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passerine-writes · 2 years ago

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Silent Sparks - Volt 8

Warnings: None :) Word count: 2688

Notes: Italics - Tsukare signing Bold italics - Family member/friend signing 'Italics with apostrophes' - Thoughts

Masterlist

Volt 7 | Volt 9

"Hello Tsukare, it's a pleasure to finally meet with you one on one. How are you doing today?" The now eleven year old sat in the seat across from the talking animal that was the principal of UA. The mammal requested to meet with him and after thinking about it for days and talking to his parents, the topaz haired boy agreed on the conditions that the door is at least left cracked open and one or both of his parents are on campus in case of emergency.

"I-I'm okay. How are you?" His voice was shaky, still adjusting to talking frequently and to new people.

"I'm doing quite well, thank you for asking. If you don't mind, I'd like your help with something." The kids eyebrows cinched together in confusion. "Now I'm sure your fathers have informed you of my quirk so you may be thinking, 'why is a principal with a high intelligence quirk asking a child for assistance?'" He hesitantly nodded, not wanting to come off as rude. "Well, you have insight on things that I don't. Now, I simply could just do research on it but I would rather like to get first hand advice."

"That.. makes sense." Nedzu hummed appreciatively, taking a sip of his tea before continuing.

"I hope you don't mind, but Aizawa and Yamada have informed me of your diagnoses. Neither of them went into detail but I did my own research, do you mind if I ask you a few questions to make sure it was correct?"

"I don't mind." Tsukare said timidly, slowly but surely warming up to the principal of the school he could only hope to attend.

"Splendid. Also, if you feel more comfortable using sign language, you are more than welcome to." Tsukare gave him a small smile with a nod, relieved that verbally speaking wasn't required like he thought.

Nedzu asked him questions about anything he could think of. What helped him focus, what made him more distracted, if he had sensory issues and if so, what were bad senses, how he copes with being overstimulated. The kid tried his best to answer, wanting to help but at the same time, he didn't feel beneficial.

Principal Nedzu, as thrilled as I am that you asked for my help, unfortunately my diagnoses aren't one size fits all. What I mean is, while something may help me focus, it could distract someone else with ADHD and vice versa. Not to mention, every diagnosis that falls in the neurodivergent umbrella. There's autism, sensory and auditory processing disorders, ADHD, tourettes, the list goes on. However those are just the most commonly noted and, based off the questions you're asking me, the category of which you're going for where there's more extensive and displayed reactions or coping skills needed. Out of curiosity, what are all the questions for?

"I'm glad you ask, Tsukare. I know you've been coming here for quite some time with your parents, your brother now, too. I'm planning on making a special room, designed to benefit and aid those who are neurodivergent. Even for those who have lower control of their quirk and need a place to unwind. Those with anger issues, the list goes on. Many principals don't, but I care about mental health, for both students and staff. I've been wanting to make this for a while now, but I'd like a partner. Someone to guide me the right way since I don't personally experience any of these. The best part, is you have a very large budget." Tsukare stared at him with wide eyes, shell shocked at the lengths Nedzu was willing to go for his students.

"Let's get started." Nedzu smiled and passed him a notebook, erasable pens, pencils and more erasers. "It's going to be difficult accommodating for everything so I would say start with the general approach and slowly build on. Privacy is a big thing, so it needs to be soundproof and I think there should be a lock on it so it's not abused by other students looking to just get out of class. All teachers would have a card for it but for student use, they should have a method to being able to get their own card or have it built in to their student ID. I also think a selective approach would be good, that way not everyone knows but it's still accessible. Bathrooms are a must." Tsukare started sketching, comfortable speaking since he was staring at the paper. "It should be near the nurses room, just in case a student accidentally hurts themself during a breakdown or needs their medication. Maybe section it to help those who like organization and structure but not too much where it disrupts those who are the opposite." Tsukare made the basic floor sketch, one corner being empty for quirk use, the other having work out equipment with automatic spotters built in for the more heavy weights.

The other half of the room being the designated relaxation area. Beanbags, chairs, different styles and sizes, different cushions that can easily be swapped. Then the storage closet filled with bins of any and all fidgets, noise cancelling headphones, multiple different music tracks with built in school bells to alert the students for when they would have to leave by. Eyemasks, weighted blankets, different types of blankets, hot packs, cold packs, stuffed animals, a fully stocked mini fridge with water, juice and snacks. If you could think of it, the kid added it to the list.

