Open Door Development E-News

ADHD: With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility

2011-12-29T14:05:00.019-05:00

ADHD Super Powers!

There are two significant problems with how our culture views ADHD. The first is that it is seen as a curse. People often equate encountering a person with ADHD with an exhausting experience of distractions and repeated statements of "please don't do that", "please don't climb on that" and "for heaven's sake please stop poking holes in that". What many don't realize (even those who have ADHD) is that an individual diagnosed with this condition has in fact been identified as an individual with super powers.

A part of their brain is not functioning as well as it should, the part of the brain which acts as a filter, deciding what items vying for the person's attention should be given highest priority so they can focus on one or two at a time. Because this filter is not fully active it allows all items asking for attention to pour in to the brain, all demanding equal attention at the same time. The person speaking to them, the fly buzzing in to the window, the view through the window of cars driving by in the background, the clinking of cutlery and the fork in their own hand all want the same amount of immediate attention. This can be overwhelming and confusing and frustrating at times, but no more so than Peter Parker learning how to use his web-swinging powers or Clark Kent learning how to fly and not accidentally fry holes in things with his heat vision. Do you have ADHD? Great! You are capable of taking in more information and accomplishing more tasks at the same time than boring regular mortals. It will take some time to adjust to using your powers, but you can get there.

Do you have multiple tasks that need to be accomplished in a short period of time? Ask someone with ADHD to take on the challenge. When they have learned to control their powers, they have the ability to keep track of multiple complex projects that would overwhelm others. Have you ever noticed that those with ADHD are often excellent at finding things? If you set something down and have no idea where you left it, but were traveling in the company of someone with ADHD, go ask them. Chances are they remember exactly where you put it if you set it down in their range of vision. Their brain deemed that high priority information (along with everything else that was happening at the time) and noted where the item was put.

Individuals with ADHD need mentors, individuals who will not try to teach them how to focus on one thing (their brain does not work that way), but will teach them how to take in all the information their brain accepts in a calm manner with the knowledge that they are not helpless and have a choice about how they respond to the input, they do not have to be overwhelmed or overpowered by it. They need mentors who can help them make constructive choices regarding what to do with their ability to multitask. An open line of communication should always be maintained with a family physician, but other role models and cheerleaders are needed to walk alongside the individual throughout life.

Rather than trying to teach an individual to sit still during class (which only results in them tapping their pen and kicking the chair in front of them while poking holes in their text book), maybe it's time to identify a subject they are passionate about and arrange for them to have a book on this subject in their desk which they can pull out at will, giving them the opportunity to learn from the teacher while also learning about something that has direct interest to them. Rather than trying to get an adult to sit through long meetings without being 'rude and fidgety' it's time to say they are welcome to work on another project that is not distracting to other people whether it is reading another report or even working on a craft. Many individuals with ADHD take to knitting and crocheting and have the ability to work on a scarf or blanket while at the same time taking in the quarterly report. Many hospitals accept donations of handmade blankets for premature infants which means not only is someone with ADHD able to make something creative, but they can use their gift to then care for a struggling newborn. Regular mortals would have to save the world in their spare time!

The fact that ADHD is often equated with being rude and fidgety is sad, and this is the second cultural perspective that needs to be addressed. ADHD does not make someone rude. The fidgeting is the result of an overwhelming desire to multitask which disappears when the person is given the opportunity to constructively do so and any rudeness or violation of social norms is the result of lack of boundaries and mentoring. Everyone has the propensity to be rude if they are not taught otherwise. Those with ADHD simply stand out more because they have more energy to dedicate to whatever it is they are doing and the propensity to pursue multiple violations in a short period of time.

Children are often misdiagnosed with ADHD because they are misbehaving with high energy at home or in a classroom. The problem is that when you look at the parenting technique or classroom management skills of the teacher, the source of the rudeness and social difficulty becomes much more clear. A child raised without boundaries, not taught to respect authority, and not instructed in how to constructively communicate with others including listening skills and eye contact will of course end up taking liberties in how they behave and come across as selfish, rude, or unpleasant to be around whether they have ADHD or not.

