Possible causes of sudden onset OCD in kids broadened
Criteria for a broadened syndrome of acute onset obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) have been proposed by a National Institutes of Health scientist and her colleagues. The syndrome, Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS), includes children and teens that suddenly develop on-again/off-again OCD symptoms or abnormal eating behaviors, along with other psychiatric symptoms – without any known cause. PANS expands on Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcus (PANDAS), which is limited to a subset of cases traceable to an autoimmune process triggered by a strep infection. A clinical trial testing an immune-based treatment for PANDAS is currently underway at NIH and Yale University (see below). “Parents will ...
Recruiting Participants for Study on the Benefits of Exercise on Childhood Tourette syndrome and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Symptoms
I'm re-posting a recruitment notice as slots are still available if you want to enroll your child in the study described below, which has received Institutional Review Board approval: Participants sought for a study exploring the possible benefits of aerobic exercise on children and adolescents with Tourette syndrome (TS) and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). The study has received Institutional Review Board approval from Hofstra University, New York. Children and adolescents ages 8-16 diagnosed with both TS and OCD are eligible to participate in a 6-week, 12-session aerobic exercise program. All sessions will be conducted in the participants’ home for ease and convenience. Each exercise session ...
Climate Change Obsessions?
Sarah Harvey reports that doctors in New Zealand have observed that some patients with OCD are getting developing obsessions and compulsions relating to climate change: More than a quarter of patients with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) in a recent study in Australia were found to have obsessions which directly related to climate change. The majority were male. The patients were found to be carrying out rituals, such as checking lights, stoves and taps were turned off, so they could reduce their global footprint. [...] Two participants were convinced increased air temperatures would result in rapid evaporation of the water leading to their pets dying ...
Office for Civil Rights Data Suggests Racial and Disability Status Disparities in Discipline, Restraint, and Seclusion
The Office for Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) aggregates data nationally. They recently released a report, which I've uploaded here. The report contains some statistics that come as no surprise to advocates but are still very disturbing. I've pulled out a few of the figures in this post. Let's start with racial disparities in discipline. As the following figure illustrates, African-American students represent 18% of students in the CRDC sample, but 35% of students suspended once, 46% of those suspended more than once, and 39% of students expelled. . In contrast to African-American students, the rates of discipline in Hispanic students appears to ...
Research
Autism Linked to Superior Information Processing SkillsRick Nauert, PhD writes: New research from the UK suggests people with autism have a greater than normal capacity for processing information. This aptitude is evident even when the presentation is presented...
Possible causes of sudden onset OCD in kids broadenedCriteria for a broadened syndrome of acute onset obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) have been proposed by a National Institutes of Health scientist and her colleagues. The syndrome, Pediatric Acute-onset...
Recruiting Participants for Study on the Benefits of Exercise on Childhood Tourette syndrome and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder SymptomsI’m re-posting a recruitment notice as slots are still available if you want to enroll your child in the study described below, which has received Institutional Review Board approval: Participants...
The Benefits of Exercise on OCD SymptomsNoted in The Yeshiva World: In a review of three separate meta-analyses, investigators at Arizona State University found that patients who participated in at least 21 minutes daily of aerobic exercise...
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Columbus School District Sued Over Accusations of Locking Disabled Students in Padded RoomsMolly Bloom reports on a lawsuit over seclusion: …. the Ohio Legal Rights Service says it has initiated a “district-wide investigation of abuse, neglect and/or significant rights violation”...
Office for Civil Rights Data Suggests Racial and Disability Status Disparities in Discipline, Restraint, and SeclusionThe Office for Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) aggregates data nationally. They recently released a report, which I’ve uploaded here. The report contains some statistics that come as no surprise...
6th grader says he was forced to mow school lawnToday’s discouraging news comes from Portland Oregon. Anita Kissée reports: A local sixth-grader with special needs was pulled out of class and reportedly forced to mow the school lawn as a punishment. Alice...
5-year-old with ADHD handcuffed, charged with battery on officerAll too often, I read something in the news that upsets me with all of my hats on – as a psychologist, a mother, and a disability rights advocate – like the item I posted earlier about using...
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Update on Bizarre Outbreak of Tourette-like Symptoms in New YorkBack in November, I noted that there was a bizarre outbreak of Tourette-like symptoms in a number of high school girls in LeRoy, New York. Since that time, the number of people affected has increased, and controversy has continued to swirl around that cause of the outbreak. While some have argued that the cases are due to conversion disorder (“mass hysteria”), others have sought... [Read more of this news story]
Climate Change Obsessions?Sarah Harvey reports that doctors in New Zealand have observed that some patients with OCD are getting developing obsessions and compulsions relating to climate change: More than a quarter of patients with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) in a recent study in Australia were found to have obsessions which directly related to climate change. The majority were male. The patients were found to be carrying... [Read more of this news story]
New Guidelines for Diagnosing and Treating ADHD in Young ChildrenLast year, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issued Clinical Practice Guideline for the Diagnosis, Evaluation, and Treatment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Children and Adolescents. The guidelines expanded the diagnosis of ADHD to children as young as 4. From the summary of the guidelines: 5. Recommendations for treatment of children and youth with ADHD vary depending on the... [Read more of this news story]
7-Year-Old Accused Of Possible Sexual Harassment For Kicking Boy In GroinCBS in Boston reports: A 7-year-old boy is being investigated by his South Boston elementary school for possible sexual harassment after kicking another boy in the crotch. The first grader’s mother, Tasha Lynch, says she was shocked by the school’s decision. “He’s 7 years old. He doesn’t know anything about sexual harassment,” she said. Lynch’s son, Mark Curran, said the boy that he kicked... [Read more of this news story]
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