tag:theconversation.com,2011:/global/topics/children-attention-8960/articlesChildren attention – The Conversation2017-07-05T22:42:33Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/795382017-07-05T22:42:33Z2017-07-05T22:42:33Z‘Screen time’ is about more than setting limits<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/176447/original/file-20170630-8225-1jd0hdt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">How much is too much screen time for kids?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/asian-brother-sister-watching-cartoons-on-472962424?src=-8M1vrXec2Haov1oCsGriQ-1-8">Dragon Images/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In today’s media-rich world (or media-saturated, depending on your view), one rarely has to look far to find parents concerned about the ways that kids engage with technology. Recently, managing “screen time” seems to be on <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/06/19/why-a-colorado-dad-is-fighting-to-make-smartphones-for-preteens-illegal/">everyone’s</a> <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/can-they-unplug-a-school-principal-will-pay-students-to-forgo-screentime-this-summer/2017/06/09/b22decd4-4c88-11e7-bc1b-fddbd8359dee_story.html">mind</a> – particularly during these summer months when kids find themselves with more time on their hands.</p>
<p>As someone who has spent the majority of my career studying <a href="http://www.mitpress.mit.edu/books/framing-internet-safety">kids and safety online</a>, I get a lot of questions from parents about screen time. My response? There’s a lot more to digital media consumption than expert advice about hourly limits. </p>
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<h2>Where ‘screen time’ comes from</h2>
<p>The idea of “screen time” initially gained traction in 1999, when the American Academy of Pediatrics suggested that parents <a href="https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2011-1753">avoid smartphone, tablet, computer and TV use for children under two</a> and limit such use to no more than two hours for children over two, adding hours as kids mature. While the American Academy of Pediatrics <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-much-screen-time-is-good-for-kids-53780">relaxed these guidelines</a> somewhat in 2016 (expanding their policies to include <a href="https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2016-2592">positive digital media use</a> and suggest family media plans), the <a href="http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/66927/1/Policy%20Brief%2017-%20Families%20%20Screen%20Time.pdf">core idea of screen time remains largely unchanged</a>.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/176937/original/file-20170705-29992-vwtymp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/176937/original/file-20170705-29992-vwtymp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/176937/original/file-20170705-29992-vwtymp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=597&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/176937/original/file-20170705-29992-vwtymp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=597&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/176937/original/file-20170705-29992-vwtymp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=597&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/176937/original/file-20170705-29992-vwtymp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=750&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/176937/original/file-20170705-29992-vwtymp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=750&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/176937/original/file-20170705-29992-vwtymp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=750&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">As early as 1984, even the Berenstains had something to say about screen time.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/12152/the-berenstain-bears-and-too-much-tv-by-stan-and-jan-berenstain-illustrated-by-the-authors/9780394865706/">Penguin Random House</a></span>
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<p>Despite the allure of easy-to-follow rules that address parental concerns, screen time recommendations have drawn <a href="http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/66927/1/Policy%20Brief%2017-%20Families%20%20Screen%20Time.pdf">increasing criticism</a> from a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/head-quarters/2017/jan/06/screen-time-guidelines-need-to-be-built-on-evidence-not-hype">wide range of experts</a>.</p>
<p>In the academic world, the science supporting screen time recommendations has major limitations. Lab-based studies don’t always translate to the complexities of real life. More often than not, screen time studies demonstrate <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691615596788">connections between problems with well-being and media use</a>; they don’t demonstrate that one causes the other. For example, while research suggests that there’s a connection between screen time and childhood obesity, that could just mean that kids who are less active are more likely to be obese and spend more time in front of screens. The research does not suggest that screen time causes obesity.</p>
<h2>Screen time today</h2>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/176465/original/file-20170630-16446-2jgstb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/176465/original/file-20170630-16446-2jgstb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=1067&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/176465/original/file-20170630-16446-2jgstb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=1067&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/176465/original/file-20170630-16446-2jgstb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=1067&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/176465/original/file-20170630-16446-2jgstb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1341&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/176465/original/file-20170630-16446-2jgstb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1341&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/176465/original/file-20170630-16446-2jgstb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1341&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">One way to limit kids’ screen time: apps that lock their internet usage after a certain amount of time.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.unglue.com/press/">unGlue</a></span>
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<p>As our media practices have changed, and adults themselves have begun to spend more of their time online, the idea of screen time has not quite kept up with the times. The world is increasingly saturated with all kinds of <a href="https://theconversation.com/textbooks-in-the-digital-world-78299">positive, interactive media experiences</a> – for children and adults alike. Ideas about limiting screen time assume all screen experiences are equally negative for kids and that they’re replacing positive offline activities.</p>
<p>Yet, we know that kids do all kinds of positive things with digital media, often in ways that <a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/hanging-out-messing-around-and-geeking-out">support and are supported by “real life” activities</a> – in ways similar to adults. They go online to hang out with friends, catch up on events and seek out entertainment and information, just like anyone else.</p>
<p>In my own work, I’ve argued that some of the problems that parents have with kids and technology are, in fact, not about technology at all. With each generation, kids have been <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14733285.2011.638173">increasingly restricted</a> from <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/13/living/feat-maryland-free-range-parenting-family-under-investigation-again/index.html">going outside on their own</a>. With fewer private spaces to be a kid, we shouldn’t be surprised when kids turn to social media apps to hang out and socialize – and get upset when we stop them.</p>
<p>What looks like a “waste of time” or an “addiction” is often just <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/242101479_Questioning_the_Generational_Divide_Technological_Exoticism_and_Adult_Constructions_of_Online_Youth_Identity">everyday hanging out</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/176448/original/file-20170630-21184-jikdnd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/176448/original/file-20170630-21184-jikdnd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=426&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/176448/original/file-20170630-21184-jikdnd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=426&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/176448/original/file-20170630-21184-jikdnd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=426&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/176448/original/file-20170630-21184-jikdnd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=535&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/176448/original/file-20170630-21184-jikdnd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=535&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/176448/original/file-20170630-21184-jikdnd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=535&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Should kids be allowed outside – away from their devices – alone? The Meitiv family of Silver Spring, Maryland, faced an investigation after allowing their children to play in a local park unsupervised.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana</span></span>
