Austin Mindful Therapy

06/08/2025

04/11/2025

04/03/2025

03/17/2025

Teachers say children can’t hold pencils, tie shoes, or use scissors.

Children today are struggling with basic fine motor skills, and experts believe increased screen time is a major culprit. Teachers report that young students are arriving at school unable to even turn the pages of a book.

Researchers say the decline in hands-on activities — like crafting, outdoor play, and puzzles — has been being supplanted by screen time for years.

The problem? With screens replacing traditional playtime, kids are missing out on crucial movements that develop dexterity, patience, and focus.

To help reverse this decline, experts suggest incorporating fine motor activities into daily routines. Simple tasks like pouring drinks, buttoning shirts, and drawing with crayons can strengthen coordination. Encouraging outdoor exploration, building with blocks, and reducing passive screen time can also make a big difference.

learn more https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2787479

02/21/2025

IEP’s and 504 Plans for our children are not a divisive issue, children benefit from these plans every day, creating more productive societies and better outcomes for adults and families for generations to come. We cannot afford to stop investing in the wellbeing of our children & future generations. 🎓📚📝

02/07/2025

The Facts: A recent study involving over 600 participants in the United Kingdom has found that frequent use of artificial intelligence tools may be detrimental to critical thinking skills. The research, conducted by Dr. Michael Gerlich at SBS Swiss Business School, explored the relationship between AI usage and cognitive offloading- the tendency to rely on external aids for cognitive tasks - and its impact on critical thinking.

Participants, ranging in age from 17 to over 46 and possessing diverse educational backgrounds, completed surveys and interviews assessing their AI tool usage, cognitive offloading habits, and critical thinking abilities. The findings revealed a significant negative correlation between frequent AI tool usage and critical thinking skills, mediated by increased cognitive offloading. In particular, younger participants (ages 17–25) exhibited higher dependence on AI tools and lower critical thinking scores compared to older participants. These findings match other studies and surveys in the field.

Reflect On: Why do we need to rely on AI so much? Is it because it makes our lives easier and that is good? Or is it also because life is becoming increasingly difficult and humans at the end of their capacity will do anything to help relieve the load - even if it hurts them in the long run? What then is the real problem we are facing?

That said, integrating critical thinking exercises and metacognitive skill development into everyday life is key. True, honest, critical thinking is not as common within culture as many folks think - even in alternative fields where believing alt narratives replace critical thinking.

02/07/2025