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One of the world's most comprehensive studies into ADHD in children has broken down the factors that can adversely affect their health and quality of life.
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New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Adult baby pacifier trend can ‘wreak havoc' on your teeth — and even how you swallow, dentist warns
This trend might come back to bite you. Dentists are gritting their teeth over a bizarre new fad that has adults popping pacifiers like babies, as the self-soothing practice popular in China begins to take hold in the US. 'There is a reason we don't drink out of baby bottles or suck on pacifiers as adults,' Dr. Ben Winters, an orthodontist and creator of Something Nice oral care brand, told The Post. 'It wreaks havoc on swallow and bite patterns.' Advertisement 4 Chinese social media platforms have been flooded with videos of adults sucking on pacifiers. RedNote But what's got grown-ups going ga-ga over beefed-up binkies anyway? The silicone soothers are being pitched as sleep aids and stress relievers — and they're flying off the shelves. Some online sellers reportedly move thousands of adult pacifiers every month, with prices ranging from a bargain 10 yuan ($1.40) to a jaw-dropping 500 yuan ($70), according to the South China Morning Post. Advertisement 'When I am under pressure at work, I suck on the dummy. I feel I am indulged in a sense of safety from childhood,' one user told the outlet. Others swear the pacifiers have helped ease ADHD symptoms, support weight loss and even curb the urge to smoke. 'It gives me psychological comfort and makes me not so fidgety during my smoke cessation periods,' another buyer told the SCMP. Advertisement 4 The trend, popular in China and South Korea, is gaining traction in the US. TikTok / @thebentist Dental drama But experts warn this habit is anything but soothing for your mouth — and could cause serious trouble for both your smile and your wallet. 'If we keep sucking on pacifiers and baby bottles into adulthood, you get what is called an open bite,' Winters explained. That's dental speak for when your upper and lower front teeth don't touch when you close your jaw. This often happens because the constant pressure from sucking on a pacifier pushes the upper teeth forward or tilts the lower teeth inward, throwing your natural bite out of whack. Advertisement 4 Many users say the pacifiers help calm their nerves and relieve stress. RedNote While young children can often bounce back because their bones are still growing, adults face a tougher problem since their jaw structure is already set. 'This will then need braces to fix,' Winters cautioned, but if you kick the habit early enough, he said there's still a chance your bite can bounce back. 'However, it's still not the smartest cause you don't want to go into a tongue thrust pattern,' he said. That's when the tongue pushes forward against or between your teeth while swallowing — a baby reflex that helps latch and suck during feeding, but can cause serious dental and speech problems in adults. 'These issues are exactly why we don't use these as adults,' Winters said. 'I would not make it a habit to keep something like this in your mouth at all times.' 4 Dentists and psychologists are warning about potential long-term effects associated with the habit. Douyin Craving calm without the risk? Advertisement Experts recommend chewing gum, fidget toys and stress balls — all great for keeping your mind busy and your teeth safe. Psychologists also urge users to seek mental health support to tackle the deeper issues driving them toward these self-soothing habits. 'Instead of masking anxiety, adults should focus on confronting and addressing the root causes for lasting mental well-being,' said Dr. Hamilton Gaiani, chief medical officer at FirePit Health, a telehealth platform. Advertisement Exercise, hobbies and relaxation techniques like meditation and deep breathing can also give your mental health a boost without messing up your bite. 'They might help with stress for a little while, but using them too much can cause problems,' added Allen Zhang, dental tech leader and CEO of ProDENT. 'It's better to try other ways to manage stress and see your dentist regularly to keep your teeth healthy.'
Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
How to manage money with ADHD
As a financial planner at one of Britain's most high-end wealth managers, Olly Cheng has seen his fair share of clients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) – not that many of them are aware of it. 'When a client starts telling you about their quirks – like having a cup of coffee before bed – you're almost in the room diagnosing them,' he said. Mr Cheng, who has ADHD himself, sees familiar tendencies in the ambitious entrepreneurs and chief executives he manages at Rathbones – and he recognises that parents who disclose a child's diagnosis, worried about inheritance implications, may be inadvertently telling him something about themselves as well. The number of adults diagnosed with ADHD increased 20-fold between 2000 and 2018. After the pandemic, the number of adults seeking a diagnosis climbed a further 400pc, according to the ADHD Foundation. The condition is characterised by impulsivity, high energy levels and a propensity for being distracted. Perhaps unsurprisingly, if you have ADHD, managing your bills, savings, investments and spending can feel overwhelming. For Dr Ben Stride, a GP and founder of Think ADHD, an online resource guide, the condition is effectively a 'tax' that needs to be budgeted for. 'People with ADHD often experience difficulty when managing money. This isn't down to carelessness or a lack of motivation, but rather due to differences in brain function that affect self-regulation,' he said. 'ADHD impacts executive functions which include skills like planning, organisation and impulse control.' Here, experts tell Telegraph Money the tactics anyone with ADHD can use to stop finances getting out of control. Acknowledge your impulse spending triggers Being a spectrum, ADHD presents differently depending on the person. 'Those with inattentive-type ADHD may struggle more with missed payments, disorganisation and feeling overwhelmed by their finances,' said Dr Stride. 'Those with hyperactive-impulsive traits may be more prone to risk-taking behaviours such as gambling and credit misuse.' Different steps can address the condition's various symptoms, so it's important to be aware of what kind of behaviours you're susceptible to. 'ADHD is often associated with emotional dysregulation. Spending money can become a way of coping with low mood or stress, creating a temporary sense of relief, followed by guilt or shame,' Dr Stride said. 'It becomes a self-punishing loop with an impact that can last for years.' Automate as much as you can For those with inattentive-type ADHD, modern banking apps can help reduce that overwhelmed feeling at the sheer number of payments you need to remember. Mr Cheng recommends setting up as many direct debits and standing orders as possible to alleviate the stress of managing bills, savings and credit card payments. 'The more people can get done with direct debits, the better,' he said. 'There's a bit of work to do early, but if you can set payments up and put them to the back of your mind, it's the best possible thing you can do.'
