BRAIN FOOD: Diet and nutrition play an important role in structural brain plasticity, the development of gray matter volume, and the maintenance of white matter integrity.

mon in both dyslexia and ADHD. A deficit in executive function impacts reading acquisition because it is involved in both self-regulation in behavior and in managing complex higher order cognitive processes like learning to read. A major study on nutrients necessary for executive function development and related brain connectivity identified specific nutrients and micronutrients that are associated with executive function development, but stopped short of recommending specific supplementation. In fact, the findings from supplementation studies tend to be very inconsistent and many of these nutrients are already contained in a normal healthy diet.

However, a study of diet in ADHD did find that those eating less fruits and vegetables were likely to have more severe symptoms of inattention. Learning to read requires focus. If your child has both ADHD and dyslexia, adding more fruits and vegetables to the diet may enhance the progress made during intervention.

Anecdotally, and not surprisingly, students who are tutored after school (when they are generally tired and hungry) perform much better when they eat a non-sugary healthy snack right before the tutoring session. This may also help them to better retain what they learn in each session, an important consideration, since learning retention related to reading instruction is an ongoing challenge in dyslexia. So, even in the short term, good nutrition contributes to learning. This is a small step every parent can take to ensure that their child gets the most out of each tutoring session. This is supported by many studies on the relationship between nutrition and learning.

"If your child has both ADHD and dyslexia, adding more fruits and vegetables to the diet may enhance the progress made during intervention."

EXERCISE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Physical exercise increases brain function throughout life, and there are strong correlations between physical activity and academic achievement in school age children. This is especially true of aerobic exercise which positively impacts attention, processing speed, as well as executive and memory function – some of the most important baseline components for fluent reading.

Exercise also specifically targets one of the greatest barriers to "If your child has both ADHD and dyslexia, adding more fruits and vegetables to the diet may enhance the progress made during intervention." retaining what has been learned during reading instruction – reduced neuroplasticity. Because of this feature of dyslexia, most dyslexic students require a repeated cycle of learning and relearning the same reading instruction content before it can be retained. For the best cognitive improvement, regular moderate-intensity exercise, rather than high or low-intensity exercise is recommended.

DYSLEXIA-RELATED ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION… IT'S REAL

Many dyslexic students struggle with anxiety and depression as they fall behind their peers in reading. They may lose ground in other academic areas as well, because reading is the basis for achievement in all academic subjects. Just learning the truth that their struggle is not related to intelligence, but represents a difference in the way they learn, helps many dyslexic children to overcome their low self-esteem. Their dyslexia may be accompanied by dysgraphia (difficulty with handwriting and writing skills) and dyscalculia (difficulty in grasping math concepts). Until their reading improves, they will especially struggle with word problems in math. These multiple challenges can create an avalanche of anxiety for the child, that leaves them in an overwhelmed state at the start of every new school day, and as they approach every new homework assignment.

Dyslexia-related depression and anxiety can be prevented with early screening and early evidence-based reading intervention. Many states are mandating early dyslexia screening in kinder