"I think a locker room might be beneficial, just two showers each. Anything written in blue is an immediate necessity, like the sound and quirk proofing. Whatever is written in red is an eventual need, such as the gym equipment. The green writing is mostly for gradual need. Like the fidget toys, down the line you may need to replace them from wear and tear or if you don't want to buy them all at once. For the mini fridge I think something that would be really good is if you ask the students if they have any safe snacks or safe foods so they can be stocked in there. Usually with safe foods it's very particular but most of the time those students are going to try and avoid the cafeteria from how busy and overwhelming it is." Nedzu watched in admiration, a small part of him wishing he had a child of his own because sitting and talking with Tsukare finally made him understand why Tsukare's parents adored their kids as much as the couple did.

"Absolutely brilliant. I never would have thought of most of these accommodations. I'm very impressed. I will get started on the blue prints and ordering right away. When everything is getting placed and set, I would love for you to be there to act as a director of sorts." Tsukare pondered this for a moment but eventually agreed. "I will also start formatting the paperwork for student access then run it by you for any potential fine tuning." The principal received two thumbs up and a bright smile.

——————

A month later, Tsukare found himself in the new room next to Chiyo's office. Nedzu stood next to him, the two watching as the pile of items grew and spread. The child could only watch in amazement while Nedzu couldn't stop smiling at the eleven year olds excitement.

Can I organize all of it?

Nedzu gestured for him to do so, pleased with the initiative he wanted to take. He left Tsukare to his own doings, deciding to find a particular teachers scarf to sit in for the time being.

Tsukare however, got to work. He sat himself down with his own earbuds and playlist. His music of choice being classic rock blasting at full volume in his ears as he moved things. First, sorting them into piles of all the same things, the basic organization acting as a format for what he needed to get done. Next, he worked on folding the weighted blankets and stacking them on the floor of the closet, only to get very excited to use a label maker for the first time. Sticking the labels on and separating the blankets by weight.

He continued the process with each of the fidget toys, separating them into bins by type and organizing them by color then labeling the bin. Followed by the eye masks, the headphones, and stacking the cushions for the chairs.

Every hour, one of his family members came in to check on him. First, his Pops came, not saying anything but silently observing for a minute before leaving. Second was his Auntie Nemuri. She kicked back against the door, proud of her nephew and impressed with his level of focus. At the three hour mark, Aizawa stopped by, watching in awe for a moment like the others until he heard the loud music from almost fifteen feet away. Tsukare felt a set of eyes from him after a few minutes and turned around to see his dad giving him the look. He quickly took out his earbuds and gave him a small smile, hands fidgeting since he was pulled away from his hyperfocus.

"Hey dad. Whaddya think?" Aizawa gave his son a rare, kind smile as he looked around impressed.

"It's coming along great, I'm really proud." Tsukare blushed awkwardly, still getting used to having people tell him that but he kept working as he spoke.

"Thanks, I'm almost done. I just have to do some finishing touches and set out the beanbags and lamps and it should be all set." Tsukare looked at the expression Aizawa wore and hesitated before his next question. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, just turn down your music kid. Between you and sunshine, I don't know who's going to go fully deaf first." His son chuckled and showed his dad that he turned down the volume a considerable amount. Aizawa nodded in content. "Would you like any help finishing up?"

"No thank you, I have a rhythm going and tomorrow I still have to go over the final details with Nedzu. He said that I show a lot of potential and that I have an interesting brain, whatever that means. He even mentioned an IQ test." Aizawa felt his blood chill at that, knowing how devoted his boss can get when it comes to his personal protégés.

"Let's save that for another day, I don't think I'm ready for you and Nedzu to start conspiring together just yet." The kid chuckled, rolling his eyes at what he believed to be theatrics.

"He doesn't seem that bad, dad. Plus I think if I did an IQ test that would stunt his curiosity because I don't think I would score that high. Probably in the average bracket." Aizawa snorted a little, catching his sons attention as he continued to work on the final details.

"Onryo, you're smarter than you believe. Sunshine and I are teachers and more then twice your age but you've taught us new things in the last three years." Tsukare rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged, not knowing exactly what to say as he finished laying everything out.

"Well, I'm all done. The last thing that needs to be done physically is the work out area but I'll leave moving the machinery to someone else. My muscles are sore from lifting the free weights today." Aizawa raised an eyebrow at his son but opened the door for the two of them.

"Make sure to stretch when we get home so you don't run your muscles into the ground. It helps more then you think." Tsukare gave him a thumbs up as him and his dad walked to the teachers lounge.

"Howdy, ginger." His Uncle Snipe said as the two walked in, walking to sit back in his chair.

