http://www.drcheng.ca/index.phpDrCheng.ca Updatesenenwww.drcheng.caDrCheng.ca2021-08-10T09:34:01-04:00 hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00 Tue, 10 Aug 2021 09:36:58 -0400www.drcheng.caHome2021-08-10T09:35:42-04:00http://www.drcheng.ca/files/6ab79903d5a76c8f99713b341cf6481e-0.php#unique-entry-id-0http://www.drcheng.ca/files/6ab79903d5a76c8f99713b341cf6481e-0.php#unique-entry-id-0Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Ottawa.

In between patients, Dr. Cheng works with eMentalHealth.ca, an initiative of Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario.

My approach involves the following:

• Radical empathy, acceptance and validation to connect to children/youth and families
• Helping children/youth and families to (re)connect to the people, things and activities that are truly meaningful in their lives
• Helping children/youth and families to disconnect from those people, things and activities that are not helpful in their lives
• Helping children/youth and families overcome any particular challenges along the way, e.g. sensory processing issues, learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, visual stress, etc.

]]>www.drcheng.caHome2021-08-10T09:34:01-04:00http://www.drcheng.ca/files/9b2e5633ee32b04ab67bea61c7afff17-47.php#unique-entry-id-47http://www.drcheng.ca/files/9b2e5633ee32b04ab67bea61c7afff17-47.php#unique-entry-id-47A study published today by a CHEO colleague Dr. Tremblay, in The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health, involving data for more than 577,000 adolescents (ages 13 to 15) from 42 North American and European countries, finds that: 1) increased physical activity is clearly associated with better mental wellbeing and 2) more than 2 hours per day of recreational screen time, is bad for mental wellbeing. It is the first study to show such clear relationships in a large multi-country sample.]]>www.drcheng.caHome2020-11-15T22:53:37-05:00http://www.drcheng.ca/files/98ea157ddc07bfc2094b34df21729c58-46.php#unique-entry-id-46http://www.drcheng.ca/files/98ea157ddc07bfc2094b34df21729c58-46.php#unique-entry-id-46As a scientist, Riskin is seeking facts. As a dad, he’s seeking advice. He’s concerned about his children’s growing desire to spend more time on screen — and how to manage the family fights that can arise as a result.”

Watch on CBC https://www.cbc.ca/natureofthings/episodes/kids-vs-screens 
]]>www.drcheng.caHome2019-05-29T22:20:45-04:00http://www.drcheng.ca/files/2c1744b852f0be97310348fd21508b06-45.php#unique-entry-id-45http://www.drcheng.ca/files/2c1744b852f0be97310348fd21508b06-45.php#unique-entry-id-45Interesting infographic from Common Sense Media showing how parents and teens feel their phones/tablets are affecting daily life. Read more…]]>www.drcheng.caHome2019-04-19T14:12:23-04:00http://www.drcheng.ca/files/affa9a27938cf89b971194e92986ab6c-44.php#unique-entry-id-44http://www.drcheng.ca/files/affa9a27938cf89b971194e92986ab6c-44.php#unique-entry-id-44A new study links excessive screen time among preschoolers to behavioural problems they experienced at age five. The research looked at more than 2,400 families and compared children who got at least two hours of daily screen time to those who had less than 30 minutes per day.

Kids who spent more of their day in front of screens were five times more likely to exhibit clinically significant "externalizing" behavioural problems such as inattention. They were also more than seven times more likely to meet the criteria for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, but without aggression. University of Alberta pediatrics professor Piush Mandhane, who led the study, says screen time was associated with problems more than any other risk factor considered, including sleep, parenting stress, and socioeconomic factors.

He suggests that current Canadian guidelines should be far less than the suggested one hour a day limit for preschoolers and the two hours a day limit for five-year-olds. [Read more…]]]>www.drcheng.caHome2019-04-12T06:53:00-04:00http://www.drcheng.ca/files/3c2ffc188c9086ab8cc091526bc2f803-43.php#unique-entry-id-43http://www.drcheng.ca/files/3c2ffc188c9086ab8cc091526bc2f803-43.php#unique-entry-id-43www.drcheng.caHome2018-03-22T17:03:36-04:00http://www.drcheng.ca/files/1b3b3c8064c0b6c50672fd16a8486d3b-42.php#unique-entry-id-42http://www.drcheng.ca/files/1b3b3c8064c0b6c50672fd16a8486d3b-42.php#unique-entry-id-42https://www.todaysparent.com/family/parenting/an-age-by-age-guide-to-kids-and-smartphones/]]>www.drcheng.caHome2017-03-30T10:45:18-04:00http://www.drcheng.ca/files/bcd27326c500de782b9c8d2c9f792a22-41.php#unique-entry-id-41http://www.drcheng.ca/files/bcd27326c500de782b9c8d2c9f792a22-41.php#unique-entry-id-41
Traumatic events can cause people to experience "intrusive memories"—distressing recollections that occur without warning, summoning the sights, sounds and feelings connected to the painful incident. Such symptoms are often treated with psychotherapy. But, as Sarah Knapton reports for The Telegraph, a new study suggests that intrusive memories can be mitigated by a less conventional method: playing Tetris.

Researchers from Oxford University and the Karolinska Institute in Sweden studied a group of 71 patients who had been admitted to the emergency room of an Oxford hospital after experiencing a car accident. Half of the subjects were used as a control group. The rest were asked to recall the traumatic crash, and then play a 20-minute game of Tetris. The study, published recently in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, found that patients who played Tetris within six hours of the crash experienced 62 percent fewer intrusive memories during the week following the incident compared to patients in the control group. Researchers wrote that the game acts as a “therapeutic vaccine” of sorts, appearing to prevent the formation of traumatic memories.

Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/playing-tetris-can-block-traumatic-memories-study-says-180962704/#KVIWvqCMKOtOcGqz.99
]]>www.drcheng.caHome2017-03-30T09:13:37-04:00http://www.drcheng.ca/files/534d990c83ae478fe53752b353a81546-40.php#unique-entry-id-40http://www.drcheng.ca/files/534d990c83ae478fe53752b353a81546-40.php#unique-entry-id-40
Despite this however, people are struggling in modern societies with an apparent epidemic of stress, depression, anxiety and suicide…

One theory is that despite all the comforts of modern society, humans live under drastically different situations than that under which we originally lived under for millennia.

For millennia, human beings lived lives being connected to things which gave purpose, belonging, hope and meaning, such as living physically active lives, closely connected to people and nature. Whether by cause or effect, human brains are thus wired such that:

• When we do physical exertion (e.g. hunting, gathering, farming), it gives our brain dopamine and adrenaline
• When we have close connections with others such as through face-to-face and physical contact, it gives our brain oxytocin

In modern society, things have radically changed. Unlike the past, modern humans have many sources of “easy dopamine” such as:

• The ever constant sensory stimulation from our technology (e.g. the internet, television, video games, recreational screens)
• Modern processed foods that are laced with sugar, which are present apparently in 80% of foods found in a grocery store!

As a result, we are seeing a generation whose brains have gotten used to requiring easy dopamine/dopamine, and who struggle when they do not have that easy dopamine/adrenaline. As a result, our kids don't want to go outside, unlike a generation ago.

Worse, hours spent in front of a screen doesn't give our brains what we really need… We are a social species, and we are wired to require oxytocin, which comes from face-to-face contact and feeling deeply connected to others. Social media and screen time doesn't give that.

So ultimately, this helps us understand why so many kids struggle… Their brains are seduced by activities (e.g. screens) which give easy dopamine, but which doesn't give their brains what they really need, which is oxytocin.
]]>www.drcheng.caHome2017-02-08T16:20:27-05:00http://www.drcheng.ca/files/1e7d846a1fb9766068069c5ba2555f57-39.php#unique-entry-id-39http://www.drcheng.ca/files/1e7d846a1fb9766068069c5ba2555f57-39.php#unique-entry-id-39Slut pages. Sink shots. Yik Yak. Finstas. Kik. Snapchat. Revenge porn. Tinder food stamps. If that reads like a different language, chances are you’re not an American teenager on social media. It’s this world — a chaotic mix of nude photos, cyber-bullying and dysfunctional relationships — that author Nancy Jo Sales ventured into when researching her new book, “American Girls: Social Media and the Secret Lives of Teenagers” (Knopf). View original article…
]]>www.drcheng.caHome2017-01-16T09:29:39-05:00http://www.drcheng.ca/files/7b59fd7dc46a6a3bc7bd4db8774c1864-38.php#unique-entry-id-38http://www.drcheng.ca/files/7b59fd7dc46a6a3bc7bd4db8774c1864-38.php#unique-entry-id-38
"They have a lot of money. They have a very loud voice. They are able to hire lobbyists to fight for their best interests," Erin Hobin of Public Health Ontario told Alberta@Noon on Friday.
]]>www.drcheng.caHome2016-12-09T12:43:28-05:00http://www.drcheng.ca/files/2ca8ded77dacf1d9c28daa3c9ea96160-37.php#unique-entry-id-37http://www.drcheng.ca/files/2ca8ded77dacf1d9c28daa3c9ea96160-37.php#unique-entry-id-37

Powerful story about one family's struggle with video game addiction in their 17-yo. [More…]

]]>www.drcheng.caHome2016-09-23T14:26:07-04:00http://www.drcheng.ca/files/febec9c5021e5ae8f1965a0ac28e4ed1-35.php#unique-entry-id-35http://www.drcheng.ca/files/febec9c5021e5ae8f1965a0ac28e4ed1-35.php#unique-entry-id-35www.drcheng.caHome2016-09-05T06:29:49-04:00http://www.drcheng.ca/files/e69870aa982d509f6cd02d122dc7ccc3-33.php#unique-entry-id-33http://www.drcheng.ca/files/e69870aa982d509f6cd02d122dc7ccc3-33.php#unique-entry-id-33www.drcheng.caHome2016-08-20T06:40:22-04:00http://www.drcheng.ca/files/f4ea47b8c133adadbe5a846089a7057f-34.php#unique-entry-id-34http://www.drcheng.ca/files/f4ea47b8c133adadbe5a846089a7057f-34.php#unique-entry-id-34www.drcheng.caHome2016-06-21T21:59:41-04:00http://www.drcheng.ca/files/37cc0410728ae17088bceb095bbb11ef-32.php#unique-entry-id-32http://www.drcheng.ca/files/37cc0410728ae17088bceb095bbb11ef-32.php#unique-entry-id-32

Watch this CTV Ottawa news clip to learn about the problems with exposing young children to cellphones…

]]>www.drcheng.caHome2016-02-21T22:29:50-05:00http://www.drcheng.ca/files/d0453a0aeb486bceee69e4bf263e1c09-31.php#unique-entry-id-31http://www.drcheng.ca/files/d0453a0aeb486bceee69e4bf263e1c09-31.php#unique-entry-id-31]]>www.drcheng.caHome2015-12-01T23:29:30-05:00http://www.drcheng.ca/files/e1ccd39928042bc9b51cde1238a6e18e-30.php#unique-entry-id-30http://www.drcheng.ca/files/e1ccd39928042bc9b51cde1238a6e18e-30.php#unique-entry-id-30. ]]>www.drcheng.caHome2015-11-10T23:19:07-05:00http://www.drcheng.ca/files/218d70e8e03d1465054573d1961f9cf3-29.php#unique-entry-id-29http://www.drcheng.ca/files/218d70e8e03d1465054573d1961f9cf3-29.php#unique-entry-id-29
Researchers at The Happiness Institute tested how social media affected users’ general happiness. A total of 1,095 Facebook users were asked to evaluate their overall life satisfaction on a scale from 1 to 10 based on different factors, such as how happy they were, how much they enjoyed life, whether they felt worried or sad, and if they were enthusiastic or decisive. Ninety-four percent confessed to logging on to Facebook at least once a day. After the evaluation, half of the group was asked to avoid going on Facebook for a week, while the other half was told to continue with their lives as normal.

A week later, the participants’ life satisfaction was once again measured. Results revealed those who hadn’t given up Facebook experienced a slight increase in their overall happiness, from an average happiness rating of 7.67 to 7.75. However, this group was also 55 percent more likely to feel stressed. The group that had given up social media, on the other hand, experienced a much more significant increase in happiness — their happiness rating jumped from 7.56 to 8.12.

Participants who gave up Facebook also experienced an increase in social activity and satisfaction with their social lives. And when they were asked about their moods on the last day of the experiment, they reported feeling happier and less sad than the group that had kept Facebook. Overall, the group without Facebook was 18 percent more likely to feel present and in the moment.

Read more…]]>www.drcheng.caHome2015-10-05T06:05:38-04:00http://www.drcheng.ca/files/f1919b03d0f9ba8b018c87ead4fb92fc-28.php#unique-entry-id-28http://www.drcheng.ca/files/f1919b03d0f9ba8b018c87ead4fb92fc-28.php#unique-entry-id-28At a time when school boards across Canada are equipping classrooms with new laptops, tablets and desktop computers to bring learning into the digital age, a global study raises questions over whether all that technology necessarily means better education results.

A report by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development released on Tuesday said the impact of information and communication technologies (ICT) on student performance is “mixed, at best.”

According to the report’s authors, where students frequently use computers in the classroom, the technology can become a distraction and education outcomes are weaker when compared with those classrooms where technology is used moderately for specific learning projects or once or twice a week.

