Melissa Ferry is a big believer in the benefits of allowing students to use fidget toys in the classroom. She points to research indicating that playing with fidget toys — little gadgets, cubes, putties and spinners — is effective in improving concentration and focus in students with ADHD. She also has seven years’ worth of anecdotal evidence that shows how beneficial they can be for some children.

Professor Jill Pell MD...University of Glasgow...The novelty of our study lies in its scale and scope. In terms of scope, it reported on six educational outcomes and three health outcomes in the same group of children. In terms of scale, it is the first study of a whole country to compare educational outcomes of children with treated ADHD with their unaffected peers and is more than 20 times larger than previous studies on similar educational outcomes.

Young children treated for attention-deficit/hyperactivity (ADHD) disorder performed worse in school and had worse health outcomes, even with medication, a large retrospective study from the U.K. found. These children fared worse academically than their peers without ADHD. They had higher rates of exclusion from school and were more likely to have special needs. They also were at higher risk of low academic attainment and unemployment after leaving school, reported Michael Fleming, MSc, of the University of Glasgow in Scotland, and colleagues. Kids with ADHD were also more likely to be hospitalized both overall and as a result of injury, the authors wrote in JAMA Pediatrics.

Our educational system is designed for students to finish their education at the end of 12th grade, regardless of their level of social and emotional readiness to enter post-secondary education, work or vocational training. It should come as no surprise that many students diagnosed with ADHD, Asperger’s or higher-verbal autism are initially unsuccessful in college and have statistically lower graduation rates than their neurotypical peers.

Yes, it can – and there are several ways to maximize its benefits. Many experts maintain that with proper monitoring of a child’s tech time – and a full understanding of it themselves – parents can incorporate technology as a tool to help their son or daughter more effectively manage struggles with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder – in particular, maintaining focus.

Sleep problems reportedly associated with ADHD include everything from trouble falling and staying asleep to anxiety around bedtime, nightmares, and breathing difficulties...Researchers from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, noted that “when the participants used the weighted blanket, they had a calmer night’s sleep, with a decrease in movements. Subjectively, they believed that using the blanket provided them with a more comfortable, better quality, and more secure sleep.”

Dr. Rebecca Carey admits to being a little embarrassed about what her son, Mark, eats every day. Hamburger patties for breakfast, or bacon. A pack of raisins and a cookie for lunch; a turkey and cheese sandwich “if I’m lucky,” says Carey, but it usually comes back home. His favorite dinner is fish cakes and pasta, but all vegetables remain firmly untouched. It’s the kind of diet — low in fruits and vegetables, high in carbs — that a doctor like herself might caution against. But it’s also low in milk, sugar, and artificial food additives — all things Carey believes worsen 10-year-old Mark’s attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, symptoms.

Racism damages our children’s health, a recent study found, negatively affecting the wellness of wealthy white kids and poor minorities the most. The study, which will be presented this weekend by lead author Dr. Ashaunta Anderson, found kids who endured racism had lower levels of general health, including higher rates of anxiety, depression and ADHD.

He’s the most decorated Olympian of all time, but don’t think for a second that growing up as Michael Phelps was easy. The 31-year-old swimming superstar —and new father — opened up about his struggles with ADHD in a new video for the Child Mind Institute‘s Speak Up for Kids campaign, explaining that a teacher once predicted that the Baltimore native would never succeed.

Your stepson has been diagnosed with ADHD and is medicated, but what many don’t know is that separation and anxiety also look like ADHD behaviors.