According to a new government report, the number of teens giving birth has risen for the first time in 15 years. For every one thousand young women, between the ages of 15 and 17, twenty-two will give birth. This may contribute to another unhealthy trend. The number of low birth weight newborns continues to increase. We know from statistics that youth in foster care are more likely to engage in risky behaviors than other teens are. Therefore, when you see an increase in the general population of teens, you can be sure the increase among foster youth is much higher. In fact,... 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

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