"Howdy, partner." Tsukare held up a finger gun towards his uncle and bent his thumb, making a small sound effect to go with it. "I gotcha now, sniper." He said in a horrible southern accent. Snipe played along, the two of them having this be their greeting for quite sometime now as he held a hand up to his abdomen and plopped into his chair with a weak and monotoned 'ow'.

"So Onryo, did you finally finish up that room?" Midnight asked him as she sipped on her tea.

"J-Just about, only a few small things left that can be saved for another day." Nemuri smiled at her nephew happily. "Oh, hi Uncle Higari, hey Uncle Ken." His Uncle Ken, better known as Cementoss, nodded in acknowledgement. The former, also known as Power Loader, smiled happily at his honorary nephew.

"Hey squirt, forgot you were starting on the sensory room today. Hey you're almost as tall as me now." Tsukare chuckled and nodded, standing up straight to his full height and showing he was actually just slightly taller. "Okay shrink back down, you're growing too fast." He let out a hearty laugh and went back to slouching. "That's better, have the boys been growing a lot Eraser?" Aizawa simply nodded and Power Loader sighed. "Next you're gonna say Hitoshi's taller then me and Onryo." Aizawa took a sip of his coffee and stared at his colleague. "Oh jeez."

"You might see him later, he's training with our dad today."

"I don't know if I want to be proven as short over and over." Tsukare laughed softly, his attention being drawn to the door opening.

"Uncle Plasm!" Ectoplasms quirk always fascinated his honorary nephew, and as a man with no kids and being devoted to his work, he would be lying if he said having someone call him their uncle didn't warm his heart.

"Hello Onryo. How have you been?" Tsukare shrugged and grabbed one of his fidget cubes to hone in his focus.

"I've been okay. How have you been?" Ectoplasm hummed for a moment.

"I've been quite alright, thank you. Unfortunately, I cannot stay long, one of my students are causing trouble." Tsukare waved him goodbye, but as the pro left, two more walked in.

"Hi Uncle Seki! Hi Ryo!" Vlad King smiled and Hound dog gave a nod of his head, unphased with not receiving an honorific because he asked the boy not to.

"Now we have both Ryo's here!" A few of the teachers left, bidding their goodbyes. Quite a few ruffling the kids hair as a form of goodbye.

"Mhm! How's class 1-B this year, Uncle Seki?"

"They're wonderful! Got a lot of great students!" While Vlad may have a strong rivalry with the other hero course, even he knew better then to talk biased in front of his nephew. In the end, it was more of a running joke to lighten tension for students but still pushing them to work harder. He didn't want to risk his nephew getting the wrong impression at a young age.

"Hey little listener! The room looks great!" Tsukare popped up at the sound of a familiar voice and jogged to his Pops, wrapping his arms around the heroes torso before giving his brother a fist bump. "Did Sho lecture you about how loud your music was?" His son sheepishly nodded, Aizawa shooting his husband a joking glare while Tsukare turned to his brother.

You did a great job on the room, dude. How long did it take?

About three and a half hours.

Shinsou's eyes widened in shock and disbelief, slowly nodding at the statement.

"Okay, well as much as I'd love to stay, I actually have papers to grade for once. So we're doing a kid swap. You ready to go home Onryo?" Tsukare nodded, giving his dad and brother quick hugs goodbye, waving to his honorary uncles before walking out the door. "Whaddya say we stop and get some lunch first, little listener? Then while I grade papers, you can do a bit of homework before I get started on dinner."

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onemattwolf · 4 years ago

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Movement

Once, when I was 15, the therapist I had at that time asked me if I'd ever considered not pacing. "What do you think will happen if you stopped moving?" She had asked.

This conversation started with me describing my daily pacing routine at school, particularly the pacing I'd do at the end of the day when waiting for my best friend at the time to get ready to leave. She'd take so long to get ready, that standing around and waiting like a "normal" person felt like a death sentence to me. So instead, I'd pace. But, considering her locker was in a narrow hallway, pacing was uncomfortable for not just myself but for others. I would instead do what I considered my "long form" of pacing: I'd walk circuits of the school.

Up the stairs, down the hallway, up the stairs on the other end, repeating on the next floor. And then down, down, down, to see if she was done yet. If she wasn't, I'd do my longer route--up the stairs to the second floor, across the small bridge to the school's extension building, repeat the activity that was done in the main building, and then back over and then down to check on my friend in the basement. Usually, it would take 2 circuits for her to finish. If she promised to be fast that day, i'd head into the barely-used bathroom near her locker, and walk in circles around the stalls. I'd start going so fast, I'd imagine a wind storm picking up and lifting the cluster of stalls up and away.

