Tuesday, May 01, 2012
ADHD tutoring for higher grades in school using natural techniques
Hello,
I offer ADHD tutoring services for achieving higher grades in school. Help with SAT ASVAB , memory techniques, improving math, organization of materials, speed reading , better handwriting , seated yoga techniques, time management , fixing a messy room, self actualization , test taking help, help with home work and much more.
Natural Zen for ADHD and Hyperactivity , hyper arousal
A video I made of relaxing scenes from Israel especially for ADHD , hyperactivity and hyper arousal
Sunday, April 15, 2012
New improve handwriting / letter writing/drawing resources in e-book format
I just read a series of e books named "Master Handwriting" which teaches better handwriting in an ebook as well as "Master The Techniques of
Letter Writing" and
Master Pencil Drawing
For Beginners!links below.
Click Here!
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Hi everyone,
I am happy to announce that I developed a new method of art and art teaching. This will especially help people with dysgraphia enjoy painting, but even senior citizens, or young artists. You know that artists will take a complicated to draw photo and project it on a wall or canvas and trace it in black charcoal pencil, then paint over it. Other artists use mixed media water colors as a base paint then paint over it with pastels allowing some of the water color to show through leaving a luminous effect. Well what I did was print a color photograph on pastel paper in my printer and then with pastels pencil or stick paint over the photo. The end product is a beautiful original painting with some color of the photo showing through as if it was a pastel painting with water color showing through. The combined easy to paint without learning to draw effect is just beautiful.
Above are three paintings over photos I did and below a video about my book " Creative Painting for the Young artist."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCz0D0d57os
I am happy to announce that I developed a new method of art and art teaching. This will especially help people with dysgraphia enjoy painting, but even senior citizens, or young artists. You know that artists will take a complicated to draw photo and project it on a wall or canvas and trace it in black charcoal pencil, then paint over it. Other artists use mixed media water colors as a base paint then paint over it with pastels allowing some of the water color to show through leaving a luminous effect. Well what I did was print a color photograph on pastel paper in my printer and then with pastels pencil or stick paint over the photo. The end product is a beautiful original painting with some color of the photo showing through as if it was a pastel painting with water color showing through. The combined easy to paint without learning to draw effect is just beautiful.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCz0D0d57os
Wednesday, April 04, 2012
Bach Flower Remedies for ADHD
Agrimony :
Putting on a cheerful face to hide problems. Sensitive, yet troubled
inside. Need to avoid conflict, thus are often "peacemakers" to
their own detriment.
Aspen :
Fears and worries of unknown origin, nervous and anxious
Beech :
Critical and intolerant of others
Centaury :
Difficulty in saying no, anxious to please, codependent or
caretaking
Cerato :
Doubtful of own ability to judge situations, always needs others'
advice
Cherry Plum :
Fear of losing control and of irrational thoughts and/or impulses
Chestnut Bud :
Failure to learn from experience, thus repeating the same mistakes
Chicory :
Over-protective, possessive, selfish
Clematis :
Day-dreaming, lack of interest in present - not grounded in physical
reality
Crab Apple :
Poor self-image, feelings of shame, sense of uncleanliness
Elm :
Overwhelmed or burdened by responsibility
Gentian :
Easily discouraged - especially after an improvement followed by a
setback, hesitant, despondent
Gorse :
Hopelessness and despair, pessimism
Heather :
Self-absorbed, dislike of being alone, excessively talkative
Holly :
Feelings of being unloved, or extreme jealousy - bitter, envious,
suspicious
Honeysuckle :
Living in the past, feeling homesick
Hornbeam :
Monday morning feeling, emotional - or more often, mental -
exhaustion
Impatiens :
Impatient, irritable
Larch :
Lack of self-confidence, feeling of inferiority without envy
Mimulus :
Fear of known or familiar things, shyness, tremulousness and self-
conciousness
Mustard :
Deep gloom, despondency, or depression for no apparent reason
Oak :
Exhausted, but struggles on
Olive :
Physical, mental & emotional burnout; burning the candle at both
ends
Pine :
Red Chestnut :
Overanxious or over-concerned for others
Rock Rose :
Terror, sudden alarm, nightmares
Rock Water :
For those who are overly strict with themselves
Scleranthus :
Indecisive, unable to decide between two options
Star of Bethlehem :
After-effects of fright, grief or shock
Sweet Chestnut :
At the limits of endurance, deep despair, bleak outlook
Vervain :
Over-enthusiastic, argumentative with fixed principles and ideas
Vine :
Strong-willed with a tendency to be domineering or inflexible
Walnut :
Facing major life changes, needing protection from the influences of
others
Water Violet :
Prefer to be alone, proud
White Chestnut :
Persistent unwanted thoughts, preoccupations and worries
Wild Oat :
Uncertainty as to the correct path in life, dissatisfied with
current lifestyle, can't decide which path to follow
Wild Rose :
Resigned, apathetic, making little effort to improve situations
Willow :
Resentment, feelings of self-pity
Rescue Remedy :
Putting on a cheerful face to hide problems. Sensitive, yet troubled
inside. Need to avoid conflict, thus are often "peacemakers" to
their own detriment.
Aspen :
Fears and worries of unknown origin, nervous and anxious
Beech :
Critical and intolerant of others
Centaury :
Difficulty in saying no, anxious to please, codependent or
caretaking
Cerato :
Doubtful of own ability to judge situations, always needs others'
advice
Cherry Plum :
Fear of losing control and of irrational thoughts and/or impulses
Chestnut Bud :
Failure to learn from experience, thus repeating the same mistakes
Chicory :
Over-protective, possessive, selfish
Clematis :
Day-dreaming, lack of interest in present - not grounded in physical
reality
Crab Apple :
Poor self-image, feelings of shame, sense of uncleanliness
Elm :
Overwhelmed or burdened by responsibility
Gentian :
Easily discouraged - especially after an improvement followed by a
setback, hesitant, despondent
Gorse :
Hopelessness and despair, pessimism
Heather :
Self-absorbed, dislike of being alone, excessively talkative
Holly :
Feelings of being unloved, or extreme jealousy - bitter, envious,
suspicious
Honeysuckle :
Living in the past, feeling homesick
Hornbeam :
Monday morning feeling, emotional - or more often, mental -
exhaustion
Impatiens :
Impatient, irritable
Larch :
Lack of self-confidence, feeling of inferiority without envy
Mimulus :
Fear of known or familiar things, shyness, tremulousness and self-
conciousness
Mustard :
Deep gloom, despondency, or depression for no apparent reason
Oak :
Exhausted, but struggles on
Olive :
Physical, mental & emotional burnout; burning the candle at both
ends
Pine :
Red Chestnut :
Overanxious or over-concerned for others
Rock Rose :
Terror, sudden alarm, nightmares
Rock Water :
For those who are overly strict with themselves
Scleranthus :
Indecisive, unable to decide between two options
Star of Bethlehem :
After-effects of fright, grief or shock
Sweet Chestnut :
At the limits of endurance, deep despair, bleak outlook
Vervain :
Over-enthusiastic, argumentative with fixed principles and ideas
Vine :
Strong-willed with a tendency to be domineering or inflexible
Walnut :
Facing major life changes, needing protection from the influences of
others
Water Violet :
Prefer to be alone, proud
White Chestnut :
Persistent unwanted thoughts, preoccupations and worries
Wild Oat :
Uncertainty as to the correct path in life, dissatisfied with
current lifestyle, can't decide which path to follow
Wild Rose :
Resigned, apathetic, making little effort to improve situations
Willow :
Resentment, feelings of self-pity
Rescue Remedy :
Bach Flower Essences for the Treatment of Attention- Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Bach Flower Essences for the Treatment of Attention-
Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Introduction - Bach Flower Therapy:
The idea of using flowers for healing is far from new. For
centuries, healers have been using plants and flowers as medicine.
Many traditional medications, like Digitalis (an alkaloid of
Foxglove, or "Digitalis purpurea/officinalis"), come from plants .
At the beginning of the 20th century, Dr. Edward Bach, a British
bacteriolgist and homeopathic physician developed a treatment method
using the essences of flowers for healing.
Dr. Bach believed that many illnesses have their roots in our mental
and emotional states. According to Bach, learning to improve our
outlook could lead to good health. He postulated that disease was
caused by negative aspect of emotions like anger, fear and sorrow.
Bach began searching for me
dications that could heal the soul. His
search led him to flowers, plants and shrubs. He believed that the
essences of certain flowers could affect our moods. He experimented
by placing flower petals or leaves on his tongue. He observed how
his mood was affected by different plants. Through this process of
trial and error, in his lifetime, Dr. Bach was able to identify 38
flowers that could improve negative mental and emotional states and
create a balance in a person's ability to connect with their full
potential.
The 38 Bach flower essences are created by placing flowers in spring
water in the sun to make a solution filled with the flower essence
and sun energy. All natural ingredients are used in Bach Flower
Therapy. Dr. Bach used brandy as a preservative to keep the flower
essences fresh. Today, a small amount of ethyl alcohol is usually
used to preserve the essences, though the remedies are available
with vinegar to those who are keenly intolerant of even a slight
amount of alcohol. The Bach flower essences are usually taken orally
or sublinguinally and can sometimes be applied to the skin. Bach
Flower Essences are FDA approved.
Families with developmentally disabled and brain injured children
have used Bach Flower Therapy to help with agitation and other
emotional and psychological symptoms of ADHD
Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Introduction - Bach Flower Therapy:
The idea of using flowers for healing is far from new. For
centuries, healers have been using plants and flowers as medicine.
Many traditional medications, like Digitalis (an alkaloid of
Foxglove, or "Digitalis purpurea/officinalis"), come from plants .
At the beginning of the 20th century, Dr. Edward Bach, a British
bacteriolgist and homeopathic physician developed a treatment method
using the essences of flowers for healing.
Dr. Bach believed that many illnesses have their roots in our mental
and emotional states. According to Bach, learning to improve our
outlook could lead to good health. He postulated that disease was
caused by negative aspect of emotions like anger, fear and sorrow.
Bach began searching for me
dications that could heal the soul. His
search led him to flowers, plants and shrubs. He believed that the
essences of certain flowers could affect our moods. He experimented
by placing flower petals or leaves on his tongue. He observed how
his mood was affected by different plants. Through this process of
trial and error, in his lifetime, Dr. Bach was able to identify 38
flowers that could improve negative mental and emotional states and
create a balance in a person's ability to connect with their full
potential.
The 38 Bach flower essences are created by placing flowers in spring
water in the sun to make a solution filled with the flower essence
and sun energy. All natural ingredients are used in Bach Flower
Therapy. Dr. Bach used brandy as a preservative to keep the flower
essences fresh. Today, a small amount of ethyl alcohol is usually
used to preserve the essences, though the remedies are available
with vinegar to those who are keenly intolerant of even a slight
amount of alcohol. The Bach flower essences are usually taken orally
or sublinguinally and can sometimes be applied to the skin. Bach
Flower Essences are FDA approved.
Families with developmentally disabled and brain injured children
have used Bach Flower Therapy to help with agitation and other
emotional and psychological symptoms of ADHD
aromatic oils I found useful in ADHD
The following is a list of aromatic oils I found useful in ADHD. The
oils I use are Absolute Oils from the UK. I find that they are a
superior oil for most aromas. Cinnamon, bergamot, lemon, grapefruit,
mandarin, rose, orange, spearmint, and apple fragrance. These are the
main oils that ADD children like. Sometimes they chose lavender but
not often. Paradoxically, like stimulant medication, the children
like oils that pick them up and make them smile as opposed to oils
that relax. For test anxiety, on the other hand, lavender, geranium,
rose, jasmine, bergamot, grapefruit, oils that relax, are more
prefered. The best thing is to find the tree best oils that the
child likes and then combine them. This gives a great aroma that is
superior to each aroma separately. The child may put a drop on his
clothes and go to school or put a drop on his table when doing
homework
7 Things Happy People Have In Common
7 Things Happy People Have In Common
Ever notice how some people just seem to be able to be content and
in good spirits no matter what the circumstances? Research shows
that this isn't a gift or a talent - it's a skill that they have
developed. Surprised? Well, the real surprise is that you too can
put to work their techniques and make your life happier too.
1. Happy people cooperate with life.
Each person has a destiny to fulfill. You can fight it or cooperate
with it. Does that mean you just lay back and let life happen? No.
But you can adopt the attitude that you will play the cards you are
dealt the very best you can. When you begin to cooperate with life,
you will notice new ways in which you are motivated. Life wants you
to realize your destiny. Wouldn't you rather cooperate than battle
with life?
2. Happy people don't think positive.
They ACT positive. Thinking positive definitely has its place, and
you'll need to change your thoughts to ever be truly happy. But
don't wait on the feelings to come. You have direct control over how
you act and what you think (feelings and physiology are indirectly
affected). Feeling better begins with controlling your behavior. If
you want to be a happier person, act happier. If you want to be a
more compassionate person, act more compassionate. If you want to be
a friendlier person, act friendlier. The mind will follow.
3. Happy people ask for what they need.
Good things don't generally just fall out of the sky. Complaining
gets you nothing, except to attract you to other complainers. If you
believe that "you reap what you sow", then asking for what you want
makes much more sense than sowing complaints. It's your choice-- you
can choose to point fingers and assign blame, and still end up with
nothing. Or you can simply ask.
4. Happy people are willing to change.
It's contrary to all laws of nature for things to stand still. If
you try to make that happen, you'll always be disappointed. If you
let fear of change stop you, you are in essence agreeing to not
having what you want. You can believe that change will harm you and
resist it. Or you can embrace it and believe that it will help you
It all depends on what you decide to believe.
5. Happy people don't allow themselves to be defeated.
A failure or setback does not mean that the goal will never be
yours, nor is it evidence that you should quit. It simply means that
you need more practice, more experience, maybe a different method.
Be willing to make mistakes. Don't give up. Don't allow one slipup,
or setback from the outside, influence you to erase all the progress
you've made. Feel the joy of the finish line!
6. Happy people live in the present.
If you are alert to the present, and anticipating the future, you
are better able to take advantage of opportunities. If you are
brooding over the past, you'll be blinded to present possibilities,
and lose the advantage for future prospects. A happy life is the
product of living a great present. And a well lived present is a
guarantee of a wonderful future. You can only affect your future by
what you do today.
7. Happy people plan ahead.
Happy people know that they must exercise mastery in their lives,
show control in their life in order to guard against feelings of
being helpless and victims. Planning is essential to getting things
done. Planning is essential to making sure you are spending time on
your priorities, and not just the next thing that gets your
attention. Eliminate distractions so that you can focus on what's
important to you without losing your focus or energy.
Kathy Gates, RealLifeCoach.com
Ever notice how some people just seem to be able to be content and
in good spirits no matter what the circumstances? Research shows
that this isn't a gift or a talent - it's a skill that they have
developed. Surprised? Well, the real surprise is that you too can
put to work their techniques and make your life happier too.
