Education of Children

Honor Whiteman   What do you know about Tourette's Syndrome? That it causes involuntary swearing? While this is true in some cases, there is so much more to the neurological condition than most people realize.  Tourette's Syndrome (TS) first described by French neurologist Dr. Georges Gilles de la Tourette in 1885, is a neurological disorder characterized by "tics," which are sudden, involuntary, and repetitive twitches, movements, or sounds. However, uncontrollable swearing or yelling of socially unacceptable phrases - known as coprolalia -   occurs in around 10-15 percent of individuals with Tourette's syndrome (TS).  There are two types of tics that occur with TS: motor and vocal. Motor tics are involuntary body movements, such as blinking, shrugging, or arm-jerking, while vocal tics are involuntary sounds, such as humming, clearing the throat, or shouting a word or phrase. However, despite affecting relatively few people with TS, coprolalia is perceived a...

Liam Davenport Exposure to common household chemicals such as those found in nonstick cooking pans, upholstery, carpet pads, and electronics during pregnancy may lead to poorer cognitive and behavioral development during childhood, new research shows. In an analysis of more than 250 mother-child pairs, maternal exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) was associated with impairments in executive function in children aged 5 and 8 years. «These findings suggest that concentrations of maternal serum PBDEs and PFASs during pregnancy may be associated with poorer executive function in school-age children,» the investigators, with first author Ann Vuong, DrPH, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Environmental Health at the University of Cincinnati, in Ohio, write. «Given that the persistence of PBDEs and PFASs has resulted in detectable serum concentrations worldwide, the observed deficits in executive function may have a large impact ...

by Gavin Bollard - As new parents, we mostly start out with a fairly positive parenting style. Everybody knows that babies cry a lot, so we’re more or less prepared for the initial onslaught. When it threatens to overtake us, there’s often someone willing to help out, after all, babies are cute. As time goes on, and the crying continues and the nappies get larger, it gets harder and harder to get support. It’s hardly surprising that so many couples break up when their kids are in the “terrible two’s”.  It’s a very hard time for the whole family. Luckily, just past the terrible two’s things start to get better rapidly. The worst is over… unless you have a child with an "ism". Then it could continue for several more years, or even indefinitely. Watch Out for the Negative Spiral Suddenly attitudes around you change. Your child’s defiance is no longer cute and their outbursts actually do quite a bit of damage. Almost overnight, your child-minding options disappear because sud...