Articles of interest
A teacher’s guide to autism
Autism is a developmental condition, present from early childhood, which affects how a person relates to others. It occurs in around 1% of the population and is commoner in boys than girls. The prevalence seems to be rising, for reasons which we don’t completely...
read moreWhy parenting matters in ADHD
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurobiological condition affecting around six percent of school-going children and causing impairments in concentration, hyperactivity and impulsivity. Twin studies, family studies and adoption studies attest to...
read moreADHD and screen time
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurobiological condition causing developmentally inappropriate impairments in concentration, impulsivity and activity levels. It affects around 6% of school-going children and persists into adulthood in the...
read moreADHD and friendships
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) manifests with symptoms of inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsivity, in varying combinations, and affects around five percent of the school-going population. Due to the pervasive nature of these symptoms in...
read more‘Techno-tots’ on Carte Blanche June 19th 2016
Original Article available here Video no longer available online Studies show that in recent years children are spending more time behind some sort of digital device than they are in engaging in various forms of play. It is estimated that only 7 percent of children...
read moreHealth Matters interview on SAFM with Karen Key, 10th Feb 2016
PHONE IN ADHD IN ADULTS & CHILDREN DR RYKIE LIEBENBERG Johannesburg based adult psychiatrist and convenor of the ADHD South African Special Interest Group DR BRENDAN BELSHAM, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist in Johannesburg Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity...
read moreTaming the tablet: dealing with screen addiction in your home
Last time I wrote about the harmful effects of excessive electronics on childhood development. That was the easy part. What follows is much easier said than done, but hopefully it will provide you with some tools for dealing with this problem in your home. ...
read moreThe tyranny of the tablet: why excessive screen time is bad for kids
When I returned to work last Monday after the December holidays, I expected a fairly quiet, uneventful week. After all, the kids haven’t returned to school yet, many parents are still on leave, and the average home is relaxed and happy. Right? Wrong, very wrong. It...
read moreWhen the pills don’t work…
Jonathan walked into my office looking downcast. I knew why. His recent exam results were the most disappointing he had yet produced. His parents and teachers were at once angry, disappointed and baffled. His intelligence wasn’t the problem, as confirmed by several...
read moreLabels, excuses and explanations: the diagnosis of ADHD
The teacher reports that your child is underachieving in the classroom, and suggests an assessment. It may have been a series of phone calls, possibly from several teachers over the years, and you are feeling increasingly hounded. Where do you turn? If ADHD...
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