Helping kids, annoying doctors

Do clowns have a place in the operating room? No, this isn't some anti-doctor diatribe. An Italian study found that having a clown around prior to surgery calmed and distracted young patients, significantly reducing their anxiety prior to procedures. Their parents' anxiety was lessened, too, but the doctors'? Not so much. Although the proximity of circus folk had some benefit for the children in the study, doctors and nurses indicated that they would discontinue the practice because they felt the clowns just got in the way. ... A great site for information on behavior problems in general as well as specific behavior-related diagnoses appears as both today's Site of the Day and a key entry in our First Five Things to Do After Your Child Is Diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome. Check it out for the funny drawings, if nothing else.