Support for parents - Parenting News http://www.conductdisorders.com/forum/ Parenting Headlines. en Tue, 07 Sep 2010 23:27:43 GMT vBulletin 60 http://4conductdisorders.appspot.com/forum/images/misc/rss.png Support for parents - Parenting News http://www.conductdisorders.com/forum/ <![CDATA[Where an infant fixes their gaze 'could be an early indicator of autism']]> http://www.conductdisorders.com/forum/f42/where-infant-fixes-their-gaze-could-early-indicator-autism-35676-new/ Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:25:10 GMT Where an infant fixes their gaze 'could be an early indicator of autism' - Daily Mail

Researchers at the Kennedy Krieger institute and University of Delaware studied 25 six-month-old infants in this 'high-risk' group along with 25 of their peers.

The youngsters were placed in a chair with a simple joystick. When they moved it the musical toy was activated and they were given more attention by their caregiver. When actively engaged the children in both groups spent a similar amount of time looking at the person as they did at the toy.

However, the team found that when the babies were not being engaged, those in the high risk group spent far more time gazing at the toy than the caregiver. ]]> Parenting News runawaybunny http://www.conductdisorders.com/forum/f42/where-infant-fixes-their-gaze-could-early-indicator-autism-35676/ Lost in Electronica The costs of ‘the chaos of constant connection.’ http://www.conductdisorders.com/forum/f42/lost-electronica-costs-%91-chaos-constant-connection-%92-35612-new/ Mon, 30 Aug 2010 11:40:50 GMT http://www.newsweek.com/2010/08/14/will-boredom-and-the-costs-of-constant-connection.html http://www.newsweek.com/2010/08/14/w...onnection.html ]]> Parenting News timer lady http://www.conductdisorders.com/forum/f42/lost-electronica-costs-%91-chaos-constant-connection-%92-35612/ What Is It About 20-Somethings? http://www.conductdisorders.com/forum/f42/what-about-20-somethings-35565-new/ Fri, 27 Aug 2010 20:29:31 GMT *_What Is It About 20-Somethings? - New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/22/magazine/22Adulthood-t.html?_r=1)_* This question pops up... What Is It About 20-Somethings? - New York Times

This question pops up everywhere, underlying concerns about “failure to launch” and “boomerang kids.” Two new sitcoms feature grown children moving back in with their parents — “$#*! My Dad Says,” starring William Shatner as a divorced curmudgeon whose 20-something son can’t make it on his own as a blogger, and “Big Lake,” in which a financial whiz kid loses his Wall Street job and moves back home to rural Pennsylvania. A cover of The New Yorker last spring picked up on the zeitgeist: a young man hangs up his new Ph.D. in his boyhood bedroom, the cardboard box at his feet signaling his plans to move back home now that he’s officially overqualified for a job. In the doorway stand his parents, their expressions a mix of resignation, worry, annoyance and perplexity: how exactly did this happen?

It’s happening all over, in all sorts of families, not just young people moving back home but also young people taking longer to reach adulthood overall. It’s a development that predates the current economic doldrums, and no one knows yet what the impact will be — on the prospects of the young men and women; on the parents on whom so many of them depend; on society, built on the expectation of an orderly progression in which kids finish school, grow up, start careers, make a family and eventually retire to live on pensions supported by the next crop of kids who finish school, grow up, start careers, make a family and on and on. The traditional cycle seems to have gone off course, as young people remain un­tethered to romantic partners or to permanent homes, going back to school for lack of better options, traveling, avoiding commitments, competing ferociously for unpaid internships or temporary (and often grueling) Teach for America jobs, forestalling the beginning of adult life. ]]> Parenting News runawaybunny http://www.conductdisorders.com/forum/f42/what-about-20-somethings-35565/ Impulsivity-Related Problem Drinking Decreases Greatly for 18 To 25-Year-Olds http://www.conductdisorders.com/forum/f42/impulsivity-related-problem-drinking-decreases-greatly-18-25-year-olds-35490-new/ Tue, 24 Aug 2010 17:08:30 GMT *_Impulsivity-Related Problem Drinking Decreases Greatly for 18 To 25-Year-Olds - Science Daily... Impulsivity-Related Problem Drinking Decreases Greatly for 18 To 25-Year-Olds - Science Daily

Personality traits associated with impulsivity normally decrease during emerging and young adulthood, and these decreases are associated with reduced substance use. A new study of "trajectories" of impulsivity and their association with problem alcohol use has found that the 18-to-25-years-of-age group exhibited the largest declines in impulsivity as well as the sharpest decreases in alcohol consumption.

"Traits related to impulsivity, such as undirectedness or 'reverse-scored conscientiousness,' tend to normally decrease from late adolescence into early adulthood, approximately from ages 18 to 35," explained Andrew K. Littlefield, a doctoral student in clinical psychology at the University of Missouri and corresponding author for the study.

