14 May How Does Dyslexia Impact Learning Strategies and Study Approaches in Post-secondary Students?
Dyslexia is a lifelong learning disability. Often diagnosed in childhood, children with dyslexia have substantial difficulty with reading in comparison to their peers. In adulthood, these reading difficulties may persist. Little is known about how dyslexia impacts people in post-secondary education, particularly in regards to learning strategies and study approaches. In this blog post, we discuss how dyslexia affects learning strategies and study approaches in post-secondary education.
26 Apr Why Some Children Struggle to Learn Fractions
Learning fractions is an important mathematical skill. We use fractions in professions such as life sciences and auto-mechanics, as well as everyday life for quantifying parts of a whole. However, many elementary and middle school-aged children have difficulty understanding and manipulating fractions. In this blog post, we discuss why fractions are difficult to learn for many children, why children with math disabilities struggle to learn fractions in comparison to peers, and what interventions can be done to help children be able to grasp and manipulate fraction quantities.
07 Apr Which Cognitive Training Method is Best For My Client with Alzheimer’s Disease?
Addressing cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s patients is a common concern of activity directors, occupational therapists, psychologists, speech-language pathologists, and other clinical professionals working with this patient demographic. Alzheimer’s disease is caused by the build of tiny plaques throughout the brain tissue, causing the brain tissue to not receive nutrients and oxygen thus leading to cell and tissue death. Cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s patients is first seen in episodic memory, followed by declarative and procedural memory, and later on key executive functions such as attention. Literature has shown that patients with Alzheimer’s disease do have some cognitive reserve capacity. Because Alzheimer’s patients do have cognitive reserve capacity, utilizing non-pharmacological ways to improve cognitive functioning such as cognitive training are of interest as elderly clients tend to favor these kinds of interventions as there are no adverse side effects and they are relatively cost-effective.
08 Mar 3 Reasons Why You Should Treat Cognition As Part of Depression Therapy
When people are depressed, many seek psychotherapy to work on the emotional symptoms and ailments from their depression. However, people with depression also experience cognitive problems. Common cognitive problems resulting from depression include difficulty paying attention, poor memory, and becoming easily distracted. These cognitive problems may interfere with activities of daily life, such as performing at work, which can cause a person to enter a negative cycle as a result of the impact of the cognitive problems on their daily life. People working with clients battling depression may want to treat cognition as part of their client’s depression therapy. In this blog post, we discuss why you should treat cognition as part of depression therapy for your clients.
22 Feb What Are the 3 Pillars of Cognitive Remediation Therapy?
Cognitive remediation therapy (CRT) is a therapeutic intervention technique that combines computerized cognitive training with real-world activities that challenge clients to apply practiced cognitive skills. Commonly used for remediating cognitive impairment for people diagnosed with schizophrenia or major depressive disorder (MDD), cognitive remediation therapy can be used to help a multitude of clinical populations including stroke, traumatic brain injury, learning disability, and for both healthy and abnormal aging populations. Cognitive remediation therapy is composed of three main components: computerized cognitive training, strategy monitoring, and bridging. In this blog post, we discuss these three pillars of cognitive remediation therapy.
19 Feb Why You Should Provide Cognitive Remediation for Your Client with Major Depressive Disorder
Cognitive remediation therapy is a form of therapy that combines the practice of cognitive skills using digital cognitive therapy tools with hands-on practice that helps the client transfer practiced cognitive skills to the real world. Cognitive remediation therapy has become popular for the intervention of psychological disorders, particularly for major depressive disorder (MDD), as they can cause a person to experience cognitive impairment. In MDD patients, research has shown a decline in verbal fluency, visual-spatial skills, verbal learning, and executive functioning. During an episode of MDD, executive functioning, processing speed, and memory are most affected. All of these areas of cognitive stimulation are key to maintaining cognitive health.
27 Jan 4 Therapy Approaches to Help Older Adults Manage Their Health
Many older adults live with chronic health conditions. Cognitive training may help older adults develop cognitive skills that they can use to manage their health more independently. Being able to manage personal health can provide older adults a sense of improved control of their lives. The Healthy Ageing Model incorporates 4 therapy approaches that therapists can use to help their older adult clients manage their health. In this blog post, we discuss these 4 therapy approaches.