Kids with Poor Communication Skills More Likely to be Bullied

A new study from researchers in Great Britain found that children with specific language impairment (SLI) are more likely to be bullied.

SLI is a developmental disability affecting about 4-7% of all children. SLI children are of normal intelligence but have a hard time understanding language and communicating their feelings to others. It is more common than autism and typically affects more boys than girls.

Professors Gina Conti-Ramsden and Emma Knox interviewed 139 16-year-olds with SLI and 124 who are considered normal.

"Our investigation showed that young people who experience bullying can often become anxious and depressed in adolescence," Dr. Knox said. "Young people with SLI may lack the necessary communication skills to enable them to report bullying and talk about their experiences, leaving them to suffer in silence."

This study appears in Educational and Child Psychology.

Cedars Academy, a private ADHD boarding school for learning disability, is specifically designed to help children with ADHD, Asperger's, and Non Verbal Learning Disabilities.

Kids with Social Phobia Benefit from Therapy

Children under age 17 years who have severe social phobias benefit more from behavioral therapy than drug treatments, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Social phobia is not just shyness. It is an extreme fear of social situations that can make children avoid playing with their peers, reading aloud in class, or relating to adults.

Dr. Deborah Beidel took 139 children ages 3 to 17 years who suffer from social phobia and divided them into three groups. Group 1 got behavioral therapy; Group 2 took antidepressants; and Group 3 took placebos (sugar pills). After three months, about 80% of those in Group 1 improved, compared to 30% in Group 2 and only 6% in Group 3. By the end of the study, 53% of those in Group 1 were considered cured.

Talisman Camps offer summer camp programs and year round academic semesters for children with ADHD, Autism, and Asperger's.

Kids with Social Phobia Benefit from Therapy

Children under age 17 years who have severe social phobias benefit more from behavioral therapy than drug treatments, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Social phobia is not just shyness. It is an extreme fear of social situations that can make children avoid playing with their peers, reading aloud in class, or relating to adults.

Dr. Deborah Beidel took 139 children ages 3 to 17 years who suffer from social phobia and divided them into three groups. Group 1 got behavioral therapy; Group 2 took antidepressants; and Group 3 took placebos (sugar pills). After three months, about 80% of those in Group 1 improved, compared to 30% in Group 2 and only 6% in Group 3. By the end of the study, 53% of those in Group 1 were considered cured.

Talisman Camps offer summer camp programs and year round academic semesters for children with ADHD, Autism, and Asperger's.