"Many researchers and clinicians think of personality as an incredibly stable construct that does not change across time, however, these findings provide clear evidence that at least some individuals undergo significant changes in impulsivity across time," he said. "Future studies could examine why some individuals make significant changes in impulsivity across time whereas other individuals' level of impulsivity remains relatively stable. Identifying factors that enhance or inhibit seemingly beneficial changes in personality may inform treatment approaches that could facilitate decreased impulsivity."

The study was funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. ]]> Parenting News runawaybunny http://www.conductdisorders.com/forum/f42/impulsivity-related-problem-drinking-decreases-greatly-18-25-year-olds-35490/ <![CDATA[Autism Gives Woman An 'Alien View' Of Social Brains]]> http://www.conductdisorders.com/forum/f42/autism-gives-woman-alien-view-social-brains-35488-new/ Tue, 24 Aug 2010 16:33:22 GMT Autism Gives Woman An 'Alien View' Of Social Brains - NPR

It takes a smart brain to invent a spaceship. But putting one in orbit takes a brain with extraordinary social skills.

That's because getting from concept to launchpad takes more than technology — it takes thousands of people agreeing on a common goal and working together to accomplish it.

Humans have succeeded in part because we evolved a brain with a remarkable capacity for this type of complex social interaction. We automatically respond to social cues and facial expressions. We can look at the world from another person's point of view. We are predisposed to cooperate.

But all these things are so much a part of us, they're easy to take for granted.
Unless you have autism, like Lisa Daxer.

Daxer, 27, is a biomedical engineering major at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. And for her, things like reading faces and understanding what's on another person's mind are a struggle. ]]> Parenting News runawaybunny http://www.conductdisorders.com/forum/f42/autism-gives-woman-alien-view-social-brains-35488/ Autism and Mental Retardation Connected With APC Protein http://www.conductdisorders.com/forum/f42/autism-mental-retardation-connected-apc-protein-35487-new/ Tue, 24 Aug 2010 16:29:18 GMT *_Autism and Mental Retardation Connected With APC Protein - Science Daily (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100823113426.htm)_* A... Autism and Mental Retardation Connected With APC Protein - Science Daily

A clue to the causes of autism and mental retardation lies in the synapse, the tiny intercellular junction that rapidly transfers information from one neuron to the next. According to neuroscientists at Tufts University School of Medicine, with students from the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences at Tufts, a protein called APC (adenomatous polyposis coli) plays a key role in synapse maturation, and APC dysfunction prevents the synapse function required for typical learning and memory.

The findings are published in the August 18 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience.

"Both sides of the synapse are finely tuned for efficient transmission; an imbalance on either side can negatively impact function, resulting in cognitive deficits. Our study reveals that APC forms a key protein complex in the postsynaptic neuron that also provides signals to direct synapse maturation in the presynaptic neuron, ensuring that the two sides of the synapse mature in concert to provide optimal function," said senior author Michele H. Jacob, PhD, professor in the department of neuroscience at Tufts University School of Medicine. Jacob is also a member of the cell, molecular and developmental biology; cellular and molecular physiology; and neuroscience program faculties at the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences at Tufts. ]]> Parenting News runawaybunny http://www.conductdisorders.com/forum/f42/autism-mental-retardation-connected-apc-protein-35487/ <![CDATA[Autism Might Slow Brain's Ability to Integrate Input From Multiple Senses]]> http://www.conductdisorders.com/forum/f42/autism-might-slow-brains-ability-integrate-input-multiple-senses-35486-new/ Tue, 24 Aug 2010 16:24:15 GMT Autism Might Slow Brain's Ability to Integrate Input From Multiple Senses - Scientific American

Children with autism often focus intently on a single activity or feature of their environment. New research might help to explain this behavioral trend, providing evidence that the brains of young people with autism are slower to integrate input coming from more than one sense at the same time.

During study of the disorder decades ago, research into these basic tendencies was common. But in subsequent years, scientists have tended to focus more on complex issues, ranging from communication troubles to underlying genetic patterns.

Recently, however, more studies have set their sights back on some of the simple processes that most people take for granted, such as sensory intake, as a way to better understand more high-level manifestations, such as social interaction issues. "We believe that these things interact in very significant ways," says Sophie Molholm, an associate professor of neuroscience at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and co-author of a new study about multi-sensory processing. ]]> Parenting News runawaybunny http://www.conductdisorders.com/forum/f42/autism-might-slow-brains-ability-integrate-input-multiple-senses-35486/ Autism explosion half explained, half still a mystery http://www.conductdisorders.com/forum/f42/autism-explosion-half-explained-half-still-mystery-35349-new/ Tue, 17 Aug 2010 20:11:37 GMT *_Autism explosion half explained, half still a mystery - New Scientist... Autism explosion half explained, half still a mystery - New Scientist

Why have the numbers of autism diagnoses ballooned in recent decades? Researchers have long claimed that changes to the way the condition is diagnosed are the main cause. But now a series of a studies have shown that diagnostic changes alone cannot account for the increase. They suggest that other causes, perhaps environmental factors, are also contributing to the rise in cases.