1. Happy people cooperate with life.
Each person has a destiny to fulfill. You can fight it or cooperate
with it. Does that mean you just lay back and let life happen? No.
But you can adopt the attitude that you will play the cards you are
dealt the very best you can. When you begin to cooperate with life,
you will notice new ways in which you are motivated. Life wants you
to realize your destiny. Wouldn't you rather cooperate than battle
with life?
2. Happy people don't think positive.
They ACT positive. Thinking positive definitely has its place, and
you'll need to change your thoughts to ever be truly happy. But
don't wait on the feelings to come. You have direct control over how
you act and what you think (feelings and physiology are indirectly
affected). Feeling better begins with controlling your behavior. If
you want to be a happier person, act happier. If you want to be a
more compassionate person, act more compassionate. If you want to be
a friendlier person, act friendlier. The mind will follow.
3. Happy people ask for what they need.
Good things don't generally just fall out of the sky. Complaining
gets you nothing, except to attract you to other complainers. If you
believe that "you reap what you sow", then asking for what you want
makes much more sense than sowing complaints. It's your choice-- you
can choose to point fingers and assign blame, and still end up with
nothing. Or you can simply ask.
4. Happy people are willing to change.
It's contrary to all laws of nature for things to stand still. If
you try to make that happen, you'll always be disappointed. If you
let fear of change stop you, you are in essence agreeing to not
having what you want. You can believe that change will harm you and
resist it. Or you can embrace it and believe that it will help you
It all depends on what you decide to believe.
5. Happy people don't allow themselves to be defeated.
A failure or setback does not mean that the goal will never be
yours, nor is it evidence that you should quit. It simply means that
you need more practice, more experience, maybe a different method.
Be willing to make mistakes. Don't give up. Don't allow one slipup,
or setback from the outside, influence you to erase all the progress
you've made. Feel the joy of the finish line!
6. Happy people live in the present.
If you are alert to the present, and anticipating the future, you
are better able to take advantage of opportunities. If you are
brooding over the past, you'll be blinded to present possibilities,
and lose the advantage for future prospects. A happy life is the
product of living a great present. And a well lived present is a
guarantee of a wonderful future. You can only affect your future by
what you do today.
7. Happy people plan ahead.
Happy people know that they must exercise mastery in their lives,
show control in their life in order to guard against feelings of
being helpless and victims. Planning is essential to getting things
done. Planning is essential to making sure you are spending time on
your priorities, and not just the next thing that gets your
attention. Eliminate distractions so that you can focus on what's
important to you without losing your focus or energy.
Kathy Gates, RealLifeCoach.com
Friday, March 09, 2012
Friday, February 24, 2012
Six Pillars to Helping ADHD Naturally. An interview with Judith Monk.
This is a copy of a published interview I did with Judith Monk in 2006, who runs a large ADHD support group in England. I was on a trip there from Israel to be with my nephew who was living there on a college study program from BU. I had considered in bringing my program to England, however, in the end, I opted in producung a video of the techniques I used and developed in Israel for helping ADHD naturally. ,Written by Judith Monk - England Interview with Jason Alster, author of "Being in Control" on alternative and natural treatments for ADHD. Quite unexpectedly I received an email from Jason Alster. It said this: I am the author of the books BEING IN CONTROL: Natural Techniques for increasing your Potential and Creativity for Success in School and for Improving Concentration and Learning in Children with ADHD and Dyslexia and the book CREATIVE PAINTING FOR THE YOUNG ARTIST. I have been working with natural treatments of ADHD and test anxiety and dyslexia and have developed, over the last 15 years, a very powerful program to treat most cases of ADHD naturally and successfully. Whom may I speak to in your organization about workshops in the UK or distribution of these books and relay more information upon request? I do plan on being in the UK -London sometime in April and would be happy to meet up if possible. Sincerely, Jason Alster MSc, Center for Psychophysiology/Peak Performance and Learning Strategies, Zichron Yacov, Israel. Jason Alster Intrigued by the man's confidence, I decided to meet him. We met at his hotel opposite the Natural History Museum. I was immediately struck by Jason's intensity and passion for his work. I asked him to explain how he'd become involved in treating ADHD. "I began treating children with ADD quite unexpectedly in 1991. I had been a biofeedback therapist as part of an anxiety clinic in a mental day care setting in Tel Aviv, Israel. I had absolutely no experience in treating children but was doing quite well with adults suffering from stress disorders and teenagers who had test anxiety and social phobias. The biofeedback clinic had just opened and each type of patient was a new experience. With my medical-technological training in neuro-electrodiagnostics and sleep/wake disorders, I was more into the neurological and psycho-physiological disorders while a child psychologist working with me wanted to try biofeedback on ADD. Then he had said that there was no treatment for this poorly understood syndrome. The only remedy was Ritalin, although reports about EEG (electroencephalogram) biofeedback and Joel Lubar's research with neurofeedback were just coming out. At first I used EMG (testing muscle tension). Then over time found that