To tell or not to tell I am often asked by parents whether or not they should tell their child the diagnosis? It’s a good question, and of course the answer is somewhat complex. Focus on symptoms, not the diagnosis I find that it’s rarely beneficial to place a ‘label’ on the symptoms, and subsequently […]

Which Wolf are you Feeding? I don't usually post stories such as this, but this one is too good not to share: One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside all people. He said, “My son, the battle is between two ‘wolves’ inside us all." “One is Evil. […]

The Study A study funded by the John Templeton Foundation and carried-out at The University of Akron, Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) and Baylor University found that teens with substance abuse issues had significantly better outcomes to the extent they had a foundation of spiritual beliefs. In fact... Spiritual belief resulted in overall better outcomes […]

As parents, we expect kids to follow directions when told to do so; and often we have expectation that the response will be immediate. Much to our despair, it’s not, and likely shall never be. That’s the important point; kids are not automatons (or at least mine aren’t – I suspect yours aren’t either). I […]

The discipline trap How beneficial is time-out, taking away the TV, or ‘grounding’ a child from going outside? Of course, as most parents have come to find, all of these discipline strategies can be effective. However, what happens if you rely too heavily on these strategies? Well, first, your household can become like a gulag; […]

Can you relate to this? You get into an argument with your spouse. You know your point is valid, but you’re having trouble getting your mate to acknowledge your viewpoint; instead, he just wants to “move on” and “forget about it.” So, he tries to change the subject but you’re left feeling unheard and misunderstood. […]

Many years ago, starting out as a School Psychologist, I came across a Principal who had established a ritual; he would meet with his teachers every morning to review the day’s events and, at the conclusion of the meeting, he would huddle the teachers together and lead a chant "softer and closer" repeated four to […]

Grandmother receives a nasty letter You undoubtedly heard by now of the over-the-top, vicious and shameful letter a family in Canada received about their child who has autism. Apparently the neighbor was put-off by the child’s behavior and wrote a hate-filled letter of complaint that was full of insults and vitriol. Our Reaction Of course, […]

Written by Dr. John Carosso What was that all about? You remember the recent headline, based on a study from JAMA Pediatrics (August 12, 2013), claiming a link between induced and augmented labor and the child later receiving an autism-related special education services down the road. The study looked at birth records from ’90 to […]

Written by Dr. John Carosso “Natural” is better? I often hear from parents a preference for “natural” alternatives to their child’s emotional or behavioral issues. Examples include Omega III and tyrosine for ADHD, melatonin for sleep, valerian for anxiety. The idea is that these supplements are naturally occurring substances and not artificially manufactured by pharmaceutical […]