Later, long past that therapy appointment, I had a new daily circuit that i'd do in my residence building at University. It was an old building, one of the smallest dorms on campus; 3 main floors and a basement, with staircases on either end of each hallway--which was pretty much the same layout as my old highschool. Up and down i'd go when the urge hit. As I'm a creature of routine (once, in Grade 10, my biology teacher was very concerned by my habit of asking to use the washroom literally at the same time every day in first period; I was so consistent she could set her watch to it, and she wanted to know if there was something physically wrong with me), some folks knew my routine and they'd pop out to say "hi" as I sped past. As I wasn't great with the idea of being known (even when it was a bit impossible to not be known there, to some degree, as it was such a small dorm--not to mention that I can be a bit of an odd duck, which often makes me a bit more visible then some), it was a fair bit embarrassing that my circuits were consistent enough that this was something people learnt to expect

Circling back to that therapy appointment, though, I really didn't know how to tell my therapist the truth. What I wanted to tell her was that I equated my drive to pace to that of a shark's need to be in constant motion. Part of me truly believed that if I stopped moving, even for a moment, i'd sink to the bottom of the figurative ocean and cease to be. It was a real enough fear that I was filled with dread even while considering it. The (lie) answer that came out of my mouth was a simple "I don't know" and a shrug.

Even when I'm not pacing, there's some part of me in motion. It took me a while to believe, even after many lectures from my dentist, that wiggling my feet when I'm lying in the dentist's chair actually wiggles my whole body, which is a dangerous thing to do when getting dental work done.

After that, I learnt how to make my mind be the thing in motion, if it was necessary for my body to be still; it allowed me to satiate part of that craving for movement without getting into trouble. It wasn't as satisfying, but if I was in a situation where not a single part of me could move, going on fantasy adventures in my head was an O.K compromise. And, I realized, sometimes I preferred to do that.

From grade 5 onwards my favourite recess activity was to find the perfect spot in the school yard where I could sit comfortably and daydream. I'd sit there for the whole recess, sometimes. The kids at that school often bullied me, so it seemed like a better thing to do as opposed to asking the other kids to play and then being made the butt of some joke instead.

At home, it was a bit of a different situation; my whole family (besides my mom, but she has her own funky head stuff) has ADHD. My brothers and I lean way into the inattentive type--though my second oldest brother presents as more Autistic, the ADHD is also visible in my opinion--while my sister leans more strongly in the hyperactive type. My Dad, on the other hand, swings like a pendulum into both types, but his concurrent, untreated, clinical depression keeps him more mellow. I feel like if they'd put the time into getting tested, their diagnosis' would be as easy as mine was to make--the psychologist who diagnosed me was actually quite shocked that I hadn't been diagnosed yet, as many teachers in my report cards had mentioned that they thought I might have it. Anyways, my family and I all have different sensory issues, and those sensory issues are often at odds with the other's "quirks." For example: the aforementioned brother with Autism likes to hear every single word spoken in a TV show, but, as we both share similar auditory processing issues, that's quite impossible. He's not one to be deterred, though, so his solution is to have the TV volume up SUPER high, and rewind the TV over and over again until he hears that one word he couldn't catch the first time. Personally, the loud TV coupled with the repeating noises can throw me straight into shut down. Crying and yelling just because the TV was too loud is not really appreciated. We now have a compromise that if he wants to do that, he needs to have the earbuds in.

All that said, my pacing in the house really bothered my family. Eventually, my Dad got fed up enough to tell me to "do that outside." This is the same way my chronic gum chewing habbit began--i'd chew on everything, eventually my gum-hating Dad started to give me money for gum so I'd stop chewing everything else.

Thus, my walks began! I'd walk for so long my feet would be completely raw due to always wearing cheap shoes and the friction. I'd walk so long my legs would nearly be numb when I'd come back. Sometimes, when I was at my mom's house and bored of my usual routes, I'd hightail it to the local park to burn some of my pent up energy on the swing set. I'd swing swing swing until my legs would feel like jelly.

