Even though the United States has a federal definition of gifted students, there is no federal-level mandate to identify gifted students and place them in gifted programs. As a result each state has its own rules about gifted education. Despite no mandate, in 2008 there are federal funds for gifted programs through the Javits Grant, [...]
Parental psychiatric disorders and children with autism
The May 5, 2008 issue of Pediatrics published an article “Parental psychiatric disorders associated with autism spectrum disorders in the offspring,†written by the UNC research team, led by Julie Daniels, PhD, assistant professor in the departments of epidemiology and maternal and child health at UNC’s School of Public Health. As I understand, the team [...]
Heart Conditions and ADHD
The American Heart Association recommends that children with ADHD should get “careful cardiac evaluation and monitoring, including an electrocardiogram (ECG) before starting treatment with stimulant drugs.†Apparently, “studies have shown that stimulant medications like those used to treat ADHD can increase heart rate and blood pressure.†And while “these side effects are insignificant for most [...]
Bisphenol A and ADHD
Apparently major retailers in Canada are pulling off the shelves products that contain bisphenol A because they’re anticipating an announcement from Health Canada that the chemical is “dangerous.” (See the April 15, 2008 article “Major retailers pull bottles containing bisphenol A” on the CTV News web site. Bisphenol A or BPA is a component in [...]
Nonverbal autistic teenagers “speak outâ€
Amanda Baggs (see the entry “Non-verbal Autism and Intelligence – some myths debunked”) is not the only nonverbal autistic person who communicates through a computer. More than a year ago, in March 2007, PBS Boston station, WBUR broadcast a program about about Portia Iverson, an Emmy-winning Hollywood art director and the author of Strange Son: [...]
Yes, it is PDD-NOS after all!
We finally got the neuropsych (neuropsychological testing) results and it is PDD-NOS after all! (See the entry “Autism 101: A basic definition” for more on PDD-NOS.) That may sound like I’m happy and someone might be thinking “Has she gone crazy?” but it’s good to finally have one doctor agree with another (see the first [...]
Sari Solden – Part Seven of the Unwrapping the Gift of ADD series
Guest of the seventh lecture in the Unwrapping the Gift of ADD series was Sari Solden. Sari Solden has a Masters Degree in clinical counseling from California State University and is also licensed as a marriage and family therapist (LMFT). She currently serves on the professional advisory board of the National Attention Deficit Disorder Association [...]