In order to be officially diagnosed with ADHD the symptoms of distraction and hyperactivity (not rudeness) have to be present in three different environments (ex. home, school, work, sports team, extended family, etc). If the distracted and hyperactive behavior is limited to one or two environments while the person is focused and calm elsewhere, it is the environment that needs reviewing to figure out why the person is responding the way they are or feeling they have the liberty to behave in the way they are. Children need guidance in how to navigate the world, and adults who struggle with social norms and life skills such as attentiveness and patience may be children who simply never had a mentor intervene to help them before they grew up. Even adults benefit from a caring individual offering guidance in how to navigate life with greater success.

Whether you have ADHD yourself or are connected to such an individual, please remember that ADHD is a gift when we remember to treat it as such, not a curse. Peter Parker could have seen himself as cursed, and Clark Kent could have thought the same, but they had people in their lives who helped them to see their potential and fulfill it. With great power comes great responsibility, and incredible things happen when we all step up to play our part.

Winter Promotions!

CPR Level A and AED Training
$480 flat rate for group up to 16 participants (includes tax and student manuals)
4 hours, focus on performing adult CPR
Regular price: $720 ($45/participant)

We are clearing out our inventory and have 16 CPR student packages available. Participants will receive a Red Cross certificate which is WSIB approved and recognized across Canada. The certificate is valid for three years.

Because the training is four hours long this can be run during the day or as an evening session. Perfect for youth or adults, our facilitator and professional training equipment will come to your site to provide a high quality learning experience. Training must be booked and completed before February 1, 2012. To learn more please contact our office at (613) 464-1980.

StressWinner Stress Bites - Lunch and Learn
$225 flat rate for group up to 21 participants (includes tax and student booklets)
1 hour workshop
Regular price: $315 ($15/participant)

StressWinner training turns worry in to energy and stress in to success! Twelve common human patterns/habits that increase stress are exposed and replaced with constructive approaches to take which reduce stress and improve both physical and mental health. Participants will leave the workshop with knowledge of immediate steps they can take to improve their health and start feeling better.

A round of Stress Bites booklets were published with a small cosmetic error so we are reducing the price of the workshop where we will be using these particular training materials that are currently in our inventory. More participants are welcome at the additional fee of $12/participant. To book your training please contact our office at (613) 464-1980.

Raise the Bar, Come to Life

2011-11-09T11:38:00.013-05:00

The following article written by Lindsay Walton, Lead Facilitator of Open Door Development, was published in this month's Parallel Lines, the newsletter of the Association for Challenge Course Technology (ACCT).

We live in a society where the bar has been set pretty low. Life has itʼs challenges, hard hits and tough times, but in the sense of having something to strive for, a higher goal or standard to push for, the challenge it seems has been set to the side in favor of self-indulgence.

Many have forgotten how to fight for things, have forgotten how to persevere or be patient with themselves and others while mistakes are made and lessons learned. Many have settled for being entertained rather than being stretched, have settled for convenience rather than accomplishment, have settled for having their own way at the expense of the health and strength of their broader community.

It is a great thing to celebrate a teamʼs success and there is a sense of comfort for a facilitator in knowing that their clients are happy, enjoying their time and feeling good about themselves. A happy client is one who will hopefully return and pay for the experience again in the future. It makes for a more straightforward and stressless day as the person running the program. However, if all of your clients are happy and smiling throughout their experiences, I would like to suggest that something is not quite right. There is an Opportunity being missed. I would like to offer a life clue, one that if you grab hold of it may alter how you approach facilitation, business, and life.

Human beings at their very core desire challenge. That desire is built in to the human body. When we examine physical fitness it is a general principle that the more you sit the more you are going to want to sit. The more you sleep, the more you will want to sleep. However the more you are active, the more you will want to be in motion. The more you are challenged and see the pay-off, the more you want to push yourself. As we move forward and increase our activity we gain more ability to enjoy and engage in life. Increased range of motion, reduced pain, improved health, higher self-confidence and more. What is fascinating about this principle is that it is not confined to our physical selves.

