl backwards with resistance and spell a word. When I first took it, a few months ago, I slowed way down in my spelling, and I couldn't concentrate on the letters. It is very frustrating, because I am a quick speller. When I am not crawling backwards and I am just sitting there, I spell quickly. Well, I took the test today. My husband helped me. He gave me lots of resistance, more than I am used to. I could spell small words just fine, but longer ones like "library" or "individual" I got lost in the middle of and had to slow down. It is better than at the beginning though, when I struggled to think it through all the way. I find it so interesting, this test. I do see an improvement in my spelling though, but I can tell that I am not totally done with the exercises. I need to keep going.

This is a long process and for all ADDers I think it is hard to keep it up and not want to be just done with it.

That is very interesting. What would be more interesting is to try this on a person without ADHD and one is a pretty good speller. I would volunteer but my spelling has never been that great..

I have tried it on my son, 19, who keeps his room neat as a pin. I don't suspect him of having ADHD at all. He could spell just fine. I remember him crawling a lot and I remember he walked at about 12 months.

My one son who walked early (9months) shows signs of ADD. He even sits on his legs and he is 21 and a big guy! He won't take the test for me. He thinks he has no problem. He loses his wallet just about everyday, but hey, he is on his own and grown. I can't get him crawling now.

My husband, who I suspect has ADD, could spell just fine too. He might have ADD caused by something else, I guess. But I know that I can't spell and crawl backwards with resistance at the same time. But I find that it is getting easier the longer I do the exercises.

You could still try it even if you are not a great speller. Have someone give you easy words. You have to crawl backwards with someone giving you resistance (puching on you from behind, or pulling on you from the shoulders.) The test isn't to see if you can spell well. It is to see if you have to stop crawling to concentrate enough to remember what to say. Or you might spell in cadence with your crawling pace. It is weird, when I am crawling backwards, it is like my mind goes blank, or short circuits or something. Like there are gaps in the words when I visualize them as I spell. This does not happen when I am just sitting or standing and spelling.

I will give it a try...I am not a terrible speller I am just not the spelling bee winner

Here is an idea for those that are crawling with their children. I crawled with my son who is eight this afternoon. I have been using a book on my head to keep my head up. It really has worked well for me and helps me to keep myself straight. My son had a hard time with a book, so we put a bean bag on his head and he thought it was so funny.

Then we crawled up and down the carpeted hall. Well, if you can imagine, every time we met in the middle he would give me a kiss. Sparks would fly, literally! We kept on shocking each other. It was like a science experiment with electricity! We had a blast, giggling every time he gave me a kiss, he would give me a shock.

It was really fun. I don't think the teenagers would be too into the fun of this experiment, but younger kids will get a blast out of it.

Well, I'm a little disappointed today. I forgot a major thing today. I remembered most everything else. There was so much going on, my son is sick with a fever and cough, my youngest just recovered from this cough and fever, and my oldest son is going to be leaving so to go on a mission for our church.

I just can't believe that this slipped my mind. I am a little down about it, but I'm going to keep on crawling. Eventhough things aren't perfect, they are so much better than before when I would forget almost everything!! Anyway, so I need to be grateful.

I also must say that I am twisting my hair so much less and that has never happened in my whole life except for a two week period after I has some hypnotherapy. So, all in all I am still very happy with the results of the exercises.

Don't keep beating yourself up over your one oversight. You have come such a long way and your progress, coupled with your excitement over your newly acquired skill keeps us all going. Tongue

I actually remembered to take my daughter to her eye appointment today, and I am remembering that the garbage gets picked up tomorrow. I know I have a meeting in the morning that I need to go to, so I think I'm still doing ok.

[QUOTE=IMac]Perhaps Anni could communicate with Ylenia, what a lovely name; very musical. Her site is gorgeous and she has spent time posting so much information. I couldn't find a follow-up to her blog entry about trying the exercises with her son, but I haven't read everything on her site, yet. There is a discussion forum just waiting for people and I'm sure she would appreciate the contact. It's a shame for someone to go to that much work and not get more feedback from the public. [/QUOTE]

Hmmm, a compliment? No. I must be reading that wrong. How did you find the site? The excercises haven't been tried yet.

Annidagostini seems to be the furthest one along in the exercises. I think she is 6-8 weeks into the exercises (correct me if i'm wrong annidagostini). She has serveral comments on here you can read.

My son has just finished the first two weeks of exercises. He's ten and had been diagnosed with ADHD. Today I asked him several questions about how he was feeling (please note the book strickly states not to expect even minor results for 3 months). But I had several things I plan to ask him about as we go along. He said his neck ached a little (for which he milks a neck & back massage out of me each time. but i don't mind). The sore neck is a pretty common response from those doing the exercies (per this site).

I asked if he felt different from the exercises. He was quite for a couple of minutes and then said that he thinks that he is able to site still a little longer a little easier. It's kinda complicated trying to get answers from my son...

but he said that when he tries to sit still for a long time, he has to end it with balling his hands and feet real tightly. He said that the urge to ball his hands and feet is slightly less strong than it was before. That was the best way he could explain it.

Mixed in with all this, we had a very confusing week. He got a note from the teach for being very good in class just one day after being sent to the principal's office for poor behavior. He was also good the following day too. One of his worst behavoir day's this year followed by two of his best days.

I'm so confused! But, I am encourage! The book makes so much sense to me. My son fits so many of the scenarios described in the book.

It's kinda complicated trying to get answers from my son... but he said that when he tries to sit still for a long time, he has to end it with balling his hands and feet real tightly.

Does anyone else have the urge to ball your hands and feet after being still? Have your heard it from your kids? Does anyone remember reading that in the book? It seems like I read it, but since I see and hear about it from my son all the time, I cannot recall.

I skimmed a couple of chapters in the book but I couldn't find it. I thought someone might remember.

I don't remember reading anything about clenching of fists, but it certainly seems a viable way to focus, relieve stress, and fidget. We are a family (me, my daughter, my son) of knuckle crackers. We do it so often...it's not because our hands ache, it's because it's our way to relieve stress and fidget. I'm afraid that this is my nasty habit that they picked up...shame on me! And, all 3 of us fit most of the descriptions in that book. It's a wonder my husband has any of his sanity in tact.

We start crawling tonight, before we go to bed. So, keep your fingers crossed and wish us luck...it's a whole family affair at Schlosse Pope! Auf Wiedersehen!

I don't have an urge to clench my fists after sitting, but I do twist my hair. I think it is a way to relieve tension. I wonder if people choose different methods to relieve the stress caused by this reflex.

To clarify, I used to twist my hair so intensely that it ended up in knots. I would literally have to cut them out of my hair. I would also bite and chew on it, mostly the left side. I would have a whole section of hair with bad split ends. I have done this all my life. The only way I could get relief from it, was to cut it short. I would still twist it, but I just couldn't get it in my mouth that way. (There was a two week period of my life in which I didn't twist my hair - that was when I had a hypnotherapy session and it relieved all sorts of stress for me. I felt like it was the first time in my life in which I was totally relaxed without being asleep. Also, I felt relief from the twisting when I first started taking Adderal. But it didn't last. After a week I was back to twisting it as intently as before.) So the relieving tension thing makes a lot of sense. Since I have been crawling, I have noticed, especially in the last couple of weeks, that I don't have the intensity for twisting that I had before. I still am twisting itm but I play with it in a calmer way. If it ends up in my mouth, I usually am a little put off by it now, when before, it was just part of the whole deal. I hope that makes sense.

I crack my knuckles all the time also. I haven't noticed if I crack them less, probably because it does not annoy me like the hair twisting.

My family does the hair twisting thing. My psychiatrist told me it was related to Tourette's syndrom, but wasn't actually Tourette's. I don't know if it will totally disappear or not, I don't know if I can wish for that much, but you never know. I would be eternally grateful to Miriam Bender (the originator of these exercises) for that gift.

gmandad - the closest thing I can come up with in my experience is when I do the crawling exercises - I want to change my hand position. It is getting easier, but at first, I wanted to raise up on my finger tips when I crawled. I didn't like and still don't really, keeping my hands flat. So, perhaps that is related to what your son is feeling.

Remember, you can always call the number in the book or on their web site to talk to one of the authors or a trained person. You could ask them if they have ever seen that particular reaction from someone they have treated before.

I'm glad that you have stuck with the exercises so consistently!! You are doing better than me and will probably pass me!! I do them at least once a week, if not twice a week. That is why I have been posting on this board for so long!! I am going to keep doing them though, even if it takes me years to finish.

You may notice changes after the first month if you are like me. It hink the good reports from school are a good indicator. I hope it continues for you.

[QUOTE=AmbersMom]Anni, that is so interesting about the hair twisting thing, my sister does that exact same thing while watching tv, driveing i was behind her in line one day after getting my son from school waiting at the red light and noticed her twisting her hair. she will also be sitting and watching a movie and when the movie ends her hair will be breaded and she didnt know she had done it. So are the exercises working for you. Her doc suggest meds. such as zolof. she does not want to take them. I think i am going to get the book for her to read. thanks[/QUOTE]

The exercises are working great for me. I am dx ADD inattentive, (but they work for both ADD and ADHD). I have noticed that I can concentrate and finish projects, I can organize better, I have a better memory for things, I can come back to what I was doing more easily. I have also noticed that I can sit comfortably through plays with my mom and sister (I always used to squirm, cross my legs, lean to the right and to the left while they sat still and were comfortable) And I still have weeks left to go before I am finished with the exercises. So, I am so grateful for them.

I surely hope they will work for you too, and for your sister if she needs to find relief from this reflex.

I got an extra copy of the book off e-bay for only a couple of dollars. I think I was lucky, it was a used copy, but it looks brand new.

You may notice changes after the first month if you are like me. It hink the good reports from school are a good indicator. I hope it continues for you.

Yes my son is currently taking Strattera. He has been on it on and off since it came out two years ago. We try to give him a break from it in the summers. It does not seem to be as effective as it once was. And, I don't like all the newly discovered side effects I am reading about lately.

Actually, the medicine has been a concern of mine for another reason. In relation to these exercises if they work (and I expect that they will), at some point the STNR will begin to be overridden by the exercises. At that time he would become calmer. However, if he is still taking the medication (which speeds up the system to force the body to slow down) it will be like a normal child taking the prescribed ADHD medicine. So, the result will be that he become more hyper, etc. which would be the opposite desired effect.

Am I making sense? I am trying to say that during the 8 months of exercises there may\will be a point when the medicine makes him more hyper than the STNR.

I would just take him off of the medicine. But, he starts to struggle with school work if I do. We live in Texas and have to take the State required exams (TAKS). If he does not pass thoses tests he has to go to summer school and potentially have to repeat the 4th grade. And there are three portions to the TAKS test spread out over the next three months. So everything starts to get very tricky.

At the current time, I am considering working with his doctor to put him on Attend or some similar alternative and ease him off of the Straterra while continuing with the exercies. One problem is that the transition period will be expensive (buying all this medicine). Too, Attend takes a while to ramp up in the system. And, People taking Strattera must be weaned off of it. All the while, the STNR is slowly being overridden and his behavior will be changing too.