GSR (electrodermal resistance) was better and easier to use. At the time, there were no studies of GSR biofeedback for ADD. After starting to treat a handful of children with biofeedback the psychologist I was working with had to leave the unit and I had to take over his patients. All I knew then about ADD was from a television program showing a hyperactive child literally jump off the walls and I worried about what this child would do to my biofeedback equipment! I had absolutely no knowledge of learning disorders either. I mention this lack of knowledge for a reason. I had to begin treating ADD without a prior predisposition to what was written in the literature. I had to see for myself what worked, and fast. " How did you decide what would work? "On my very first ADD patient I performed a regular biofeedback stress baseline for anxiety. That is, I hooked the child up to galvanic skin resistance (GSR) sensors, muscle and peripheral temperature monitors, but not EEG. I had to start to treat ADD with what I knew and that is how to treat stress and anxiety. I was lucky. My very first patient's baseline EMG (electromyogram or muscle activity potential good for measuring stress) showed that the more she sat quietly the EMG gained in amplitude. That is, sitting quietly was stressful for her. I tried relaxation training and she improved her baseline in just 6 sessions and began to do better both at home and in school. This was not supposed to happen. Biofeedback in ADD was supposed to be a stubborn neurological problem that takes 60 sessions to treat." Your book, Being in Control, indicates that you have extended the range of tools you now use to treat youngsters with ADHD. It says that your methods are natural, integrative, and holistic and comply with recent theories in educational research. Does this mean you are against using ADHD stimulant medication? "No, not at all, stimulant medication for ADHD has its place for some youngsters and their parents. I wanted to find an effective, alternative method to offer those young people and especially parents who wouldn't, or didn't want to, use medication to treat ADHD. At least these children wouldn't be left untreated. I then found that my method worked so well with the many children in our trials that it could be a viable alternative to medication and should perhaps be tried as a first line treatment. In my readings at the time, a number of avenues were being pursued in the treatment of ADD. Some of these ADD treatments were nutritional, sensory integration, guided imagery, art therapy, natural meditation, yoga, Bach flower remedies, homeopathy, chiropractic, and the use of aromatic oils. In biofeedback, animated computer games were being introduced. I decided I could use each method and observe its effectiveness. I could develop an integrated and holistic approach. I could match the method to each child individually. One of the first things that I found that can cause the GSR to become stable in ADD children and adults is holding a soft or smooth stone in your hand. Who would ever expect that this piece of nature could compete with Ritalin? But it does. I got this idea from the worry stones and beads of the Middle East." (end of interview) Jason Alster is keen to not only promote his books Being In Control and Creative Painting for the Young Artist, but he also wants to run workshops to train facilitators in his methods. He feels that any practitioner with an existing qualification, such as teachers, social workers, psychologists, classroom assistants and so forth could easily learn, employ and devolve his methods and these would be beneficial to any children that were struggling with ADHD, Dyslexia and other learning disorders. His books are not big learned volumes full of highly technical information, but encapsulate the thinking and methods that he uses. They are small, soft backed books written and illustrated in such a way as to be immediately accessible to the children who will use them and easy for parents to facilitate the steps required. Jason Alster convinced me that his 6 pillars approach - Animated Biofeedback, Sensory integration, Emotional intelligence, Accelerated learning, Creativity and Natural nutrition could add to the armoury of ADHD treatments for all affected children, on its own for some and in conjunction with ADHD medication and psychological interventions for others. To find out more visit his website www.jasonalster.com or contact him at jasonalster@gmail.com Note ; since the interview i have returned to the USA and offer ADHD study skills tutoring and coaching, offer workshops on natural relaxed concentration techniques for ADHD, test anxiety; offer workshops on accelerated learning; improving handwriting; and distribute videos on helping ADHD.
The DVD video : "Being In Control: natural Solutions for ADHD Dyslexia and Test Anxiety" includes the book Being In Control with live demonstrations of many of the relaxed concentration and focusing / seated yoga / techniques in the book and two temperature biofeedback finger sized strips for relaxed concentration exercises. The book also includes simple accelerated learning techniques , creativity exercises, study strategies, memory techniques, improve handwriting techniques and simple relax focus games.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
"Being In Control" is a colorful self help of book natural techniques for students with learning challenges
" Being In Control : Natural techniques for Increasing Your Potential and Creativity for Success in School: Also for Improving concentration and learning in Children with ADHD and Dyslexia", by Jason Mark Alster MS. Included in the book are techniques for increasing self confidence; relaxed concentration; seated yoga; creativity; time management; organization of material; sensory integration- using our senses to relax and focus; relaxation/focusing game ideas; better cursive handwriting; speed reading; improving math, test taking strategies, creativity concepts, memory techniques, and more.