"These studies give me the feeling that there must be a true increase in the number of children affected," says Tom Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health in Rockville, Maryland.

The studies are the work of sociologist Peter Bearman at Columbia University in New York and colleagues. They have spent three years trying to disentangle the causes of the roughly sevenfold increase in autism rates seen in many developed nations over the past 20 years. They have identified three factors that are driving up autism rates, but found that these account for only half of the observed increase. ]]> Parenting News runawaybunny http://www.conductdisorders.com/forum/f42/autism-explosion-half-explained-half-still-mystery-35349/ Younger kids may wrongly get ADHD diagnosis http://www.conductdisorders.com/forum/f42/younger-kids-may-wrongly-get-attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-diagnosis-35348-new/ Tue, 17 Aug 2010 20:05:32 GMT *_Younger kids may wrongly get ADHD diagnosis - MSNBC (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38740077/ns/health-kids_and_parenting/)_* How mature a child... Younger kids may wrongly get ADHD diagnosis - MSNBC

How mature a child is compared to his peers may partly determine how likely he is to be diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to a new study. This finding validates concerns that the condition is misdiagnosed, researchers say.

North Carolina State University researchers found that children born just after the kindergarten eligibilty cutoff date were 25 percent less likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than children born just before the cutoff date. Children born just after the cutoff date are among the oldest in their class, and those born just before the cutoff date are among the youngest in their class. ]]> Parenting News runawaybunny http://www.conductdisorders.com/forum/f42/younger-kids-may-wrongly-get-attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-diagnosis-35348/ Acetaminophen: Teen Asthma Trigger? http://www.conductdisorders.com/forum/f42/acetaminophen-teen-asthma-trigger-35319-new/ Mon, 16 Aug 2010 01:48:02 GMT *_Acetaminophen: Teen Asthma Trigger? - WebMD (http://www.webmd.com/asthma/news/20100813/acetaminophen-teen-asthma-trigger)_* Even once-a-month... Acetaminophen: Teen Asthma Trigger? - WebMD

Even once-a-month use of acetaminophen -- the best-known brand name is Tylenol -- may trigger asthma in teens.

Teens using acetaminophen at least monthly had 2.5 times the asthma risk of nonusers. Once-a-year users had a 43% increase in asthma risk.

The findings come from a study of some 323,000 13- and 14-year-olds from 50 nations by Richard W. Beasley, MD, professor of medicine at the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand in Wellington, and colleagues. ]]> Parenting News runawaybunny http://www.conductdisorders.com/forum/f42/acetaminophen-teen-asthma-trigger-35319/ College students exhibiting more severe mental illness, study finds http://www.conductdisorders.com/forum/f42/college-students-exhibiting-more-severe-mental-illness-study-finds-35317-new/ Sun, 15 Aug 2010 23:12:00 GMT Pre-existing conditions are contributing factors Severe mental illness is more common among college students than it was a decade ago, with more... Pre-existing conditions are contributing factors

Severe mental illness is more common among college students than it was a decade ago, with more young people arriving on campus with pre-existing conditions and a willingness to seek help for emotional distress, according to a study presented at the 118th annual convention of the American Psychological Association. The data support what college mental health professionals have noted for some time.

"In the last 10 years, a shift in the needs of students seeking counseling services is becoming apparent," said John Guthman, PhD, author of the study and director of student counseling services at Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY. "University and college counseling services around the country are reporting that the needs of students seeking services are escalating toward more severe psychological problems. While the condition of students seeking counseling doesn't necessarily reflect the experience of the average college student, our findings may suggest that students with severe emotional stress are getting better education, outreach and support during childhood that makes them more likely to attend college than in the past."

Guthman and his co-authors looked at the records of 3,256 college students who accessed college counseling support between September 1997 and August 2009 at a mid-sized private university. Students, both undergraduate and graduate, were screened for mental disorders, suicidal thoughts and self-injurious behavior. Several tools were employed to make a diagnosis, including clinical evaluations, structured interviews, and two widely used tests of mood -- the Beck Depression Inventory and the Beck Anxiety Inventory.

In 1998, 93 percent of the students coming into the clinic were diagnosed with one mental disorder, said Guthman. That number rose to 96 percent in 2009. In 2009, 96 percent of students seeking treatment met criteria for diagnosis with at least one mental disorder. Most students were diagnosed with mood and anxiety disorders as well as adjustment disorders or problems associated with significant impairment in functioning. There were no significant class or age differences.

