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

This article is making the rounds on all the adoption discussion groups I participate in: When Adoption Goes Wrong, from the December 17 issue of Newsweek magazine.

The core of the article is the story of Peggy Hilt and her daughter, adopted from Russia, Nina, who at age two was becoming increasingly aggressive and violent toward her older sister (adopted from Russia as well). Peggy was depressed and turned to alcohol, and eventually snapped; killing Nina in a rage.

Shocking? Yes. But what does... more

A study out of Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore suggests that children on the autistic spectrum (ASD) may have symptoms improve while running fevers. This study gives those researching autism “hope” that the brain structure and potential functioning are intact in children with ASD. It also may provide clues into how to stimulate the brain to operate more normally.

Dr. Andrew Zimmerman, the senior investigator explains... more

Reuters reported on Monday that infants who are infected with the AIDS virus are getting sick and some may be dying as a result of being vaccinated against tuberculosis. According to the article, one study found that 75 percent of the children with BCG disease had died and 70 percent of those children were infected with HIV. The BCG or Bacille Calmette-Guerin vaccine appears to be causing serious infections in these children, activated TB can kill quickly.

Read the entire article.

Around 12 percent of American babies are born prematurely, that is before 37 weeks gestation. Researchers are excited to... more

We got LuLu’s first copy of the KIDS Discover magazine today. It was a birthday gift and a great idea! It looks fabulous! This magazine, for grades 3rd -7th, is focused on science and social studies topics. This month’s issue is on the Brain. Some of the other topics include Ancient China, Lewis & Clark, Rain Forests, Electricity and the Weather.

For us it will be a way to interest her in reading, since she struggles with it so. Because it’s a magazine, the information is given to you in short “articles”... more

Monk is probably much better known that Jerry Espenson, although his disorder, explained as OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder) is not necessarily any better known than Aspergers. Tony Shalhoub has been playing Monk, the detail-oriented, brilliant detective, for five years.

The thing I find fascinating, especially in light of LuLu’s early childhood trauma and the traumatized children that I come in... more

Do you know Jerry Espenson on Boston Legal? Jerry is a lawyer with Aspersers’ Syndrome, portrayed by Christian Clemenson. Last year, Clemenson won the Emmy for best Guest Actor in a Dramatic Series. Now Jerry has become a regular on the show.

Jerry’s odd and quirky behaviors, including lots of hand flapping and rubbing are characteristic of a person with Aspersers’ who, when under stress, exhibits. Clemenson’s guest role on the show had the story line of Jerry being passed over for promotion... more

The CDC is at it again, trying to prove that the thimerosal in vaccines does not cause neurological damage. It appears that the harder the try to prove this, the more it looks like mercury is to blame for a whole host of neurological/neuropsychological disorders.

This article, from David Kirby, clearly outlines the questionable parts of a recent CDC report published yesterday in the New England Journal... more

Seeing The Nanny Diaries last night made me think. The movie depicted over-the-top narcissistic parents who were obsessed with their own lives, free time, money, and social position. The audience “got it” that these parents were BAD. And the audience “got it” that the cavalier attitude they had about dismissing multiple nannies and constantly uprooting their son’s life was emotionally damaging.

It never ceases to amaze me that we as a society can “get it” so readily in the movies, but in real life people are so surprised... more