A review of the book. Jason Alster is a multi-talented author with a specialty in natural treatments for attention and learning differences. In Being in Control, the Alster packs short, yet effective techniques in a forty-page book to help young people in their personal, creative and scholastic lives. The book is engaging visually with colorful photos and illustrations. Being in Control continues seamlessly from one-page topics that cover four basic areas: problem-solving, self-help, hands-on approach (tools to make and use. Fun!), and success in school. Alster has written a shining self-help book for children of all ages, including teens. And since I like books that capture my attention, you could say it would be a good read for adults, too. Review by Janie Bowman on Amazon.com
In this self-help book, Mr. Alster (a neurophysiologist who developed the concepts in Israel ) teaches natural techniques for children with ADHD (and other disabilities) instead of medication. The aim of this book is "to help children overcome learning problems, to be more relaxed so that they may sit quietly and do homework and improve their concentration." This book also contains tools for helping children to be more creative and to socialize better with other children. I believe that Jason has done a superb job gearing this book toward its intended audience - the child with a disability. By using pictures to explain the steps throughout the book, I believe that children will have no problem understanding and grasping the intended lessons. I recommend this book for any child who is ready to take a more natural approach to dealing with a disability. Jackie Igafo-Te'o
By Millie Grenough "OASIS in the overwhelm creator" (New Haven, CT) -
This review is from: Being in Control: Natural Techniques for Increasing Your Potential and Creativity for Success in School ( soft cover)
On a non-stop JFK to LA flight this book made the hours go quickly and enjoyably. I took my time scanning the illustrations and experimenting with the techniques. I interspersed this with scheming how I might use the tecnhiques with my coach clients, napping, switching to the big view out the plane window, and watching the multiply-demanding activities of stewardesses and of parents who were trying to handle their restless children.
Conclusion? Jason Alster's ideas are sound, appealing, practical. Their simplicity and brevity is not a sign of shallowness, but of depth: they truly invite children and adults to explore many facets of themselves in ways that are spacious rather than rigid... The strategies are simple, easily learned, and can have a profound difference in a person's ability to have an upbeat and "in-control" relationship with mind/emotions/body.
Many years ago when Howard Gardner pointed to the importance of Multiple Intelligences, he blew away the old notion of intelligence - "Johnny has a low IQ - - he has trouble concentrating in school - he's not very smart - he'll never make it in life."
Alster's techniques help multiple intelligences take root and bloom, in children and adults.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
New video- relaxing zen from Israel
just released a new video " Relaxing Zen from Israel" for relaxation scenes from the Holy Land .
Relaxing Zen From Israel video
Relaxing Zen From Israel video
Friday, July 15, 2011
Great article about the origins of messy handwriting
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06103/681741-294.stm
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Book helps students become creative artists / especially ADHD Dysgraphia
Creative Painting For The Young Artist helps students think and see like and artist.
Review on Amazon.com
By Janie Bowman - This review is from: Creative Painting for the Young Artist (Paperback)
Creative Painting is a book for reluctant young artists of all ages. Written by a multi-talented author who has a treasure box full of affirming tips and techniques, this little book will inspire you to dive head first into art. Go ahead, take a chance. "The most valuable coins and stamps are the ones double minted by mistake. So don not try to please everyone, just yourself first." This is one of the most empowering statements I've read.
You'll find tips, techniques and affirmations to encourage your child (or you!) to muzzle negative thinking and replace it with positive affirmations. You'll read how the author began exploring the world of art, and suggested stepping-stones to begin your own journey.
This is a nice, neat and colorful book to own. You'll find yourself referring to it often.
Review on Amazon.com
By Janie Bowman - This review is from: Creative Painting for the Young Artist (Paperback)
Creative Painting is a book for reluctant young artists of all ages. Written by a multi-talented author who has a treasure box full of affirming tips and techniques, this little book will inspire you to dive head first into art. Go ahead, take a chance. "The most valuable coins and stamps are the ones double minted by mistake. So don not try to please everyone, just yourself first." This is one of the most empowering statements I've read.
You'll find tips, techniques and affirmations to encourage your child (or you!) to muzzle negative thinking and replace it with positive affirmations. You'll read how the author began exploring the world of art, and suggested stepping-stones to begin your own journey.
This is a nice, neat and colorful book to own. You'll find yourself referring to it often.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Anyone can improve Their Own Handwriting is now ready for download
A section from the video.
| Anyone Can Improve Handwriting |
Tuesday, March 08, 2011
Thursday, January 06, 2011
Friday, December 31, 2010
Anyone Can Improve Their Own Handwriting - video version two
Anyone can Improve Their Own Handwriting.
Jason Mark Alster
https://sites.google.com/site/jasonalster/
12, 31,2010
The college professor was giving back the English compositions homework and held mine up high. “This looks like you spilled ink on the paper and a chicken walked all over it”. I would have thought the joke funny except that it was my paper he was holding. Even though I received a B in my first college class ever, I felt less than a success. It was 1973, I was eighteen years of age, and it would be another 10 years before the personal computer debut and the word processor. It would be another 22 years before my handwriting improved. Well let me place a caveat here, improved in English. My Hebrew handwriting was always adequate. I did not know why? Could it be that I wrote better from right to left than from left to right? Were my Hebrew teachers better than my English teachers? Probably not, after all I also could not draw a straight line for the life of me. In contrast, although I could never draw, my first painting in an art class was beautiful that’s because the teacher drew the sketch while I painted over it.
