Classroom Accommodations for Dyslexia

Classroom Accommodations for Dyslexia

dyslexia - what is dyslexia - treatments -symptoms

Classroom Accommodations for Dyslexia

In addition to engaging in our signature training system (The Power Learning Tower), an effective treatment for dyslexia is accommodations and learning strategies that are individually tailored to the person’s needs. Although there are similarities in the signs and symptoms of dyslexia, each person will have their own unique issues, therefore treatment and accommodations must differ.

Academic accommodations for students with dyslexia are critical for short-term and long-term educational success. The right accommodations can not only allow the student to perform to his/her true academic potential, but also prevent the student from experiencing issues with self-esteem related to learning difficulties related to dyslexia.

Accommodations create a smooth and organized classroom experience that ultimately even benefits the class as a whole. Below are examples of beneficial and commonly used class accommodations for students with dyslexia.

Accessibility to Educational Material

Students with dyslexia are often provided with the teacher’s notes or other class material or material in audio format. This serves a useful function because the student does not have to hear and/or see the class material for the first time when the teacher presents it to the class. This potentially creates a situation where the student with dyslexia may become overwhelmed with information, thus creating difficulty. By accessing class material ahead of time (and in alternative formats), the student can prepare him/herself for the lesson and then truly benefit from when the teacher presents the material to the class.

Additional Time

Similar to accessing class material ahead of time, being provided with additional time on tests, assignments, and even homework, allows the student with dyslexia to focus on the material and not on other factors (e.g., a deadline) that may interfere with optimal performance. Since students with dyslexia have difficulty processing certain academic material, being provided with additional time will remove much stress on the student, allowing full focus on the actual content and the learning experience.

Alternative Response Format

Students with dyslexia are often permitted to provide verbal responses to test questions. This is yet another accommodation that evaluates the student’s true knowledge of the material without letting reading and writing skills to interfere or block the student’s ability to express what they know.

Location

A common accommodation is allowing students with dyslexia to complete tests in a separate room. This serves several functions, such as allowing the student to use notes and other academic aids and materials without other students watching, as accommodations can sometimes cause students with dyslexia to feel shame or embarrassment in the presence of peers. In addition, a separate and private testing location can allow the student greater focus on the task.

Avoid Timed Tasks

Individuals with dyslexia should not be given time constraints for tasks involving reading. As a result of their difficulty, anything that involves reading (e.g., math word problems, multiple choice exams) will take the individual longer periods of time to complete. This is why individuals with dyslexia are permitted ample time (often double the time, or more, that is typically allotted for a task) to complete assignments or exams.

Writing

A common accommodation is allowing a student to use a laptop computer to type responses to assignments or during exams. This prevents fatigue while writing and allows the student to use a spell checker. The purpose is to assess the individual’s true knowledge and prevent issues with writing from disrupting the individual’s ability to express what they know.

Using a Scribe

Individuals with dyslexia are provided a scribe, which is a person who writes down answers for the individual during exams while the individual with dyslexia verbally dictates information. This allows the individual to focus on their knowledge of material without being burdened by handwriting, spelling, grammar, etc.

Hearing Instructions

Individuals with dyslexia are often permitted to have exams and class assignments read to them rather than having to read instructions themselves. This prevents confusion of directions, which can greatly affect the child’s performance on the task and failure to truly assess the individual’s knowledge of material.

The Pathways team of professionals has helped thousands of people with Dyslexia. We are Dedicated to effective and compassionate care for individuals with neurological challenges.

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Source: Pathways Neuropsychology
Classroom Accommodations for Dyslexia

Best accommodations for Dyslexia

Best accommodations for Dyslexia

dyslexia facts treatments psychology

Best Accommodations for Dyslexia

In addition to engaging in our signature training system (The Power Learning Tower), an effective treatment for dyslexia is accommodations and learning strategies that are individually tailored to the person’s needs. Although there are similarities in the signs and symptoms of dyslexia, each person will have their own unique issues, therefore treatment and accommodations must differ. There is no known cure for dyslexia, but accommodations and learning strategies can contribute to the disorder no longer affecting the person’s ability to read, learn, and even enjoy academic tasks.

Avoid Timed Tasks

Individuals with dyslexia should not be given time constraints for tasks involving reading. As a result of their difficulty, anything that involves reading (e.g., math word problems, multiple choice exams) will take the individual longer periods of time to complete. This is why individuals with dyslexia are permitted ample time (often double the time, or more, that is typically allotted for a task) to complete assignments or exams.