I don't walk as often as I should these days; after I lived on the campus of my last college, I lost part of the drive as the campus was legit in the middle of nowhere. Walking around the tiny campus that was surrounded by fields on all sides was pretty boring for someone from a large city, and if I walked into the local woods I knew I'd get lost. Also, honestly, starting testosterone has considerably mellowed me out, and I'm not sure it was supposed to do that. Don't get me wrong, I'm still always moving: rocking back and forth, jiggling a leg, drumming my fingers, etc etc., but, unless I'm trying to progress a story in my head (I'm not sure why movement helps this; when I'm not moving my story plots tend to loop) I feel less of a drive to go and walk like I used to. I mean, there's also a pandemic, which makes the outside feel a bit scarier than normal. But still, I know I need to... My psychiatrist literally prescribed walking as an activity I should do concurrently with my medication.

My god, why did it take me til I was 23 to get diagnosed as ADHD, and then another 2 years to be diagnosed as Autistic???

#long post #actually adhd #actually autistic

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talk-nature-to-me · 6 years ago

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What does it mean to be disabled?

Why don’t you get a job? That’s a question that I have heard by a few people. Most everyone assumes that I am not disabled in any way. I can walk, I can talk, I can go to the bathroom, I can pick things up, I can see, hear, smell, taste, feel, and I can go out to public places. I have a dog that I help take care of, a gf that I spend time with, and friends that I talk to and occasionally hang out with. So why would I and people similar to me possibly be considered disabled?

Well lets started with the definition of disabled: “having a physical or mental condition that limits movements, senses, or activities” and to get disability benefits you need “a disabling condition that will last more than 12 months or result in death”. As you probably already know, people of any race, religion, gender, sexuality, height, weight, and age can be disabled. Please understand that it is a very common misconception that disabled people need assistance to walk. Some disabled people can walk on their own all the time, some need help some of the time, some need a wheelchair part or half of the time, some need a wheelchair all of the time, and some are bedridden.

Here is an incomplete list of disabling conditions:

Addison’s Disease

Aging

Albinism

Alcoholism

Alzheimer’s

Amputation

ALS

Anxiety

Arthritis

Ataxia

ADHD

Auditory Processing Disorder

Autism

Back impairment

Bipolar

Bladder impairment

Bleeding disorder

Blindness

Brain injury

Burn injury

Cancer

Cataplexy

Cerebral Palsy

Charcot-Marie-Tooth

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic pain

Colorblindness

Cumulative trauma

Deafness

Depression

Diabetes

Drug addiction

Dystonia

Eating Disorders

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome

Electrical sensitivity

Endometriosis

Epilepsy

Essential Tremors

FAS

Fibromyalgia

GERD

GI disordrs

Graves’ disease

Guillain Barre’ syndrome

Hearing impairment

Heart conditon

Hepatitis

HIV

Huntington’s disease

Intellectual impairment

Learning disability

Leg impairment

Low vision

Lupus

Lyme Disease

Marfan syndrome

Mental health impairments

MIgraine

Multiple chemical sensitivities

Multiple Sclerosis

Muscular Dystrophy

Myasthenia Gravis

Obesity

OCD

Paraplegia

Parkinson’s

Personality Disorder’s

Phobias

POTS

Polio

PTSD

Pregnancy(an exclusion to 12 months)

Quadriplegia

Raynaud’s disease

RSD

Renal/Kidney disease

Respiratory impairments

Sarcoidosis

Schizophrenia

SAD

Shingles

Sickle cell anemia

Skin conditions

Sleep disorders

Speech impairments

Spina Bifida

Stroke

Thyroid disorders

Tourette syndrome

Vertigo

So as you can see, disability can be invisible

Disability can be invisible

Anyways, back to my disability story. Yesterday, I managed to do a sink full of dishes I hadn’t been able to do, wash and dry four loads of laundry (not even fold them), collect all the indoor trash, and sweep the back patio over the course of six hours. This was with many breaks, advil, and afterwards a nice, hot bath with CBD butter and epsom salt. This morning I woke up in moderate neck, back, stomach, shoulder, and thigh pain. More advil it was, even though it eats away at my already bad stomach, because it’s the only over the counter pain medicine that works for me. And this time it didn't even help.

Now imagine not just 6 hours, but 8 hours a day with only one break. For 5 days a week. For 50 weeks a year. Sometimes I’ll have a good day and think “I’m doing so good I could go get a job!” and then I’ll get depressed and be like “there’s no way”. Back at the end of when I did have a job and my GI issues got worse and my autoimmune issues came into play, 25 hours a week would have me in bed crying after every shift. I would go home early from shifts from unimaginable costochondritis pain that felt like electric stabbing shocks. I wasn’t able to do anything but work and do basic hygiene.