Our inner beings, something deep in our core, responds the same way. The more we are indulged the more we demand to be handed to us. The more we focus on our wants and needs the more angry we get with others who we perceive arenʼt letting us have it. But the more we work for things, the more we push our character and see ourselves grow and strengthen, the more we want to push on and to be pushed.

Did you know that to challenge someone is to say “I care about you”? When offered out of a sincere desire to see someone grow and be healthy, independent and strong enough to face lifeʼs storms, humans perceive challenge as a sign of love. This is most obvious in young children who thrive when their parents challenge them by laying out boundaries, saying no, and disciplining them when they sink in to dishonesty, selfishness, greed, apathy or other qualities that will not serve them well in life. While making for some very hard days, weeks, months or years at times for the parents, their children display higher levels of self-confidence and ability to navigate life as a healthy and independent adult because somebody loved them enough to push them rather than indulge them. This is a gift from our parents we often donʼt learn to be grateful for until
much later in life.

What is critical to understand is that the need to be challenged doesnʼt fade away as we grow older. As adults, we are still drawn to people who call us to something higher. People who empower us, sometimes by sharing insight so that we know how to move forward and other times by making us work for it so that we figure it out ourselves. Either way, this person who we find so attractive usually accepted us as we were at the time, but didnʼt allow us to stay that way. They called us to face the challenge and empowered us in some way by pushing us, and we are attracted to that. People are attracted to Life and challenge is so very much a part of that. It is in being challenged that we truly learn how to persevere and not give up. It is in being challenged that we truly learn what it means to practice honesty, to be a person of integrity. It is in being challenged that we learn our strengths and identify our areas for growth, and develop hope that we can always move forward and always have the ability to be the change we want to see in the world around us.

I place the challenge to you as a facilitator to allow your participants to be stretched. Call them to something higher, something greater, and allow them to be frustrated while they figure it out. Examine yourself and identify when you are handing a group a clue to a challenge because they have earned it versus when you are handing out clues to relieve your sense of discomfort with their frustration. Examine yourself and identify when you are modifying challenges or letting participants get away with things not because it is better for them, but because you feel safer when everyone likes you as the facilitator who entertained them. Push yourself as a facilitator and know that there will be a payoff. You will grow as a professional, able to handle more difficult and complex team and community issues as they present themselves. Your business will grow because in the long-run people are more attracted to challenges that made them think than to entertainment which allowed their brains to turn off.

And because we know that participantsʼ experiences with us in our programs do have the ability to impact their broader lives, take inspiration and motivation from this thought. Your challenge to persevere may save a marriage. Your challenge to participate rather than sit on the sidelines may lead a parent to take a more active role in their childʼs life. Your challenge to stop taking shortcuts or looking for the easy way out may save someone from a criminal record. Your challenge to encourage others and point out their strengths may prevent a suicide.

If you are facing difficult life challenges and are being given the advice to listen to your feelings because then youʼll know what to do, ignore it. If you are giving this advice, quit it. Our feelings and emotions are clues, not an answer. It is what we know about hope, integrity, honesty, perseverance and more that will guide us through tough times and lead us to take actions that we will be proud of and that will give us peace in retrospect.

Allow yourself to be challenged. Challenge yourself. Challenge others. And Live.

Lindsay Walton is the Lead Facilitator of Open Door Development, a company that exists to build strong teams and healthy communities through team building, conflict resolution training, leadership development and more. You can contact her at info@opendoordevelopment.ca.

What New Services Would You Like To See? Join the Conversation!

2011-10-26T14:53:00.007-04:00

In January of 2012 we will be updating our course curriculum and will be offering new course and workshop options in response to client feedback.

In addition to adjusting our current time frames and course content we are exploring adding two new workshops to our repertoire: Anger Management, and Healthy Sexuality.

