Its called electroencephalography (EEG) biofeedback -- the monitoring of brain wave activity. Its used as part of a system called Play Attention that teaches kids how to focus.

• Professor Karen Pine of the University of Hertfordshires School of Psychology, and her assistant Farjana Nasrin studied the systems effects on kids with attention deficit.
  
• They found that impulsive behavior, which is difficult for ADHD kids to control, was reduced after kids used the system three times a week for twelve weeks.
  
• Games for Life, which developed and owns Play Attention, plans to make the system available in the United Kingdom this month.

"The system involves the child playing a fun educational computer game whilst wearing a helmet similar to a bicycle helmet," the University of Hertfordshire reported. "The helmet picks up their brain activity in the form of EEG waves related to attention. As long as the child concentrates they control the games, but as soon as their attention waivers the game stops."

Labels: biofeedback, hyperactivity, treatment

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

Kids, it's said, will be kids - and that includes occasional hyperactive behavior. But a child whose hyperactivity is extreme or continuous may have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and a pediatrician can help parents figure out what to do.

"Pediatricians offer a good starting point for diagnosing ADHD. They can assess the youngster or they can refer parents to appropriate specialists such as child psychiatrists or psychologists, behavioral neurologists, or developmental/behavioral pediatricians, if needed."

A pediatrician uses a series of standardized questions that focus on the child's behavior in a variety of locations during a wide range of times to determine if an ADHD diagnosis is a possibility. If you think your child may have ADHD, a pediatrician can be one of your greatest allies. Source: Contra Costs Times

Labels: behavior, hyperactivity, diagnosis

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

Results of a new study conducted through the Universite de Montreal has found that hyperactive and aggressive behaviors in young girls can have negative effects on them as adults. The study followed 881 Canadian girls from age 6 until they turned 21 years old.

"'This study shows that hyperactivity combined with aggressive behavior in girls as young as six years old may lead to greater problems with abusive relationships, lack of job prospects and teenage pregnancies."

About 25 percent of the girls who had behavioral issues as children grew out of them, leading researchers to believe that more study is needed into hyperactivity and aggression triggers. Read more at PsychCentral.com.

Worried your daughter is headed down the wrong path? All girl boarding schools may be the solution you're looking for. Visit www.BoardingSchoolsForGirls.com to learn more.

Labels: hyperactivity, aggression, girls

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

Beth Tribble noticed that her child’s behavior often changed dramatically after he ate candy, yogurt or pudding. He would cry, get easily frustrated and sometimes even get terrible headaches. She thinks food dye may be the cause.

“It’s not that the food dyes are the underlying cause of ADHD or hyperactivity, but if a kid is predisposed to it then the dyes can trigger… behavioral outbursts,’ said Michael Jacobson, Executive Director of the Center for Food Science in the Public Interest. Jacobson says research dating back to 1980 has linked food dyes with behavioral problems in children.” [Source: NBC]

Though not all children react to food dyes, some do – and some react severely. Parents are encouraged to take notice of significant changes in their kids’ behavior after they eat certain foods. Artificial dyes may be to blame.

 

Labels: causes, hyperactivity, food_additives

Posted By: Stefanie Hamilton 1 Comment