If you read one book about parenting special needs children this year...this one is IT! The Elephant in the Playroom is a compilation of essays written by parents of children with special needs, and eloquently compiled by Denise Brodey, editor in chief of Fitness magazine, and mom to a son with sensory integration dysfunction. Ms Brodey has captured the very essence of life as the parent of a “special” kid. I found myself laughing, crying and furiously... more

Malaria can be deadly. Biting mosquitoes spread it and more than 1 million people, mostly children, die from Malaria each year. Malaria is preventable and it is treatable. Unfortunately, many areas that are affected by Malaria are impoverished. Therefore, the people do not have access to the medicines or tools to keep themselves and their families safe. Malaria is endemic in more than 100 countries and territories. World Malaria Day, April 25, hopes to build awareness to help put a stop to malaria... more

We have all heard about the dangers of using a cell phone while driving a car. Some metropolitan areas have made it illegal to talk on a cell phone while driving because of the many related accidents. Last week I wrote a blog on the dangers of brain tumors associated with cell phone use. Researchers are concerned about the long-term effects on developing children’s brains if adults are showing tumors within 10 years of cell phone use. Now we have another warning for our children regarding cell phone usage. Researchers have found that children may not be able to cross the... more

Today’s children who are becoming teenagers are using inhalants more often than marijuana or prescription drugs. A new government report shows that inhaling common household products is the preferred way to get high for those becoming teenagers. According to health officials, household products like shoe polish, glue, aerosol air fresheners, hair sprays, nail polish, paint solvents, degreasers, gasoline, and lighter fluid are all possibilities for getting high. The results of the study were presented on Thursday at the National Press club in Washington, D.C. The National... more

National Public Radio (NPR) did two segments on the importance of play recently. And I think they bear watching. In Old Fashioned Play Builds Serious Skills, it is pointed out that back before the mid-1950s play was not so much associated with toys as it was with unstructured free time. But the advent of television advertising and marketing to children has changed that.

Combine that with the push by parents to have children involved in organized activities and the lack of recess during... more

I ran across two articles today, both addressing some “alternative” approaches to autism. The first article, Diet change gives hyperactive kids new taste for life in Norway, is specifically about children diagnosed with ADHD. But the diet is the casein-free, gluten-free diet used by many families of children with autism. The article describes research following 23 children for the last decade who had been diagnosed with ADHD and had started casein-free, and in some cases, gluten-free diets.

All 23 of the children that were the part of this study were... more

Video 1:Grab your tissues and check out this video. It’s a tear-jerker. I learned about Megan, a teenager with Downs Syndrome, from a speech therapist we work with, who had worked with Megan. Megan’s participation in her high school cheerleading squad is incredibly heartwarming.

Video 2:This next video is equally moving, but not in a warm way. SEAK (Seeking Appropriate Education for Kids) is a family... more

Feel like watching TV tonight? Well, I’ve decided that tuning into the new ABC drama, Eli Stone is going to be worth the watch. Why? Because it’s in the center of the autism controversy.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has called for ABC to cancel the first episode of this series because the story involves the main character, a prophetic attorney, representing a mother and her son with autism against a vaccine manufacturer (and winning) for the mercury placed in the vaccine that “caused” the boy’s autism.

The AAP believes that airing this show will increase the number of parents who decide not to... more

We had just set down at the restaurant when my cell phone vibrated. It was our 15-year-old son, whom we left in charge, calling. “Mom, the phone just rang and it was a man with a deep voice. He asked if my father was home and I told him he was busy. Then he asked if my mother was home. I said, ‘May I ask who is calling?’ Then he just hung up. What if he is outside and he was trying to find out if our parents are at home? He probably wants to break into our house.”

Maybe I should back up for a minute and tell you how my day started. I had to go into work at seven... more

The Newsweek article about Peggy Hilt and When Adoption Goes Wrong was one thing…but not to be outdone, Time Magazine prints “Can An Adopted Child Be Returned?” I’ve got to admit (very tongue-in-cheek) that we’ve asked that question around here before.

Truth is, adoptions can be dissolved, and there are lots of reasons that they are. It’s not a simple process, and I’ve not known anyone who did it lightly, because it is so difficult.... more