Many of our clients are connected to populations struggling with anger issues which are sabotaging their ability to be successful in life and they are looking for solutions. Course participants also share on a regular basis stories of how their choices regarding their sexuality have impacted their lives painfully. Consequences have included unexpected pregnancies, being cheated on or abandoned, having their heart broken when a significant relationship involving their sexuality came to an end, or contracting a disease.

What makes us excited about offering these courses is that we have the knowledge and training to be able to equip participants with Anger Reduction training which would not focus on how to manage your anger, but on how to address it at its roots so that it begins to go away.

We also have the ability to create a Healthy Sexuality workshop that focuses on the value of the individuals and empowers them with the facts about their bodies and internal emotional workings that truly equips them to make informed decisions about their sexuality. This content is not covered in health class!

In order to provide the best service to you, whether a current client or a potential future client, we are looking for your feedback and insight. Please take the time to provide your comments below with answers to any or all of the following questions:

If Open Door Development were to offer Anger Reduction ("Management") training and a Healthy Sexuality workshop would either of these services hold interest for you?
What information would you like to see covered in the curriculum? What questions would you like to see answered?
What is the ideal time frame or length of training that would best fit your schedule when you are looking for any kind of training? 1 hour? 3 hours? Full day? Multiple days?
Knowing that Open Door Development exists "To build strong teams and healthy communities", are there any other courses or workshops that you would like to see offered that we do not currently advertise?

If you are unfamiliar with all of our program options please visit our website at www.opendoordevelopment.ca! Thank you for your time and insight. You are a part of helping Open Door Development grow!

StressWinner Fall 2011 Training Dates!

2011-10-13T14:17:00.006-04:00

80% of physical concerns and complaints shared with family doctors are not the result of disease, but are the result of harmful stress. StressWinner course instructors equip their participants with the knowledge they need to immediately begin lowering their stress and experiencing better health. You can be trained as an instructor and Authorized Provider with direct access to ordering course materials from StressWinner, able to train when and where you would like. The United Nations identified stress as an epidemic because of its incredible widespread impact. The more StressWinner instructors helping people to reduce their stress the better!

Lindsay Walton, our Lead Facilitator, is a StressWinner Master Instructor Trainer and will be running the instructor courses in the Toronto and Ottawa areas this Fall. To learn more about becoming an instructor please contact us and we will email you a copy of the StressWinner Instructor Information Package including a course registration form. You can also visit our website to learn more about the StressWinner courses and access the link to download the instructor package directly. Completed registration forms are to be submitted to StressWinner at info@stresswinner.com.

As an instructor you will see on a regular basis the incredible life-giving impact this training can have. Participants have moments of discovery as they identify where their stress is coming from (they are often surprised at some of the sources they hadn't consciously recognized) and whether you work in a school, business, recreational or other setting you will quickly see the improvement in team dynamics and community health. Register today!

October 24/25, 2011 - Hugh Foster Hall (Milton, ON)
8:30-4:30, Coffee Station and Lunch Provided
$658.00 (taxes and student materials included)

November 21/22, 2011 - Hugh Foster Hall (Milton, ON)
8:30-4:30, Coffee Station and Lunch Provided
$658.00 (taxes and student materials included)

November 25-27, 2011 - Tucker House (Rockland, ON)
Friday 5:00pm - Sunday 2:00pm
$670.00* (taxes, student materials, meals and accommodations included)

A StressWinner training retreat during which instructor candidates will put the Stresswinner key principles in to practice! Tucker House is a beautiful historical home just east of the city of Ottawa which has been turned in to a retreat facility. Participants are required to bring their own bedding. Please contact info@stresswinner.com if you wish to participate in the training, but not stay at the facility overnight.

*The course price is so low due to Tucker House’s incredibly generous rates and because course participants will work together to prepare all meals.