Daily Maverick
2 hours ago
- Daily Maverick
My child is always losing and forgetting things. How can I help – without making it worse?
Doing everything for your child robs them of an opportunity to learn. Here are the dos and don'ts. As school returns, parents and teachers might each be faced with the familiar chorus of 'I can't find my school jumper' and 'I left my hat at home'. For parents of older kids, the stakes may be even higher: lost mobile phones or laptops left on the bus. As parents, it can be tempting to take charge by packing schoolbags yourself or texting older children a list of things to remember at the end of each day. However, doing everything for your child robs them of an opportunity to learn. What's happening in their developing brain? Our kids, in their busy lives, are constantly using and developing their memory skills – remembering where they put things, new conceptual knowledge, and routines required for the day-to-day. Prospective memory – which involves remembering to do things in the future – is particularly challenging. It's prospective memory children draw on when they set a drink bottle down at play time and must remember to pick it up later, or get a note from their teacher and must remember to show their parent after school. Success in prospective memory involves multiple cognitive processes going right. Children must pay attention to what is needed in a given situation ('I can't play outside if I don't have a hat'), and then form and store a particular intention to act in the future ('I need to take my hat with me to school'). Then, they must bring the intention back to mind at the crucial moment (taking the hat on the way out the door). This 'remembering to remember' requires memory to spontaneously occur at just the right time, without prompts or reminders. These processes all require a higher-order cognitive skill known as ' executive function '. This is the ability to consciously control our attention and memory and to engage in challenging thinking tasks. Processes that rely on executive function are hard, which is why lost drink bottles and forgotten hats are such frustratingly common experiences for parents; even for adults, the majority of day-to-day memory errors involve prospective memory. Executive function develops later in childhood compared with some other skills, such as language and play. The prefrontal cortex, which underpins executive function tasks, is not mature until early adulthood; this means forgetfulness among children is common and a natural part of development. Chances are, you were like this too when you were a kid (you just might not remember it). Could some kids struggle even more? Yes. Children (and adults) vary widely in their executive function skills. While all children get better at executive function throughout childhood, this happens at different rates; some children may be more forgetful than others of their own age. One condition particularly related to forgetfulness is attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Children with an ADHD-inattentive subtype may be more likely to lose things and be forgetful during everyday activities such as chores or errands. Children with ADHD will still develop prospective memory skills over time, but may be more forgetful relative to other children their own age. How can I help my kid? Do build routines and stick to them. Research shows routines help children develop cognitive skills and self-regulation. Children are best able to remember a routine when it is 'automatised' – practised often enough, they know it without thinking. Do promote 'metacognition': an awareness about one's own cognitive processes. Research suggests children are over-optimistic about their likelihood of remembering successfully. Parents and teachers can help them to notice when remembering is hard and put in strategies that help. Do model the behaviour you want to see. For example, you might set up your own lists and strategies to help you remember daily tasks. You could also have a family routine of 'bags by the door' and checking them the night before. Don't do it for them, do it together. Do seek professional support if you're worried. All children will forget sometimes, and some more than others. If your child is particularly absentminded or forgetful, it could be worth consulting a GP or school psychologist. Conditions such as ADHD must be observed in more than one setting (for example, home and school, or home and sport), and specific diagnostic criteria must be met. Diagnosis can be helpful in accessing supports. What should I not do – and why? Don't rely on kids being able to spontaneously self-initiate memory – that's the hardest part of prospective memory! Instead, use checklists and memory aids. For instance, if they are consistently leaving their drink bottle at school, you could put a tag on their bag that says 'where is your drink bottle?' Using prompts isn't cheating – it's supporting success. Don't sweat the slip-ups – these are normal. One study with 3–5-year-old children found that incentives in the form of food treats weren't enough to improve performance. Punishing is also unlikely to help. Instead, use instances of forgetting as teachable moments – strategise about how to adjust next time. Don't leave things too late. Anxiety and stress can make forgetting more likely, because children can easily become overwhelmed. Pack bags the night before, practise new routines, and avoid rushing where possible. Don't judge. Prospective memory failures are sometimes perceived as character flaws, particularly when they affect other people (such as when forgetting to return a borrowed item). Understanding how memory works, however, helps reveal that forgetfulness is an everyday part of development. DM This story first appeared on The Conversation. Celia Harris is an Associate Professor in Cognitive Science at Western Sydney University. Penny Van Bergen is an Associate Professor in the Psychology of Education at Macquarie University.
