Mom’s Blog

As a parent, your questions sometimes challenge the medical establishment. Too early to offer a definitive diagnosis, too controversial to contend with the backlash it might offer, and too afraid to not toe the party line that that a particular physician’s office may have to offer, getting answers is not easy. Some parents have taken to do some haphazard self diagnosis, a practice that is fraught with mistakes and problems in.

To learn if your child has Asperger’s Syndrome (AS) does indeed require the help of a qualified physician, preferably one who has been in the business of diagnosing the condition for a while. If you are not yet certain if the child really should be evaluated for this condition, consider the following:

* Has your child been unable to form age appropriate relationship with other kids? Conversely, is your child consistently picked last for every activity and are other children snickering behind his back, making fun of his mannerisms or speech?
* Does your child take everything you say literal? Is he unable to read nonverbal clues to understand your playful mood? Does it appear like he is lost when there is word humor used, even on television during age appropriate children’s programs?
* Does your child seem to lack the need for close interactions, such as hugging, snuggling, and sharing things with you? Is there a marked absence of babbling, pointing, and attempts to interact with you on some level? Does your child fail to respond to your attempt to initiate this kind of interaction with him?

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Posted on November 2nd, 2008 by Dee
Filed under: Child Health, Child Learning | No Comments »

Parents who were heartened that their children, who at some point were diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome, made it through preschool, kindergarten and even elementary school relatively unscathed, are now worried about the impact high school will have on their kids.

After all, the amount of teacher and parent supervision and control over the environment of a high school youngster is greatly diminished. There is little doubt that problems which may deeply affect an Aspergers Syndrome child will not come to light as readily as they did in the past, when mom or dad where almost standard fixtures on the school playground.

This has given rise to parental over involvement in the high school setting, although in some cases the children have suffered more from the constant over parenting than they might have from any ramification that teasing or other Asperger’s Syndrome related conditions could have brought.

In the high school years, being accepted is a major aspect of the social pecking order and it is then that an Asperger’s Syndrome diagnosis may be thought to make or break a child’s spirit.

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Posted on September 7th, 2008 by Dee
Filed under: Child Learning | No Comments »

Getting distracted is normal for young children but the same can prove to be a major problem when the child grows up and is unable to concentrate on academics and school work. Lack of concentration or an inability to focus on the task at hand is a common concern that many parents have.

Irrespective of how bad the situation might seem, do not resort to conditional affection towards the performance at school. Comparison with other children should be avoided at all times.

Children have a lower attention span and lose interest in an activity or object very soon. In fact keeping them occupied with work or something to do all the time is not an easy task. There are some major causes of lack of concentration in children that need to be considered before you start getting worried. Once deciphered, some of these causes can be tackled easily.

Fatigue remains one of the commonest causes of lack of concentration. Children and teens are full of bubbly energy and the adrenalin flow at times leads them to indulge in excessive physical activity, late nights and other such activities that tire them out.

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Posted on June 20th, 2008 by Dee
Filed under: Child Learning | No Comments »

Which gender has a greater prevalence of ADD and ADHD — girls or boys? Results of interviews conducted online by Harris Interactive of the general public, teachers, and sufferers of ADD / ADHD show that the majority of respondents believed that boys are affected more, most likely because girls with the disorder seem less likely to display disruptive behaviors such as aggression or hyperactivity.

This misconception is a bigger problem than it may seem as it leads to fewer specialist referrals and vast under-representation in clinical-based studies. It also blurs the line between which gender is perceived to have the higher number of ADD / ADHD cases and which gender actually does. This is because the number of girls diagnosed with ADD / ADHD is reduced by this lack of specialist referrals.

The survey also polled children living with ADD / ADHD, which revealed that gender has a great impact in diagnosing and treating the disorder.

Girls reported to have lower self esteem, and were 3 times more likely to be taking medication for depression preceding their ADD / ADHD diagnosis. Other responses included gender-specific differences in personal experiences, as girls were more likely to report inattention, distractibility, organizational planning, and time-management issues.

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Posted on April 14th, 2008 by Dee
Filed under: Child Learning | 1 Comment »

With an average of three to four million children taking prescribed stimulant medications to control symptoms of ADHD, the list of possible side effects is not only long, but daunting as well.

There are new studies that may provide some hope for sufferers and parents alike. However, research has revealed that perhaps parents will not have to medicate their children and expose them to prescription-related risks at all.

Imaging studies at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) say that some youth with