Tag: Children’s Health

Program significantly reduces delay in autism diagnosis

When Katie New first suspected her son had autism, she had to wait 18 months for a diagnosis. She also had to travel nearly 100 miles from her hometown of Poplar Bluff, Missouri, to see an autism specialist in Cape Girardeau. When she had similar concerns regarding her younger child, she was able to get

Can we predict the long-term outcome of boys with ADHD?

A study published in the August 2018 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry(JAACAP) reports on a group of boys diagnosed with ADHD in childhood (when they were, on average, 8 years old) and followed into adulthood (when they were in their early 40s). The goal was to examine

Childhood infections may have lasting effects on school performance

Severe infections leading to hospitalizations during childhood are associated with lower school achievement in adolescence,reports a study in the July issue of The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal (PIDJ). In the nationwide study of nearly 600,000 Danish children, higher numbers of hospitalizations for infections were associated with a reduced probability of completing ninth grade, as well

Teen crash risk highest during first three months after getting driver’s license: Study uses software and cameras to monitor teen driving behaviors

Teenage drivers are eight times more likely to be involved in a collision or near miss during the first three months after getting a driver’s license, compared to the previous three months on a learner’s permit, suggests a study led by the National Institutes of Health. Teens are also four times more likely to engage

Adolescent binge drinking disrupts mouse memory in adulthood: Study could help scientists better understand development of alcohol use disorders in adults

Excessive drinking during adolescence may interfere with the activity of brain cells needed for sustaining short term memory, according to new research in adolescent male mice published in JNeurosci. The study could help scientists better understand the development of alcohol use disorders in adults. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) and the behavior-management abilities it supports —

Trial shows chemotherapy is helping kids live with pulmonary vein stenosis: Adding chemotherapy to a treatment regimen including catheterization and surgery can deter abnormal cellular growth

Pulmonary vein stenosis (PVS) is a rare disease in which abnormal cells build up inside the veins responsible for carrying oxygen-rich blood from the lungs to the heart. It restricts blood flow through these vessels, eventually sealing them off entirely if left untreated. Typically affecting young children, the most severe form of PVS progresses very

For mothers with advanced cancer, parenting concerns affect emotional well-being

Parenting concerns contributed significantly to the psychological distress of mothers with late-stage cancer, according to a study by University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers. Cancer is the leading cause of disease-specific death for parenting-age women in the United States, and women with incurable cancer who have children can have increased rates of

Minorities widely underrepresented in autism diagnoses: Rates of underrepresentation vary widely by state

In education circles, it is widely accepted that minorities are overrepresented in special education. New research from the University of Kansas has found, in terms of autism, minorities are widely underrepresented in special education. The underrepresentation varies widely from state to state and shows that students from all backgrounds are not being identified accurately, resulting

EEG signals accurately predict autism as early as 3 months of age: Early diagnosis by ‘digital biomarkers’ may allow early intervention, better outcomes

Autism is challenging to diagnose, especially early in life. A new study in the journal Scientific Reports shows that inexpensive EEGs, which measure brain electrical activity, accurately predict or rule out autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in infants, even in some as young as 3 months. “EEGs are low-cost, non-invasive and relatively easy to incorporate into

Why don’t kids use their asthma medicines?

In a new analysis of interviews conducted with children who have asthma, their caregivers and their clinicians, Johns Hopkins researchers found that there was significant lack of agreement about why the kids miss their needed daily anti-inflammatory medication. A report on the findings, published in the Journal of Asthma on Feb. 8, 2018, highlights the

Resilience counteracts effects of childhood abuse and neglect on health: They also note acquired resiliency provides coping benefit and a new avenue for treatment

Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have determined that psychological resilience has a positive effect on health outcomes for people living with schizophrenia. This is the first study to quantitatively assess the effects of both childhood trauma and psychological resilience on health and metabolic function in people living with schizophrenia. Globally

School lunch decisions made by the child and not the parent: Child’s enjoyment of packed lunch was primary motivation for parent’s acceptance of food choices, according to a new study

While school lunches in the UK are subject to food standards, the contents of packed lunches are not as closely scrutinized, and studies have raised concern regarding the nutritional quality of packed lunches. A new study published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior found that children, not their parents, are often the primary