Visual Accommodations

Oftentimes, the individual with dyslexia is permitted to use colored overlays or “reading rulers” while completing exams or assignments in order to prevent distraction on a page when reading and to assist with visually tracking of written information.

Writing

A common accommodation is allowing a student to use a laptop computer to type responses to assignments or during exams. This prevents fatigue while writing and allows the student to use a spell checker. The purpose is to assess the individual’s true knowledge and prevent issues with writing from disrupting the individual’s ability to express what they know.

Using a Scribe

Individuals with dyslexia are provided a scribe, which is a person who writes down answers for the individual during exams while the individual with dyslexia verbally dictates information. This allows the individual to focus on their knowledge of material without being burdened by handwriting, spelling, grammar, etc.

Hearing Instructions

Individuals with dyslexia are often permitted to have exams and class assignments read to them rather than having to read instructions themselves. This prevents confusion of directions, which can greatly affect the child’s performance on the task and failure to truly assess the individual’s knowledge of material.

The Pathways team of professionals has helped thousands of people with Dyslexia. We are Dedicated to effective and compassionate care for individuals with neurological challenges.

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Source: Pathways Neuropsychology
Best accommodations for Dyslexia

Dyslexia Signs & Symptoms by Age Group

Dyslexia Signs & Symptoms by Age Group

Dyslexia Signs & Symptoms by Age Group

Dyslexia Signs & Symptoms by Age Group

Preschool

Even before exposure to reading material begins in the classroom, children can demonstrate signs and symptoms of dyslexia. The disorder can affect the child’s verbal language skills, which are the precursors to reading abilities. Signs and symptoms to look for in preschool age children include:

  • Mispronunciation of words (e.g., aminal instead of animal)
  • The child is not as talkative as other children and vocabulary is limited
  • Confuses names of objects (e.g., if you ask the child to get his/her socks, he/she will get their shoes)
  • Difficulty with learning the alphabet, numbers, colors, and shapes
  • Difficulty learning rhyming words (e.g., cat and hat)

Early to Mid Grade School

As academic material becomes more challenging, the signs and symptoms of dyslexia will become more pronounced, causing the child’s grades to suffer, and even causing the child emotional or self-esteem issues as a result of difficulty with reading. When children begin to learn to read, issues with phonemic awareness (i.e., decoding words into separate sounds) become apparent, along with other signs and symptoms such as:

  • Confusing the sounds of the letters of the alphabet
  • Inability to read small “function words” such as that, an, in
  • Omitting parts of words when reading
  • Confusing words that sound alike
  • Poor spelling
  • Difficulty sounding out words to pronounce the word correctly
  • Avoidance of reading aloud in class due to embarrassment
  • Slow reading
  • Difficulty understanding what he/she reads
  • Difficulty recalling what happens in a story
  • Becoming fatigued from doing reading tasks

High School and Beyond

As the child reaches adolescence and young adulthood, dyslexia becomes evident in the teenagers understanding of more abstract and complex ideas and information. Examples of signs and symptoms include:

  • Mispronunciation of names or tripping over parts of a word
  • Confusing names that sound alike or difficulty remembering names
  • Spoken vocabulary is smaller than listening vocabulary
  • Substituting made up words when reading out loud
  • Trouble promouncing uncommon, unique or strange words
  • Saying “ummm” quite often while speaking due to difficulty finding words
  • Continued difficulty with writing assignments and spelling
  • Slow reading or lack of fluency when reading

The Pathways team of professionals has helped thousands of people with Dyslexia. We are Dedicated to effective and compassionate care for individuals with neurological challenges.

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Source: Pathways Neuropsychology
Dyslexia Signs & Symptoms by Age Group

Dyslexia: The Assessment & Diagnostic Process

Dyslexia: The Assessment & Diagnostic Process

Dyslexia: The Assessment & Diagnostic Process

Dyslexia: The Assessment & Diagnostic Process

When an individual is suspected of having dyslexia, they are referred for a Psychoeducational Evaluation (this evaluation is also known as a Psychological, Learning Disability, or a Neuropsychological Evaluation), typically by a teacher or sometimes by the child’s parent who notices that the child is struggling with reading or that the child’s grades are suffering as a result of reading difficulties. Dyslexia must be evaluated by examining the individual’s skills and abilities in language, phonological awareness, reading, writing, and spelling.

The first and crucial step is gathering a comprehensive history

At PNS, Dr. Gordon first meets with the child and the child’s parents (if the examinee is a child) or the adult individual suspected of having dyslexia and ask many questions related to background history, such as ages that the individual reached developmental milestones (e.g., crawling, first words), academic functioning, as well as social, emotional, and behavioral functioning, and family history of learning or mental health problems. Information regarding the individual’s academic history, reading history and history of symptoms is also gathered.

The skills & abilities that are tested

We then conduct a neuropsychological testing evaluations for dyslexia utilizing assessments that are administered to the individual. The person suspected of having dyslexia meets with a qualified professional individually and is administered the assessments that consist of the following tasks:

-Intellectual Functioning
-Word Reading & Word identification
-Reading Fluency
-Reading Comprehension
-Letter sound knowledge + phonological blending=phonic decoding
-Phonological Skills (Manipulations tasks: deletion, substitution, reversal)
-Rapid Naming
-Spelling
-Listening Comprehension
-Auditory Processing & Language Processing
-Vocabulary
-Working Memory
-Sustained Attention
-Mental Processing Speed

There are numerous tests used to diagnose dyslexia and there is no single assessment that can diagnose the disorder on its own.

Combining test results with background information

After all information is gathered, the qualified professional scores the assessments and a psychoeducational report is created that integrates all assessment results and the individual’s background history. The psychoeducational report will have a diagnosis of Specific Learning Disorder With impairment in reading (i.e., dyslexia) if the individual meets criteria.

What is the purpose of giving a diagnosis of dyslexia?

A critical section of the psychoeducational report is the recommendations section. This section includes specific recommendations from the qualified professionals that are individually tailored to the person with dyslexia and are meant to assist the individual in academic settings, as well as the individual’s home life. This is the ultimate purpose of diagnosing dyslexia in the first place: So that the individual can receive assistance and the proper intervention for the disorder so he/she can succeed academically or in any setting where the individual is affected by dyslexia.

The Pathways team of professionals has helped thousands of people with Dyslexia. We are Dedicated to effective and compassionate care for individuals with neurological challenges.

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Source: Pathways Neuropsychology
Dyslexia: The Assessment & Diagnostic Process

What is Dyslexia?

What is Dyslexia?

dyslexia - what is dyslexia - treatments -symptoms

What is Dyslexia?

Dyslexia, also known as Reading Disorder, is a learning disorder that causes individuals difficulty with reading individual words or sentences and pronouncing words. Individuals with dyslexia can also struggle with other skills related to reading, such as reading comprehension, spelling, and writing. The disorder is typically identified in early childhood, when children begin to learn letter sounds and other pre-reading and reading skills, but issues with reading can remain through adulthood if left untreated.

At its core, dyslexia is a disorder of phonological awareness (the ability to recognize and manipulate the sound properties of spoken words) and more specifically phonemic awareness (the ability to recognize and manipulate individual phonemes (sounds) in spoken words). Dyslexia is caused by particular ways that the brain develops and processes information causing a chain reaction of events that occur at the neurological level. The individual with dyslexia has difficulty understanding the speech sounds in a word, understanding how individual letters represent a sound, and being able to put the sounds together to read or say the word. This process is also known as phonological awareness and it is the primary difficulty that characterizes dyslexia. There are specific regions of the brain that control these processes, but the brain of an individual with dyslexia functions differently in those areas.

Individuals with dyslexia can be talented or even gifted in other areas and subjects and oftentimes have special skills and abilities in the arts, sciences, math, computers, technology, music, business, sales, and sports. Nowadays, teachers and academic staff are better educated on identifying and providing assistance for children with dyslexia, but as recent as a few decades ago, children with dyslexia were considered to have intellectual problems, behavioral issues, or were called lazy by teachers, academic staff, and/or parents/caretakers. Children with dyslexia were not screened properly and were not provided the appropriate interventions, causing them to fall behind in other subjects.

Fortunately, research on dyslexia has made great advancements, contributing to improved assessment methods, the provision of accommodations in the classroom, and alternative methods of teaching children with dyslexia how to not only learn to read, but also to enjoy reading. Current research shows that with the right treatment substantial improvements can be made in improving reading and reading efficiency.  At PNA we use the most current research to both accurately assess and effectively and successfully treat dyslexia.

The Pathways team of professionals has helped thousands of people with Dyslexia. We are Dedicated to effective and compassionate care for individuals with neurological challenges.

