Will Your Child Ever Be Ready to Be Home Alone?
Thursday May 31, 2007
Seizure Research Automatically Enrolls Kids in ERs
Thursday May 31, 2007
Want your child to participate in a study on seizure drugs? Just take your seizing little one to an emergency room participating in a study for the National Institutes of ... Read More
Site of the Day: iTunes U
Thursday May 31, 2007
The iTunes store is now offering free broadcasts from universities to add to your iPod input. There's something in it for you: opportunities to listen in on lectures in medicine, ... Read More
Enterprising Parent Designs Warning Togs for Tots
Wednesday May 30, 2007
In the spring of 2005, Ria Sharon (right) had the kind of experience every parent dreads: "My son was 13 months old. He had an anaphylactic reaction to a biscuit ... Read More
Is Your Garden Hose a Hazard?
Wednesday May 30, 2007
A couple of weeks ago, it was mercury in light bulbs. Now it's lead in garden hoses. The world is a dangerous place, my friends.
The hose hazard was the subject ... Read More
Site of the Day: Ehlers-Danlos National Foundation
Wednesday May 30, 2007
May has been Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Awareness Month, and I'm squeaking in just under the wire here to recommend a visit to the Ehlers-Danlos National Foundation site to learn more about ... Read More
Forcing Stars to Shine
Tuesday May 29, 2007
Child With Special Needs Grows Up to Be Pediatrician
Tuesday May 29, 2007
Looking for a pediatrician who really understands the challenges faced by children with special needs? It looks like one just graduated from UCLA medical school.
According to an AP report, Kellie ... Read More
Site of the Day: SparkNotes
Tuesday May 29, 2007
Children with learning disabilities or reading difficulties may find the summaries of books, historical eras, and mathematical concepts on the SparkNotes site to be useful, but that's not what I ... Read More
Teenagers Do Not Know What They Want ... Do They?
Monday May 28, 2007
My fellow Americans, what are you up to today for Memorial Day? I'm watching my daughter parade with her high school marching band, the last marching event of the school ... Read More
Study: Electromagnetic Fields Linked to Cancer
Monday May 28, 2007
There's an elementary school in our district that sits beside some high-power electrical lines. I know of parents who wouldn't send their child there for fear of cancer, steering clear ... Read More
Site of the Day: National Family Caregivers Association
Monday May 28, 2007
It's a family kind of day today, Memorial Day, in the U.S., made for big family get-togethers or small days home with the kids. If your extended family doesn't provide ... Read More
Weekly Quiz: Spot the Fake Special-Needs News Story
Sunday May 27, 2007
How well do you know your special-needs news? Take this week's quiz and show off your skills. You'll find a list of five different news stories; four of them will ... Read More
Around About: May 27
Sunday May 27, 2007
A Sunday "Site of the Day" special: Just as Saturday's "Five Fun Things to Do" points you toward amusing and informative places to visit around the Internet, every Sunday morning ... Read More
Saturday Catch-Up: What You Missed Since May 18
Saturday May 26, 2007
It's the weekend! Stretch! Take a deep breath! And catch up with all that stuff you meant to read on this site over the past week! Here are the new ... Read More
Memorial Day, Buzzing Books and More Fun Things to Do
Saturday May 26, 2007
A Saturday "Site of the Day" special: Most days, a single Site of the Day is plenty to keep you occupied. But on Saturday morning, with kids underfoot and a ... Read More
Friday Book Club: Parenting Children With Health Issues
Friday May 25, 2007
Every Friday is book review day for the Harried Parent's Book Club, and today's selection, Parenting Children With Health Issues, applies the principles of the Love and Logic program to ... Read More
Dosing Difficulties Endanger Kids on Chemo
Friday May 25, 2007
Bad enough a child has to suffer from cancer, and deal with the side effects of the very strong drugs used to stop it. Now, it appears, kids may also ... Read More
Too Much TV Watching Makes Diabetes Harder to Control
Friday May 25, 2007
Another day, another "TV is bad" story.
