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Showing posts from 2017

Fidget toys

There's been a bit in the news and on social media about fidget toys and whether or not they are a good thing.  Personally I believe these toys have their place and can be a useful tool for children to help them concentrate at school, listen to the teacher and do their work. Like most crazes I'm sure there are times that using these toys is inappropriate and I imagine that teachers may well be dealing with large numbers of these toys in their classrooms and this could easily be very distracting. However for children who find it difficult to concentrate, these fidget toys are not a distraction but an essential tool to enable them to manage their work. I remember as a child at school having pens with a click mechanism that I constantly clicked, often without realising that I was doing so, and only having it brought to my attention by someone else who clearly found it annoying. However it was a completely unconscious action on my part. If I'd had a fidget toy that I could cl

The reality of ADHD

ADHD seems to attract an undue amout of criticism and controversy. Recently CHADD - children and adults with adhd posted an article from science based medicine. Here is what CHADD says: '"There are many legitimate criticisms of #ADHD and psychiatry, but that does not mean ADHD is a fraud. The scientific evidence, both clinical and neuroscience, is robust. Kagan’s criticisms are mostly greatly exaggerated, or they are straw men because they are already incorporated into the standard of care. Unfortunately, you will not be exposed to any of that from reading any of the popular press breathlessly reporting that ADHD is a fraud." So - read this.' I have read the article and it is a well written if slightly long paper on the reality of  ADHD, the difficulty in diagnosing the disorder and recent research which is shedding light on the disorder that continues to affect around 6% of any given population. Enjoy the read and what science is discovering about ADHD. https: