THURSDAY, May 11, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Treating emerging signs of autism in young babies who are at high risk for the disorder helped improve their attention, language, communication and social skills, preliminary research shows.

In the first study of its kind, British researchers used months of video feedback to help the parents of 28 infants — at high risk of autism because a sibling has the disorder — understand and respond to their baby’s individual communication cues.

The children were tracked until they were 3 years old, an age at which autism symptoms often surface.

“We wanted to see the downstream effects on this kind of development and see it play out over the next few years,” said study author Dr. Jonathan Green. He’s a professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at University of Manchester.

“By the end of treatment, babies in the treatment group … read more

TUESDAY, April 11, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Although it may feel nice against the skin, new research says silk clothing offers little benefit for kids with eczema.

Eczema is a skin condition that can cause a rash and itchiness, and some parents believe that clothing can either worsen or soothe the problem. This prompts some to avoid dressing their children in wool clothes, and instead dress them in only fine weave fabrics such as cotton or silk.

This new research included 300 children from the United Kingdom. They were between the ages of 1 and 15. All had moderate to severe eczema.

During the study, they received standard care for their skin condition and wore either their usual clothing or silk garments.

After six months, there was no difference in eczema severity, use of medication or quality of life between the two … read more

Everyone from politicians to parents is talking about fighting the war against childhood flab. It is odd that in a relatively wealthy countries such as the US and Australia improving children’s health, weight and fitness should be a problem but it appears to be a sticking point with many.

Childhood obesity in a developed country like Australia and the United States is essentially a lifestyle issue. Children are overweight because they eat inappropriate amounts and types of food and they don’t exercise enough. To put it simply many children are stacking on the weight because calorie intake is higher than calories burned.

Children’s lifestyles are generally a reflection of those who raise them so parents need to figure heavily in any strategies put forward to improve the health and wellbeing of the next generation.

The trouble is many parents have grown accustomed to outsourcing those hard to deal with issues … read more

FRIDAY, Dec. 16, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Although families with a child with Down syndrome do face extra medical expenses, they probably won’t be deeply burdened financially, a new study suggests.

Researchers found that average monthly out-of-pocket medical costs are about $80 more for children with Down syndrome compared to other kids. That adds up to about $18,000 over the first 18 years of life, the study authors said.

“I think many people will be surprised to learn that parents have few extra medical expenses when raising a child or adolescent with Down syndrome, since health insurance covers most of the costs,” said study author Dr. Brian Skotko. He is co-director of the Down Syndrome Program at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

“After expectant couples receive a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome, many of them search online for information and find the lengthy list of medical … read more

When is a good time to introduce your child to a dentist? I would strongly suggest that you introduce your children to a dentist before they had any problems with their teeth. You want them to start out with a positive experience – thus, lessening the possibility of any dentist phobias. Go ahead and laugh – I’m one of those people who developed an early fear of dentists.

My First Experience

I was very young, and one of my baby teeth became abscessed – not a pleasant feeling. Anyway, it was my father’s duty to take me to the dentist. In the dentist office, I was told to swish some strong, green liquid in my mouth and spit it out. I was to do that until all the liquid in the glass was gone – then go back to the dentist chair and sit down.

I, being the obedient child, … read more

Has your child been left behind? Many children today have been left behind in school with no chance to succeed. They are tagged as slow learners or considered having too many problems. Some are diagnosed with ADD or ADHD or LD. Some have been placed in special education classes and are all but forgotten. Others are given many types of medication with no satisfaction.

Children start out in life eager to learn everything. When they start school, they enjoy learning and
competing with their classmates. When they realize that they are not able to keep up with their friends, they will try to compensate for their problem. When the problem becomes to much for them to master, they will give up and resort to a change in character. Then, not understanding what to do, parents will sometimes resort to punishment of some type or medication. This will only enhance the … read more

Cerebral palsy is a disorder of movement that occurs before, during or shortly after birth usually due to a lack of oxygen to the brain. Within the overall category of cerebral palsy there are many different types, each with their own particular symptoms and characteristics.

Cerebral Palsy is a Disorder of Movement

Cerebral palsy is a disorder of movement; this disorder may include tight muscles that result in stiff, jerky movements such as spastic cerebral palsy or uncoordinated movements such as athetoid cerebral palsy. The severity will also vary from person to person and could be very severe where the patient is confined to a wheelchair and where there is very limited movement in any part of the body, or it could simply be a slight limp or movement problems in the hands and arms.

Cerebral Palsy is Not Mental Disability or Lack of Intelligence

Many people tend to get … read more