This one focuses on the affects of TV-watching on children with Type 1 Diabetes, and the news is not good. According to an Associated ... Read More
Site of the Day: Watching the View
Friday May 25, 2007
The daytime talk show The View has done good work on a lot of special-needs topics, including the episode on autism earlier this year. But there's certainly also a more ... Read More
School Pick-Ups and Put-Downs
Thursday May 24, 2007
Why is it that my son always seems to be on his worst behavior of the day when I pick him up from school?
Do you notice this, too? I'm sure ... Read More
Autism + ADHD = Bully?
Thursday May 24, 2007
Most parents worry about their children being bullied. Some of us also worry about our children being bullies, or at least having their actions and reactions interpreted that way. Researchers ... Read More
Site of the Day: Math Moves U
Thursday May 24, 2007
Is your child a fan of Apolo Anton Ohno, the Olympic gold-medal winning speed skater? Or maybe Apolo Anton Ohno, Dancing With the Stars champion? Then maybe you should introduce ... Read More
In the Forum: Looking for Something?
Wednesday May 23, 2007
These parents have posted on the Parenting Special Needs Forum or written to me directly looking for advice and shopping tips. Can you give them a clue?
ethansfather is looking for ... Read More
Supreme Court Supports Parents' Rights Under IDEA
Wednesday May 23, 2007
Good news for parents from the Supreme Court: You don't need a lawyer to take your school district to trial! You can do all that legal work yourself!
Um ... yay?
Personally, ... Read More
Darth Vader Had Borderline Personality Disorder
Wednesday May 23, 2007
Looking for a way to explain borderline personality disorder to schools, family members, your own troubled kid? Screen some Star Wars movies.
That's the conclusion of a group of French psychiatrists, ... Read More
Site of the Day: Tinseltown Toddlers Charity Auction
Wednesday May 23, 2007
You know those cups that have clear plastic on the outside and a slot in which to insert a photo or drawing? I've got a mug like that in my ... Read More
For a Few Innings a Week, I'm a Baseball Mom
Tuesday May 22, 2007
Inhaled Steroids May Not Work for All Kids With Asthma
Tuesday May 22, 2007
Are your child's asthma symptoms still poorly managed despite consistent and responsible use of inhaled corticosteroids? There may not be anything wrong with the inhaler, or the inhaling routine. According ... Read More
Video: Girl With Spina Bifida Gets Some Brotherly Coaching
Tuesday May 22, 2007
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Parents often take on the role of being at-home therapists for kids with special needs, encouraging them to reach milestones and push themselves just ... Read More
Site of the Day: Holiday Cards for a Cause
Tuesday May 22, 2007
No, no, no, calm down. It's not time to start making out your holiday cards yet. The year is going by fast, but not that fast. It is time, though, ... Read More
Students Again Told to Keep Disability on the Down Low
Monday May 21, 2007
Earlier this month, I wrote about a Pennsylvania boy who wanted to speak about his autism as part of his school's Autism Awareness Month activities, but was discouraged from doing ... Read More
Baby Emilio's Battle Is Over
Monday May 21, 2007
The battle between a mother and a hospital over whether little Emilio Gonzales should be kept on life support has ended, with Emilio's death on Saturday. According to an Associated ... Read More
Some Parenting Reading to Start Your Week
Monday May 21, 2007
The latest Carnival of Family Life is posted today on the Be a Good Dad site, including my entry on kids who can't swim. If you're looking for some good ... Read More
Site of the Day: Quest for the Code
Monday May 21, 2007
There's not much fun about asthma, but Quest for the Code makes a pretty cool game out of learning about asthma and how to control it. Offered by the Starlight ... Read More
Weekly Quiz: Spot the Fake Special-Needs News Story
Sunday May 20, 2007
How well do you know your special-needs news? Take this week's quiz and show off your skills. You'll find a list of five different news stories; four of them will ... Read More
Around About: May 20
Sunday May 20, 2007
A Sunday "Site of the Day" special: Just as Saturday's "Five Fun Things to Do" points you toward amusing and informative places to visit around the Internet, every Sunday morning ... Read More
Saturday Catch-Up: What You Missed Since May 11
Saturday May 19, 2007
It's the weekend! Stretch! Take a deep breath! And catch up with all that stuff you meant to read on this site over the past week! Here are the new ... Read More
Kitchen Science, Health Games, and More Fun Things to Do
Saturday May 19, 2007
A Saturday "Site of the Day" special: Most days, a single Site of the Day is plenty to keep you occupied. But on Saturday morning, with kids underfoot and a ... Read More
Friday Book Club: The Elephant in the Playroom
Friday May 18, 2007
Every Friday is book review day for the Harried Parent's Book Club, and today's selection, The Elephant in the Playroom, is a collection of essays on the experience of parenting ... Read More
Two Moms Make Medical IDs With Style
Friday May 18, 2007
It's easy to understand the importance of a medical ID bracelet for a child with a chronic illness. But getting a child or, worse, a trendy teen to wear some ... Read More
First Growth Charts, Now Brain Charts
Friday May 18, 2007
Doctors trying to trace developmental difference in children with special needs may soon have more to go on than growth charts and milestones.
The Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Study of Normal ... Read More
Site of the Day: About.com Food Allergies
Friday May 18, 2007
About.com's new Food Allergy site is off to a strong start, with information on all sorts of allergies and how they affect children and adults. The site's guide, Victoria Groce, ... Read More
Volunteering Messes Up My Routine, But It's Worth It
Thursday May 17, 2007
Site of the Day: Check My Tag
Thursday May 17, 2007
Ria Sharon, owner of Check My Tag, took me up on my invitation yesterday to leave a comment about food-allergy-based businesses, writing: "I started Check My Tag a year ago ... Read More
Readers Cheer Tony Blair for Noticing Our Job Is Tough
Wednesday May 16, 2007
Last Thursday, I wrote about Tony Blair's comment in his resignation speech that being prime minister is not as tough as being a disabled child or the parent of one. ... Read More
Enterprising Parents Offer Allergy Solutions
Wednesday May 16, 2007
Yesterday, a post on Food Allergy Awareness Week mentioned the top concerns of parents of children with food allergies. Today, take a look at how a couple of enterprising parents ... Read More
Site of the Day: Shake-A-Leg
Wednesday May 16, 2007
For young people paralyzed by spinal-cord injuries and related neurological problems, Shake-A-Leg offers an opportunity to sail, socialize, and spend summer-camp time working on rehabilitation and skill-building. The nonprofit organization ... Read More
Spit May Hold Secret to Stopping Bullying
Tuesday May 15, 2007
Wondering if your child is being bullied? Tell him to spit.
No, not at the bully. At a scientist, who can check the amount of cortisol in the saliva.
According to a ... Read More
What Parents of Food-Allergic Kids Are Worried About
Tuesday May 15, 2007
It's Food Allergy Awareness Week, and the site Kids With Food Allergies has published results of a survey rating the most difficult things about parenting a food-allergic child. More than ... Read More
Kids Who Can't Swim, Parents Barely Afloat
Tuesday May 15, 2007
Site of the Day: Cargo Plant Love
Tuesday May 15, 2007
There are a few reasons Cargo Plant Love lipsticks might catch your interest. They're made without mineral oils or petroleum products. The tubes they come in are made out of ... Read More
A Rough Week for ADHD Role Models
Monday May 14, 2007
As the parent of a hyperactive son, I often look for stories of people who have found success in spite of, or maybe even because of, their ADHD. People like ... Read More
Is Mercury Exposure As Close As Your Desk Lamp?
Monday May 14, 2007
What kind of light bulbs do you use?
That may seem an odd question for a special-needs site, but a post on the blog Adventures in Autism has put it in ... Read More
So, How Was Your Mother's Day?