December 12/13, 2011 - Hugh Foster Hall (Milton, ON)
8:30-4:30, Coffee Station and Lunch Provided
$658.00 (taxes and student materials included)

Anaphylaxis: Response and Prevention

2011-07-18T13:10:00.008-04:00

We have extended our summer savings deal! Take our online Anaphylaxis Training for only $8.99 until September 30, 2011! (Regular price: $19.99)

With a little information, such as the knowledge that anaphylaxis is a life-threatening allergy triggered by common everyday things including peanuts and insect stings, it can be easy to afraid of the condition and to worry about it. With a lot of information you can become aware of the problem without having to be afraid of it because knowledge is power, equipping you to identify emergencies, respond to them calmly and prevent emergencies from happening in the first place.

Approximately 2% of North Americans are currently at risk of experiencing an anaphylactic attack though new research is suggesting it may be as high as 4% (approximately 18 million people)! As a result more than 50% of North Americans (approximately 225 million people) are directly connected to a person with anaphylaxis because they are family, friends, coworkers, or clients.

Open Door Development has created an online training resource to help individuals learn more about anaphylaxis and when successfully completed participants are able to print a certificate which they can add to their resume or portfolio, or mount on the wall for others to see. Whether your child's friend who comes over to play has anaphylaxis, your brother or your co-worker, there are so many things you can do to help protect them and this course will show you how!

If you are interested in protecting yourself and your family from developing anaphylaxis, one of the theories being most heavily explored is the overuse of antibiotics. A connection has been made between the use of powerful antibiotics in young children and infants and the development of anaphylaxis and asthma (another immune system disorder) later in life. If you or your child are ill and require medical attention antibiotics may be the right choice, but never accept the recommendation of taking antibiotics without discussing your options with your doctor. Sometimes taking antibiotics only speeds up the healing process. Your body may be able to fight the illness on its own if given enough time, allowing your immune system to become stronger. Young children who are given antibiotics can end up with confused immune systems because an outside chemical (the antibiotic) stepped in and interfered with the immune system's natural processes. This can lead to an immune system being unable to tell the difference between 'the enemy' (eg. germs, bacteria and viruses) and every day healthy substances (eg. peanuts and shellfish). Antibiotics have increased our quality and length of life, but there is a balance to deciding under what circumstances they should be taken. Keep an open line of communication with your doctor to determine when to intervene with antibiotics and when to allow your immune system to do its job alone. This can reduce the chances of experiencing anaphylaxis later.

For those with anaphylaxis it is important to be aware of exactly what triggers your allergy and where that allergen may be hiding. Many people are unaware that allergens belong to families which means they may be allergic to something that on the surface appears unconnected. For example, it is not uncommon for an individual who is allergic to latex to also be allergic to bananas. This is because of the family connection between the trees from which these two things are derived. There is also a difference between being allergic to peanuts (a single kind of nut) and tree nuts (an entire family of nuts which can trigger a reaction). Never try to self-diagnose allergies. Always speak with your family physician regarding any strange reactions you have to any substance (ex. spreading rash that covers your body or abnormal swelling). An open line of communication with your family doctor and an allergy specialist can help to identify all potential triggers so you can be informed and protect yourself.

Once allergy triggers have been identified, do your research and know where these substances can be found. Children with egg allergies should not be given tempera paint because it is an egg-based product. Women with deadly fish allergies need to be cautious with any make-up containing glitter because the sparkling effect is created with ground up fish scales. Fish genes are also hidden in many of our tomatoes and cucumbers thanks to the advance of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Many tomatoes and cucumbers have had a fish gene spliced in to them to create a higher secretion of oil in the skin. This prevents water rot and results in a higher crop yield and more profit for the farmers. The problem is that unsuspecting sensitive individuals with anaphylaxis end up eating the seeds (where the fish gene is hiding) and triggering their allergies without being able to identify where they were exposed to fish. Knowing the hidden sources of allergens can reduce fear and empower individuals to know how to protect themselves. You'll find more information about hidden allergens in our online course.

For those who are interested in learning about responding to and preventing other emergencies such as asthma attacks, choking, hyperventilation, heart attacks and more we recommend taking a full first aid course. Open Door Development is proud to be a Training Partner with the Canadian Red Cross and provides nationally recognized and WSIB approved certification.