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<h2>So what should parents do?</h2>
<p>How, then, can parents get a handle on their children’s media use? As always, <a href="https://www.danah.org/books/ItsComplicated.pdf">it’s complicated</a> – and no expert advice should trump the real, everyday experiences that parents have with their own children. That said, there are some general guidelines that can help.</p>
<p>First, parents should get away from ideas about time and focus more on the <a href="http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/mediapolicyproject/2016/08/05/the-content-and-context-of-screen-use-is-more-important-than-the-amount-of-screen-time/">content, context and connections</a> provided by different kinds of engagement with media. There’s a world of difference between spending a few hours playing games with close friends online and spending a few hours interacting with hate groups in an online forum. </p>
<p>Second, parents should ask <a href="http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/parenting4digitalfuture/2016/10/21/new-screen-time-rules-from-the-american-academy-of-pediatrics/">real questions concerning the well-being of their children</a>, independent of their media use. Are your children healthy, socially engaged, doing well in school and generally happy? If so, there’s probably no need to enforce hard restrictions on technology. If not, it’s best not to rush to conclusions about the inherent evils of technology. Have a conversation with kids about what they’re doing and what they think the rules should be. Unilaterally cutting kids off without understanding their problems can often <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/warning-screen-time-rules-can-backfire_us_5925d374e4b090bac9d46b07">make things worse</a>.</p>
<p>Finally, parents should remember that there’s no substitute for a meaningful, supportive relationship between parents and children. With a stable, trusting relationship, even negative experiences online can become positive learning experiences. In my many years of working with families, I’ve learned that if you already care enough to be worried about digital media, you’re probably already “doing enough” to protect your kids.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/176451/original/file-20170630-22617-18kaozg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/176451/original/file-20170630-22617-18kaozg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/176451/original/file-20170630-22617-18kaozg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/176451/original/file-20170630-22617-18kaozg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/176451/original/file-20170630-22617-18kaozg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/176451/original/file-20170630-22617-18kaozg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/176451/original/file-20170630-22617-18kaozg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Monitoring children’s media consumption is important, but there’s no substitute for quality family time.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nathaninsandiego/3995036506/">Nathan Rupert</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
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</figure><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/79538/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nathan Fisk, Ph.D. receives funding from the National Science Foundation. </span></em></p>For decades, parents have fretted over ‘screen time,’ limiting the hours their children spend looking at a screen. But as times change, so does media… and how parents should (or shouldn’t) regulate it.Nathan Fisk, Assistant Professor of Cybersecurity Education, University of South FloridaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/774562017-05-18T00:54:59Z2017-05-18T00:54:59ZFidget toys aren’t just hype<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/169815/original/file-20170517-2399-pt8l8n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Balancing and doing tricks requires visual attention.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/closeup-teenager-spinning-fidget-spinner-device-641169160">ThamKC via shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>An updated version of this article was published on May 7, 2021. <a href="https://theconversation.com/popping-toys-the-latest-fidget-craze-might-reduce-stress-for-adults-and-children-alike-158746">Read it here</a>.</em></p>
<p>The fidget spinner craze has been <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/fidget-spinner-craze-is-sweeping-the-u-s-but-some-schools-say-theyre-discractions/">sweeping elementary and middle schools</a>. As of May 17 <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Toys-Games/zgbs/toys-and-games#1">every one of the top 10 best-selling toys on Amazon</a> was a form of the hand-held toy people can spin and do tricks with. Kids and parents are even making them for themselves using <a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/glitchpudding/collections/fidget/page:1">3D printers</a> and other <a href="http://kidsactivitiesblog.com/107885/make-fidget-spinner">more homespun crafting techniques</a>.</p>
<p>But some teachers are <a href="http://time.com/money/4765188/fidget-spinners-ban-schools-classrooms-teachers/?xid=homepage">banning them from classrooms</a>. And <a href="http://time.com/money/4774133/fidget-spinners-adhd-anxiety-stress/">experts challenge the idea</a> that spinners are good for conditions like ADHD and anxiety. Meanwhile, the <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/antsylabs/fidget-cube-a-vinyl-desk-toy">Kickstarter online fundraising campaign</a> for the Fidget Cube – another popular fidget toy in 2017 – raised an astounding US$6.4 million, and can be seen on the desks of hipsters and techies across the globe. </p>
<p>My research group has taken <a href="https://doi.org/10.1145/2971485.2971557">a deep look at how people use fidget items</a> over the last several years. What we found tells us that these items are not <a href="https://theconversation.com/whats-behind-the-fidget-spinner-fad-77140">a fad that will soon disappear</a>. Despite sometimes being an <a href="http://www.npr.org/2017/05/14/527988954/whirring-purring-fidget-spinners-provide-entertainment-not-adhd-help">annoying distraction for others</a>, fidget items can have some practical uses for adults; our inquiry into their usefulness for children is underway.</p>
<h2>Understanding fidgeting</h2>
<p>Fidgeting didn’t start with the spinner craze. If you’ve ever clicked a ballpoint pen again and again, you’ve used a fidget item. As part of our work, we’ve asked people what items they like to fidget with and how and when they use them. (We’re <a href="http://fidgetwidgets.tumblr.com">compiling their answers online</a> and welcome <a href="http://fidgetwidgets.tumblr.com/submit">additional contributions</a>.)</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/169817/original/file-20170517-24350-hq4ai4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/169817/original/file-20170517-24350-hq4ai4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/169817/original/file-20170517-24350-hq4ai4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/169817/original/file-20170517-24350-hq4ai4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/169817/original/file-20170517-24350-hq4ai4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/169817/original/file-20170517-24350-hq4ai4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/169817/original/file-20170517-24350-hq4ai4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/169817/original/file-20170517-24350-hq4ai4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">People fidget with everyday items such as paper clips.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/metal-paperclip-isolated-on-white-background-198562463">MaIII Themd via shutterstock.com</a></span>
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<p>One thing people often report is that fidgeting with an object in the hand helps them to stay focused when doing a long task or sitting still and attentive in a long meeting. Many examples people have told us about are ready-to-hand objects like paper clips, USB thumb drives, headphone earbuds and sticky tape. But people also buy specialized items like a fidget spinner or a Fidget Cube for this purpose.</p>
<p>Another common thread involves people using some fidget objects – like a favorite smooth stone – to calm themselves down, helping them achieve a more relaxed, contemplative, even mindful state. </p>
<h2>Fine-tuning for focus</h2>
<p>Psychology research about sensation seeking tells us that people often seek to adjust their experiences and their environments so that they provide <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Sensation-Seeking-Psychology-Revivals-Beyond-the-Optimal-Level-of-Arousal/Zuckerman/p/book/9781315755496">just the right level of stimulation</a>. Different people function well under different circumstances. Some people like total quiet to help them focus, while others are happiest working in a busy, noisy environment. </p>