"Overall, the average quality of depression and anxiety experienced by students in counseling has remained constant and relatively mild during the last decade," Guthman said. "However, the percentage of students with moderate to severe depression has gone up from 34 to 41 percent. "These outliers often require significantly more resources and may contribute greatly to the misperception that the average student is in distress."

The rise in the more severe cases of depression and anxiety in college students may be because more students are coming to college with pre-existing mental health difficulties, said Guthman. "There are also more students who are not socially connected. The average college student is not having this problem, but the students who are seeking help are frequently socially isolated, depressed and may be on medication."

The study also found that the number of students on psychiatric medicines increased more than 10 percentage points. In 1998, 11 percent of the clinical sample reported using psychiatric medications, mostly for depression, anxiety and ADHD. In 2009, 24 percent of those attending counseling reported using psychiatric medications.

On a more positive note, Guthman found that the number of students who acknowledged that they had thought about suicide within two weeks of counseling intake declined from 26 percent in 1998 to 11 percent in 2009. This decrease may reflect general improvements in suicide prevention education and outreach and greater awareness of available assistance, he said.

"It used to be that students would come to university counseling centers because they broke up with their partner or failed a test," Guthman said. "Now, they are coming with emotional distress and requesting mental health treatment for the same reasons that other adult populations seeks out treatment."

###

Paper Session: "Increase in Severity of Mental Illness Among Clinical College Students: A 12-Year Comparison," John C. Guthman, PhD, and Laura Iocin, PhD, Hofstra University; Despina D. Konstas, PhD, Hellenic American University, Athens, Greece Session: 1019, 8:00 – 9:50 AM, Thursday, Aug. 12, San Diego Convention Center, Upper Level, Room 24B ]]> Parenting News runawaybunny http://www.conductdisorders.com/forum/f42/college-students-exhibiting-more-severe-mental-illness-study-finds-35317/ <![CDATA[Parents' mental health more likely to suffer when a grown child struggles]]> http://www.conductdisorders.com/forum/f42/parents-mental-health-more-likely-suffer-when-grown-child-struggles-35315-new/ Sun, 15 Aug 2010 22:57:29 GMT Situation not mitigated by having one successful child, study finds Even into adulthood, problem children continue to give their parents... Situation not mitigated by having one successful child, study finds

Even into adulthood, problem children continue to give their parents heartache, and it doesn't matter if other children in the family grow up to be successful, according to a new study of middle-aged parents.

"What this study finds is that the children may have their own lives and moved on, but their ups and downs are still deeply affecting their parents," psychology professor Karen Fingerman, PhD, said Thursday at the 118th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association. Fingerman, of Purdue University, presented her findings at a symposium focusing on social relationships and well-being.

For this study, 633 middle-aged parents in the Philadelphia area rated each of their grown children's achievements in relationships, family life, education and career. They were asked to rate each child's successes compared to other adults the same age. Most parents had more than one child so there were reports of 1,251 grown children included in the study.

Parents also answered questions about their own psychological well-being, what kind of relationship they had with their children, and whether each of their children had experienced specific physical, emotional, lifestyle and behavioral problems. Lifestyle and behavioral problems included: trouble with the law, drinking or drug problems, divorce and serious relationships problems. They also considered if each child's problems were deemed involuntary, such as a health issue, and controlled for them within the study.

The research found 68 percent of parents had at least one grown child suffering at least one problem in the last two years. Close to 49 percent of parents said at least one of their children was highly successful. The majority of parents, 60 percent, said they had a mix of successful and less successful children, while 17 percent had no children suffering from problems and 15 percent had no children they rated as being above average on life achievements.

The researchers then looked at how children's successes and failures affected parents' well-being. Parents who had more than one highly successful child reported better well-being. However, having even one problematic child had a negative impact on their mental health, even if the other children were successful. Simply having at least one successful child was not associated with better well-being. The findings suggest parents react more strongly to their children's failures than their successes, according to Fingerman.

"Having two children suffering problems may be more demanding than having only one child who suffers problems," she said. "By the same token, having a successful child did not buffer the effects of problem-ridden children."

###

Symposium: "Social Relationships and Well-Being – A Life Span"
Session: 1235,1:00 – 2:50 PM, Thursday, Aug. 12, San Diego Convention Center, Upper Level, Room 25B
Presentation: "Mixed Blessings: Problematic and Successful Grown Children and Middle-aged Parents' Well-being," Karen Fingerman, PhD. ]]> Parenting News runawaybunny http://www.conductdisorders.com/forum/f42/parents-mental-health-more-likely-suffer-when-grown-child-struggles-35315/