Children’s mental health: A handbook for common issues by Wistar Murray | May 17, 2022 | Children, Teens, & Adolescents, Mental Health Topics It’s easy to want your children to thrive; it’s harder to know exactly how to help them achieve their full potential. Parents, grandparents, and other caregivers aren’t always given the resources to identify and find treatment for mental health issues in kids. The Covid-19 pandemic shone a much-needed spotlight on…
Understanding dysgraphia: Handwriting issues in the digital age by Wistar Murray | Apr 15, 2022 | Disorders, Mental Health Topics You may wonder why handwriting still matters in an era when we’re all typing on smartphones and computer keyboards. Americans aren’t especially known for their great penmanship. In fact, in 1955 the Saturday Evening Post called the US a “nation of scrawlers.” But we do still write: at school, on…
Exceptional, not disordered: How we can all help neurodiverse children belong by Wistar Murray | Sep 9, 2021 | Children, Teens, & Adolescents, Mental Health Topics A toddler who gets overwhelmed when she hears a lawnmower. A kindergartner who can’t read your facial expressions. A grade-schooler who repeats the same phrase over and over. A teenager who will only wear one color. These can all be signs of neurodivergence: natural variations in the human brain. At…
How does ADHD affect learning? Parents can help their child retain information and learn better by Alannah Miller | Aug 16, 2019 | ADHD, Mental Health Topics, Parenting Mr. Stevenson is teaching his third grade class about the importance of using manners—he encourages the students to say “please” and “thank you,” as well as “sir” and “ma’am.” Afterwards, he asks the kids in the class to write a few sentences summarizing what they just discussed. McKenzie, though, can’t…
Dyscalculia: A math-based learning disability that affects basic calculations and bigger concepts by Alannah Miller | Aug 15, 2019 | Disorders, Mental Health Topics 2 + 2 = 4. Easy math for most of us, right? We learn simple math problems like this early on in school and continue to build that foundation of knowledge. Next, we learn subtraction, then multiplication and division, and so on. But what happens when someone doesn’t, or maybe…
Autism is a developmental disorder that affects learning and necessitates individualized care in the classroom by Alannah Miller | Aug 13, 2019 | Children, Teens, & Adolescents, Disorders, Mental Health Topics Have you seen the new hit show “The Good Doctor”? Well, if you haven’t, the show’s main character is surgical resident Dr. Shaun Murphy. Murphy is extremely intelligent and equipped with an amazing memory. He’s passionate about human anatomy and sees the body in a different light—no one’s knowledge can…
Motivation affects how people learn—Here are 6 keys to staying motivated in school by Alannah Miller | Aug 13, 2019 | College, Mental Health Topics Often, we’re motivated to learn when we’re just entering school, but we lose that motivation as we grow older. Fortunately, we can make some changes to our daily routine to enjoy learning again and become motivated again You should reward yourself for performing well at school: celebrate that test score…
Music can help kids better grasp concepts in math and science (Video) by Taylor Bennett | May 30, 2019 | Children, Teens, & Adolescents, Mental Health Topics, Research Music can help kids excel in complex subjects like math and physics. Many kids are intimidated by these subjects in school. But music can help them better understand difficult equations and theories, according to researchers from the Athena Research Center’s Institute for Language and Speech Processing. For example, students used…