<p>The optimal level of stimulation (or lack thereof) not only varies <a href="https://www.steelcase.com/insights/articles/quiet-ones/">among people</a> but even can change for one person throughout the day <a href="https://www.brainscape.com/blog/2015/07/noise-can-help-you-study/">depending upon what he or she is trying to do</a>. So people fine-tune their environments to get things just right: for example, <a href="https://www.15five.com/blog/getting-sht-done-in-an-open-office/">putting on headphones in a noisy office environment</a> to substitute less distracting noise.</p>
<p>A person who can’t get up and walk around to wake up a bit, or go have a nice cup of tea to calm down, may find it helpful to use a fidget item to get in the right frame of mind to stay focused and calm while staying put.</p>
<h2>What researchers say</h2>
<p>Our results align with <a href="https://www.brainbalancecenters.com/blog/2014/11/fidgeting-strategies-for-kids-with-neurodevelopmental-disorders/">anecdotal accounts</a> about fidget toys helping children with attention or anxiety issues to stay focused and calm in the classroom. In fact, fidget toys have been <a href="https://www.therapyshoppe.com/category/8-fidget-toys">available for kids</a> for quite some time. </p>
<p>There hasn’t yet been a definitive study of the impact of these toys in the research world. In one <a href="https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ853381">preliminary study</a> looking at stress ball use, sixth graders who used these fidget toys during instruction independently reported that their “attitude, attention, writing abilities, and peer interaction improved.” </p>
<p>The closest significant research is UC Davis behavioral science professor Julie Schweitzer’s study of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/09297049.2015.1044511">letting children with ADHD fidget</a> – wriggling, bouncing or otherwise moving gently in place – while they worked on a lab-based concentration task called the “<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.3758/BF03192844">flanker paradigm</a>.” She found that more overall movement (measured using an accelerometer on the ankle) in children with ADHD did help them perform this cognitively demanding task.</p>
<p>Of course, it’s a big step from that finding to a claim that fidgeting with small objects in the hand can work, too. However, therapists tend to focus more on results than theoretical findings. They use what gets results and throw out what doesn’t, so practical experience suggests these toys may help kids.</p>
<h2>Avoiding distraction</h2>
<p>And yet, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/fidget-spinners-banned-from-top-high-schools-2017-5">schools are banning the spinners</a> and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/fidget-spinners-are-being-banned-from-classrooms-2017-5">teachers are taking them away</a>. The reason is that not all fidget items are created equal.</p>
<p>The items that therapists recommend are primarily tactile – a user holds it in a hand and can manipulate it without looking. But fidget spinners require hand-eye coordination. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">The basics of using a fidget spinner.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHq9t05vKHA">To use a fidget spinner</a>, a person holds the center of the spinner with thumb and finger, and then uses the other hand (or other fingers on the same hand) to get the spinner rotating. Once it’s spinning, there are tricks to be explored, like balancing the rotating spinner on a thumb. </p>
<p>Balancing a moving object really requires keeping an eye on it, and doing tricks is a lot of what makes the spinners fun. It’s also what draws the eyes of the user away from the teacher, and likely also the eyes of nearby students. This is the bane of a teacher trying to keep a classroom focused.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/169819/original/file-20170517-9937-1aijvbh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/169819/original/file-20170517-9937-1aijvbh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/169819/original/file-20170517-9937-1aijvbh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/169819/original/file-20170517-9937-1aijvbh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/169819/original/file-20170517-9937-1aijvbh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/169819/original/file-20170517-9937-1aijvbh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/169819/original/file-20170517-9937-1aijvbh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/169819/original/file-20170517-9937-1aijvbh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Less spinning, more focus?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/fidget-cube-stress-reliever-fingers-toy-634069979">idan gamliel via shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>By contrast, <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-crazy-aarons-thinking-putty-0415-biz-20160414-story.html">putty</a>, stress balls and other therapeutic fidget items don’t have this visual attention problem. They can serve the same purpose as the spinners, but are more classroom-ready and less distracting. In the same way, the Kickstarted Fidget Cube, too, is probably also more classroom-friendly.</p>
<p>Fidget items do seem to serve a valuable purpose. There’s still science to be done, but they’re not just a fad. They embody an enduring phenomenon that nearly everyone uses at some point – just watch your own behavior when doing desk work or sitting in meetings. My research team continues to study fidgeting behavior and design, working to create next-generation smart fidget objects that support managing attention and keeping calm.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/77456/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Katherine Isbister receives funding from Committee for Children, a nonprofit focused on teaching children social-emotional skills. </span></em></p>Fidget items can have practical uses that help people calm down and stay focused. The problem with spinners may be that they require visual attention, which can distract users and others nearby.Katherine Isbister, Professor of Computational Media, University of California, Santa CruzLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/561572016-03-23T04:04:29Z2016-03-23T04:04:29ZHow games can hook students with short attention spans<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/115981/original/image-20160322-32306-zqjvai.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Don't dismiss "playing games" as a waste of time - they can be a powerful tool for learning.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Modern human beings have a shorter attention span <a href="http://advertising.microsoft.com/en/cl/31966/how-does-digital-affect-canadian-attention-spans">than goldfish</a>: ours is, on average, below eight seconds while the little fish can focus for nine seconds.</p>
<p>These decreasing attention levels are driven by people’s constant use of technology. One <a href="http://science.sciencemag.org/content/345/6192/75">study</a> found that people’s dependence on digital stimulation has become so high that 67% of men and 25% of women would prefer to experience an electric shock rather than doing nothing for 15 minutes.</p>
<p>Children are no different. They occupy a hyper stimulating world and find it difficult to sit through a 40 minute lesson or focus on a single task. Many schools and universities are now turning to the very technology that can be such a <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-binge-watching-is-to-blame-for-kids-not-learning-51056">distraction</a>. One of the avenues they are exploring is <a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gamification">gamification</a> - integrating games and their principles into learning.</p>
<p>Our <a href="http://www.teachernology.com/blog/is-it-time-to-up-your-game">research</a> has shown that gamification has the potential to boost student learning and motivation.</p>
<h2>The game is changing</h2>
<p>Gaming has become a huge industry and is now even <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2009/sep/27/videogames-hollywood">more valuable</a> than the movie industry. A <a href="https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/the-common-sense-census-media-use-by-tweens-and-teens">recent study</a> found that teens spend an average of nine hours each day on their devices, with nearly four of these hours spent playing games. </p>
<p>But schools are starting to realise that merely putting devices in pupils’ hands won’t <a href="https://theconversation.com/outdated-teaching-methods-will-blunt-technologys-power-40503">magically restore</a> their attention during lessons. Children need <a href="http://www.teachernology.com/blog/laptop-or-ipad-or-is-this-the-wrong-question">new teaching methods</a> to accompany these new devices. To this end, some schools are turning to gamification.</p>