I can see your concern. I suppose you could always call the authors of the book and see what they suggest. They have a section in their book, I'm sure you have seen, that talks about medication and the possible side effects. Another area of the book talks about stopping medication in the right way, when you are ready to do that.

If you are keeping your son on medication during the exercises, I would just consult with your doctor or the authors to get their suggestions.

I have this suitcase that my hubby bought for me to carry school stuff in from school and to school. I teach 4th grade. It has wheels so it is easy to carry things back and forth.

Well, every so often, I pick up the handle and head off with my suitcase to find everything on the floor because I never noticed that the zipper wasn't zipped. I even did this on a rainy day outside once and all the kids' papers ended up wet.

Well, I noticed today that I hadn't zipped it up before I took off. I closed it before I tipped it up. Then I thought about it and realized that I haven't tipped it over once since I started to do the crawling exercises. I will have to see if I can keep it up.

annidagostini, I love reading your posts!! I can't wait until my son makes that much progress.

Hopefully I didn't slow him down. It just dawned on me yesterday that I had him doing 3 round trips of the crawling instead of six. For some reason I had the number 6 in my mind and figured 3 round trips totalled 6. Anyway, it's a battle sometimes to get him to do the exercises. I have him doing them in the morning when he wakes up, before school. Nobody's home then and it's easier that way. I just have to keep bribing him with the Yugio cards. One on Wednesday and one on Friday if he does his exercises and doesn't give me problems about doing them. He did really good in school this week. His behavior grade is an A. It's usually a C.

annidagostini, I love reading your posts!! I can't wait until my son makes that much progress.

That is wonderful that you are so consistent with the exercises. The six round trips is easy to mistake for three, so don't worry too much, just keep on going!The authors say that once you start to see progress that people stop before they get all the way through. I'm glad a didn't stop after just one improvement.

I think it is wonderful that your son had such a great week in school! His behavior grade is an A!! From a C to an A is a super improvement. Let us know if it continues. Do you think the exercises are helping him already? How long have you been doing the exercises now?

He's been doing the exercises going on 4 weeks I think. I'm not sure if it's the exercises, the Omegas or him just wanting to be good so he can get his Yugio cards. We have Mardi Gras holidays coming up real soon and the kids are off for a week so I think I will have my daughter help him catch up on the crawling we missed.

When my son says that he thinks he's stupid I tell him that some people just have to try harder than others and that he should be proud of himself. I also remind him that everybody's good at different things. He can outfish just about any man. He can sit there for hours and be quiet waiting to catch a fish and reel fish after fish in. He just struggles in school. Spelling, reading and english are the hardest for him. His best subject is science and his grade in that right now is a B. It's interesting to him. In every other subject he's a C student - which is ok, if that's the best he can do. I am not putting him back on Adderall just so he can make A's & B's. When I had him on it, it changed who he is, and I don't like that.

Lara, you sound like a great mom to see the good in your child - like the fishing!! Way to go!

I was wondering if the crawling exercises have helped him be more comfortable when he is sitting yet? I noticed that right away. I could sit at the theater with my mother and sister to watch a play for 2 hours without the antsy feelign I used to feel after doing the crawling. Do you think he is more comfortable now that he has done the exercises for a month.

One test you could make is to take away the Omegas - like in the summer or something. Then you could tell if it was just the crawling. I have never taken Omegas so I don't know their effect.

I'm not sure if he is more comfortable sitting yet. One thing I did notice is that when he does the resisted rocking exercises, the upper part of his body seems to be going in a different direction than the lower part. Does that make sense?

He does seem to be getting better at homework. (knowing that he has to do it and doing it. He'd usually come up with every excuse why not to do it, but lately he's been doing it without a problem. I still have to sit down with him and help.)

I wouldn't worry about the upper part of his body going in a different direction. I do know that when I would crawl, my legs seemed to move before my arms, and I worried that I should coordinate them better, but when I asked the authors (you can call them, the number's on the website and in the book) they said that my body would adjust to it and not to worry about it. So, perhaps his body will adjust just fine.

I am glad that homework is going better for him. Perhaps he is more comfortable sitting for extended periods of time and it doesn't bother him so much to do his homework.

Things for me are still going well. I still am working on organization. I can get my desk organized at work every day, which is very good. I don't like the fact that it gets piled up during the day. (It never bothered me before, I just didn't seem to notice the mess) I have plans to keep it organized. I also have more plans with homework and getting work turned in by the students. So I think things are going great. I still get frustrated by a few things. I have forgotten one thing this week - but I did remember about 7 other things. I used to forget all of them or perhaps remember one of them. So all in all, I am very happy with the results.

I did some research into some other exercises in England that addresses the same STNR reflex. They stated in their website that to stop the exercises for a period of time would not be good, so I am going to try to be more consistent.

Oh, and I wanted to add also that my hair twisting is still greatly diminished. I can attribute it to nothing else but the exercises. I don't twist it when I'm driving now, and I used to do it then all the time. I remember going into Walmart and having to stop and untwist the knot I made without realizing it before I could go into the store. That would happen all the time.

It just doesn't happen anymore. I drive to the store and get out and I haven't even twisted it at all! The only time I twist it tightly now is when I am concentrating really hard on something and I am sitting with my arms and legs bent. I am so grateful for these exercises. If it had helped only that one thing in my life, I would have been so happy. But it is helping with so much more. I am amazed. I feel like spreading the word about how much they have helped me is the only way I can really pay back these women and their research.