Monday May 14, 2007
Site of the Day: Food Allergy Awareness Week
Monday May 14, 2007
Food Allergy Awareness Week began yesterday, and I'll be highlighting some good resources for families of children with food allergies these next few days to contribute to that. First up ... Read More
Weekly quiz: Spot the Fake Special-Needs News Story
Sunday May 13, 2007
How well do you know your special-needs news? Take this week's quiz and show off your skills. You'll find a list of five different news stories; four of them will ... Read More
Around About: May 13
Sunday May 13, 2007
A Sunday "Site of the Day" special: Just as Saturday's "Five Fun Things to Do" points you toward amusing and informative places to visit around the Internet, every Sunday morning ... Read More
Saturday Catch-Up: What You Missed Since May 4
Saturday May 12, 2007
It's the weekend! Stretch! Take a deep breath! And catch up with all that stuff you meant to read on this site over the past week! Here are the new ... Read More
Baking, Rhyming, and More Fun Things to Do
Saturday May 12, 2007
A Saturday "Site of the Day" special: Most days, a single Site of the Day is plenty to keep you occupied. But on Saturday morning, with kids underfoot and a ... Read More
No Time to Read? Try These Short Thought-Provokers
Friday May 11, 2007
I've been all about the books on this site, from Friday Book Club picks to Mom Books and the many titles assembled in the Harried Parent's Book Club. But sometimes, ... Read More
Friday Book Club: Unstrange Minds
Friday May 11, 2007
Every Friday is book review day for the Harried Parent's Book Club, and today's selection, Unstrange Minds: Remapping the World of Autism, is a consideration of the "autism epidemic" from ... Read More
Mother's Day Musings
Friday May 11, 2007
I can still remember how Mother's Day was before we adopted our kids. We had been trying to conceive for a few years, unsuccessfully, and as I sat there quietly ... Read More
Site of the Day: Take a Stand
Friday May 11, 2007
A lemonade stand, that is. Sunkist will be giving away 10,000+ lemonade stands, along with juicing supplies, to children ages 7 through 12 in the U.S. and Canada. Kids applying ... Read More
Parenting Children With Special Needs Tougher Than Being Prime Minister, Says Tony Blair
Thursday May 10, 2007
Leading a nation may be a tough job, but it's not as tough as parenting a child with special needs.
That observation was made today by Tony Blair as he announced ... Read More
Five Things Pediatricians Do That Drive Me Crazy
Thursday May 10, 2007
I've just run through two annual pediatrician visits with my kids, one week apart. And generally, I like my kids' doctor, I like the practice, I'm really not an unhappy ... Read More
Site of the Day: CarePages.com
Thursday May 10, 2007
CarePages offers a place for people with special health-care needs and their families to write about their experiences, share details on the progress of treatment, and offer inspiration to those ... Read More
No-Buckle Belts Now Have Buckles for Show
Wednesday May 9, 2007
For many of us, it's time to start switching from winter wear to summer shorts, and that also means trading in slightly small old clothes for slightly large new ones. ... Read More
Doctors Accused of Breaking Law With "Ashley Treatment"
Wednesday May 9, 2007
The Ashley Treatment is in the news again. The procedure, by which doctors attempted to keep a severely disabled girl small by, among other things, administering hormones and giving her ... Read More
A Special-Needs Mother's Day Wish List
Wednesday May 9, 2007
Yesterday I wrote about "Mom Books" for Mother's Day, and indeed, there is no holiday anywhere anytime for which I wouldn't be happy to receive special-needs reading material as a ... Read More
Site of the Day: BlueGrind.com
Wednesday May 9, 2007
The Web is overrun with news sites, but this one has an important difference: It's made for people with vision impairments. Instructions are given verbally to help you pick the ... Read More
Good Uses for Steroids and Botox
Tuesday May 8, 2007
Mentions of steroids and Botox are usually found in stories of scandal, of athletes artificially pumping themselves up or movie stars artificially smoothing themselves out. Two stories in the news ... Read More
A Mother's Day Bouquet of Mom Books
Tuesday May 8, 2007
It's almost Mother's Day. Do you know what your present's going to be? In my house, I generally get a nice card and lunch at the restaurant of my choice, ... Read More
In the Forum: Any Hope for My Kid?
