I just finished watching a PBS documentary (part of the POV series) entitled ”Neurotypical”that focused on the lives of a number of people at different stages of life who have been diagnosed with autism or Asperger’s syndrome.  I thought the show was a beautiful depiction of the lives of these individuals;  their hopes, fears, loves,...Read More

The December 14th shootings in Newtown, Connecticut, have opened up a Pandora’s box of issues related to mental health.  One controversy in particular relates to the shooter Adam Lanza’s alleged identification as a person with a mild form of autism spectrum disorder called Asperger’s syndrome.  This hearsay diagnosis in turn has ignited a strong rebuttal from the...Read More

A new study reported in the journal Pediatrics, the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, revealed that the youngest children in any given grade are more likely to do poorly on standardized tests, and more likely to be prescribed stimulant medications for ADHD compared to older students at the same grade level.  The...Read More

A study in today’s issue of Pediatrics, the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics,  reveals that boys are more concerned now than in the past with building their bodies up to look more muscular.  Data from around 1400 boys (average age 14), was collected regarding their muscle-building behaviors.  While the data revealed that both girls and boys...Read More

Here are some quotations that I’ve collected over the years about the amazing genius of children. “The real magic wand is the child’s own mind.” – Jose Ortega Y Gasset (Spanish philosopher) “The great man is he who does not lose his child’s heart.” – Mencius (Chinese sage) “No Columbus, no Marco Polo has ever seen stranger and...Read More