<p>Gamification normally involves game-like elements such as leaderboards, levels and badges. These are underpinned by storylines and delivered using creative and appealing aesthetics. Leaderboards rank participants, while levels typically give the player additional benefits. Badges are symbols of achievement. </p>
<p>In a sense this is how education has always worked. Individual examinations are challenges, passed across a number of years - or levels. Pupils then earn a certificate, or badge. But a qualification is not a gamified experience because it doesn’t adequately fulfil the <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/kenkrogue/2012/09/18/5-gamification-rules-from-the-grandfather-of-gamification/#22bb91906d38">key principles</a> of a well designed game: clearly defined goals, a transparent scoring mechanism, frequent feedback, a personal choice of approach and consistent coaching.</p>
<h2>Gamification of the classroom</h2>
<p>Gamification is slowly proving its classroom mettle. Some research <a href="http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=2513469&dl=ACM&coll=DL">suggests</a> that, if it’s properly applied, gamification can improve attendance, enhance understanding of content, encourage engagement and ultimately improve academic performance. </p>
<p>We decided to integrate gamification into an existing fourth year <a href="http://is.ukzn.ac.za/postgraduatecourses/honors/istn731.aspx">course</a> at a South African university. Traditionally, the course is delivered to students through social media platforms. This time around we built in an additional game layer. This created a scenario that saw students pursuing a corporate career and competing for executive positions at a large company. Throughout the course, corporate aesthetics and a corporate style of communication and feedback were adopted.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/115611/original/image-20160318-4436-178ht61.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/115611/original/image-20160318-4436-178ht61.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=277&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/115611/original/image-20160318-4436-178ht61.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=277&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/115611/original/image-20160318-4436-178ht61.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=277&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/115611/original/image-20160318-4436-178ht61.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=349&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/115611/original/image-20160318-4436-178ht61.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=349&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/115611/original/image-20160318-4436-178ht61.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=349&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Gamified course page with corporate aesthetics.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Students were recognised for meeting learning objectives, displaying academic progress, collaborating around activities and socialising with peers. They were awarded badges and points, which opened up opportunities for real-world benefits: marks, privileges like choosing their own project teams, and even letters of recommendation. They constantly competed to appear in the top 10 leaderboard.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/115610/original/image-20160318-4456-pj6zjh.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/115610/original/image-20160318-4456-pj6zjh.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=381&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/115610/original/image-20160318-4456-pj6zjh.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=381&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/115610/original/image-20160318-4456-pj6zjh.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=381&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/115610/original/image-20160318-4456-pj6zjh.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=478&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/115610/original/image-20160318-4456-pj6zjh.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=478&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/115610/original/image-20160318-4456-pj6zjh.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=478&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Badges each carrying a point weighting.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Our research found that students were highly motivated by gamification. They worked hard to try and master the content, as well as engaging with their peers about it. Since the game was based on rewarding learning outcomes and sharing their knowledge, students found gamification relevant and beneficial to their learning.</p>
<h2>Crashing the game</h2>
<p>There were challenges alongside the benefits. For starters, students had to invest more time in the course than they might ordinarily. To stay ahead of the game, they had to keep up with their peers. Those who simply couldn’t keep up fell out of the game, which made it harder to re-engage them. Some students also gave up because they weren’t receiving rewards frequently enough for their liking.</p>
<p>Teachers, too, must invest a lot of time in running the game - never mind the demands of the traditional course. Gamifying a classroom requires a significant investment in time and sometimes money. </p>
<p>We also found that there was a need to ensure a balance between competition - something gamified courses encourage - and helping develop socially cohesive students. This requires care from the teachers, who must ensure that collaborative tasks and social skills like empathy and mutual respect are rewarded within the game.</p>
<h2>Levelling up</h2>
<p>Despite the challenges, our research suggests that gamification techniques can provide interesting avenues to motivate student learning. </p>
<p>There are several free tools available to help teachers implement gamification in the classroom. <a href="http://getkahoot.com">Kahoot!</a>, for instance allows teachers to run gamified quizzes where students participate with their own devices and are placed on a leaderboard that the whole classroom can see.</p>
<p>Open badge platforms like <a href="http://www.credly.com">Credly</a> allow teachers to issue their students with badges, while platforms like <a href="http://www.classcraft.com">Classcraft</a> allow teachers to use role play scenarios in their lessons. </p>
<p>Gamification could, quite literally, be a game changer in the classroom if implemented correctly. As a teacher who recently tried gamification for the first time told one of the authors:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The students rush to class even though it is Maths. They often tell me it is the highlight of their day.</p>
</blockquote><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/56157/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Introducing game-like elements into classrooms can boost student motivation and learning.Craig Blewett, Senior Lecturer in Education & Technology, University of KwaZulu-NatalEbrahim Adam, Lecturer in Information Systems & Technology, University of KwaZulu-NatalLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/364852015-07-14T02:49:03Z2015-07-14T02:49:03ZCould early infant screening and intervention help prevent autism?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/88282/original/image-20150714-11831-13rf0rn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Early interventions can help children with autism build social and communication skills.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">father lifting child, from shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Among the many available therapies and early interventions for children with autism, only a few are backed up with <a href="https://theconversation.com/autism-therapies-need-more-than-just-compassion-30462">solid scientific evidence</a>. But here’s some good news: recently, the quality of autism early intervention research has improved significantly.</p>
<p>A number of randomised controlled trials – the gold standard scientific method for testing whether a treatment works – show various <a href="http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(10)60587-9/abstract">parent-training</a> and <a href="http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/125/1/e17.abstract">therapist-delivered</a> interventions can help young children with autism to build skills for social communication and independent living.</p>
<p>In most of the Western world, autism is diagnosed <a href="http://otarc.blogs.latrobe.edu.au/mapping-diagnoses-in-australia/">between the ages of two and five</a> when behavioural symptoms have become clear. But could waiting until early childhood mean we’re missing a valuable opportunity for early intervention? </p>
<h2>Earlier and earlier</h2>
<p>We know that the earlier an intervention begins, the greater the chance we have for positive outcomes. This is because the brains of young children are developing rapidly and can adapt to new <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14521198">learning experiences</a>.</p>