I feel like the Lord led me to this book and I feel like if I don't spread the word about it, that I would be ungrateful to Him also. It is like a miracle in my life. It is so simple and yet so many people don't even take the time to research it or to try it. And that is too bad.

annidagostini wrote:
I feel like the Lord led me to this book and I feel like if I don't spread the word about it, that I would be ungrateful to Him also. It is like a miracle in my life. It is so simple and yet so many people don't even take the time to research it or to try it. And that is too bad.

I have been following this thread and I find it very interesting. I do know that hair pulling or twirling can be as a result of having anxiety and its not uncommon for Adhd'ers to have anxiety. While its not a symptom of Adhd, it happens as a result of having Adhd. Perhaps the excersize alleviates some of the anxiety that can go along with having Adhd. Some things are also about power of suggestion and thats why when accuate studies are done, they do double blinded studies and test the placebo effect. Unfortunately, like biofeedback, double blinded studies cannot be done for this type of therapy. With thse type of therapies, its usually the people that provide these services that promote it and highly recommend it.

I am all for alternatives when they are proven in the long term to work and are safe and I highly respect what you have to say Anni. For those of you that have found something that is effective and safe, I applaud you and while the excersize cant hurt by trying it, I would think that if such a therapy was so effective for managing or curing the symptoms of Adhd, it would be getting a lot of exposure and press. Its true that many people are leay and wont try it to see if it does but by the same token, I am sure that many have tried it or these clinics wouldnt be making business. Also, Im sure there are many testimonials saying it does work but I would like to see the long term studies saying it in fact does work in the long term and not just studies by those who promote it.

Again, the information your putting out there can be very valuable for some and people need to know of all the options available but this is almost turning into an infomercial lol Again, no disrespect meant as you are a very valuable contributor to this board and I do respect what you have to say. My son never slouched like that and he was a professional crawler so much so that he crawled up walls lol So, the theory in the book wouldnt apply to my son. However, I guess if children are in a position that relaxes them, I would think that would also alleviate some of the anxiety and tension that goes along with doing homework.

In any event, this is just my opinion and I hope that those who are trying it have continued success

I am totally sold on this theory. I wasn't at first. At first I wanted to prove it wrong. But there was not much information out there on this type of physical therapy. I even came to this board and asked about it. That is one of the reasons I came here. I can only say what has been my experience. I decided to try the exercises because the book made so much sense when I started to read it.

Lusmykids02, I'm sorry if I sound like I am being pushy or something. I get nothing myself from posting here, I just believe in the exercises. These exercises may or may not work for everyone. Your son's ADHD could be caused by something else or maybe it is caused by this reflex also.

They are helping me. And the effects are not wearing off. Who knows? Maybe they will in the future. If this is a placebo effect, then after a while, I should notice my old ways returning. That is one of the reasons that I started this thread. If I end up leading people to false hope, I would feel horrible.

You bring up a good point about why this method isn't better known. I would really like to know why this method is not getting more exposure and press. Even if it helped only a few people with ADD, I think it should be in the forefront of the media. The authors say in the book that because the research for this theory came through education and not medical research that is it not as well received. They are doctrorate professors of education who received their graduate degree under Miriam Bender, who started the theory. I find it facinating and I want to let people know about it. I don't mean to offend.

Maybe you could check the book out of the library and read it and see what you think. It is very interesting. If it is right, then it is a major breakthrough, and we as parents and people with ADD should not sit around and let it go without telling everybody we know.

Others on this board have said that I sound like a commercial. I don't know what else to do about that. I just hope to help others. That is all I can do. I am sorry if I offend anyone. But if one child or adult is helped by it, then it was worth it to offend, that is the way I look at it.

Everyone has an opinion about what they think will work or wont work and its good for people to question and investigate any form of treatment. Long term studies have been done about medication in that in combination with other alternative therapies and strategies, the long term outcome is much more positive. No form of treatment alone has proven to effectively treat the symptoms of Adhd, even medication standing alone. Im not negatively criticizing this form of treatment. I question whether it has been used effectively to cure the symptoms of Adhd without any other treatment or strategies as no other form of treatment does. Im not knocking one form of treatment to give another one merit.

Thank you Annie for your courteous and informative response as you have answered my questions. Perhaps these crawling exercises can be used as a very useful tool for many in the future. In the absence of questioning any method, nothing is learned and as Imac pointed out, to critique can be a good thing as it leads to questions that could lead to answers that could really help children.

I agree with you on the questioning thing. I believe in open forums like this one. It can only give us more options.

You might want to give the authors a call. You can find their number on their web site. They have been doing these exercises and helping people for 30 years. Maybe they could give you a reference to call - someone who was helped years ago. If the results have lasted for years for them, it would be good to know. If I were you, I would ask them specific questions regarding your son. You know, it can't hurt. And if it were to help him, it would be well worth the minimal investment in the book. All the exercises are right there. You don't have to go to their clinic. That is what I find refreshing about these women. They truly believe in this method, and they are not taking advantage of people. Also, if the exercises do work, as they claim, then there is a cure for this disability (if it is caused by the STNR). It is a hope that I have, I am still testing it. I am still in the middle of the crawling and will keep doing it for the months that I am supposed to.

It would be interesting to know what the authors say to you, seeing as your son has crawled and was a good crawler and is still diagnosed with ADHD. I would like to know their response.

My daughter said to me tonight that she noticed something that has changed about me since I have been crawling. I asked her what and she said that I used to have so many projects that never get done. Things I get all excited about and I am all hyperfocused on - (she listed a bunch of them and she was right!!!) but I never actually finish them. THAT IS SO TRUE!!! I have piles of projects - prints in my basement that I am supposed to turn into a business, books I am supposed to write, grammar projects that I am supposed to market and sell !! The list goes on and on . . .

Anyway, she said that I haven't started a project like that since I've been crawling. She said that I am pretty much focused on my job - teaching and the family.

Well, I guess that is an improvement. So, now I have no projects? I was wondering what will happen when I finally start another project. Or now, will I start one I know I can finish? It is a good question. I guess we will see. During the summer when school is out and I am not teaching, perhaps I will start some projects and finish them.

This is so cool...I am sure that when you do pick a project you will do great..I just love some of your IDEAS...they say people with ADHD have the gift of creativity.

I believe in the ADHD creativity gift. I notice it in all the kids in my class who show signs of ADD and ADHD. Others have creativity and artistic gifts also, but it seems that most of the ones who suffer from ADD and ADHD have a good share of them.

We have completed 4 weeks of exercises. We got off track when the flu rolled through the whole family and we have just this week got back on schedule.

My son is ten years old. We have started the baseball season and we had a scrimmage the other day. When my son got up to bat I noticed something different. For the last 5 years (YES! 5 YEARS) at the plate he would continuously move, scratch and wiggle. It was amazing to me that he could still hit the ball despite the fact that he was often a little behind the pitch. However, at the scrimmage last weekend when he got up to bat HE STOOD PERFECTLY STILL (i.e. no wiggling, scratching, etc.). SERIOUSLY!

What is funny is that I didn't notice it at first because there was nothing to notice. It was his second or third at bat before it dawned on me that he was not moving. After the game, I mentioned it to my wife and she had noticed it too. We told our son about it, and he had no idea he was still that day while at bat.

It goes without saying that so far this season he is hitting the best he has ever hit!

Four weeks into these exercises he is beginning to fight me on doing them. I think it is because he feels they are hard because of the weak STNR. However when I pointed out how much better he did at batting after only four weeks, it convinced him to keep doing them.

I could never do a cartwheel or a backbend like the other girls my age. I even put on my brother's football helmet once to keep practicing the back bend because I would fall on my head! I was so determined! But I still couldn't get it. I loved swimming the backstroke, the side stroke, or the doggie paddle. But I hated the front stroke where you bend your arms and legs and turn your head to breathe all at the same time.

I was just reading through this post and was noticing all the people who started the exercises, but haven't been posting the results. I really would love to hear about your experiences, good or not so good.

I was trying to think of any updates and have not had any dramatic improvements lately. I would say that things are continuing to be good. I have bad days and good days, but I still feel such a difference from the way things used to be that it seems strange now, to ever go back to the way it used to be.

I was at my Mom's today, making gnocchi (an Italian potatoe pasta - yum yum yum!!!) and my sister was listening to me complain about how my kids were making messes in my house. She looked at my mom and said "She never noticed these things before!!"

It is funny how things have changed for me. I can't say that it is perfect. I forgot my son's scout meeting today, but I remembered about 7 other things this week that I know I would have forgotten before crawling when I wasn't on meds.

We just can't seem to get ourselves together to even start. Mondays we get home late because my son has Cub Scouts, Wednesday we get home late because my husband and I teach Boy Scout Merit Badges, Friday we get home late because my daughter has Girl Scouts, and the last Tuesday of the month my husband and I have committe meeting and the last Thursday of the month we have our Pack meeting. We're talking get home and have less than an hour before the kids are due in bed...still have homework and supper and baths...makes for a busy hour. I hate making all of these excuses, but they are not just empty excuses. Now my daughter, who needs to crawl more than my son and me together, just had surgery on her wrist and is out of commission for who knows how long. Normally we get up at 5am every weekday morning and don't get home until about 6pm on a normal night or 8pm or so on a Scout night.

We can do the exercises on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, except for the last week of the month, and all bets are off then. I can only imagine how much longer we'll need to do them at that rate. It's very daunting and disheartening to even try to start when you know that you aren't going to see the end for such a long time.

Anyways, you wanted to hear from those of us who haven't posted for a while...now you know why, but I have been reading these posts.

I have found that even when I do them once a week, they still seem to help me. It is just going to take a long time. But doing a little is better than doing none. That is what I figure. So, if you can do them for a few times a week, go for it! Maybe once your life is settled a little and there is more time, say in the summer during school break, you will be able to work hard on them. Don't be too hard on yourself.

jerbear, I have my daughter help me with resistance. She holds my upper arms as I go back. With the exercises that are coming up for me (They change every 8 weeks) I will need someone to help me because someone else has to give a command and a tug on your leg before you begin crawling. The book says that this is important to the brain. So, I will have to get someone to help me at that point.

I think that the rocking helps and that you should still use the resistance of the band, even if you do it for longer. I would use the resistance because the authors told me - I think in a phone call that I had with them once - that if you don't have resistance that it takes much longer to mature the reflex.

Anyway, I would try to keep the resistance in there if you can. I think the book on the head - a heavy book - is some resistance and should count for something.

I have sent a message to Oprah's e-mail on line and gave them the idea. I thought it might get more info out there for people who need it. If it works like it claims - and it has helped me, then people should know about it.

Thanks for your kind words. I wouldn't mind sharing what I know with the media, but I probably write more articulately than I speak.

I'm not taking role or anything. I have skipped a week too. Just keep going if you want to try it out. It still is helping me.

Hi Anni and Imac......I have written to the oprah show on numerous occcasions and all I ever got was a standard email thanking me for my comments. I have requested several times to go on the show and speak about ADHD from the view point of a parent of a child who has ADHD it but it has been to no avail. I guess average folk cant bring in the ratings. That really makes me angry

Oprah had two upcoming shows listed on her website at the time and was looking for participants so I sent out several emails requsting to be on the show.

