Why is it so difficult for people to control or stop an eating disorder once they begin the eating disorder? Apparently, anorexia activates the same pathways in the brain as a club drug called ecstasy according to some scientists from France. Anorexia is an addictive habit because it stimulates the same subset of receptors called 5-HT4 in the brain for the neurotransmitter serotonin according to their study.

Scientist stimulated these receptors in mice and found that it caused the mice to have... more

Are you eating or sleeping more than you usually do now that the temperature has begun to drop and it is getting dark earlier? While it could be a normal reaction to the changing seasons, it might be something more serious like seasonal affective disorder (SAD). If your increase in eating and sleeping is accompanied by feelings of depression, lethargy, fatigue and other problems you may want to talk to your doctor about seasonal affective disorder. SAD is a form... more

Psychologists who treat children with trauma and some of the “combo” disorders we see in adopted children frequently tell parents that their child might benefit from a sensory integration evaluation and some sensory integration therapy.

Concerned parents start down the path of looking into this and inevitably find out that school systems provide Occupational Therapy (OT) services to children who qualify. But these parents often find that what they thought they were getting through the school-provided OT services and what their child actually needs aren’t necessarily the... more

There is much developmentally that LuLu has never done. One of those things has been putting together puzzles. Early therapeutic and intervention suggestions were to introduce puzzles into her environment. I remember one of her shower gifts after arriving home was a set of wooden puzzles just right for toddlers with animals, alphabet and common objects. LuLu never used them. Despite any attempt to engage her in the activity, she wasn’t interested.

Once, while cleaning out the attic, I found a life-size Barney puzzle that Kay had used. I excitedly presented... more

My friend Rachel had the following observation about her daughter’s reaction to consequences during one of my recent posts. I wanted to share it with you because she offers insight into the mixed processing of children with fetal alcohol syndrome. She also shares the frustration that so many of us feel while parenting our children with fetal alcohol syndrome when they don’t seem to learn anything from their experiences.

“Things... more

Encopresis in children prior to four years of age may be a potty training or developmental issue and typically is not considered a behavior problem. The problem is when the bowel movement is placed somewhere other than into the toilet by the older child at regular intervals, at least once a month. The passage of the stool may be voluntary, involuntary, formed, semi-formed, or liquid.

First, a parent should rule out medical, mental, or developmental issues for the encopresis by scheduling a complete physical and or psychological exam. If the child is found competent then... more

I have a friend who refers to raising children as “being pecked to death slowly by chickens”. Now I suppose that analogy is more apt for a mom of several children, especially several small children all needing lots of individual attention. But for me, most days LuLu is enough.

Yesterday was a rough day for poor LuLu. She hadn’t slept much (about 3 hours), and was having rather severe GI discomfort. Because she was wide awake at 2 am and still at 5 am, we started school then (her idea). She did remarkably well and then crashed for a nap. Surprisingly she didn’t nap again in the afternoon.... more

CAPD is a neurologically-based disorder where the brain’s ability to correctly process auditory stimuli is impaired. While children with CAPD may have impaired hearing, many do not. It is much more difficult to identify than actual hearing loss, and is often confused with ADHD or other disorders. CAPD can co-exist with ADHD, autism or other neurological disorders. Here are some questions to ask if you suspect there is something wrong with your child’s auditory processing:

• Is your child easily distracted... more

A couple of my readers suggested talking alarms for my daughter with special needs after my recent post, “Is it Time to Give Up?” For over a year now, we have tried planners, calendars, and posted notes to try to help her but she can’t seem to follow a schedule or keep track of time. Therefore, I searched GOOGLE for “talking products for visually impaired.” My reader suggested products for the vision impaired because they talk.

I did find many products available, a wide range... more

My makeshift career as a special education teacher is a rocky one. First off, it’s not a career I’ve chosen, but has been foisted onto me by default. For the last 18 months, LuLu has been home with me, and we’ve been doing the best we can to continue her education (and have made some decided academic progress). Yet, most days I feel woefully inadequate, and am also in touch with the fact that I don’t want to be a teacher.

LuLu is learning division. Math is one of her favorite subjects, although she struggles mightily with memorizing math facts. We have worked on... more