<p>As a result, several research groups around the world have started exploring very early intervention for infants who are at high risk of developing autism. These include infants who show early signs of autism and the infant siblings of children with a diagnosis, who have about a <a href="https://theconversation.com/one-in-five-risk-of-sibling-autism-2903">20% chance</a> of also developing autism (compared to the general <a href="http://journals.lww.com/jrnldbp/Abstract/2010/06000/Prospective_Identification_of_Autism_Spectrum.3.aspx">population risk of around 1%</a>).</p>
<p>Late in 2014, <a href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10803-014-2202-y">a US-based team reported</a> that a parent-training intervention seemed to improve behaviours related to autism in a small group of infants. The researchers enrolled children who were showing early signs of autism – reduced motivation and skills for interacting with others – and followed them until they were three years old, which is when autism can be confidently diagnosed or ruled out.</p>
<p>While almost all children in this study showed good outcomes, the sample size was very small (seven children completed the therapy). Another limitation was that the researchers did not randomly allocate infants to the therapy group, so we can’t be sure the observed benefits were due to participating in the therapy.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, the project was a good proof-of-concept study, a first stab at showing that very early intervention for infants at risk of autism might be worthwhile.</p>
<h2>Another step forward</h2>
<p>Early in 2015, <a href="http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(14)00091-1/abstract">a UK-based research team reported</a> on another very early intervention; this time tested among “high-risk” infant siblings. This study used the most rigorous scientific design, randomly allocating 54 parents and their infants to trial the new intervention or to continue without any specific therapy.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/88286/original/image-20150714-11804-14djj7n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/88286/original/image-20150714-11804-14djj7n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/88286/original/image-20150714-11804-14djj7n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/88286/original/image-20150714-11804-14djj7n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/88286/original/image-20150714-11804-14djj7n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/88286/original/image-20150714-11804-14djj7n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/88286/original/image-20150714-11804-14djj7n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Better attention control is shown in infants who trialled early intervention therapies.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/treehouse1977/3791968674/in/photolist-6M5Qbf-si3g1J-5R1Lm6-7ajiEE-6jh7Qq-5v75TR-dL4pVp-6hPkpU-5jdgLa-fosKic-5KhVf3-8rLtFZ-ecwwDt-kMsLDD-8P76u6-oYztVk-kMrRDx-oEYzX3-6ibfTZ-kMsyFv-kMsMXF-6rDoSM-6rHx8U-6rDp5K-6rHw6b-9TCoEs-6qMwC9-6M1Ehz-aR2d7-6M5PKh-dW8cFt-qs4VL4-6xREPq-6xRDt7-6qMwT7-6qHkpk-6pEo9f-6u55gK-6ujMDn-v8Ddm-6ujMwg-dKxZsC-p2Cc9s-6xMvHP-6xMtn2-v8Ddu-v8Ddx-6xRC6o-6xRDMQ-6xRErb">Jim Champion/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>So far, these infants have only been followed to 14 months of age, which is not old enough to know whether any have developed autism. But because the researchers took several different measures of autism “risk”, the early trial results look promising.</p>
<p>The group of infants who received the new therapy tended to show improvements in social behaviour compared to those who had no specific therapy. They seemed to pay more attention to their parents during free play time, which is important because limited attention to adults is a good <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jcpp.12032/abstract">early sign of emerging autism</a>. </p>
<p>They were also rated as somewhat more social during a play-based assessment with an unfamiliar adult. Scores on <a href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10803-007-0440-y">this measure</a> have previously been linked with greater chance of autism.</p>
<p>Infants who trialled the therapy showed improvements on a measure of attention control (or speed of processing visual information). To test this, images appear rapidly on a computer screen and researchers use eye-tracking technology to see how quickly infants can switch from looking at one image to another. Again, infants later diagnosed with autism have previously been shown to <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006322312010864">struggle with this task</a>.</p>
<p>This study is a pilot trial with a relatively small sample of participating families, but the researchers hope to show that changing early “risk” behaviours might prevent children from developing the full syndrome of autism symptoms and reduce their level of associated disability. </p>
<p>The infants who took part in it are not yet old enough to confirm or rule out autism. And because the researchers selected and enrolled infants who had an older sibling with autism, most (around 80%) are unlikely to develop autism even without any therapy.</p>
<h2>Where is autism intervention science heading?</h2>
<p>These two recent studies and a <a href="http://www.hindawi.com/journals/aurt/2015/386951/">handful of others</a> present exciting work at the cutting edge of autism early-intervention science. Some might even call this prevention science. But, so far, this research is at proof-of-concept or pilot stage. There’s still a way to go. </p>
<p>Nonetheless, these early results suggest that therapy in the first year of life might help children who are at risk of autism. Several types of therapy show potential for supporting infants to develop and practise early social skills – paying attention to and communicating with others – which present real challenges for children with autism.</p>
<p>Follow-up work building on these early studies is underway. But what has already emerged from early-intervention science is that the disability associated with autism doesn’t need to be a lifelong burden. Therapy during the early years, and ongoing education and support throughout childhood and adulthood, can promote <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-employing-autistic-people-makes-good-business-sense-39948">positive outcomes</a> for people with autism spectrum disorders.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/36485/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kristelle Hudry receives funding from the Building Healthy Communities Research Focus Area (BHC RFA) at La Trobe University.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Andrew Whitehouse receives funding from the NHMRC, ARC and the Autism CRC.</span></em></p>Autism is usually diagnosed between the ages of two and five. But studies show therapies delivered earlier in childhood could help children at risk of developing autism.Kristelle Hudry, Senior Lecturer in Developmental Psychology, La Trobe UniversityAndrew Whitehouse, Winthrop Professor, Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western AustraliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/441012015-07-01T09:11:48Z2015-07-01T09:11:48ZTeam sports at kindergarten help children develop classroom discipline later on<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/86859/original/image-20150630-5859-c5b47l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Good for the brain too. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Boys football via matimix/www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Sending kindergarten children off to karate or football lessons after school isn’t just a good way to give parents some extra breathing space. Now <a href="http://ajhpcontents.org/doi/abs/10.4278/ajhp.131021-QUAN-537">research</a> has found a link between children who did organised extracurricular sports at kindergarten and their levels of discipline in the classroom as they become young adolescents. </p>
<p>Getting children moving when they are four or five-years-old is an <a href="http://www.world-heart-federation.org/fileadmin/user_upload/children/documents/factsheets/Factsheet_Physical_activity.pdf">important investment</a> for their later cardiovascular health, but it can also bring benefits to their brain – their ability to concentrate and apply themselves in class. At the same time, young children with good “brain health” are also more likely to persevere at sports when they’re older. </p>
<p>A good way to measure brain health in kindergarten is to ask teachers if kids are doing what they are supposed to be doing in class. We call this classroom engagement. Our study analysed the findings of research with a cohort of 935 children randomly selected at birth in 1997 and 1998 from the Canadian province of Quebec, otherwise known as the <a href="http://www.iamillbe.stat.gouv.qc.ca/default_an.htm">Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development</a>. </p>
<p>At both kindergarten and fourth grade (nine to ten years old), teachers reported on the children’s level of classroom engagement, which represents a good indicator of self-discipline and overall brain health. They were looking out for whether the child played and worked cooperatively with other children, whether they demonstrated self-control and showed self-confidence. They were also looking for whether they followed directions, rules and instructions, completed work on time, worked autonomously and were capable of solving problems. </p>