Anni, i hope you have better luck in terms of a response from the staff on the oprah show and Imac, I missed the shows too but I doubt we missed much.

What's weird is, Tom Cruise says he has ADHD! He is the one jumping on the furniture. It is too bad that Tom Cruise doesn't embrace his ADHD and help others with it instead of putting others down for doing something about it.

I think that Tom's success is one of those rare times when ADHD works to your advantage. He became successful quickly enough to not let his ADHD nature work against him.

Does that make sense? He can't see the forest for the trees now. He thinks that everybody can get a break like him and that ADHD is something that fuels his creativity and everybody should be ok and love it.

Well, some of us struggle with day to day living when we don't live in the fantasy world of a movie star.

As far as Oprah goes. It may be something that she has done in the past. Also, it may be one of a million different suggestions made that the people on the show have to sift through. I think it would make a great show, but then you never know what producers will think.

Well, guys, I am posting here something that I noticed since crawling, although I haven't been crawling enough lately. It seems to me that my progress is slowing because I am not finding the time to crawl. I am posting things on e-bay to sell my artwork, and so I have devoted all my time to that. (maybe that is an improvement also!!! I can post on e-bay and teach school at the same time - I never was able to do that before. I always waited until spring break or something. )

Anyway. I have noticed that in my class, when I am explaining things to the kids in history, I don't get as mixed up as I used to get. I would mix up words and the kids would correct me and I wouldn't realize I said the wrong thing. I sill do it in math - the kids still correct me, but in reading and presenting text, I don't have as much of a problem.

So that makes me happy. Also, my room is neat, the floor is picked up each day, the room gets a bit messy, but I keep up on it better than ever.

I gave a test today, I graded it, and I recorded the scores. I have never done that all in one day before!!! I usually put it all in one big pile and get overwhelmed on Saturday. So, I am proud of myself for being able to get things done.

I haven't been crawling as much as I should and so I haven't noticed as much improvements lately, but I did have a good experience shopping - which is something I hate to do.

I was looking at the CDs for my hubby (our anniversary is tomorrow) and I thought, it would be great to get a CD from that group he mentioned the other day. I remembered that it was a guy's name.

Now, usually that is all I would be able to remember and I would be frustrated and go home to get more frustrated when I ask him about it and find out the name!!!!

But tonight, I remembered!!! I even cried a little in the store because I never remember stuff like that and it was so cool.

I am going to rededicate myself to crawling more. I did it tonight, so here goes again.

Hi Anni, Have you seen this site before. I think it re-enforces what your book it talking about. It makes so much sense. I have got to make this crawling thing a priority!

That is a totally awesome site. It really explains a lot of things to me. Like why using omegas works and supplements. It also addresses the issue of primitive reflexes in a more comprehensive way.

I'm so glad you posted it goinsunshine. Thank you. I bookmarked it and I am going to read it more thoroughly.

Go kppy! I really believe more and more that the primitive reflexes cause a lot of these problems. There is so much research - not in the US - that is going on.

cj - I can understand your hesitancy in thinking that this will change who you are, but I tell you, this past weekend I have posted so much of my own artwork on e-bay (art) and it is the same quality or even better than I used to do before crawling. Before, in the fogginess of my ADD, I might not even get around to posting arwork, let alone finish it.

The things I was afraid of it changing, it just doesn't for me. I worried that the exercises would change my art. It hasn't changed it at all. I have more time now - I'm not in the ADD time warp. I have time to do my art, even during school.

The things it does change for me are good things. I don't feel like I am being like you said in your post

"i reckon anni will always be ok no matter what she does because she is a small angel, always being altruistic and considering others and changing herself for the benefit of others. "

I surely do not feel like I am crawling for anyone else but myself. I was angry when I found out I had ADD. I was frustrated because I know I am smart. I know I have intelligence. All the ADD stuff gets in my way and puts up road blocks for me.

I find it amazing. I feel like I am standing on the edge of a pool, having washed off all the fogginess, the forgetfullness, and the misplaced items and standing there, reborn!!! I know that sounds dramatic, but I feel great! Over spring break I put on two groups of e-bay paintings with 10 to 15 paintings I did during the break, I cleaned my house - which was a mess. I actually have made my bed two times since the break started. (I never make my bed!!!) So, for me, personally and in my soul, I feel like I am the person I was always meant to be and the road blocks have been taken away.

cj - no one can force you to be anything other than what you are. If you want to stay ADD, it is fine with me!! I totally understand and I will support you.

I have a colleague who seems happy and content. I know she has ADD. She has all the symptoms I had and more!! She reminds me of myself a couple of years ago when I started to teach. She is a teacher too. I have told her about the exercises and she doesn't seem as interested. I can see so clearly how they could help her. But hey, she has to want it badly enough. She has to hate the ADD problems like I did. She laughs at them so much more than I did. I used to cry over them. Now, I don't have very many to cry over.

Well, that is my spill on things. Sorry to go on and on, ladies. It is an interesting thing we are all going through.

Anni, I wanted to share with you some things I've learned that validate the crawling theory.

In my informal survey of the many folks I know that have ADHD and their kids, not ONE of them crawled well as a baby.

There was a documentary on recently about the children in Africa that have learning disabilites, and they cited not getting down on the ground with the snakes and crawling as being the cause. (Likewise, I think we should get our babies out of those walkers that are so popular.)

My son's school couselor has done work with her son in regard to the midline issue, which crawling addresses, and saw within 2 weeks a huge difference. She also said that some children in China who had learning disabilities had not learned to jump up and down well or enough. Well guess what? They read up and down. Amazing connection.

