Is there an Answer to the Violence in our youth?
With all the talk of violence in schools, children with guns and the lack of adequate reading and math skills, there is a preponderance of talk about behavior modification that seems to do little to solve the extraordinary problems affecting our youth today.
In1966, after teaching fourth grade, and finding out that a number of my students were not able to read, I began searching for programs that would let them be able to feel
successful in their own lives. I noticed that the children who could not read were able to take an oral test and get almost all the answers correct. This was my first experience that we each learn in our own unique way. The more I worked with the children, the more I realized that children had learning differences and discovered that children were not disabled, but had not yet been given the tools to be able to learn in their own unique style.
Many had not grasped the basics of reading, math or word processing and had built up an
immunity to failure. The more problems they had, the more they began to wall themselves
off from others and the resistant behavior became very apparent.
As I began working with their educational deficiencies and gave them projects with which they could succeed, the behavioral problems disappeared.
In 1980 I was introduced to functional optometry, and began the team approach to health care, and had phenomenal results with the children. They went from F's to B's and sometimes A's in a very short period of time. By treating the children's neurological problems and helping their eye-hand coordination difficulties, we helped children who had failed become successful.
However, from 1983 until 1996 the problems affecting young people have accentuated and the same therapies we used in the '80s became much less effective. We were baffled! Are children different? Are our children catching a virus that causes violence? Is there an answer that can help solve this paramount problem?
Since the '80s we have been researching new avenues to enable us to help children and give them back their self-esteem, their pride in themselves and give them hope for their futures.
Numerous articles were read, books were scoured, lectures were attended and, the answers given in the above seemed so great. In reality, they were nothing more than great ideas for a philosophical change. How can you expect a child who cannot process what you are saying to them to be able to put into action philosophical tenets they do not understand? Is there an answer or is it hopeless, and the only resolve to arm ourselves to protect ourselves from being shot?
April, 1996 was a turning point in the search for answers. I attended a lecture presented by Dr. Barry Sears, who gave the first realistic approach to helping people of all ages. The answer had been right in front of us for years, but it took Dr. Sears' approach to make it clear and concise. It then made sense why the great results we had in the early '80s began to diminish by 1985. The answer was the influx of the high carbohydrate, low fat, no fat diet.
As insulin levels increase and the essential fatty acids decrease, what follows is across-the-board symptoms of lack of attention, lack of focus, difficulty following through with projects, and all the symptoms of the process called ADD and ADHD prevail. But is there a way to measure what is wrong? Is it the child's fault or is there a biochemical, and physiological reason why there are behavioral changes taking place.