Mightier app uses video games to help children with ADHD and autism regulate their emotions

  • Created by researchers at Harvard Medical School and Boston’s Children’s hospital, the Mightier app has helped children with ADHD and autism regulate their emotions.
  • The app has been used by more than 100,000 children, and has about 30 mobile-based video games.
  • A social worker at Mightier said that the tool has proven effective in conjunction with therapy for children with ADHD or autism, as part of learning self-soothing activities.
  •  For more on this, please go to the JSOnline website.

What teachers think of children and young people’s technology use

  • A study at Bournemouth University explored UK teachers’ experiences of children and young people’s use of technology
  • The study found many teachers were optimistic about the role technology could play in both education and empowering children and young people.
  • However, some teachers also expressed concern about how technology affected children and young people’s offline social skills.
  • For more on this study, please go to the Yahoo News website.

Pioneering the use of virtual reality in safeguarding training

  • Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust have pioneered the use of virtual reality in safeguarding training after concerns about safeguarding during clinical practice.
  • Whilst staff were able to consider risks to the presenting patient, they did not appear to look at the wider picture and safeguard other vulnerable members of the family.
  • The safeguarding training with VR allowed participants to experience various scenarios, enabling them to think beyond the presenting patient and consider a more holistic approach to safeguarding.
  • After the training, participants reported better knowledge and made more referrals for at risk children of their adult patients.
  • For more on this, visit the Nursing Times website.