<p>Parents then also reported on how often the children participated in specific types of extracurricular activities: team sports, structured activities such as dance or karate, unstructured activities, such as physical play with their friends or alone, and non-physical activities such as music. </p>
<p>Our research controlled for a number of competing factors, such as children’s gender, IQ, motor skills and body mass index, as well as their family background and their mother’s level of education. That way, our findings could not be explained with excuses such as some boys or girls liked team sports more, or some kids had better motor skills than others, or had more opportunities to participate in sports.</p>
<h2>Ready to concentrate</h2>
<p>We found that those children who did more structured physical activity in kindergarten were associated with higher levels of classroom engagement when they were in fourth grade. So, early team sports with practice sessions and a coach lead to better concentration and self-control in class. Team sports involve coaches and instructors who foster self-control, perseverence, and practicing motor skills. These all become important in the formula for school success. </p>
<p>At the same time, we also found that those children who were already well-engaged and had good self-discipline in the classroom in kindergarten went on to participate in more team sports in the fourth grade. This shows what we psychologists call “developmental continuity”, and basically says that children who are already well disciplined will persevere with ease. On the other hand, it also underscores the importance of the first finding that getting children more involved in structured team sports and physical activities early on will help them develop the skills they will need to persevere, both in and outside of the classroom.</p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XXDs5RMx-ng?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">That’s discipline.</span></figcaption>
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<p>These findings suggest mutual benefits between physical activity and classroom engagement from kindergarten to fourth grade. Those children who were more involved in team sports, or structured physical activities such as dance or gymnastics when they were in kindergarten were more likely to persevere with more weekly sessions of structured physical activity as they went up the school. This suggests opportunities to participate in supervised physical activities or sports teams may help children develop healthy dispositions and behaviours in emerging adolescence.</p>
<p>Both unstructured physical activity –- playing with friends –- and non-physical activities such as music or art were unrelated to team sports or physical activities in fourth grade. This tells us that less structured early environments lead to children who are less likely to persevere at physical activity.</p>
<p>Because <a href="https://theconversation.com/australia-vying-to-be-world-champion-of-inactivity-27396">being sedentary</a> is not a healthy lifestyle choice, getting children out there moving around has implications for later cardiovascular health. However, we must also remember that good health habits bear upon the brain and could ultimately prevent children dropping out of school. Therefore, if we invested more in providing structured physical activities like team sports for all children, we would likely be saving money over the long-term by fostering better life habits and personal skills.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/44101/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The research in this article was funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. </span></em></p>Put young children in football or karate class and they concentrate better in the classroom.Linda Pagani, Professor, School of Psychoeducation and researcher at CHU Sainte-Justine , Université de MontréalLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/409792015-05-01T06:32:05Z2015-05-01T06:32:05ZChildren’s attention problems at age seven linked to lower GCSE grades<p>As thousands of 15 and 16-year-olds prepare for their GCSEs, new research has found that children who display inattentive behaviours at age seven are at risk of worse academic outcomes in these examinations. This was the case even after their IQ and their parents’ social and educational backgrounds were taken into account.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0890856715001069">The results</a> of our study, published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, were based on analyses of behavioural and academic data of participants in <a href="http://www.bristol.ac.uk/alspac/participants/coco90s/">Children of the 90s</a>, a population-based study at the University of Bristol. The research team, from the universities of Nottingham and Bristol, studied more than 11,000 children. </p>
<p>Childhood behaviour problems can be apparent to parents and teachers during the early years of primary school. These include difficulties such as inattention, poor concentration, being easily distracted, losing interest easily, daydreaming, not listening or being disorganised. They can also include oppositional or defiant behaviours, such as frequent temper tantrums, arguing with adults and not doing as adults ask.</p>
<p>Few <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20491715">representative large-scale studies</a> have assessed whether these behaviours pose an independent risk for educational achievement during adolescence. It has not been clear whether the risk of lower grades from increasing levels of inattention applies across the whole population, or only for those children with the most severe problems, such as those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). </p>
<p>In the study, parents and teachers completed questionnaires about the child’s behaviour at age seven. These assessed a range of different behaviours including inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity and oppositional/defiant problems. This information was then compared with the children’s academic achievements by looking at their GCSE examination results at age 16. We also took the child’s IQ and parents’ education and socio-economic status into account as these are linked with both early behaviour problems and academic outcomes.</p>
<h2>Real impact on grades</h2>
<p>We looked at the impact on children’s GCSE results in two ways. First, we looked at how many had achieved five “good” GCSE grades – five A*-C grades including English and Maths. This is a minimum expected level to access further education and is a key indicator that is published in school league tables. We found that for each one-point increase in inattention symptoms (based on a full scale of 0-18) at age seven, there was a 6-7% increased likelihood, on average across the whole sample, of not achieving the minimum level of five “good” GCSE grades at age 16.</p>
<p>Second, we looked at how children fared <a href="http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/archive/16to18_08/testandexam_pointscores08.doc">using a common points system</a> relating to the best eight grades achieved – this involves an additional six points for each grade increase. We found that for each one-point increase in inattention symptoms, there was a reduction of 2-3 points (up to half a GCSE grade) in total GCSE points achieved. </p>
<p>Looking at the GCSE results in either of these two ways, the relationship with inattention was linear – each one-point increase in inattention symptoms on the 0-18 scale increased the risk of worse academic outcomes. This increase was the same across the full range of inattention scores in the sample, from those with the lowest to the highest level of inattention ratings. The effects of these early difficulties applied across the whole spectrum of inattention scores, social position and academic ability.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/79959/original/image-20150430-30698-11228sm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/79959/original/image-20150430-30698-11228sm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/79959/original/image-20150430-30698-11228sm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/79959/original/image-20150430-30698-11228sm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/79959/original/image-20150430-30698-11228sm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/79959/original/image-20150430-30698-11228sm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/79959/original/image-20150430-30698-11228sm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/79959/original/image-20150430-30698-11228sm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Think of your future.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Pupil not paying attention via wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock</span></span>
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<p>After levels of inattention were taken into account, we also found that, in boys, oppositional/defiant behaviours at age seven posed an additional risk to academic achievement. For each one-point increase in oppositional/defiant behaviours among boys in our sample, there was also a reduction of 1-2 points in total GCSE points achieved.</p>
