When Samantha’s concerns about her grandson’s struggles to focus were confirmed with a doctor’s diagnosis of ADHD, she didn’t know how she could begin to meet his educational needs. Austin was intelligent and more than capable of understanding the nuances of his school’s curriculum, but his disorder made the process of learning that much harder than his peers. When she ordered a StrongBoard for her own, at-home workout routine, she had no idea it would soon have another, infinitely welcome, purpose.
Then the pandemic hit and Samantha and Austin were tasked with homeschooling and learning how to ZOOM. As they found their new home routine, Samantha would inadvertently find Austin playing on her StrongBoard but she never thought of it as a “focus” tool. One evening after assigning Austin a chapter to read she walked out of the room to make dinner. When she returned she was about to reprimand Austin for being off the couch but she saw the book in his hand and heard him reading. She pulled her hand over her mouth as she realized he was standing, rocking on StrongBoard. The board’s movement was enough to engage Austin’s concentration. More than five minutes had passed and he was reading.
Over the next months, Austin asked to do many of his assignments on StrongBoard and with his request came improvements in reading, reading comprehension, as well as increased vocabulary and confidence, all due to Austin’s ability to concentrate while using StrongBoard. In awe of Austin’s advancements, Samantha wrote an email to StrongBoard telling their story, and ordered a standing desk to meet Austin’s height atop the board.
Today, Austin is not only reading, he’s reading ABOVE GRADE LEVEL.
Those suffering from Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) know that any form of concentration and focus can be a trying experience. Even with the best intentions, setting upon a task can be immeasurably difficult, especially when motivations aren’t high. Having either learning disability is difficult, but having children suffering from the symptoms of both can feel exhausting and challenging in educational circumstances. Parents want to give their kids anything and everything that can help them find success, especially in the developmental stages of learning in elementary, junior high and high school.
A positive tool for reinforcing concentration with those suffering from ADD / ADHD is the addition of external stimuli. Research has shown that both movement and purposeful fidgeting can sharpen focus when desired, and there are many items on the market designed specifically for helping with improving attention. While it’s one thing for kids to be in a learning environment like school and experiencing the symptoms of ADD / ADHD, the COVID-19 pandemic has made homeschooling and education through online resources from home more prevalent, making concentration harder than ever.
Introducing devices to help cope with ADD / ADHD symptoms have the possibility of offering enormous benefits with concentration, which is why StrongBoard Balance is an option for increasing focus probability. Here are some tips and tricks to how best use a StrongBoard Balance Board as a tool to combat ADD and ADHD symptoms.
For children working on schoolwork from home, there are tremendous benefits of using a standing desk while doing homework, including improving cardiovascular health and blood flow. To go one step further, using a StrongBoard while at a standing desk offers the same benefits while introducing many advantages for overall mental and physical health connected to ADD / ADHD. What makes StrongBoard different than other balance equipment is its MULTI SPRING TECHNOLOGY, a system which provides a full range of motion, or 360 degrees of multi-planar variation around its fulcrum, also known as Unlimited Dynamic Articulation™ or UDA. With every muscle being targeted and activated, there is a natural instinct to find balance when there isn’t any. This constant physical drive gives those experiencing fidgeting issues something to keep them completely physically occupied while doing another task, in addition to improving general stability, muscle tone, and joint movement.
To that effect, even sitting on a StrongBoard while reading or writing adds the same benefits. Although less strenuous than standing on the stability trainer, the responsiveness of the product while sitting requires a user to seek balance, forcing muscle engagement and movement. Anyone inclined to fidget or use a tool to help concentrate will find benefit in using StrongBoard in either of these ways, while gaining the additional benefits of the board itself.
Children with ADD / ADHD like Austin who are finding it difficult to concentrate at home, be it from pandemic restrictions or those who had already been homeschooled, can find that the benefits of adding StrongBoard Balance to their regular education curriculum may produce significant results in boosting concentration.