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Source: Pathways Neuropsychology
What is Dyslexia?

Dyslexia Facts

Dyslexia Facts

dyslexia facts treatments psychology

Dyslexia Facts

Fact #1: Dyslexia can be successfully treated!

  • Research suggests that the most severely reading-disabled students can make an average of a standard deviation of improvement on nationally normed reading tests!  The key to a successful intervention, research has shown us, includes:

-Directly teaching phonemic awareness to the advanced level

-Teaching and reinforcing phonic skills and phonic decoding

-Opportunities for reading connected text

See our Dyslexia Treatments

Fact #2: Dyslexia affects as much as 10% of children.

  • This means that in a given school classroom, there is a good chance that at least one or more children have dyslexia.
  • States are passing laws related to dyslexia, mandating that children in Kindergarten and 1st grade receive free dyslexia screenings.
  • This is an efficient practice so that we don’t have to wait for the child to begin demonstrating academic issues in order to start the evaluation process, thus preventing the child from falling behind academically and preventing any emotional consequences of the child feeling frustrated due to inability to understand reading education.

Fact #3: Dyslexia can run in families.

  • It is common for children with dyslexia to have a parent, grandparent, and/or sibling(s) who also had reading difficulties or were formally diagnosed with dyslexia.
  • Knowledge of family history helps so that parents can consider having their child screened at a young age.

Fact #4: Dyslexia is no longer considered something that children must “deal with” on their own and attempt to “blend in” so as not to stand out or interrupt the class.

  • Dyslexia is considered a learning disability, and parents of children (as well as the child him/herself), have rights. The child with dyslexia can receive accommodations in the classroom in order to facilitate a successful learning process for the child both inside and outside of the classroom.

The Pathways team of professionals has helped thousands of people with Dyslexia. We are Dedicated to effective and compassionate care for individuals with neurological challenges.

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Source: Pathways Neuropsychology
Dyslexia Facts

Dyslexia Myths

Dyslexia Myths

dyslexia myths treatments psychology

Dyslexia Myths

There are several myths associated with dyslexia, many of which have fortunately been clarified and better understood as a result of years of research on the manifestation and characteristics of the disorder. It is important to understand the myths surrounding dyslexia in order to eliminate stereotypes and stigma that is placed on individuals with dyslexia.

Myth #1: Letter reversals.

Somehow the myth of mixing up the letters in a word (also known as letter mirroring) got attached to dyslexia (e.g., spelling the word “jumpeb” as “jumdep”). This is a definite myth because individuals with dyslexia do not necessarily reverse letters, or at least this is not a symptom of dyslexia and instead could be a visual processing issue.

Myth #2: Children with dyslexia are really good at math.

Not so fast. The assumption that because a child has difficulty with reading means that they must be “math minded” is a myth. A child with dyslexia may very well be good at math, but dyslexia can also cause issues related to sequencing, causing the child difficulty with completing math that involves steps, and the child can also struggle with math language, which is often necessary to solve math problems.

Myth #3: More boys have dyslexia than girls.

There are equal numbers of boys and girls with dyslexia and it is a myth that it is a male-dominant disorder. This myth is important to debunk because it can prevent girls with dyslexia from being identified or it can mean that teachers/academic staff will assume that boys have more difficulty with reading. The notion that girls are “better at reading and writing” and boys are “better at math and science” is a culturally conceived (and mythical) belief. There are no differences between the neurological functioning or learning abilities between boys and girls that will create a greater (or lesser) likelihood of developing dyslexia.

The Pathways team of professionals has helped thousands of people with Dyslexia. We are Dedicated to effective and compassionate care for individuals with neurological challenges.

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Source: Pathways Neuropsychology
Dyslexia Myths

Therapy Podcast – Empathy during relationships, Following through on diets

Therapy Podcast – Empathy during relationships, Following through on diets


In this Podcast with Dr Gordon: Empathy during relationships, Following through on diets

The Pathways team of professionals has helped thousands of people with brain injuries. We are Dedicated to effective and compassionate care for individuals with neurological challenges.

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Source: Pathways Neuropsychology
Therapy Podcast – Empathy during relationships, Following through on diets

5 Types of Anxiety

5 Types of Anxiety

5 Types of Anxiety - psychotherapy Psychologists | Toms River, Manahawkin, Freehold, NJ

“Anxiety” is frequently used as a catch-all term for worrisome thoughts. But the reality is, there’s many forms of anxiety—and each has different symptoms.

Identifying the types can be challenging, in part because it’s possible to experience more than one at the same time. “A lot [of the types] overlap in my clinical practice,” says Elizabeth Ochoa, PhD, a chief psychologist at Mount Sinai Beth Israel in New York City. Someone with generalized anxiety disorder may also suffer from panic attacks, for example; while a person who has social anxiety could also exhibit symptoms of OCD.

Below is an overview of the five most common anxiety disorders:

Panic disorder

This is probably the most uncomfortable type of anxiety, says Ochoa. It’s characterized by brief surges of very intense, overwhelming worry or fear. A person’s triggers may be obvious (stress is a common one), or unknown.

While a panic attack starts in the mind, the physical symptoms are all too real: They may include heart palpitations, sweating, difficulty breathing, shaking, chest pain, and nausea. (This Is Us actor Sterling K. Brown’s Emmy-winning portrayal of a panic attack showed how scary and debilitating these episodes can be.)

Another characteristic of panic attacks is derealization: “[People will] feel like things are not real, or feel detached from oneself,” says Ben Michaelis, PhD, a New York City-based clinical psychologist and founder of the YouTube channel One Minute Diagnosis.

Many people will experience at least one panic attack in their lives, likely during a period of acute stress. But if you get panic attacks more frequently, or they start interfering with your life (causing you to avoid places where you had an attack in the past, for example), you might be suffering from a panic disorder.

Cognitive behavioral therapy can help you learn coping strategies, and pinpoint your triggers.

Social anxiety

Everyone feels nervous in social settings from time to time (think dinner with your S.O.’s parents, or an awkward networking event). But people with social anxiety are highly self-conscious around others, and experience an intense fear of being observed and judged that can result in physical symptoms like sweating, blushing, and nausea.

“They worry that their behavior will humiliate or embarrass themselves, offend others, and lead to rejection,” says Michaelis. “But their fear or anxiety is not proportional to any actual threat.”

Any social situation can become extremely stressful. “People with social anxiety are constantly worried that they’ll create a negative perception,” says Ochoa. The thought of their own anxiety can actually breed more anxiety, too. “They often worry that their anxiety will be knowable.”

The disorder can make it tougher to develop interpersonal relationships, she says. When seeking help, try to find a psychiatrist or psychologist who has experience working with people with social anxiety.

Generalized anxiety disorder

This type of anxiety affects 6.8 million adults in the United States every year, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. But while common, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) isn’t the same thing as occasionally feeling anxious. “Everyone has instances of extreme anxiety from time to time,” says Ochoa. “It’s notable when it interferes with your day-to-day functioning.”

People with GAD experience severe, irrational concern about specific triggers. Ochoa explains that the anxiety often stems from real-life, everyday factors and circumstances, such as health, finances, and family. These are all normal things to feel anxious about, of course. But for people with GAD, the level of anxiety is hugely out of proportion to the cause.

“They’re excessively anxious about a number of events, and have difficulty controlling such worry to the point that it impacts their lives,” says Michaelis.

People with GAD can also develop symptoms like fatigue, tense muscles, or difficulty sleeping and concentrating.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder

OCD is a little different from the other major anxiety types, says Ochoa. “It stands alone,” she explains, because while anxiety often involves an avoidance of triggers (such as skipping a cocktail party), people with OCD engage in repetitive behaviors tied to a particular phobia. But OCD is often considered a form of anxiety because people with the disorder usually feel intensely anxious when they aren’t able to perform certain behaviors.

“A person with OCD experiences either obsessions, compulsions, or both,” says Michaelis. “Obsessions are recurrent unwanted or intrusive thoughts, urges, or images that cause anxiety and distress; and compulsions are repetitive behaviors or acts that a person does in order to suppress an unwanted thought or urge.”

A few common symptoms of the disorder include compulsive hand-washing, obsessive cleaning, so-called “checking” behaviors (returning home to see if you’ve turned off the stove, for example), or performing counting tasks (often driven by a superstition, like “I have to count when walking up stairs or something bad will happen”). The compulsions are typically driven by fear of germs or contamination, or mental images of violent scenes.

Post-traumatic stress disorder

Like OCD, PTSD is different from other types of anxiety disorders. “Anxiety is clearly a component of [PTSD], but it’s much more complicated,” says Ochoa.