My daily life consists of urgent and painful trips to the bathroom, bouts of nausea and dizziness, having less money than I need, chronic pain in my muscles, joints, nerves, back, chest, stomach, intestines, and legs, severe dehydration, taking various medications (and more to come), and not enough energy to get all my basic chores done.

On top of all that physical stuff, I have anxiety, depression, and PTSD that is so bad that it has led to psychosis. I get panic attacks every time I get behind the wheel of a car, and therefore I can't drive. I have PTSD flashbacks from abuse that leave me sobbing. I have spent countless nights and hours crying in my bed or in the shower. I'm on medications that are helping, but I still have a looooong way to go.

You may ask: but don't you go out and do things? Yes I do. I have good days with little to no issues, normal days with some issues, and bad days with most to all issues. But I specifically do my shopping on my normal or good days and specifically do the physically exerting activities I need to do on my good days. I won't go out and do stuff or invite you over on my bad days unless we're really close and then you'll truly know what this is like.

That was just my average daily life, this does not include the other events that have happened in past 6 months including:

Losing 15 lbs unintentionally and being unable to gain it back, making me 2 lbs from under weight

Having several period cramps that were so bad I couldn't walk/talk correctly

Going to the ER for severe dehydration that caused me to have a bp of 76/22 and therefore I could hardly remain conscious

About a dozen doctors visits

Two pain episodes that were so bad I wanted to die

Three random finger joint dislocations

Three hallucinations

15 mouth sores in one day (not from an allergy)

Trying to commit suicide/going inpatient

Having a dizzy/weakness spell that caused me to fall in the shower

The only diagnosises I have so far are anxiety, depression, PTSD, costochondritis, and anemia. But the doctors also think I have endometriosis, Crohn's, and an autoimmune disease. I can't get disability without an actual diagnosis. I have been dealing with chronic pain for the past 6 years, since I was 15. And I am still here with a daily invisible struggle. I am going to have a rheumatologist, gastroenterologist, gynecologist, and diagnostics appointment. But some of these medical things can be expensive. Thank god I am still on my parents insurance.

I will keep fighting, I will keep perservering, I will keep moving forward everyday. I am skinny, am pretty, I am smart, I am "normal". I can walk, I can talk, I can go to the bathroom, I can pick things up, I can see, hear, smell, taste, feel, and I can go out to public places. I have a dog that I help take care of, a gf that I spend time with, and friends that I talk to and occasionally hang out with. I will have stabbing chest pains from breathing while having a conversation with you and you will never notice. And then I will go to the bathroom and take some advil.

Please share your disability stories

To help out some disabilities or struggles disabled people face:

Hotlines/helplines:

In general

1) they are available to call 24/7

2) they are 100% confidential

3) they are free

United States Elder Abuse

1-866-363-4276Child Abuse /Dept of Social Services 1-800-342-3720

Alcohol Treatment Referral 1-800-252-6465

Cocaine addiction 1-800-262-2463

Drug Abuse 1-800-662-4357

National Association for Children of Alcoholics 1-888-554-2627

Ecstasy Addiction 1-800-468-6933

American Cancer Society 1-800-227-2345

National Cancer institute 1-800-422-6237

Elder Care Locator 1-800-677-1116

Want to know Jesus? 1-800-NEED-HIM

Social Security Administration 1-800-772-1213

Crisis Pregnancy 1-800-67-BABY-6

National Domestic Violence 1-800-799-SAFE

Elder Abuse 1-800-252-8966

Eating Disorders Awareness and Prevention 1-800-931-2237

Eating Disorders Center 1-888-236-1188

National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders 1-847-831-3438

Compulsive Gambling 1-410-332-0402

GriefShare 1-800-395-5755

Homeless 1-800-231-6946

American Family Housing 1-888-600-4357

LGBTQIA+ Helpline 1-800-398-GAYS

Gay and Lesbian National Hotline 1-888-843-4564

Poison Control (they will help with overdoses) 1-800-942-5969

S.A.F.E. (Self Abuse Finally Ends) 1-800-DONT-CUT

Project Know (sex addiction) 1-888-892-1840

Sex Addicts Anonymous 1-800-477-8191

Suicide Hotline 1-800-SUICIDE (784-2433) or

1-800-273-TALK (8255)

Suicide Prevention 1-800-827-7571

Deaf Hotline 1-800-799-4TTY

Crisis Intervention (717) 851-5320 or 1-800-673-249

If you have a disability please feel free to reach out to me

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tsgnorthernnewjerseynewjersey · 7 years ago

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Mind Games: Changing the Way We Learn With Brain Training

by Lisa Lee

Photography by Melinda DiMauro

What if you could change the way you learn? That’s the question that Cindy Zhou has pondered well, especially when her son was struggling with school. When she discovered Learning RX, a method that incorporates brain training and sharpening cognitive skills, she knew she was on to something. Thanks to the real-life proof that the program works and a strong belief in helping others, Cindy took the leap from banker to owner of Learning RX centers in Short Hills and Ridgewood. We spoke with Cindy to hear about how brain training works, who it can help and one thing that always makes her smile.

