Empowering Your Child with ADHD: Tools for School Success
Caring for a child with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) can be challenging and rewarding at the same time. One of the key areas where children with ADHD may require extra support is in their academic endeavors. However, with the right tools and strategies, caregivers can help their child thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. Below…
The Intersection of ADHD and Sensory Processing Disorder
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) are two neurodevelopmental conditions that often co-occur. The two conditions have different characteristics and diagnostic criteria, but cause similar behavioral reactions. Their interplay can amplify the effects of one or both, and complicate the lives of children experiencing them. Here, we explore the intersection of…
ADHD Awareness Month: Facts and Fictions
Happy ADHD Awareness Month! Here’s a quick overview of the most up-to-date consensus about ADHD, some common misconceptions, and suggested interventions for children diagnosed with the disorder. ADHD has been a hot topic for several years now and has sometimes been a controversial diagnosis. Some folks say that high energy is just a common attribute…
Can Puzzles Help Adults with Alzheimer’s?
Alzheimer’s is a quickly growing disease among American adults — about 1 in 9 people aged 65 and older has it. But this year’s campaign theme, ‘Never too early, never too late’, promotes risk reduction for World Alzheimer’s Month. Can activities like puzzles help ward off some of the disorder’s most visible impacts? While Diversity…
Fidget Toys and Alzheimer’s Disease
Not just for the classroom — fidget toys are effective tools for adult patients with Alzheimer’s as well. Here’s why. As previously discussed on this blog, fidget toys have become popular tools in classrooms for children and even in offices for adults. However, the application and usefulness of fidget toys goes beyond increasing focus and…
Preparing for an Emergency with a Child with Special Needs
September is National Preparedness Month! Are you and your family ready to act in case of an emergency? Here are tips on preparing for an emergency when you are the caregiver of a child with special needs. Since 2004, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has designated September as National Preparedness Month. This month is…
Is Chewelry Safe?
Chewelry has become popular in recent years: wearable silicone jewelry meant to be chewed or sucked on. Chewelry is intended to help release stress and anxiety in children and adults who use it. Moreover, advocates say that chewelry normalizes the use of sensory aids by repackaging chewing supports as fun, colorful jewelry pieces that anyone…
The Importance of Early Childhood Stimulation
If your child isn’t yet school-aged, here are ways to provide the stimulus they need for healthy development. Young children are constantly grabbing, looking, feeling, teething – and no surprise! Their brains are nonstop data processing machines. Early childhood is a stage of unparalleled development. A newborn’s brain develops 2-3 million synapses each second. A baby’s…
Back to School Series: Helping Children Relax After School
Is back-to-school stressing your kid out? Here are ways to help your child decompress after long schooldays. It’s every parent’s dream to hear how well behaved and cooperative their child is at school during the day. That same parent might be surprised, then, to find their child hyperactive, resistant, and cranky once they get home.…
Back to School Series: Toys that Inspire Scientific Skills
Get your child into a back-to-school mindset with these creative toys that inspire scientific curiosity. After the long, free days of summer, heading back to school can feel like a drag. Moreover, many children can struggle with readjusting to the strict schedule, heightened socialization, and work demands of the school year. Parents and caregivers may…