People develop PTSD after experiencing a highly stressful, life-threatening event, such as military combat, a serious injury, or sexual violence (although it’s important to note that not everyone who survives situations like these gets PTSD). The disorder often causes “re-experiencing” symptoms—or flashbacks to the initial trauma and upsetting, intrusive thoughts that can interfere with relationships and daily functioning.

“They become distressed when exposed to cues that resemble the traumatic event,” says Michaelis. “For example, if a person lived through a horrific hurricane, a windy day may trigger aspects of the traumatic event.”

Other people with PTSD may feel constantly on edge, have trouble sleeping, or generally experience negative feelings. The good news is that with therapy, it is possible to recover from PTSD and move on.

Excerpt from MSN. full story here

The Pathways team of professionals has helped thousands of people with Anxiety & Depression. We are Dedicated to effective and compassionate care for individuals with neurological challenges.

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Source: Pathways Neuropsychology
5 Types of Anxiety

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Pain

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Pain

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Many years ago I was plagued with debilitating headaches associated with a number of seemingly unrelated activities that included cooking for company and sewing drapes for the house. I thought I might be allergic to natural gas or certain fabrics until one day I realized that I tensed my facial muscles when I concentrated intently on a project.

The cure was surprisingly simple: I became aware of how my body was reacting and changed it through self-induced behavior modification. I consciously relaxed my muscles whenever I focused on a task that could precipitate a tension-induced headache.

Fast-forward about five decades: Now it was my back that ached when I hurriedly cooked even a simple meal. And once again, after months of pain, I realized that I was transferring stress to the muscles of my back and had to learn to relax them, and to allow more time to complete a project to mitigate the stress. Happy to report, I recently prepared dinner for eight with nary a pain.

I don’t mean to suggest that every ache and pain can be cured by self-awareness and changing one’s behavior. But recent research has demonstrated that the mind – along with other nonpharmacological remedies — can be powerful medicine to relieve many kinds of chronic or recurrent pains, especially low back pain.

As Dr. James Campbell, a neurosurgeon and pain specialist, put it, “The best treatment for pain is right under our noses.” He suggests not “catastrophizing” – not assuming that the pain represents something disastrous that keeps you from leading the life you’ve chosen.

Acute pain is nature’s warning signal that something is wrong that should be attended to. Chronic pain, however, is no longer a useful warning signal, yet it can lead to perpetual suffering if people remain afraid of it, the doctor said.

“If the pain is not an indication that something is seriously wrong, you can learn to live with it,” said Dr. Campbell, an emeritus professor at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. Too often, he explained, “people with pain get caught in a vicious cycle of inactivity that results in lost muscle strength and further pain problems.”

Throwing powerful drugs at chronic pain problems may only add to the problem because ever higher doses are often needed to keep the pain at bay. Knowing this, a growing cadre of specialists are exploring nondrug, noninvasive treatments, some of which have proved highly effective in relieving chronic pain.

The American College of Physicians recently issued new nondrug guidelines for treating chronic or recurrent back pain, a condition that afflicts approximately one-quarter of adults at a cost to the country in excess of $100 billion a year.

Noting that most patients with back pain improve with time “regardless of treatment,” the college recommends such remedies as superficial heat, massage, acupuncture or, in some cases, spinal manipulation (chiropractic or osteopathic). For those with chronic back pain, the suggestions include exercise, rehabilitation, acupuncture, tai chi, yoga, progressive relaxation, cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness-based stress reduction.

Drug-free pain management is now a top priority among researchers at the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, a division of the National Institutes of Health. A comprehensive summary of the effectiveness of nondrug treatments for common pain problems – back pain, fibromyalgia, severe headache, knee arthritis and neck pain — was published last year in Mayo Clinic Proceedings by Richard L. Nahin and colleagues at the center.

Based on evidence from well-designed clinical trials, the team reported that these complementary approaches “may help some patients manage their painful health conditions: acupuncture and yoga for back pain; acupuncture and tai chi for osteoarthritis of the knee; massage therapy for neck pain with adequate doses and for short-term benefit; and relaxation techniques for severe headaches and migraine.”

Weaker evidence also suggested that massage therapy and spinal and osteopathic manipulation may be of some benefit to patients with back pain, and relaxation techniques and tai chi may help patients with fibromyalgia find relief.

The Pathways team of professionals has helped thousands of people with brain injuries. We are Dedicated to effective and compassionate care for individuals with neurological challenges.

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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Pain