When the Bullies are the Other Parents

A study was done that showed that children and teens are getting bullied specifically because they have food allergies. In many cases, the bullies are other students at the school. Unfortunately, it has become clear that there are situations where the other parents are the ones who are behaving like bullies. In August of 2011, a controversy broke out at an elementary school in Florida. A seven year old girl, who was in first grade, had an allergy to peanuts. After Spring Break, students arrived at the elementary school and learned that new rules had been put in place. The … Continue reading →

Parkwood Farms Therapy Center Faces Eviction

Parkwood Farms Therapy Center provides therapeutic riding and Equine Assisted Activities for children who have an autism spectrum disorder. HSBC Bank is about to evict the owners from the property. The owners of the therapy center are seeking a temporary stay on the foreclosure. Parkwood Farms Therapy Center, Inc., is located in Snellville, Georgia. They offer therapeutic programs for children who have special needs. Those needs can include autism, Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, emotional or behavioral problems, and learning disabilities. The Center can start helping children who are as young as the age of 2. There isn’t an upward age … Continue reading →

Study Finds Cancer Drug Shortage Led to Relapses

A study finds that a shortage of a drug called mechlorethamine resulted in cancer relapses in children, teens, and young adults who had Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. The study was done before the shortage of the drug was known. It is an example of the tragic consequences that can result from drug shortages. A study was done that showed the first evidence of the impact of drug shortages. The researchers focused on a drug called mechlorethamine. It is one of the drugs that is in short supply. One thing that happens when there is a shortage is that doctors end up substituting … Continue reading →

Study Connects Allergies to Bullying

Two recently published studies connect bullying to things that parents might not immediately think would make a child a target for a bully. The studies found that kids with food allergies, and kids who are overweight, are especially likely to get bullied. You might want to talk with your kids to see if this is something they are experiencing at school. Much has been said of the negative impact that bullies have on the peers that they target. It happens at school, on the playground, and across the internet. Sadly, there have been several stories in the news about teens … Continue reading →

Conjoined Tucker Twins Successfully Separated

Two little girls started their lives connected to one another in a way that few siblings experience. They were conjoined twins. Allison and Amelia Tucker have been successfully surgically separated from each other. The twins need to undergo some therapy, but are doing well. Allison June Tucker, and Amelia Lee Tucker, were born as conjoined twins. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, this is rare. It only occurs in one out of every 200,000 live births. Their survival rate is not very high. Somewhere between 40% and 60% of conjoined twins are stillborn. Another 35% survive until birth, … Continue reading →

Parents of Kids with Autism Worry About Stigma

Parents of children who have autism, or Asperger’s Syndrome, are concerned. They worry that their child will now be stigmatized because of all the talk that indicated that the shooter in Connecticut had Asperger’s Syndrome. Autism Speaks has some helpful advice. Let me briefly summarize the background of this topic, for those who are unaware. First, there was the tragedy in Connecticut that happened when Adam Lanza went into an elementary school and started shooting. Following the tragedy, there were many responses. The President made a public speech. Several bloggers (myself included) wrote about some aspect of what happened. People … Continue reading →

The New Controversy Over Thimerosal in Vaccines

The U. N. Environment Program is considering a ban on thimerosal. It is a preservative that is used in vaccines in developing countries. The American Academy of Pediatrics endorsed what the World Health Organization has said – that it should not be banned. An organization called SafeMinds disagrees. What is thimerosal? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Thimerosal is a mercury-containing preservative used in some vaccines and other products since the 1930’s. There is no convincing evidence of harm caused by the low doses of thimerosal in vaccines, except for minor reactions like redness and swelling … Continue reading →

Mother’s Blog About Mentally Ill Son Goes Viral

A mother has written a blog that has been passed around the internet via Facebook and in links in several other blogs and news articles. In it, she discusses her fear that her son will someday do something similar to what Adam Lanza did in Connecticut. It is an eye-opening piece of writing. Yesterday, I wrote a blog that clarified that not all people who have Asperger’s Syndrome are violent. Some can, and do, express loud, verbal, outbursts or may push someone away from them. Typically, the violence that people with Asperger’s Syndrome express is not premeditated or planned out. … Continue reading →

TSA Detains Child with Brittle Bone Disease

The Transportation Security Administration in a Texas airport detained a child in a wheelchair who has a bone disease. She, and her mother, made their flight, but the mother is understandably displeased about what occurred. Traveling by plane in December can be stressful. This situation made things much more stressful for the child and her mother. Shelbi Wasler is twelve years old. She was traveling with her mother, Tammy Daniels. They were at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport on their way to Tampa, Florida. The purpose of the trip wasn’t as a Christmas celebration or a vacation. The two were … Continue reading →

A Mother’s Plea for Both her Sons to Live

A small study was done that indicated that a drug called Eteplirsen could help treat the symptoms of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. A mother has started a petition asking for the FDA to approve the drug. One of her sons was in the study and improved. Her other son was not in the study and cannot have access to the drug. Sarpeta is a company that makes a drug called Eteplirsen. It was designed to treat the symptoms of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. New drugs are not simply distributed to pharmacies and placed on the shelves of drug stores. There are a … Continue reading →