So the story behind helping people improve their handwriting began with me learning to paint and then improve my art. I was sitting in an art appreciation class in college. The art professor was showing slides of art throughout the ages. When he showed how art progressed from Egyptian pictographs to paintings rendered after the discovery of perspective during the renaissance period he said, and I quote “Art went through a transformation, and anyone can learn to paint.” That’s when I almost fell off my chair. “Anyone can learn to paint???” I thought you were “born” with artistic talent or you just didn’t have it. Thus the future title “Anyone Can Improve Your Own Handwriting” that is if you are born with the sloppy handwriting you can still change. You are not destined to have poor handwriting all your life.
It took me years to learn to paint with perspective. I could paint with color really well enough to give me pleasure and I eventually used pastels which is a medium for painters who like color. My first paintings turned out very impressionistic because I could not draw in perspective and my figures would look like they are floating in air. Perspective cements figures down in space. Only till I happened upon a drawing course named “Drawing on the right side of the brain” after the famous book by Betty Edwards, did I finally “get it”. I was now for the first time able to paint portraits, buildings, anything. But my handwriting still left much to be desired.
But there was another process happening in parallel. I became a biofeedback therapist and learned many self regulation and relaxed concentration techniques. What was evident from biofeedback was the concept of plasticity in the human physiology. Man can change, self regulate. Again, you are not stuck with the mold, but can change, improve. So here I am, changing myself and changing my clients’ lives, but my handwriting is still a mess. Yet, now there is a difference, I became conscious that I could change myself, but was not able to change my handwriting. Where as before I might have convinced myself that my messy handwriting was a reflection of my psyche’, I no longer believed that. I was Okay. My poor handwriting was just a technicality.
One more piece of the puzzle still had to occur before I could improve my own handwriting and eventually succeed in helping others. As a biofeedback therapist working with students who had ADHD and test anxiety, and many of those, not all by any means, had poor handwriting. I realized that in order for the student to succeed it was not enough for the ADHD students to improve their concentration, they had to catch up to the time lost in school if they were to truly shine. For me to help I personally had to “go back to school” and take exams and do homework with the students. That’s when I started teaching accelerated learning strategies. The grades shot up. So there you have it, anyone can change and improve with the right tools. Now it was time to tackle the handwriting thorn for myself and my clients. After all, better handwriting could help my students get better grades. Now all the pieces came together. The biofeedback and seated yoga relaxation techniques helped students with pencil grip, ergonomics of sitting properly, and focus. The art techniques helped with learning to see negative spaces and shapes, and drawing a straight line, and self critique of their own handwriting. It helped turn penmanship into an elegant art. By tutoring students that neatness counts in essays on exams, in arithmetic equations and homework led me to correct the different types of penmanship challenges and errors.
Of note, once involved in trying to find solutions to improving penmanship in myself and my students, I started to become aware of penmanship both historically and professionally. First of all, Ron Davis, the author of the book The Gift of Dyslexia (a term used for difficulties in reading and spelling with dysgraphic used specifically for writing) had come to Israel where I was living at the time and talked about his life experiences growing up with dyslexia and how he developed techniques for improving reading in dyslexics known as The Davis Technique. What really interested me was that he said dyslexics can become disorientated and stressed out when trying to read. This is something I noticed in ADHD students when they were trying to sit quietly. I also observed the effects that stress might have on handwriting handwriting. Thus, the development of techniques for stress reduction related to handwriting.
Historically, I not only noticed the beautiful handwriting that many had in the ancient world and especially the old books and letters written in calligraphy. However, I also noticed when visiting Israeli museums that many ancient signet rings, writings in stone, coins, and engravings on burial sarcophagus looked like the authors were dyslexic. I noticed that the ancient words were not written on a straight line either. Where as, the Egyptian hieroglyphics were neat and on a straight line. I found this interesting because I had a math teacher that said there were no straight lines in nature. The straight line was discovered by man and used by the Egyptians and Greeks in geometry and measurement. In contrast, the writing on coins from Israel during the Greek and Roman period were neater and as if on a straight line. I actually asked Ron Davis from the audience if he thought the early Egyptians were dyslectic because they wrote in pictographs instead of using an alphabet. He was amused by the question. Anyways, if the Greeks did not conquer Egypt, we might not have any penmanship problems today because we would still be writing in pictographs. In the end, I published three resources for improving handwriting, relaxed concentration, and art ability in children. These are “Creative Painting for the Young Artist”; “Being in Control: Natural Solutions for ADHD, Dyslexia, and Test Anxiety”; and “Anyone Can Improve Their Own Handwriting”.