Tuesday May 8, 2007
When a child is spinning out of control, and even the doctors and the teachers don't know what to do about it, it's hard to know where to turn for ... Read More
Site of the Day: Gluten-Free Girl
Tuesday May 8, 2007
The other day, I was sitting in the waiting room of a speech-therapist's office, talking about special-needs parenting books with another mom. At one point, she rolled her eyes and ... Read More
Bid to Ban Drug Ads May Be Unconstitutional
Monday May 7, 2007
Wish you could do away with prescription drug ads on TV, in magazines, on the radio? We all like to be up on the latest remedies, but ads don't always ... Read More
Site of the Day: Indigo Moms
Monday May 7, 2007
If you've been reading about Jenny McCarthy's new platform as an autism activist, here's the site that will clue you in. About.com's Autism guide, Lisa Jo Rudy, gave it a ... Read More
Weekly quiz: Spot the Fake Special-Needs News Story
Sunday May 6, 2007
How well do you know your special-needs news? Take this week's quiz and show off your skills. You'll find a list of five different news stories; four of them will ... Read More
Around About: May 6
Sunday May 6, 2007
A Sunday "Site of the Day" special: Just as Saturday's "Five Fun Things to Do" points you toward amusing and informative places to visit around the Internet, every Sunday morning ... Read More
Saturday Catch-Up: What You Missed Since April 27
Saturday May 5, 2007
It's the weekend! Stretch! Take a deep breath! And catch up with all that stuff you meant to read on this site over the past week! Here's the news, polls, ... Read More
Gum Art, Monkey Business, and More Fun Things to Do
Saturday May 5, 2007
A Saturday "Site of the Day" special: Most days, a single Site of the Day is plenty to keep you occupied. But on Saturday morning, with kids underfoot and a ... Read More
What Sort of Work Will Your Child Do?
Friday May 4, 2007
Friday Book Club: Cheating Destiny
Friday May 4, 2007
Every Friday is book review day for the Harried Parent's Book Club, and today's selection, Cheating Destiny: Living With Diabetes, America's Biggest Epidemic, is an angry look at the way ... Read More
In the Forum: Need Apraxia Advice
Friday May 4, 2007
It's hard enough trying to discipline kids when they can sass you back, but when children with communication problems act up, you never quite know if they're getting your message ... Read More
Site of the Day: Puff City
Friday May 4, 2007
Is your teen too cool to worry about asthma management? A new program developed to reach urban adolescents may come in handy. Although the full Puff City program requires a ... Read More
Should Students Speak Out About Their Disabilities?
Thursday May 3, 2007
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How would you feel if a student in your child's special education class decided to make a presentation to the whole school about his ... Read More
FDA Says: We Won't Remove Warning, We'll Extend It
Thursday May 3, 2007
Last month, I wrote about a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association indicating that, Black Box warning notwithstanding, antidepressants don't significantly raise the risk of suicide for ... Read More
Site of the Day: Learning About Diabetes
Thursday May 3, 2007
Explaining diabetes to your child, schoolmates and family members can be hard to do, especially when you're still trying to get a handle on it yourself. Learning About Diabetes has ... Read More
Vaccine Overload in the Teenage Years
Wednesday May 2, 2007
Nicotine-Related Compound May Help Kids Concentrate
Wednesday May 2, 2007
Want to help your child with ADHD think more clearly? Researchers at the University of California at Irvine have a suggestion: Nicotine.
No, they're not advising you to buy your kid ... Read More
Study: Too Many Kids Dying in ICU
Wednesday May 2, 2007
According to a report in Science Daily, researchers are concerned because the proportion of sick children dying in hospital intensive-care units is increasing. The worry is not that something is ... Read More
Site of the Day: IronMatt
Wednesday May 2, 2007
I found about about this site in the saddest place: the obituary section of our local paper. You don't expect to see a child's face there among the in memoriums, ... Read More
Nominate a Crusading Mom as a "Woman of Worth"
Tuesday May 1, 2007
As I look around the Web for good sites to share, research different disabilities for my resource pages, and read about research and advocacy in Harried Parents Book Club selections, ... Read More
What's Worse: The Stigma of Diagnosis, or of Being Bad?
Tuesday May 1, 2007
"Mentally Ill Kids Face Widespread Stigma" reads the HealthDay headline, and I expected the story would be about parents sharing the problems their children have had dealing with other people's ... Read More
Site of the Day: Revolution Health Autism Call
Tuesday May 1, 2007
Some of my favorite autism bloggers participated in a conference call with experts from Revolution Health, and the results have been recorded for playback on the Twango site. It'll take ... Read More