I ordered the book, as I did the combat crawl and am a scatter brain. I'm joining you folks real soon. Thanks so much for sharing your efforts!

Imac, she did a different program, but it did include crawling. Perhaps I missunderstood her, and I apologize if in my scattered enthusiasm I spread misinformation. Perhaps she read a different book or did a diffrent program than that we are talking about here. There are more than one way to skin a cat, they say. I did not get the specific name from her.

Also, seems like many "programs" have their own names for issues that they address. For instance, Dore will not label anything like ADHD or autism, for example. They have come up with their own term for it, called cerebellar development delay. (CDD)

cj, I tried it and I could get my hands up but not over my head. This exercises is in the area of the STNR, I'm sure you could be right.

I think that the STNR and the other reflexes affect us more than we know. I wish there was more research.

It is great that you are getting on the bandwagon too! When I was reading the book, I remember a part, or maybe it was when I was talking to the authors, I can't remember which. But they said that the exercises will help things that will surprise you. I think they told me that when I was talking to them, come to think of it. My threory is that crawling will mature more than just the STNR. I believe it will mature other reflexes too.

When I read about the reflexes, I find that I have symptoms of many of them. The startle reflex is one that I know I have. It is a different reflex than the STNR. I still startle, I am trying to notice if it isn't as bad.

I have never done that in my whole life!!!! It is so nice to crawl into a nice made bed each night. And it only takes me a minute in the morning. No amount of any telling me from my mom made me do this at any time in my life before!!! It is only since I have noticed on my own and that I can see the process is simple and easy for me that I have begun to do it. I find it so nice and refreshing!!!

I used to jog all the time, but I haven't for a few years. I will have to give it a go again to see if I notice anything like you describe. I know I have the habit of stubbing my toe when I jog and I don't pick up my feet enough sometimes. I have to think about lifting my feet up. Once I tripped and had to walk back home with blood from my knee all over. I can imagine that your balance problem could be connected to the STNR or to another primitive reflex. There are a few different ones.

jerbear, it will be very interesting to see if the crawling helps with these things for you. Please keep us posted.

i usually run at night after the adderall wears off but one time i ran 2 hours after i took a 20mg xr and i felt like my shoulders were straight and my posture was good and my knees didn't hurt, like my body was lined up perfectly!

i haven't read this entire thread - but has the author of the book Nancy O'Dell created a DVD with the techniques on it? i do better at visual explanations.

That is cool that you are helping your friend. I found that the book did the same thing for me. I would read more and identify with it more.

Keep us posted as to his progress and yours too if you try it!!! It certainly can't hurt anything. That was my view when I started. And it has done nothing but help me. (Well, maybe embarrass me a little as I crawl across the floor each day!!)

ok, i sent a second e-mail to Patricia Cook (the co-author whose e-mail is shown on the site) asking for specific info about the DVD (run time, # of minutes allocated to the demo of the exercises, whether you can "workout" to the disc until you have the moves down).

and now that you know the moves, how many minutes a day do you spend working out with the moves?

I don't have the DVD. I just have the book. I looked at the pictures in the book and I followed the written instructions. I do the exercises when I can. I teach school so I do them at least once a week. They take 15 to 20 minutes to do each time. It didn't take me long to get the moves down. They are simple crawling and rocking moves. I guess they took me reading the instructions a few times and making sure I had them right. I was just a little uncomfortable at first because the reflex was bugging me. You have to keep your head up in a crawling position when you would rather look at the floor. Also your hands have to be flat and I would rather be up with my fingers when I crawl.

So, it isn't that hard to begin them, it is just a little uncomfortable to be in the position until you get used to it. The exercises increase in difficulty only when you are ready, so I have found them to be easy. It is hard to keep doing them consistently. But when I do , I see results.

The authors haven't approved my method or anything, but it seems to work for me. What I do when I don't have someone to help me is . . .

I put a heavy book on my head. That gives resistance, especially in the area of the reflex, in the back of my neck and shoulders. I usually have to pause after a while and massage my shoulders and straighten my head and neck and then go on, because it gets sore. I do both the rocking and the crawling exercises that are in the first 8 weeks that way.

I also wear those ankle weights that you use to do aerobics. I know that isn't the same as someone pushing on you, but it does add some resistance as I crawl.

I don't think the second round (the second eight weeks of the exercises) will work alone because you have to listen to a command before you crawl. So, with the second round, which I will get to soon, I will need to get my family to help me more.

I asked my family to notice if I slouch as much since I have been doing these crawling exercises. The reflex that I am trying to mature is located in your upper back. I always slouched as a kid and I have terrible posture usually.

I noticed it a lot when I would drive. I would stick my head out almost horizonally to my body. My neck and head would be sticking way out. It is hard to describe. But it looked odd.

My daughter told me that I don't stick my neck out anymore when I drive. I was hoping that it would help and it has.

There is a primitive reflex in your body when you are a baby called the STNR. It is located in your upper back. When your arms and legs are bent at the same time, it urges you to move, to unbend your arms or your legs. This is really a reflex. I have researched it, and there are more reflexes than just the STNR that we have as babies. Well, when you drive, you are forced to bend your arms and legs at the same time, sometimes for long periods of time. I know I used to hate to get into a car and I never have enjoyed driving. And my posture when driving would be embarrassing. When I would catch myself doing it, I would sit up, but I would eventually resume my slouching. I believe I was always trying to get comfortable because this reflex was bugging me.

Well, the theory of this book (Stopping ADHD) and other researchers is that these reflexes when not matured can stay with us and give us the symptoms of ADD and ADHD. Some believe they can cause other learning disabilities also.