Jason Mark Alster
https://sites.google.com/site/jasonalster/
12, 31,2010
The college professor was giving back the English compositions homework and held mine up high. “This looks like you spilled ink on the paper and a chicken walked all over it”. I would have thought the joke funny except that it was my paper he was holding. Even though I received a B in my first college class ever, I felt less than a success. It was 1973, I was eighteen years of age, and it would be another 10 years before the personal computer debut and the word processor. It would be another 22 years before my handwriting improved. Well let me place a caveat here, improved in English. My Hebrew handwriting was always adequate. I did not know why? Could it be that I wrote better from right to left than from left to right? Were my Hebrew teachers better than my English teachers? Probably not, after all I also could not draw a straight line for the life of me. In contrast, although I could never draw, my first painting in an art class was beautiful that’s because the teacher drew the sketch while I painted over it.
So the story behind helping people improve their handwriting began with me learning to paint and then improve my art. I was sitting in an art appreciation class in college. The art professor was showing slides of art throughout the ages. When he showed how art progressed from Egyptian pictographs to paintings rendered after the discovery of perspective during the renaissance period he said, and I quote “Art went through a transformation, and anyone can learn to paint.” That’s when I almost fell off my chair. “Anyone can learn to paint???” I thought you were “born” with artistic talent or you just didn’t have it. Thus the future title “Anyone Can Improve Your Own Handwriting” that is if you are born with the sloppy handwriting you can still change. You are not destined to have poor handwriting all your life.
It took me years to learn to paint with perspective. I could paint with color really well enough to give me pleasure and I eventually used pastels which is a medium for painters who like color. My first paintings turned out very impressionistic because I could not draw in perspective and my figures would look like they are floating in air. Perspective cements figures down in space. Only till I happened upon a drawing course named “Drawing on the right side of the brain” after the famous book by Betty Edwards, did I finally “get it”. I was now for the first time able to paint portraits, buildings, anything. But my handwriting still left much to be desired.
But there was another process happening in parallel. I became a biofeedback therapist and learned many self regulation and relaxed concentration techniques. What was evident from biofeedback was the concept of plasticity in the human physiology. Man can change, self regulate. Again, you are not stuck with the mold, but can change, improve. So here I am, changing myself and changing my clients’ lives, but my handwriting is still a mess. Yet, now there is a difference, I became conscious that I could change myself, but was not able to change my handwriting. Where as before I might have convinced myself that my messy handwriting was a reflection of my psyche’, I no longer believed that. I was Okay. My poor handwriting was just a technicality.
One more piece of the puzzle still had to occur before I could improve my own handwriting and eventually succeed in helping others. As a biofeedback therapist working with students who had ADHD and test anxiety, and many of those, not all by any means, had poor handwriting. I realized that in order for the student to succeed it was not enough for the ADHD students to improve their concentration, they had to catch up to the time lost in school if they were to truly shine. For me to help I personally had to “go back to school” and take exams and do homework with the students. That’s when I started teaching accelerated learning strategies. The grades shot up. So there you have it, anyone can change and improve with the right tools. Now it was time to tackle the handwriting thorn for myself and my clients. After all, better handwriting could help my students get better grades. Now all the pieces came together. The biofeedback and seated yoga relaxation techniques helped students with pencil grip, ergonomics of sitting properly, and focus. The art techniques helped with learning to see negative spaces and shapes, and drawing a straight line, and self critique of their own handwriting. It helped turn penmanship into an elegant art. By tutoring students that neatness counts in essays on exams, in arithmetic equations and homework led me to correct the different types of penmanship challenges and errors.
Of note, once involved in trying to find solutions to improving penmanship in myself and my students, I started to become aware of penmanship both historically and professionally. First of all, Ron Davis, the author of the book The Gift of Dyslexia (a term used for difficulties in reading and spelling with dysgraphic used specifically for writing) had come to Israel where I was living at the time and talked about his life experiences growing up with dyslexia and how he developed techniques for improving reading in dyslexics known as The Davis Technique. What really interested me was that he said dyslexics can become disorientated and stressed out when trying to read. This is something I noticed in ADHD students when they were trying to sit quietly. I also observed the effects that stress might have on handwriting handwriting. Thus, the development of techniques for stress reduction related to handwriting.
Historically, I not only noticed the beautiful handwriting that many had in the ancient world and especially the old books and letters written in calligraphy. However, I also noticed when visiting Israeli museums that many ancient signet rings, writings in stone, coins, and engravings on burial sarcophagus looked like the authors were dyslexic. I noticed that the ancient words were not written on a straight line either. Where as, the Egyptian hieroglyphics were neat and on a straight line. I found this interesting because I had a math teacher that said there were no straight lines in nature. The straight line was discovered by man and used by the Egyptians and Greeks in geometry and measurement. In contrast, the writing on coins from Israel during the Greek and Roman period were neater and as if on a straight line. I actually asked Ron Davis from the audience if he thought the early Egyptians were dyslectic because they wrote in pictographs instead of using an alphabet. He was amused by the question. Anyways, if the Greeks did not conquer Egypt, we might not have any penmanship problems today because we would still be writing in pictographs. In the end, I published three resources for improving handwriting, relaxed concentration, and art ability in children. These are “Creative Painting for the Young Artist”; “Being in Control: Natural Solutions for ADHD, Dyslexia, and Test Anxiety”; and “Anyone Can Improve Their Own Handwriting”.
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