LuLu is likely the most impulsive child I’ll ever meet. Watching her you can read nearly every though that flits through her brain, because she’s constantly reacting to them. In fact, I’m not sure how truly distracted or inattentive she is, if she can just keep these fleeting thoughts from running amok with her brain.

The hospital doc put LuLu on Clonidine. It is a medication we tried years ago and abandoned because of how incredibly drowsy it made her.... more

Here at the parenting special kids’ blog, we have written several articles on the suggested benefits of a tonsillectomy. Advocates have insisted that our children will sleep better, have straighter teeth, behave better, and have less throat infections. Sounds really simple, doesn’t it. In fact, after putting four of my children through braces, I decided to have some of my crooked teethed children try the tonsillectomy to see if it would make a difference in their teeth, sleep, and ADD. After all, braces here in Michigan are over $5000 a child now. I can’t report on the... more

Whether your child’s food consumption can cause behavior problems or attention problems has long been a controversial topic especially between parents and physicians. You probably know parents who are convinced that sugar makes their child’s ADHD (attention Deficit hyper disorder) worse. There are those who have noticed changes in their child’s behavior after consuming certain processed foods or foods containing artificial dyes. You have probably talked to physicians or read about scientific studies denying any connection between ADHD or behaviors and food.... more

Does your adopted child lack impulse control? Our 14-year-old daughter with fetal alcohol syndrome, who we adopted at the age of six, sure does. While that has been clear to Super Dad and me for many years, it was blatantly obvious today. She took credits (I’ll explain below) two days in a row for hugging her parents and saying, “I love you,” when she hadn’t done that. Now, if you were going to take credits that you didn’t earn, would you choose that one? Obviously, your parents are going to know if you hugged them or not. I believe it is the result of her lack of... more

Diabetes rates are on the increase among American youth. Type 2 diabetes that used to be seen primarily among adults over 45 is now more common in children. One out of every 523 people younger than 20 years old has diabetes. The World Diabetes Day campaign theme for 2007 was "Diabetes in Children and Adolescents," which was intended to raise awareness about the increasing prevalence of type 1 and type 2 diabetes among youth around the world. Educational materials were released in November to coincide with National... more

Cyclothymia, also called cyclothymic disorder, is similar to bipolar disorder except the episodes of highs and lows are generally less severe and shorter in duration. The condition is chronic, a mood disorder characterized by alternating episodes of mild emotional and behavioral "highs" followed by mild to moderate depression, interspersed with episodes of emotional and behavioral stability. Cyclothymia does not necessarily predispose one to developing bipolar disorder nor is it the onset of bipolar disorder. However,... more

Actual conversations that took place today, between my 14-year-old daughter Lyn and me, her adoptive mom. She has fetal alcohol syndrome and learning disabilities and I am homeschooling her.

“Hey mom is this rug dirty?” Lyn asked.

“No, it isn’t” I responded.

A couple of hours later I was putting laundry in the washer and found the rug in the hamper. “Lyn, why did you put this rug in the laundry hamper? You asked me if it was... more

Preschoolers’ age 3 to 5 years, who are diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD), as well as a another disorder, such as oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), conduct disorder, or an anxiety disorder probably won’t respond to treatment with the stimulant methylphenidate. PATS (Preschoolers with ADHD Treatment Study) was funded by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). While previous reports indicated that low doses of methylphenidate were safe to use at this age, the data analyzed suggested that increasing the dosage... more

When I read these statistics on kleptomania, I wondered if the researchers who wrote this had considered children with fetal alcohol syndrome or children who have been in foster homes or orphanages. The Mayo Clinic article said that they think kleptomania is uncommon; that it begins in adolescence or in a person’s twenties but in rare cases begins in early childhood. They went on to say they believe that, less than five percent of shoplifters... more

Hepatitis B is apparently spreading in Asia with no hope for a turnaround due to a lack of understanding about the disease and its transmission. Between 60 and 70 percent of those interviewed in China, Singapore, and the Philippines, believed that hepatitis B is contracted through eating infected food. Even nearly half of those who had the virus believed that they caught it from eating infected food or from generally poor health. Chronic hepatitis B affects 360 million people worldwide;... more