When you seek advice from a trusted source and it doesn’t jibe with what you think is best, do you follow it? When your car makes a little funny sound as you’re driving and half your friends tell you it’s nothing and half tell you that you need a belt fixed and then you take … Continue Reading →
Back when I was a kid virtually nobody had autism. Hmmm, that’s not right of course. But back when I was young, kids were either normal or hyper or retarded. Seriously. Those were about the only categories. I’m in my late 40s and all kids who with learning disabilities who weren’t able to compensate pretty … Continue Reading →
In two separate studies recently, more evidence mounts for the value of exercise in school. It’s something any grade school teacher can tell you: going outside and running around allows kids to come back in and focus better. Scientists have shown this now to be the case in older kids too. Physically active children of … Continue Reading →
Preschoolers love to pretend. They play dress up or imagine they’re pirates or “cook” for you. They “fly” and “drive” and even are able to become “invisible. “Their powers are endless. Often they find it difficult to differentiate what is real from what is not, but by early grade school, most children have a pretty … Continue Reading →
Question from a patient: Maddie (13 months) used to eat anything on her tray but we are now in a picky phase. She throws food and yells if she doesn’t like it. The other night the only thing she would eat for dinner were blueberries. She ate half a pint lol. She seems to still … Continue Reading →
Preschoolers often play favorites. They have a favorite pair of shoes or a favorite meal or a favorite stuffed friend they like to carry around with them. Sometimes it can be tough for parents, though, when a preschooler has a favorite parent. Feeling rejected by a 3 or 4 year old consistently can be rough … Continue Reading →
I’m not sure when it changed. And maybe it never did. Maybe my notion of a neighborhood where the adults all kept an eye on the kids and broke up squabbles and made sure they weren’t breaking the rules, and told the other parents what they saw is a romantic one, more a movie scene … Continue Reading →
I’ve been consumed reading the articles surrounding the tragedy of the Penn State sexual abuse scandal, and the recent report from Louis Freeh revealing that there was an intermittent but consistent awareness of Sandusky’s illicit contact with young boys on the part of the Penn State administration and coach Joe Paterno in particular is both … Continue Reading →
Summer vacation is here and my tweens and teens are struggling to find something to do all day. We go to the swim club frequently and enjoy cooking together, but without the structure of school and extracurricular activities there are still hours and hours of wide-open time each day for my kids to fill. They … Continue Reading →
Parents of teens on ADD meds need to be vigilant. Several articles recently have pointed out that the use of ADD meds is rapidly rising. Antibiotic prescriptions are down for children, but stimulant medication prescriptions have risen 40% over the last decade. Stimulant medications for ADD can be life-altering in a good way for students … Continue Reading →