The reflexes can cause other things like poor penmanship, poor posture, and poor coordination.

That is interesting what your physical therapist said about your muscles. I could never do a pull up to save my life!! I'm wondering now in my forties if I'll be able to get them back in shape after the crawling exercises. It seems odd that this reflex could affect muscles too. But hey, it affects handwriting and coordination and brain memory, so I guess muscles are just another piece of all of this.

How many times have you done them now? I keep a chart in my bedroom - I could post it or e-mail it to you if you want it. It helps me keep track of how often I have done the exercises. I would never know when to move to the next one if I didn't keep track somehow.

Crawling? What is this all about? Please explain to me what crawling exercises have to do with treating ADHD. I'm willing to try anything at this point, but I don't know what you're talking about and I don't see how it can work. What's the theory behind it?

Many ADHD'rs did not crawl, crawl well, or for long enough as babies. There is a reflex that matures during the 6 or so months of crawling as a baby. This reflex, if not matured, causes some of the symptoms of ADHD, having to do with being comfortable sitting still, concentration, etc. I just got the book and started reading it. I've had the crawling theory presented to me for years, but I guess now I'm ready to listen, because of reading this thread!

With an unmatured reflex, the top part of the body wants to be straight when the lower body is bent, and vice versa. Thus, the many odd positions we see our kids in. I was reading some of the typical postures these kids take on and was laughing my head off! It's both me and my son! Neither of can sit still, or in the "proper position" for very long, it's just too uncomfortable, because of this reflex. I sit on my legs in an attempt to stop squirming and take on an odd postures at work sitting all day, I look like a slacker. But, it's just more comfortable. Same for my son. I keep saying to him, "sit up, you slaker" and he becomes more uncomfortable and stops concentrating. I owe him a huge apolgy. He was just trying to be comfy, like I was as a kid.

The crawling exercises basically teach you to crawl and get what we missed as a baby, to mature that reflex. Takes 6-8 months to go through the program.

I just got the book mentioned here, "Stopping ADHD" by Nancy E. O'Dell, Ph.D, and Patricia A. Cook, PhD. Now it all makes sense. We will start crawling next week.

That's it in a nutshell. Anni is wonderful, and has been doing these since November, I think. It's a lot to read through in the threads, but you can read her amazing progress there.

I read a book called Stopping ADHD with a totally different theory as to what causes ADHD and ADD in 75% of all cases (according to the book).

We all have primitive reflexes that are part of our development when we are babies. These reflexes normally mature and do not bother us. But sometimes when a person does not get the appropriate amount of crawling done when he or she is a baby, or does not crawl in the right way (dragging a leg or the spider crawl) then the reflex can stay with you as you grow and into adulthood. There are many primitive reflexes (you can search for them online and find them) but the one the book claims to be able to mature through crawling exercises is called the Symmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex (STNR).

I was very drawn to the book when I began reading it because I had semi-clubbed feet when I was born and had to be in casts and shoes with a bar. I did not crawl much before I walked.

According to the theory, if you still have this reflex bothering you, you will be uncomfortable with your arms and legs bent at the same time. In other words, you will feel this reflex urging you to get up, move, or straighten either your arms or your legs. Children and adults that have this reflex bothering them will sit on their legs, wrap their legs and feet around chair legs, to trap the reflex so that they can stay in their chairs. They tend to be distracted because they have to deal with this discomfort all their lives and they think it is normal because it has always been this way for them. The authors believe that this is a major cause of ADD and ADHD.

If you crawl now, and do the exercises in the book, you can eliminate symptoms of ADD and ADHD. I have tried it and I totally believe this theory. I have done about two months of crawling and I can remember things so much better. I am more organized. I notice things around me when before I wouldn't. I have better posture and handwriting. I was diagnosed with ADD inattentive type and medication really helped me for awhile. But then it wore off. I am so happy to have found this book and exercises. The book is not very expensive. There is a video, but I haven't ordered it. There is also a clinic in Indiana, but I have done everything from the directions in the book.

I posted this thread to post my progress and so that others who are trying it will have a place to post their progress also.

If you have more questions, you can ask me or pm me. You can also read this post, although it is huge and hard to get through.

You beat me to the punch! You explained it all so well. Thanks! Be sure to let us know how long you have tried the exercises and if they help.

Didn't mean to beat ya, Anni! I think writing it and helping others helps to solidify if for me.

We also start the Dore program next week, and am wondering if both exercises would be OK to start at the same time. Might as well fix both things at the same time while we're at it, if Dore doesn't object.

I read a book called Stopping ADHD with a totally different theory as to what causes ADHD and ADD in 75% of all cases (according to the book).

I was very drawn to the book when I began reading it because I had semi-clubbed feet when I was born and had to be in casts and shoes with a bar. I did not crawl much before I walked.

I posted this thread to post my progress and so that others who are trying it will have a place to post their progress also.

If you have more questions, you can ask me or pm me. You can also read this post, although it is huge and hard to get through.[/QUOTE]

It sounds looney. But as they used to say in the old TV shows "it's so crazy it just might work." And it wouldn't be the first unusual treatment I've tried. If all I need to pay for is a book, then why not give it a whirl?

Is the book you mentioned the best source of information about this method? Is there anything on the web about it? I'll do some searches and see what I can find.

Everytime I meet someone with ADHD, I ask (and I seem to know and come across TONS of them, kids and adults) "how was your crawling as a baby?" Every single one of them had some issue with crawling. That's where I find validity in what this book is about.

Anni, one question for you, do you remember ever coming across information about "midine" issues and crawling? I mean the issues that effect crossing over one part of the body to the other in daily a