To learn more about our services please visit our website at www.opendoordevelopment.ca or contact our office at info@opendoordevelopment.ca or (613) 464-1980!

Skills Link Conversation

2011-04-24T14:32:00.004-04:00

Skills Link and other employment programs are great resources for helping individuals to increase their chances of entering a field or industry they have interest in and for gaining the additional skills or resources needed to maintain that employment. Government funding is available to support these initiatives and this can be a mixed blessing with a lot that can be accomplished, but a lot of paperwork that goes along with!

If you are a professional who works within the employment sector or another sector that operates based on government funding, how do you creatively use your funding to provide your clients with the highest-quality program? What kinds of resources, training, experiences, etc have you been able to make available to them?

Add your comments below and join the conversation!

StressWinner Stress Reduction Facilitator Training

2011-04-21T14:19:00.012-04:00

StressWinner Stress Reduction Facilitator Training - May 13-15, 2011
$399 All-Inclusive (Regular $599+)
Spaces Still Available

If you work in any of the following professions or industries you may be particularly interested in becoming a StressWinner Facilitator and Authorized Provider:

- Social Work, Counseling
- Teacher or Guidance Counselor
- Career Coaching, Skills Link Programs
- Police, Justice System
- Health Care, Health and Wellness, Alternative Medicine
- Youth at Risk, Addictions Counseling/Support
- Parenting Support
- Faith-based or Religious Leadership
- Camping and Recreation
- Human Resources

StressWinner Stress Reduction Training was developed by Dr. David Rainham, an expert on the subject of stress. Having identified that 80% of the health complaints that appeared in his office were actually the result of harmful stress, Dr. Rainham outlined 12 Key Principles that help to reduce stress and therefor increase people's health and quality of life. The stress reduction training comes in one-hour ("Stress Bites), three-hour ("The 12 Key Principles of Stress Reduction"), and 1-day ("StressWinner Stress Reduction Training") formats to meet any scheduling needs and is ideal for reducing stress in the workplace, equipping youth to be healthy and handle life challenges, building resumes to make individuals more employable because they will be healthy additions to a workplace and more!

Open Door Development has secured permission from the owners of the StressWinner training to offer the StressWinner Facilitator course for only $399 all-inclusive (course fee, taxes, student materials, meals and accommodations). The regular price is $599 plus taxes/meals/accommodations. Individuals trained as StressWinner Facilitators have the ability to run all three stress reduction courses and automatically become Authorized Providers of the programs meaning they have the ability to schedule any course at any time with anyone and order the necessary teaching materials directly from the distributor. Some Authorized Providers then go on to provide internal training to reduce stress within their business or school, others go on to provide training to targeted populations or the general public as a non-profit service, while others go on to start their own businesses marketing StressWinner training and others teach only their family and friends. There are so many options and so much good that you can accomplish as a StressWinner Facilitator!

In order to keep the cost low we have booked a victorian home outside of Rockland, On (Ottawa) which has been converted in to a comfortable retreating facility. Registration opens at 5:00pm on the Friday with program finishing on the Sunday at 2:00pm. A more detailed schedule will be sent to participants two weeks before the course. Participants will be working together to prepare meals for each other in the spacious kitchen and will get to enjoy a combination of focused learning time with relaxed meals and rest opportunities which can be used to wander the beautiful property and we will have at least one evening campfire. We are not only going to learn the StressWinner stress reduction principles, we are going to try and practice some of them this weekend! Anyone with food allergies or concerns can list them on their application form and they will be taken in to consideration when groceries are purchased. Participants are more than welcome to bring personal food items if they have a concern and store them in the fridge/freezer/cupboards at Tucker House. Participants will need to bring their own bedding and will be sharing a room with up to 3 other participants of the same gender (unless other requests are made).

To register please contact us at (613) 464-1980 or by email at info@opendoordevelopment.ca!