One of the most remarkable findings to come out of the ADHD field in recent years has been the discovery that nature has a remarkably calming effect on kids diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. One study revealed that a simple walk in the park elevated the attention span of kids identified as having ADHD. ...Read More
Anyone who has been in American education for more than a generation understands that educational trends come in waves. Progressive education gives way to back to basics which yields to open education which in term is supplanted by cultural literacy, high stakes testing and standards-based instruction. And so it goes. Somewhere in there, around about...Read More
The concept of neurodiversity emerged in the 1990’s as a way for autism advocates to affirm their identity as people with neurological differences rather than as disabled individuals. The idea has spread as other advocates (including myself) have sought to articulate the ”diversity rather than disability” message to a broader segment of the population than...Read More
If you have a student who’s been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), you probably notice that they get bored with routine more easily than other kids. In fact, I’m surprised that this dislike of boredom is not written into the diagnostic criteria for these kids. But what I want to talk to you...Read More
The Common Core Curriculum states that ”[b]y the end of Grade 3, know from memory all products of two one-digit numbers. The question is, how many students actually know them? One adult scientist has noted: ”I’m 49 years old, have a PhD in physics, and teach math and physics for a living. When I need...Read More
A new study has suggested that the use of ”smart glasses” technology along with integrated modules in socioemotional learning, can lessen symptoms of hyperactivity, impulsivity, and distractibility in individuals diagnosed with autism. A Cambridge, Massachusetts-based software company called Brain Power has developed software and artificial intelligence technologies that work with Google Glass, a brand of...Read More
Since the passage of the No Child Left Behind law in 2001, there’s been a requirement that schools (at least those receiving federal funds), use ”evidence-based” research to back-up the effectiveness of an instructional intervention in the classroom. The evidence-based research most often regarded as optimal is the experimental or randomized control trial (RCT). This...Read More
A new report published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics indicates that children who have suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) are more than three times as likely to develop ADHD than kids with other injuries. This finding raises some critical questions for me. First, ADHD is typically described as a neurobiological disorder of genetic origin. ...Read More
Back in the early 1970’s when I was just starting my career in education as a student at the University of Massachusetts School of Education, I visited the St. Paul Open School, where the principal was Wayne B. Jennings. My guide through the school I remember was a little boy, perhaps first grade, who had...Read More
Follow Me On: