// Latest Posts

Physical activity helps cognition in Tourette Disorder

A number of us from the Candal Team recently met with clinicians, researchers and allied healthcare professionals at the 1st World Congress on Tourette Syndrome and Tic Disorders (June 24-26, London).   Amongst other current research topics discussed in relation to the symptomatology and management of Tourette Syndrome (TS), we presented results from a recent …

Harnessing technology in youth mental health

With the advent of technology, mobile phone applications (apps) have become an essential part of the everyday lives of most young people and offer exciting opportunities to support their mental health needs. A recent scoping review exploring the use of technology to deliver mental health services found that not only were they enthusiastically supported by …

CANDAL is helping to support the development of a new play for children about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

Professor David Daley and the CANDAL team are currently acting as scientific advisors to Wendy Harris, Artistic Director of tutti frutti productions a highly successful, Arts Council England funded l Leeds-based charity producing new theatre for children and family audiences. The new show that CANDAL is advising on is currently in script development and is …

A 14-year old Pioneer Member of Youth Parliament for Nottinghamshire!

As the nation prepares to head to the polls, I would like -on behalf of the CANDAL team- to congratulate fourteen-year old Dylan Wilson on his success in being elected as the Pioneer (Disabled) Member of Youth Parliament (MYP) for Nottinghamshire. The UK Youth Parliament has 600 MYPs aged 11-18 who are are elected in annual …

Tourette’s Syndrome and the likelihood of experiencing other psychiatric disorders

Young people with Tourette’s Syndrome (TS) their parents and clinicians are all aware of how often TS is accompanied by other disorders such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Until recently evidence to support this idea has come mainly from small studies and anecdotal evidence. A recently published study (February 2015: …

Greater clarity about the evidence for non-pharmacological interventions for ADHD

For several years some CANDAL members have been working with the European ADHD Guidelines Group on a series of meta-analysis exploring the evidence base for non-pharmacological interventions for ADHD. The first review Songua-barke et al (2013) published in the American Journal of Psychiatry showed a very clear pattern of results across three psychological interventions ( …

‘Happiness’ lessons to be introduced in schools

UK government advisors and policy makers called for a new priority emphasis on young people’s mental wellbeing, in their report on Mental Health and Wellbeing in Children presented at the World Innovation Summit for Health last week (17th February, 2015). 1 in 10 British children and adolescents are suffering from mental health problems, such as anxiety …

Tourette’s syndrome featured on BBC1

The BBC 1 drama series Casualty is running a story on Saturday (21st February 21.15 BBC1) featuring a young woman with Tourette Syndrome. I haven’t personally seen the script but the charity Tourettes Action (www.Tourettes-action.org.uk ) were consulted. Since Tourette Syndrome affects approximately 300,000 children and adults in the UK it is good to see …

CANDAL annual conference highlights

Thanks to all who attended the CANDAL annual conference! For me, it was a really good example of what CANDAL is all about, with plenty of time devoted simply to talking and listening to each other. The highlight, for me, was the talk by Dr Barbara Houghton and Dr Jo Jones about their clinic for …

Welcome to CANDALight, the new blog for CANDAL

CANDAL aims to promote collaboration between researchers and our clinical partners into better ways of helping people with neurodevelopmental disorders. These disorders are conditions such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Tourette’s Syndrome, and autism (including  Asperger’s Syndrome), all of which may continue into adulthood, and quite often overlap in the same person. Unlike other …