Role-playing may help with Playground Behavior Issues

Children with ADD or ADHD are more prone to over-react when playing with other kids during recess. If your child struggles to get along with other kids, role-playing might help.

"Role-playing didn't help Joe right away. But one day, a few weeks after we began our sessions, Joe was beaming when he came into my office. Once again, a playmate had teased him, but this time Joe hadn't struck back. 'I told him I didn't care what he thought,' Joe explained."

Role-playing can help you teach your child that some responses to teasing and other things work better than others. Read more at ADDitudemag.com.

If you are the parent of child with Asperger's Syndrome, you may find Your Little Professor to be a useful site. Your Little Professor offers help for parents of children with Aspergers including Aspergers schools and camps. Visit YourLittleProfessor.com today >>

"They Say I Have ADHD. I Say Life Sucks!"

This unusual title conveys the most basic feeling that many young people have who are diagnosed with ADHD. The book was written by Lisa-Ann Ray-Byers, and follows the main character - Nicholas - who's been diagnosed with ADHD.

"Ray-Byers, a speech-language pathologist, wrote the book to inspire empathy in parents, teachers, administrators, and even psychological and neurological specialists. She also strived to demonstrate the thoughts and feelings behind many of the behaviors exhibited by children who have ADHD and to put into words what most young children can not."

Ray-Byers not only has a son with ADHD, but was diagnosed with ADHD herself when she was a child. Most of the book's content is drawn from her and her son's own experiences. Read more online.

Some of the best boaridng schools can help children with ADHD in ways that public schools can't. Find the best boarding schools at BoardingSchoolsInfo.com.

Hyper Kid, Honored Teacher

Marshall Zaun says that he was an ADHD kid before the disorder was ever recognized, diagnosed, or treated. Now 38-years old, Zaun not only managed to graduate from high school, but he graduated valedictorian. He went on to become a teacher, and was recently named the Lancaster (California) School District's Teacher of the Year.

"The son of a school nurse and a car designer, Zaun entered a regular high school but after a month switched to Silverado Continuation High School in Mission Viejo because of poor attendance... and because his mother thought it better to try a different route."

He credits his high school English teacher as being the one who "reached him" and influenced him to become a teacher, despite his ADHD. Read more at DailyNews.com.

Asperger's Syndrome in Children and Teens is considered a form of high-functioning autism. Learn more at YourLittleProfessor.com.

Autism Costs the US Economy Over $35 billion Every Year

A new study indicates that every person with autism costs society $3.2 million over his or her lifetime. Autism costs the US economy about $35 billion every year.

The cost is mostly in lost wages and adult care, and not for childhood medical costs and therapy.

Researchers at Harvard University found that in the first five years of life, insurance companies and families spent about $35,000 every year on therapy for an autistic child. While the child is growing up, the disease costs the family about $43,000 annually, mostly in lost parental income. However, the big costs came for adults with autism. Many people with the disorder cannot work and rely on their parents to provide care. The cost of such an arrangement translates to about $52,000 a year.

This study appears in the April issue of the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine.

Learn more about Autism and Asperger's Syndrome at YourLittleProfessor.com.

Delaying Parenthood Increases Risk for Autism in Children

Parents over 40 years old have a higher chance of having an autistic child, according to a new study by the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, CA.

Women over 40 years have a 30 percent greater risk and men over 40 years have a 50 percent greater risk of having a child born with autism than parents ages 25 to 29. The researchers are uncertain why risk increases with age.

Lisa Croen and her colleagues analyzed 132,844 birth records from Kaiser Hospitals in northern California between 1995 and 1999. They adjusted for factors like the parents' educational levels, race and ethnicity before they concluded that parents' ages increases the risk for autism.

This study appears in the April issue of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.

Asperger’s schools can help children with Asperger's Syndrome, high-functioning Autism, and other conditions of the Autism Spectrum Disorders. Cedars Academy offers a year-long Asperger’s school and Talisman offers a semester-long academic Asperger’s school.

Meditation Sharpens the Mind

Though it's still in the most infant stage of study, some scientists believe that meditation can help reduce the symptoms of attention-related disorders like ADHD. Studies have found that people who meditate regularly can focus longer, and that the area of the brain linked with attention actually becomes thicker.

"'One of the fundamental mysteries that is now becoming better understood as we go along but which is still a breakthrough area of research is neuroplasticity, the idea that we can literally change our brains through mental training,' [Richard] Davidson said."

Davidson's initial study used an ancient Buddhist meditation technique called Vipassana. Seventeen volunteers went through three months of rigorous training on this technique, and after three months were able to spot details more quickly in laboratory testing. Read more at LiveScience.com.

Talisman Camps offer summer camp programs and a semester long academic program for children diagnosed with ADHD, Non-verbal learning disorder, high functioning autism and similar Autism Spectrum disorders, and Asperger's Syndrome. Learn more about Talisman's Asperger's schools.

Drugs aren't Only Option for ADD/ADHD

Last year, doctors wrote more than 31 million prescriptions for ADHD drugs, many of them for children. Counselor Jane Fendelman wants parents to know that medication is not the only option, and some medicines have serious side effects.

"'They can cause early onset of Parkinson's disease, Tourette's syndrome, suicidal ideation, stunted growth, the children can't eat,' Jane Fendelman said about legal drugs parents are giving their children to control attention deficit disorders."

In fact, the FDA has required that many ADHD medications include stronger warnings about side effects like manic behavior. Fendelman suggests that first parents try a change in the child's diet, a more structured routine, and reduced stress in the house. Read more at News14.com.

Nicotine to Treat ADHD?

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine think they've found an unexpected treatment for cognitive disorders associated with things like Alzheimer's and ADHD: nicotine.

"The compounds target receptors in the brain that are activated by nicotine. They impart the beneficial effects of nicotine - specifically enhanced cognition - without the numerous health threats associated with smoking."

The three-year study focused mainly on treating schizophrenia and was conducted using rodents. Further animal work will be done before the compounds are testing on humans. Read more at ScienceDaily.com.

If your child has been diganosed with a non-verbal learning disorder, a boarding school or summer camp may help. Learn more about schools for children with non-verbal learning disorder at CedarsAcademy.com and TalismanCamps.com.

The Dangers of Excessive TV Watching

A doctor in Britain has identified fifteen different health risks associated with excessive television watching. Among them is ADHD. In light of this, Dr. Aric Sigman, an associate fellow of the British Psychological Society, has developed guidelines for how much television children should be allowed to watch.

"'Many believe that we shouldn't make parents feel guilty about the amount of time children spend in front of a screen and the early age at which they start', Dr. Sigman said. 'But we must now make a clear judgment that child health is more important than parental guilt.'"

Dr. Sigman recommends no television at all for children under three and no more than two hours a day for anyone 16 and over. Read more online.

Schools geared for children with non-verbal learning disorders can provide the education and the structure you child can't get at public school. At Cedars Academy boys and girls with non-verbal learning disorders succeed with their comprehensive academic, behavioral, affectively-based social skills building program.

Smoking Linked to Problems In Focusing and Paying Attention

Scientists at Yale University found a link between smoking and a teen's ability to pay attention and focus on tasks involving hearing and sight.

Teens whose mothers smoked during pregnancy performed the worst on a series of tests that evaluate the ability to understand visual and auditory cues. Teens who smoked themselves did better, but those teens who never smoked and who were not exposed to prenatal smoke scored the best.

Exposure to smoke affected male auditory development, but it affected both auditory and visual development in girls.

Dr. Leslie K. Jacobsen of Yale University School of Medicine said, "The present findings underscore the importance of developing smoking prevention programs that target women of childbearing age." About 16 percent of pregnant women are smokers.

Do ADHD Medications Help Teens Improve Driving?

A research team from the University of Virginia has launched a study aimed at determining if ADHD medications actually make teenagers with ADHD better drivers. Though lab studies have been conducted in the past, this team wants to study driving performance in "real life" situations.

"'In controlled laboratory studies, there are no cell phones, no pressures to get home before curfew, no passengers encouraging the driver to 'get air', no pets that slip from the driver's lap down to the pedals and no hamburger dripping with mustard in the driver's right hand,' said [Daniel] Cox [Ph.D]. 'This, however, is real world driving. We want to investigate the benefits of medications in the context of such real world distractions and demands.'"

The study will last for 6-months and will include "DriveCams" that will be mounted in cars to record audio-visual signals. Read more at ScienceDaily.com.

Study will Compare ADHD Medications Effects on Sleep and Moods

University of Illinois researchers will be conducting a 10-week study on two of the most popular stimulant medications used to treat ADHD. The study will focus on the medications effects on sleep and overall mood.

"According to [Dr. Mark] Stein, short-term studies have found that ADHD patients often experience success with stimulant medications, but they discontinue treatment prematurely, perhaps due to common side effects that include sleep problems, decreased appetite and mood swings."

Patients in the study will range from ages 10 to 17, and will be monitored on a weekly basis. Some patients will receive medication, while others will receive placebos. Read more at News-Medical.com.

New Leaf Academy is private boarding schools for girls ages ten to fourteen with ADHD, non-verbal learning disorder, and emotional or behavioral issues.