TSG: Let’s start at the beginning. What is brain training?

It’s important to say that Learning Rx is not tutoring. It’s different; we work on strengthening your cognitive skills. These include short term memory, visual processing, auditory processing and speed, so you’re a more efficient learner. Our goal is to Improve your ability instead of trying to teach you the materials you are already learning in school. Imagine if you brain is a computer — what we’re doing is working on the operating system, like upgrading the OS to process information faster. Each student works one-on-one with a trainer, who generally has a background or dedicated interest in teaching and has gone through extensive on-site training to work with students. They are given non-academic exercises that are game-like, strengthening targeted areas the person is working on. Each acts as a coach who is pushing you to the next step, developing a relationship with you by customizing your program and by holding you accountable for what you do. Since the trainers have different styles, we make sure each student is put with the right match.

TSG: Who are the people that it helps?

The program helps everyone from children who are having trouble learning to adults who want to improve their productivity, to senior citizens who have some memory problems. Anyone can benefit; there are teens who come to us for fine tuning because they want to be more competitive. We have grade school age kids who have attention issues and are falling behind because of their lack of focus. When your child is struggling in multiple subjects across the board, it’s usually a sign that they have some cognitive skills that are weaker that could use strengthening. We see a lot of kids who have reading issues, like dyslexia, and need to learn how to decode sounds to be better readers. We also help children with developmental delays or are on the autistic spectrum and need to build certain cognitive skills to operate more independently. We also help kids and adults who’ve suffered brain injuries, like a concussion, and have had a hard time regaining memory and executive functioning. The best way to know if this is right for your child, is to come in for an assessment. From this we can determine the areas that have weaknesses, recognize how they learn, and understand them better.

TSG: What drew you to Learning RX?

I started as a parent! My older son had dysgraphia (a writing disorder) and ADHD. He was learning multiplication tables that he would seem to grasp then eventually forget. We knew something was wrong, he was eight and in third grade, and school became too hard for him. At that point, he had a neuropsychiatrist review, where we found that in addition to the short-term memory weakness, he had processing speed and focus issues. We did a lot of research and had recommendations from the psychiatrist about cognitive training.

We did eight months of training. It was not a silver bullet kind of response, it requires time, effort and the attitude of child to become better. For the first two months we didn’t notice much, and then by the third month, the school called, and asked if we did something, because his reading level had jumped up to a beginning fourth grade level. After we completed training, he became more independent and packed his own school bag. When we re-tested him, he went from single digits to the 40th percentile for short term memory. Overall he had improved, but some areas were still weak, and we wanted to do another round of training. At that point, the center was for sale and I thought, why not purchase this and make a change. I was a banker, with no background in this at all, but I was drawn to it and the research because of what my son had gone through. I studied for months to understand how the brain works. I was very motivated to help other people, and by purchasing the center, I changed my life and my whole family’s life. It was truly the best purchase I’ve ever made. Now he’s 13 and he’s been through more training and getting ready for high school. He’s getting all As and Bs, and he’s a dedicated student. The anxiety attacks he had as a child have given way to a new confidence in his abilities. He’s grown into himself, he’s looking to get into a private high school and he’s a competitive fencer.

TSG: What’s a typical session like?

We are training for memory and recall. The ability to visualize is the key to memory. We start having you visualize words randomly with images and then weave the images in a story in your head. We do this by giving the student all the presidents in the US through a series of pictures to memorize. It’s training the brain to think in a different way and then building on that with other games so that it becomes a habit. We also focus on sustaining long periods of attention to task. Even though you’re working one-on-one, you work in a big room with multiple sessions, because part of the training is to tune out noises around you (which is part of real life) and concentrate on the task at hand. We find that after a few months, most students can manage the noise and ignore it to work.

TSG: What are some of your success stories from other participants?

A girl with apraxia (a motor disorder) came to us two years ago. She was very shy and was struggling with auditory processing and reading even though she was very intelligent. She seemed be very self-aware about her speech and had a hard time making friends. Her parents were reluctant at first, but she trained here for eight months. Over that time, she blossomed and became more self-confident in her speaking, made friends and won math competitions. We focused on the auditory processing and her reading improved, making the word problems not as hard. Since she finished training, she’s made honor roll three times. Her parents are now convinced that this was the best place for her. They drove an hour each way to get here, but consider the time well worth it.

