For as long as I can remember, I have never liked running. I have always been poor at it. So since there was so much room for improvement, it seemed to be the perfect sport for me.

I took up running in February 2011 at the old age of 33. My fourth baby was 7 month old, and I was ready to get my body back. I made the common mistake of a newbie runner: too much too soon. I injured my knee so badly after my 1st 4-miler that I swore I would not run again. It took over 2 weeks for the pain to go and another week to walk without limping. I switched to power walking. I was doing well. It was much easier on my joints. I walked 3 times a week, no more. I took a long break in Europe over the summer to take my kids to my parents'. I had lost all the weight of ALL my pregnancies. In July I went for an 18K walk with my dad in Belgium. It was good; I felt strong. In September, back in Florida, I took up my walking regimen again...and I put a little running in it. It felt natural somehow to speed up things with running. And the "marathon bug" started. I got to reading stories of long distance runners...and I liked it. I signed up for the 2012 ING Miami Marathon. My aim was to walk it and maybe jog a little of the distance if I could. I looked up training programs on the web, bought books. I even pushed my husband into it...and he, reluctantly at first, but positively then, followed me into my "running ideas." I put more and more running into my walking sessions in the fall to the point of not doing any walking any more; I just ran. I got used to the YMCA treadmill when the Florida heat was overwhelming. In October I signed up for the early December Rock and Roll Miami Half Marathon. Husband was signed up too (by force). By November I could run up to 10 miles...boy, I was proud! December race came. I was thrilled and finished my very first Half Marathon in 2:26:49! Husband was 43 seconds ahead of me...but I ran almost all the way, with just 2 or 3 small walking breaks. Victory!

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NACD has stressed the importance and development of short-term and working memory since the inception of the organization in 1979. We have also been developing software to work on these critical skills since the early 80s, including the Simply Smarter program and the Simply Smarter Kids app. Research completed in 2011 and 2012 continues to support the critical role that working memory capacity plays in academic performance and language. 

In a study published in August of 2012, "Anxiety and Depression in Academic Performance: An Exploration of the Mediating Factors of Worry and Working Memory," by Matthew Owens, Jim Stevenson, Julie A. Hadwin, and Roger Norgate, they discussed the interplay of worry and anxiety, working memory issues and academic performance. Higher anxiety was tied to lower academic outcomes. There also appeared to be a connection between higher anxiety and worry and how well the working memory was able to function. 

We see again and again that working memory capacity plays a critical role in learning and understanding the world. This is why it is so essential to address working memory in daily program activities.

I remember talking to David's mom, Holly, prior to her starting the NACD program. She was familiar with NACD because when she was a girl in the 80s, her mom had helped do program with three children. So when her own son, David, was diagnosed with a sensory processing disorder, anxiety, and right brain-left brain issues, Holly thought of NACD. At the time they started with NACD, David's parents had to remove him from school, as he would get so anxious he would throw up. He had issues with sounds, auditory figure-ground issues, math, reasoning, and on and on. 

David started his NACD program in April of 2011. At that time his family was homeschooling him since he couldn't handle school. At the age of 11, he was technically a 5th grader. While he loved and enjoyed things that were age appropriate, he was immature. Academically he was behind in math, although reading was pretty average for a child his age. Neurodevelopmentally, however, he was very disorganized. He had low auditory processing, poor working memory, hypersensitivity to sound, mixed dominance, difficulty with visual tracking, he was overly sensitive to touch (ie. bothered by tags and seams), and lacked overall proprioception. He had poor printing, pencil grasp, and muscle tone, as well as poor physical skills. David couldn't crawl, and he couldn't walk or run or skip in a cross pattern. He had poor coordination. Finally he didn't speak clearly, tending to mumble when he talked - if he talked at all. 

Now a year and a half later, after hours and hours of work (Holly accomplished 80-100% of program every day with David, who was very cooperative and did his part!), at the age of 12 he is attending junior high with no anxiety. He is getting straight As. He is playing football. David speaks clearly and can talk your ear off if you let him. He is doing well academically - he loves to read and is doing writing assignments on his own. David has his own responsibilities at home and knows what he needs to do. He is no longer irritated with sound, his dominance is in place, tracking is good, processing is high, gross motor function is strong, and his fine motor function is excellent. He is in drama and orchestra - 1st chair violin! He is a typical pre-teen boy - loves sports, video games, and music; but he also is so sweet and just a good kid. He is more confident in himself and is motivated to do things on his own. He wakes up to do his NACD program at 5:45 am every day before school. I told him at our most recent evaluation that now it is all about accelerating his function (and continuing to mind his parents!). David - you are a star in my sky. Keep up the great work and know that all of what you have done and are doing is only going to help you reach your dreams. I am in your corner cheering you on as you move forward in your journey.