Read more here…]]>www.drcheng.caHome2015-02-13T22:27:39-05:00http://www.drcheng.ca/files/d86b990517d43859ee20f0054b431ffa-26.php#unique-entry-id-26http://www.drcheng.ca/files/d86b990517d43859ee20f0054b431ffa-26.php#unique-entry-id-26

I am grateful to Carole Anne Meehan with CTV for the opportunity to talk about a very important challenge that faces parents and our society in general. We have all these wonderful technologies such as smart phones, and there is no doubt, there are many benefits to these technologies. Unfortunately, these technologies can be incredibly addicting, and they have the potential to disconnect us from one another, especially our kids... The good news however, is that it is never too late, to DISCONNECT (from our devices) to RECONNECT (to one another)... See the full interview here...]]>www.drcheng.caHome2015-01-25T06:46:02-05:00http://www.drcheng.ca/files/4bc6b775fefb0f7874ff0fa5f53ee38f-25.php#unique-entry-id-25http://www.drcheng.ca/files/4bc6b775fefb0f7874ff0fa5f53ee38f-25.php#unique-entry-id-25
In other words, cut down on your screen time, kids.

Not that mothers and fathers aren’t beyond reproach: “Parents are the primary educators,” he said, “but they cannot be left to their own devices.”

“The media can be a hindrance if they become a way to avoid listening to others, to evade physical contact, to fill up every moment of silence and rest, so that we forget that ‘silence is an integral element of communication; in its absence, words rich in content cannot exist,'” Pope Francis said.

Read more here...]]>www.drcheng.caHome2014-10-27T00:14:27-04:00http://www.drcheng.ca/files/1525a54c8a7eb80a7db0137c168ab760-23.php#unique-entry-id-23http://www.drcheng.ca/files/1525a54c8a7eb80a7db0137c168ab760-23.php#unique-entry-id-23Read more...
]]>www.drcheng.caHome2014-10-15T22:12:01-04:00http://www.drcheng.ca/files/f9b11b351bcbead11f85798f2298fd28-22.php#unique-entry-id-22http://www.drcheng.ca/files/f9b11b351bcbead11f85798f2298fd28-22.php#unique-entry-id-22]]>www.drcheng.caHome2014-10-06T15:38:27-04:00http://www.drcheng.ca/files/b8f0a13dab79dc8068f88d1c5bedde75-21.php#unique-entry-id-21http://www.drcheng.ca/files/b8f0a13dab79dc8068f88d1c5bedde75-21.php#unique-entry-id-21exercise reduces the severity of ADHD symptoms in young children.]]>www.drcheng.caHome2014-09-10T09:31:48-04:00http://www.drcheng.ca/files/09a8cb83c6151013bbd4d89755db55ba-20.php#unique-entry-id-20http://www.drcheng.ca/files/09a8cb83c6151013bbd4d89755db55ba-20.php#unique-entry-id-20

Read more...]]>www.drcheng.caHome2014-09-09T03:04:48-04:00http://www.drcheng.ca/files/3615209db3fd50c45a4e939af759c333-19.php#unique-entry-id-19http://www.drcheng.ca/files/3615209db3fd50c45a4e939af759c333-19.php#unique-entry-id-19Read more...]]>www.drcheng.caHome2014-09-04T09:45:02-04:00http://www.drcheng.ca/files/dc8986c89cb9d0fd0c12c8fec4cc3991-18.php#unique-entry-id-18http://www.drcheng.ca/files/dc8986c89cb9d0fd0c12c8fec4cc3991-18.php#unique-entry-id-18

Read more...]]>www.drcheng.caHome2014-08-28T22:47:13-04:00http://www.drcheng.ca/files/cb2efe736b61bf1a3700cb982f6817e1-17.php#unique-entry-id-17http://www.drcheng.ca/files/cb2efe736b61bf1a3700cb982f6817e1-17.php#unique-entry-id-17

Alternate download link...
]]>www.drcheng.caHome2014-07-19T22:42:05-04:00http://www.drcheng.ca/files/867a9b8a468541fc8888fb637035f1c6-16.php#unique-entry-id-16http://www.drcheng.ca/files/867a9b8a468541fc8888fb637035f1c6-16.php#unique-entry-id-16

Read more...]]>www.drcheng.caHome2014-05-18T22:03:02-04:00http://www.drcheng.ca/files/dca38124f22e8fe3114120bda6d27e61-15.php#unique-entry-id-15http://www.drcheng.ca/files/dca38124f22e8fe3114120bda6d27e61-15.php#unique-entry-id-15
View the presentation here: Attach to me if you can: Why it’s so hard to parent today’s children and youth.

