Help The Middle ClassNews and Information For The Heart Of America
Autism Signs Appear in Babies’ First Year (Health Key)
The social disengagement that is the hallmark of autism-spectrum disorders begins to appear in the second half of a baby’s first year of life, according to a new study. But Californiaresearchers found that parents typically do not notice the decline in their child’s behavior until well into his or her second year.
The study, published in the Journal [...]
HEALTH ALERT: Breast-Feeding Could Save Babies Live & Billions of Dollars (Yahoo! News)
The lives of nearly 900 babies would be saved each year, along with billions of dollars, if 90 percent of U.S. women breast-fed their babies for the first six months of life, a cost analysis says.
Those startling results, published online Monday in the journal Pediatrics, are only an estimate. But several experts who reviewed the [...]
‘HEALTH-CARE FOR EVERYONE’, UNLESS YOUR A SICK CHILD. PROBLEMS ALREADY WITH OBAMACARE (KAISER HEALTH NEWS)
Clotie Robinson has tried for four years to buy health coverage for her 8-year-old daughter who suffers from depression and other mental illnesses, but she’s been consistently rejected by insurance companies.
As a result, Robinson has been unable to pay for some medicines and medical tests her daughter needs.
The DeSoto, Texas, mom had hoped the new [...]
Assessing a Child’s Speech Delay Is Difficult, Yet Vital (New York Times)
Every pediatrician knows the frustration of trying to quantify the speech and language skills of a screaming toddler. How many words can he say? Can she put two or more words together into a sentence? Can people besides you understand him when he talks? Questions like these, put to the parents, are the quick and [...]
HEALTH 101: 3 Habits To Help Your Child Stay Healthy & Fit (Business Week)
Something as simple as sitting down to dinner together as a family can go a long way in helping a child fend off obesity.
That’s just one of the findings from new research that suggests that family behaviors can have a significant impact on the weight of preschool children. Other behaviors that may help youngsters stay [...]
Studies Reveal Why Kids Get Bullied and Rejected (Yahoo! News)
Kids who get bullied and snubbed by peers may be more likely to have problems in other parts of their lives, past studies have shown. And now researchers have found at least three factors in a child’s behavior that can lead to social rejection.
The factors involve a child’s inability to pick up on and respond [...]
Families Sue Over Discontinued Autism Therapy (Los Angeles Times)
Families with autistic children in eastern Los Angeles County have filed a class-action lawsuit against the nonprofit agency that provides them with state-funded services, alleging that it had illegally discontinued their therapy for the disorder.
The agency, the Eastern Los Angeles County Regional Center, informed more than 100 families late last summer that their children were [...]
Raising I.Q. in Toddlers With Autism (The New York Times)
A new intensive program for very young children with autism has produced impressive results, leading to substantial gains in I.Q. and in listening skills after two years of therapy.
The program, called the Early Start Denver Model, or E.S.D.M., was part of a two-year study of 48 children as young as 18 months old. Half the [...]
Study: More Cases Of Autism in U.S. Kids Than Previously Realized
A study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics indicates about 1 percent of children ages 3 to 17 have autism or a related disorder, an increase over previous estimates.
“This is a significant issue that needs immediate attention,” Dr. Ileana Arias, deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. “A concerted effort [...]
Special Report: More Than 1M Preemies Die In First Month Annually
More than 1 million babies born prematurely die each year before they are a month old, the March of Dimes said Sunday in the first comprehensive global report on premature births.
The organization suggested the situation could worsen if the rate of premature births increases.
Each year, 12.9 million infants — or nearly 10 percent of the [...]
