8 June 2012 Discover The Phoenix Region
icking
ADHD
out of the picture
Joel Harpenau loves cruising his Scottsdale neighborhood on his
bike alongside his Dad, John. The exercise is great, the views
are nice, but not surprisingly the best part of the bike ride for
the 8-year-old is a stop they make along the way. Before head-
ing home the father and son pause to enjoy a Drumstick, the
delicious ice cream cone dessert topped with chocolate and
nuts. Along with playing soccer, this is one of Joel’s favorite
things to do after school, however it is another after school
activity making a big difference in Joel’s life.
In many ways Joel is your typical 2nd grader, but his ADHD is
anything but typical. Joel has boundless energy and according
to John constantly needs to know why. He struggled to keep
his focus in school. John has tried numerous ways of keeping it
under control, but a summer camp that included an introduc-
tion to karate really seemed to help his son.
“I don’t know what Sensei Poage has,” John said, “ but it
works.”
Joel is continuing his karate and is enrolled in ME, the Men-
tal and Martial Enrichment program at the Peaceful Warrior
Martial Arts and Healing Center. Richard Poage and Tiffany
B Y J E F F H E I S N E R
w w w. b o t t o m l i n e m e d i a c o a c h i n g . c o m
Richards are co-owners of the Scottsdale dojo and started the
program with the help of Scottsdale Psychologist Dr. Dan Short
to help kids and families affected by ADD and ADHD. The pro-
grams’ goals are to develop mental focus and clarity, build self
control, improve school performance, eliminate negative atten-
tion seeking behaviors and maintain healthy relationships with
peers, family members and others.
“He’s got a better focus and attention span,” John said of his
son, “and he’s doing better in school.”
John calls Joel’s progress remarkable. Richards said, “Parents
are noticing it’s making a difference.” Harpenau is not the only
parent who has noticed a difference since the ME program
started.
Juawana Gaddis’ son Sebastion has learned, “how to be a good