Screen Time, ADHD, Events, More

SCREEN TIME REDUX. An M.D. writing in The New York Times, drawing on recent studies and the opinions of other experts, examines the role of social media as it might affect mental health. His net-out: “Underlying problems may make some young people particularly vulnerable to what they find on social media.” If social media use is an issue at your house, check out the article.

ADDITUDE’S most popular last week was titled “10 Things People Need to Stop Saying about Children with ADHD.” Example: “Who isn’t distracted these days?” Or, “All kids act a little crazy sometimes.” Want to see the full list, plus commentary? Go to ADDitude’s site.

UPCOMING EVENTS
— June 20, Understood webinar (a replay), “Your Top Questions on ADHD Answered. More information.
— July 14, live event at the Gifted Support Center in San Mateo, California, “Challenge Gifted Kids to Awaken their Excellence.” More information.
— Webinar series on a variety of topics by the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA). Fees apply. More information.

LEARNING DISABILITIES ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA. This organization’s newsletter for May and June is out, with information about “the summer slide,” LDA in Washington, and a variety of articles on LD- and advocacy-related topics. Find the newsletter.

SCIENCE, RESEARCH, MEDICINE
— ABC News reports on the approval of a form of ketamine as a fast-acting medicine for treatment-resistant depression. The gist of the article: approval was based on “modest” evidence and limited trials. Find the article.
— The Brain and Behavior Research Foundation reports on research indicating that sensory over-sensitivity might be a risk factor for later development of anxiety disorder. Find the article.
— New research from Binghamton University in New York indicates that kids on the spectrum are bullied more than children without ASD, and that the bullying gets worse with age. Find the study write-up.

TED TALKS. A recent “playlist” of talks from TED is on emotional first aid — “for when you (or a loved one) need help recovering from an emotional hit.” It looks as if some of the talks might be instructive for dealing with the emotional hits that our kids take — for example, the talk with the premise that we need to close the gap between the way we care for our psychological health versus our physical health. “What do we teach our children about emotional hygiene?” the presenter asks in “Why We All Need to Practice Emotional First Aid.” (Transcript available for readers.) Other talks cover a range of topics under the general heading of emotional first aid. Find the playlist.

Spotlight on 2e Series Booklets
Did you know that three of the booklets in the Spotlight on 2e Series are directed squarely at particular “e’s”? The booklets on dyslexia, ADHD, and Asperger’s all provide a primer on 2e, then an examination of raising and educating a gifted child with dyslexia, ADHD, or Asperger’s. See the tables of contents and ordering information at The 2e Resource website.