]]>www.drcheng.caHome2013-12-06T04:07:12-05:00http://www.drcheng.ca/files/f555fb0f1bc3eb0dc7066010e5fa3fbe-14.php#unique-entry-id-14http://www.drcheng.ca/files/f555fb0f1bc3eb0dc7066010e5fa3fbe-14.php#unique-entry-id-14View more information from Chapters...

]]>www.drcheng.caHome2013-04-19T22:42:33-04:00http://www.drcheng.ca/files/d960f37f8364a0c57f12cbe16106948c-13.php#unique-entry-id-13http://www.drcheng.ca/files/d960f37f8364a0c57f12cbe16106948c-13.php#unique-entry-id-13Dr. Laura Markham’s AHA Parenting blog. Her advice is practical, useful, and best of all, its free. Visit http://www.ahaparenting.com.]]>www.drcheng.caHome2012-09-10T21:39:28-04:00http://www.drcheng.ca/files/52aaed12b5d12fb1b320fe09dbd1387b-10.php#unique-entry-id-10http://www.drcheng.ca/files/52aaed12b5d12fb1b320fe09dbd1387b-10.php#unique-entry-id-10http://books.google.ca/books?id=EfED7he8NasC&source=gbs_similarbooks]]>www.drcheng.caHome2012-09-10T21:34:43-04:00http://www.drcheng.ca/files/12d44cf5416b4e834e559d4151352499-9.php#unique-entry-id-9http://www.drcheng.ca/files/12d44cf5416b4e834e559d4151352499-9.php#unique-entry-id-9http://wwww.wholebrainchild.com. ]]>www.drcheng.caHome2011-04-07T07:05:20-04:00http://www.drcheng.ca/files/11e8ab56766c79914e47acaaf8ba4647-8.php#unique-entry-id-8http://www.drcheng.ca/files/11e8ab56766c79914e47acaaf8ba4647-8.php#unique-entry-id-8
I am finding his ideas incredibly powerful and useful for most clinical situations. To learn more, visit his website http://www.gordneufeld.com!]]>www.drcheng.caHome2010-05-30T06:32:59-04:00http://www.drcheng.ca/files/f91a62f8fb36db1808a206823c0df96a-7.php#unique-entry-id-7http://www.drcheng.ca/files/f91a62f8fb36db1808a206823c0df96a-7.php#unique-entry-id-7www.drcheng.caHome2009-12-03T07:29:14-05:00http://www.drcheng.ca/files/ab96902e4bcbf4411d734baaf0e82e3e-6.php#unique-entry-id-6http://www.drcheng.ca/files/ab96902e4bcbf4411d734baaf0e82e3e-6.php#unique-entry-id-6A little colour could help your kids sort and put away their toys, according to teacher, author and visual-learning advocate Carol McDougall....
http://www.vancouversun.com/life/Visually+learners+better+education+plays+their+strengths/2192633/story.html]]>www.drcheng.caHome2009-12-03T07:26:19-05:00http://www.drcheng.ca/files/663d95c007d291ca5aab852050174cb3-5.php#unique-entry-id-5http://www.drcheng.ca/files/663d95c007d291ca5aab852050174cb3-5.php#unique-entry-id-5Young adults who are fit have a higher IQ and are more likely to go on to university, reveals a major new study carried out at the Sahlgrenska Academy and Sahlgrenska University Hospital. Link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091202101751.htm]]>www.drcheng.caHome2009-11-10T06:51:48-05:00http://www.drcheng.ca/files/516e3bf8ec8bd492b3f6a6fc10f20123-3.php#unique-entry-id-3http://www.drcheng.ca/files/516e3bf8ec8bd492b3f6a6fc10f20123-3.php#unique-entry-id-3Click here for a copy of the presentation...]]>www.drcheng.caHome2009-09-02T07:30:14-04:00http://www.drcheng.ca/files/8e3892bbdf09204c85f3023ee9d7d0cf-2.php#unique-entry-id-2http://www.drcheng.ca/files/8e3892bbdf09204c85f3023ee9d7d0cf-2.php#unique-entry-id-2http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html]]>www.drcheng.caHome2009-09-02T07:29:16-04:00http://www.drcheng.ca/files/7c6a7d1c20a88cee45c754c980ab652a-1.php#unique-entry-id-1http://www.drcheng.ca/files/7c6a7d1c20a88cee45c754c980ab652a-1.php#unique-entry-id-1http://www.cbc.ca/national/blog/special_feature/brain_gains/brain_gains_2.html]]>