Toya Graham is a single mother who lives in a run-down and dangerous neighborhood in West Baltimore. She was not a likely candidate for national recognition, and yet, there are many who are hailing Toya as a hero. Riots broke out in Baltimore following the death of Freddy Gray, a 25-year-old African American man. Toya would not let her son participate in the riots and took a stand on this.
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Summertime is known to be a time of relaxation, fun, family time, and long and lazy days. It is also a time when children are a little more independent, as they are off with friends, away at camp, on vacations and field trips, and learning and trying new things. Generally speaking, parents are prepared to send children on their adventures. Their backpacks are armed with bug spray, bottled water, sunscreen, hand sanitizer, and with extras of everything just in case. But what is often missed is the opportunity to arm them with safety from those who may try to harm them.
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It is a well-known fact that parenting does not come with a manual of standard procedure (which would indeed be helpful) and at times, various topics arise which make parents second-guess themselves. Recently, the topic of praise and narcissism has been at the forefront of social media and sensationalized pop-culture blogs. However, what is missing is an expert opinion on the matter based upon a combination of empiricism and years of experience with hundreds, even thousands of children.
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If your child is struggling with Social Anxiety, it’s important to know that you are not alone. It is a very common disorder that can be treated effectively. Listening to your child, and providing support and encouragement will go a long way toward helping your child recover from this disorder. Social anxiety does not have to limit your child or keep them on the sidelines.
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Expecting parents have growing concerns over Tylenol’s recent connection to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), with numerous findings reporting pregnant women’s use of Tylenol may be linked to the onset of ADHD in their school aged children. Now even children’s Tylenol presents a risk to children’s cognitive development and behaviors. With so much untapped neuronal connectivity, the child’s brain is susceptible to environmental conditions that could drastically alter and impact the child’s development and health well into adulthood.
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Research has shown that one tool that has proven to be effective in reducing anxiety in young children is educating parents to engage with their children in Non-Directive Play, also known as Child-Centred Play. Non-Directive Play Therapy has been practiced for years as an effective therapeutic technique to use with young children.
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Long thought to be a psychological disorder that occurred only in adults, depression now is diagnosed frequently in children under 10 years of age. As recently as 40 years ago, physicians doubted the existence of depression in children (Son & Kirchner, 2000). Now one study reported in American Family Physician (ibid) suggested 2% of children under the age of puberty can be diagnosed with some form of depression.
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There is no doubt that adoption is an emotional process for families, from the initial decision to pursue adoption all the way through negotiating childrearing and adulthood. Adoption is not a simple process, but a complex series of interactions that can be frustrating and daunting. Emotionally fulfilling and at the same time taxing, adoptive families almost universally agree that it is an overall enriching life experience that they wouldn’t change. What’s perhaps most unexpected for families is how their experience of the process is emotionally so similar to that experience that their adoptive child experiences.
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Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder has become a common diagnosis among U.S. children, especially boys. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2013) recently released the results of its National Survey of Children’s Health for 2011-2012. In it the CDCP reported an estimated 6.4 million children with a diagnosis of ADHD. This number represents approximately 11% of the children in the United States.
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When people think of discipline and children, the two things that instantly come to mind are spanking and timeouts. But the reality is that discipline can be much more than just these two options. There is a whole spectrum of ways to change the behavior of a child without only using punishment as a means to mold it.
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