Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and affects up to 80% of children with ASD. Several studies report a strong link between insomnia and the severity of ASD-related symptoms, including social impairment, communication difficulties and anxiety. Insomnia’s impact on children with ASD…
Screen-based media associated with structural differences in brains of young children
A new study documents structural differences in the brains of preschool-age children related to screen-based media use. The study, published in JAMA Pediatrics, shows that children who have more screen time have lower structural integrity of white matter tracts in parts of the brain that support language and other emergent…
Jumping genes can cause rare developmental disorders in children
The largest study of its kind into childhood developmental disorders has discovered that jumping genes cause genetic changes in some patients with undiagnosed neurodevelopmental diseases. The research from the Wellcome Sanger Institute and its collaborators in the NHS Regional Genetics services enabled genetic diagnoses for three children with previously undiagnosed…
Studies link air pollution to mental health issues in children
Three new studies by scientists at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, in collaboration with researchers at the University of Cincinnati, highlight the relationship between air pollution and mental health in children. A study to be published Sept. 25 in Environmental Health Perspectives found that short-term exposure to ambient air pollution…
Off-label medication orders on the rise for children, study finds
U.S. physicians are increasingly ordering medications for children for conditions that are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration, according to a Rutgers study. The findings highlight the need for more education, research and policies addressing effective, safe pediatric drug prescribing. The study, published in the journal Pediatrics, analyzed…
The System discriminates against those in need of Protection: Economic pressure undermines the ethics of medicine
An older man wanders in the night confused by the streets and is brought from the ambulance service in the emergency room. This happens daily hundreds of times. Old people forget to drink often, which can lead to Confusion. Before, when hospitals were paid according to the days of Stay,…
Maggots in the ears: 83-Year-old finds her husband in a nursing home in disgusting condition
The last weeks in the life of John Callaghan were not so, as any of us would wish for himself. And has his family still. Especially Callaghan’s widow, 83-year-old Fay from Queensland, Australia. Her husband was ill in 2017, to cancer. After treatment, he was weak and needed more care,…
NHS plans sex change advice in Skype calls for children
Children as young as three could be helped to change gender on the basis of just a Skype call under NHS review The technology allows doctors to diagnose and prescribe treatment for patients hundreds or thousands of miles away Critics will argue it is impossible to evaluate a child’s suitability…
Dietary restrictions may benefit children with premature aging disease
Progeria, which develops from a rare genetic mutation, causes the same symptoms in children as in 80-year old people: brittle bones, longer healing times, and heart disease, among others. Affecting randomly about one in every four million children worldwide, it usually leads to death around age 14 due to strokes…
How My Neglectful Childhood Affects My Children
My husband is a lover… and a yeller. He is thoughtful and understanding; sweet, kind and funny as hell; but his temper is short. When my daughter “acts out,” he immediately raises his voice. Of course, his response sounds harsh — at least on paper — but he does show…
Children with mild asthma can use inhalers as needed
A new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis supports evidence that children with mild asthma can effectively manage the condition by using their two inhalers—one a steroid and the other a bronchodilator—when symptoms occur. This is in contrast to the traditional method of using the steroid…