<p>Although behaviours were assessed in this study at the age of seven, it is possible that inattentive behaviours might have persisted into the teenage years and so had an influence on grades. Inattention may impact on how academic skills are gained and developed during early school years. Academic demands tend to increase in the teenage years with a greater need for sustained attention and so the negative impact of inattention on educational achievement may be magnified.</p>
<h2>Awareness among parents and teachers</h2>
<p>The findings of this research have a range of implications for parents, teachers and clinicians. Adults should be aware of the long-term academic impact of behaviours such as inattention and the tendency to be distracted. This impact applies across the whole spectrum of inattentive behaviours, not just for those with the most severe problems. </p>
<p>If parents are aware of these risks relating to their own child, they can highlight any concerns to teachers. Teachers should take these concerns seriously. They are well-placed to spot inattentive behaviour in the classroom and discuss with parents ways to best help the child with their learning.</p>
<p>For older children, approaches from teachers and parents might include helping with organisational skills, time-management, minimising distractions, prioritising of class work and home work, and building in regular planned breaks when studying or doing revision.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/40979/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kapil Sayal receives funding from the National Institute for Health Research. The research described in this article was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council but this article does not represent the views of the research councils. </span></em></p>Behavioural issues in primary school increases a student’s risk of not achieving five good GCSEs.Kapil Sayal, Professor of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, University of NottinghamLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/223792014-06-11T04:36:47Z2014-06-11T04:36:47ZProblem behaviour in children is not always a mental disorder<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/50558/original/t739v7sc-1402311181.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Do I really have to take these?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-174129158/stock-photo-sad-preschooler-sitting-at-the-table-with-pills-at-home.html?src=0Q39KzOm53wGMfh_BjWBPw-3-24">Child with pills. djedzura/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Children are increasingly being given drugs by doctors to help teachers and parents cope with their troublesome behaviour. Certain behaviours or actions by children, such as not sitting still, are being judged as evidence of mental disorders and used to justify an official diagnosis. This has led to an increase in diagnoses of children with conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and drug treatment with stimulants, antipsychotics and antidepressants. </p>
<p>The problem with giving children such diagnoses is that it obscures other interpretations of children and their behaviour.
It detracts from considerations of what is best, educationally, for individual children. And it encourages a reliance on definitions of mental disorder to account for childhood normality or abnormality. In a new <a href="http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415810425/">book</a>, Valerie Harwood and I have called this trend psychopathologisation. </p>
<p>In the UK, around <a href="http://www.addiss.co.uk/payingenoughattention.pdf">5% of children of school age</a> are said to have ADHD. The growth in mental disorder diagnoses seems to be a global phenomenon, with estimates of the <a href="http://journals.psychiatryonline.org/data/Journals/AJP/3818/07aj0942.PDF">worldwide prevalence</a> of ADHD at 5.29% and an average in Europe of 4.6%. Figures are much higher in Australia (11.2%), <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/data.html">America (11%)</a> and Africa (8.5%).</p>
<p>In our research, we interviewed child mental health psychiatrists, educational psychologists, teachers providing additional educational support and youth work professionals in Australia, England and Scotland. All voiced major concerns about increases in both the diagnoses and the prescriptions of drugs. Recent press debates, in The Conversation and elsewhere, about <a href="https://theconversation.com/adhd-is-real-and-saying-otherwise-is-damaging-25124">whether ADHD is “real”</a> deflect from a more striking – and “real” – enthusiasm for labelling more and more children as mentally ill. </p>
<p>The risk of psychopathologisation is greatest for particular ethnic groups and for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. In the UK, children and young people living in poorer circumstances <a href="http://www.jrf.org.uk/publications/educational-attainment-poor-children">are four times more likely</a> to be diagnosed with ADHD.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.adhd-institute.com/burden-of-adhd/epidemiology/gender/">Boys outnumber girls</a> in diagnoses of ADHD by four to one, as is the case in most neuropsychiatric conditions. But there is a referral bias, where boys are more frequently referred than girls because of their aggressive behaviour. This takes the <a href="http://www.addiss.co.uk/understandingadhd.htm">ratio of boys to girls</a> within mental health clinics or hospitals to between six and nine, to one.</p>
<p>Girls are considered more likely to exhibit the characteristics of the less prevalent attention deficit disorder, which include sluggishness and anxiety. But because, by its nature, it does not involve hyperactivity, they may not be referred or may be misdiagnosed.</p>
<h2>Catch and treat them young</h2>
<p>There is great enthusiasm for resolving the mental health problems of very young children (or the risk of these) under the rubric of “intervention”. Some of these interventions are even directed at unborn children, for example, by minimising maternal stress and promoting healthy behaviour by the mother during pregnancy. </p>
<p>The earliest times of life are key times of intervention for future healthy minds. The newborn, as well as the prenatal (or antenatal) periods, are viewed as times in a child’s life that hold the most potential for when mental health problems can be avoided, detected or corrected. </p>
<p>This potential decreases as age increases, on a downward sliding scale from the unborn, newborns, infants, toddlers and preschoolers. The “developing brains” of very young children are perceived as important in the prevention of mental problems. </p>
<p>For the child entering primary school, scrutiny is intensified and directed at whether he or she will “fit” into school and be accommodated in its expectations and practices. For those children who cause concern, psychopathologisation begins in earnest. </p>
<p>The acceptance that things have now been “set on course” generates a period where practices such as separation using different schools and classrooms, pharmaceuticals, and behavioural management programmes for parents at home or for teachers within schools, swing into full-scale operation.</p>
<h2>Endangering others</h2>
<p>At secondary school, a more sombre tone emerges that reveals an acceptance that older children’s behaviour disorders are unlikely to be resolved. The secondary-aged mentally abnormal youngster is seen as presenting danger and risk to the teachers and other students. The measures introduced at this stage are “palliative” and are aimed at controlling the young person’s condition and minimising its impact. The purpose of this control and containment is to protect the security of others and of society at large. </p>
<p>In colleges and universities, psychopathology becomes linked to the troubled student with depression, and with a concern for the dangerous potential for potency and violence. Higher education establishments are seeking to learn from incidents such as the Virginia Tech massacre. </p>
<p>Diagnosing potency has become a regular practice within institutions, together with drives to detect danger through “connecting the dots” and threat assessment. There is far less interest in those other forms of behaviour disorder that received attention during earlier phases of schooling.</p>
<h2>Are there alternatives?</h2>
<p>Several of the professionals we interviewed described explicit efforts to resist diagnosing children with ADHD or other behavioural disorders and described three lines of resistance. These focused on the language used by teachers and parents. One interviewee, an educational psychologist, said: “We’re trying to change the language and get people away from what they think is the bad child and helping people to understand that there’s a context here, the reason we’re getting the behaviour might be this experience or that experience”. </p>
<p>Others tried to encourage teachers to look beyond the child’s difficulties to the family situation and to change the perceptions of those families who came “looking for a prescription”. These professionals succeeded in interrupting referrals for diagnoses by showing teachers and parents better ways of understanding and responding to children’s behavioural problems.</p>