TSG: How has your perspective changed after switching careers? What I do is now is more than just a job, it’s having pleasure in watching kids improve, and cheering on the success they’re experiencing. When I see kids becoming more confident after they reach a goal or get through a seemingly impossible hurdle, it makes me smile. It gives meaning to the work that we do here, and I find the role very fulfilling. Learning RX has not only changed the course of my life, but also the lives of my family. It’s a wonderful feeling.

LEARNING RX SHORT HILLS || 973.376.4646 || 150 Main Street, Millburn

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we-are-inevitable · 4 years ago

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moving on to some headcanons for how Jack's ADHD manifests!

(thought changes are separated by asterisks)

AUDITORY PROCESSING ISSUES. this boy cannot hear for shit unless he's actually paying attention. he needs subtitles but for real life bc sometimes he gets so overstimulated that he can't hear ?? and he doesn't like it but it happens a lot

"jack, what do you want for lunch"

"what"

"i asked what y--"

"JACOBI'S"

it just takes his brain a lil bit to process what people are saying to him

***

words confuse him a lot. it used to bug him and some of the other newsies would tease him about it, but over time they learn how to rephrase what they're trying to say to Jack so it's easier for him to understand.

he doesn't even have to ask anymore; they can tell by the lost expression on his face

***

whenever he gets REALLY excited about something he starts talking really fast and he'll kind of,, twist his wrists at his sides or- when he's not in public- he'll wave his hands next to his face bc Oh Boy! he has an excessive amount of energy

***

his overstimulation can easily come off as anger and aggression, just because of all of the energy he has inside.

this means that, sometimes, jack gets loud. jack gets pissed. it's almost always directed at himself, because he'd never be irrationally angry at one of his boys, but it can get scary sometimes because no one really knows how to handle it or when it'll pop up.

the best thing he knows how to do is to lock himself in an empty room of the lodging house and scream and cry and curse himself out- which doesn't exactly help his self-esteem, but it does get the energy out.

***

his adhd is a catalyst of his depression.

this is typically because of understimulation.

he goes through major bouts of boredom (adhd boredom, not just boredom), which drain all of his energy and motivation to do basically anything, sometimes for days or weeks at a time.

it isn't easy for him to explain, but some days, jack feels like he move. like there's a heavy weight lodged inside of his chest. these days are when the boys get nervous, because sometimes he can't even sell.

so, one of the boys- usually Race or Crutchie- will stay back with him for the day and make sure he's alright, even if it means missing a day's pay

these days don't happen often, but they DO happen. sometimes Jack feels too tired to do anything but cry, and when he does cry, it's pretty rough.

however, his crying only happens in one of two ways:

silent crying, where he's just so tired and so beaten down that he can't make a sound, or

violent sobbing, where he can't breathe and he feels panicked and he has to hide his face and pull his hair and scream so hard that his throat goes raw.

in these moments, there are only a few boys who can even think about approaching him, much less touch him.

again, crutchie and race are two that Jack can trust to come close.

davey is added to the list as well, eventually.

sometimes he just needs someone to sit with him, and sometimes he needs someone to hold him and rock with him and give him the constant pressure he needs to calm down.

MODERN AU HEADCANON THAT KIND OF GOES WITH THIS:

jack is in love with weighted blankets, bc they give him the pressure he needs when he's alone, too

again, some of these may not be accurate for others who have ADHD, but pulling from my own personal experiences, this is how i believe Jack’s ADHD would affect him!

current thinking about Jack having adhd and not knowing how to regulate his rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD).

for those of you who don't know, RSD is an emotional aspect of ADHD that makes emotional regulation nearly impossible, ESPECIALLY in cases with rejection and criticism.

in Jack's case, this means that he could be on top of the world and then someone says one slightly critical thing, or says one slightly critical joke, and his mood just crashes. it makes him feel shitty and he doesn't want people to think he's guiltripping them for criticizing him- because he's not, he's really not, he knows that whatever comment or joke someone said shouldn't be taken so seriously, but he can't help it- so he tries to keep up a smile and force a laugh but then it gets harder to do, which frustrates him even more, which in turn sends his emotional dysregulation into overdrive.

(check reblogs for more headcanons and reblog that version please! i'm just breaking it up so it's easier for me to process)

#newsies #jack kelly

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