Numerous measures are in place to help young disabled children thrive, but the transition beyond school can be a difficult one. Here are some tips for families to help their children prepare for life beyond.
Nicky Reilly driven away from court in 2008 where he was charged with preparing to commit acts of terrorism.
Lewis Whyld/PA
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.
Exposure to nature plays a positive role in brain development by providing children with opportunities to take risks, discover new things, and be creative.
Poor sleep can have longer-term effects.
from www.shutterstock.com
Lina Begdache, Binghamton University, State University of New York
College students who take stimulants such as Adderall to get an academic edge might be setting themselves up unknowingly to a vicious cycle of substance abuse and addiction.
A common sight: smartphones at mealtime.
Phones at dinner via shutterstock.com
Anecdotal evidence suggests the pervasiveness of smartphones is making us increasingly distracted and hyperactive. Does research support that conclusion?
Expanding the definitions of disease can cause a cascade of overtesting and overtreatment.
Fort George G. Meade Public Affairs Office/Flickr
Trying to focus on a task involves attention control – the ability to maintain focus on something over a period of time. What exactly is an attention span? Does it relate to intelligence? Can it change?
The language used to talk about children with disabilities must be changed before attitudes will shift.
Siegfried Modola/Reuters
Language can be used harmfully to construct categories of others. The words we use in describing children with disabilities need to be examined, challenged - and changed.
Your brain scan told me your mind would wander.
Boy image via www.shutterstuck.com
Particular parts of an individual’s brain tend to work together on certain tasks. Researchers can look at these patterns of “functional connectivity” to predict traits – like the ability to pay attention.
Children may be absorbed in figuring out emotions of people important to them.
Leonid Mamchenkov
Increasing autistic children’s levels of vasopressin, a hormone that regulates social behaviour, could help treat the social deficits common to autism, research suggests.
Between now and college years, there are many steps that you can take as a parent.
Graduation image via www.shutterstock.com