<p>Good teacher education could also help to reduce the numbers of diagnosed children. If teachers were helped to find children’s behaviour less of a threat and more of an interesting challenge, with resources and support to enable them to respond effectively, a diagnosis of disorder may become less attractive. It would require a form of teacher education that emphasises meeting the needs of all children in the classroom and helps teachers to develop an enthusiasm for the diversity that the children bring. </p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/22379/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Julie Allan has received funding, relating to this research, from the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia.</span></em></p>Children are increasingly being given drugs by doctors to help teachers and parents cope with their troublesome behaviour. Certain behaviours or actions by children, such as not sitting still, are being…Julie Allan, Professor of Equity and Inclusion, University of BirminghamLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/230512014-02-17T09:06:45Z2014-02-17T09:06:45ZChildren’s attention spans at risk from too much screen time<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/41379/original/777nr4xb-1392214895.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Can't we play a game now? </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source"> flickingerbrad</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>From iPads to Xboxes, the modern child has a vast array of electronic media to help alleviate boredom, pass the time and play online games. Parents may often wonder about the impact such activities can have on their children’s brain development, behaviour and learning. </p>
<p>Now Labour’s shadow education minister Tristram Hunt has suggested that children need <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/exclusive-children-need-lessons-in-how-to-concentrate-because-of-impact-of-social-media-9117876.html">lessons in how to concentrate</a>, because of their increased use of social media. </p>
<p>As always these issues are complex, have been discussed emotively in the press and can be easily misunderstood. Television viewing is an excellent example of this. Most studies <a href="http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/1162367?uid=3738032&uid=2&uid=4&sid=21103499502213">find a small but negative link</a> between total numbers of hours of television viewing and academic achievement.</p>
<p>But when research studies control for characteristics of the child such as IQ and socioeconomic status <a href="http://rer.sagepub.com/content/51/2/193.short">those differences usually disappear</a>.</p>
<p>In addition, the content of what is viewed is also highly-relevant, with <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Television-American-Child-George-Comstock/dp/0121835758">viewing of educational programmes positively linked</a> to academic achievement. Viewing of entertainment programmes is negatively linked to academic achievement. </p>
<p>The links are negative when television displaces more cognitively enriching experiences, such as asking questions of a parent or grandparent. But they are positive when television provides experiences that are not readily available to the children through other means.</p>
<h2>Tetris teaching</h2>
<p>The use of electronic media, especially gaming, can improve cognitive development in children, especially visual and spatial skills, mental rotation (required by the game Tetris) and problem solving. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/41470/original/j53zrfp3-1392291487.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/41470/original/j53zrfp3-1392291487.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=586&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/41470/original/j53zrfp3-1392291487.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=586&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/41470/original/j53zrfp3-1392291487.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=586&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/41470/original/j53zrfp3-1392291487.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=736&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/41470/original/j53zrfp3-1392291487.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=736&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/41470/original/j53zrfp3-1392291487.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=736&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Keep on at it.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source"> Jurischk</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">CC BY-NC-SA</a></span>
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</figure>
<p>For example, adults gamers have <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6622153">better hand-eye coordination and reaction time</a> than non-gamers. Research also shows that these positive developments can be demonstrated in children. <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12230149">One study found</a> that after just 11 sessions of playing Tetris for 30 minutes, primary school-aged children demonstrated improved scores on a paper and pencil test of mental rotation, compared to a control group who did not play Tetris.</p>
<p>Despite the positive evidence for the impact of electronic media on cognitive skills, a key issue is whether those skills transfer beyond gaming into everyday life. There is evidence that viewing educational TV programmes can enhance transference to other learning. One US study showed that <a href="http://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ429189">watching a maths programme in schools</a> for six weeks led to improved performance on maths problems not shown in the programme. </p>
<p>Other researchers have found that playing computer games improved adolescents’ performance on computer-based educational tasks. In one study, <a href="http://eprints.qut.edu.au/10069/">students either played with a puzzle or adventure computer game</a>. The students who played the computer game performed better in a subsequent problem-solving task than those who played with the puzzle. </p>
<p>These results are consistent with the view that exposure to electronic media may facilitate learning of other similar tasks, and may also allow users to learn more effectively from exposure to electronic media in the future.</p>
<h2>Losing attention</h2>
<p>But despite the many potential benefits, concerns still remain about the impact on attention spans. <a href="http://uknowledge.uky.edu/psychology_facpub/58/">One study found greater TV viewing</a> among children with attention problems. Yet the relationship disappeared when the researchers controlled for differences in maternal education, which was lower in mothers of children with poorer attention. </p>
<p>Oher research has found a link between TV exposure and subsequent attention. One <a href="http://archpedi.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=570369">important study found that TV exposure at age 14</a> did predict attention problems at age 16, even after controlling for important child and family variables. Children who watched more than three hours a day were at greatest risk. </p>
<p>Few researchers have examined links between other electronic media and attention, but one study did find an association between gaming and attention. <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1635698/">Adolescents gaming for more than one hour</a> a day displayed poorer attention, but there was no association between internet use and attention. </p>
<p>While there are obvious benefits to the use of electronic media, there is also the potential for a negative impact of over-exposure on attention. Yet with suitable content – educational rather than entertainment – appropriate control and parental supervision, it should be possible to derive benefits from electronic media while avoiding its detrimental influences. </p>
<p>But it is difficult to determine whether interventions focused on enhancing children’s attention will be effective or are even necessary. The crux of the matter is that the children of today and the workers of tomorrow are going to be required to work in a more fragmented and multi-tasking environment requiring shorter overall concentration. </p>
<p>It is sobering, however, to reflect on over 40 years of research on parental monitoring of media use which suggests that less than 50% of parents enforce usage limits or discuss content with their children. I therefore encourage parents not to worry, but to monitor their children’s use of electronic media and take time to understand what Angry Birds is actually all about.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/23051/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Daley receives funding from National Institute for Health Reseach, Shire, </span></em></p>From iPads to Xboxes, the modern child has a vast array of electronic media to help alleviate boredom, pass the time and play online games. Parents may often wonder about the impact such activities can…David Daley, Professor of Psychological Intervention and Behaviour Change, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, University of NottinghamLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.