Written by: Dr. John Carosso What I’m expected to do… As a psychologist, I’m expected to talk about traditional and clinically-relevant approaches to help kids, and parents, work through difficulties. This of course would include helping people to think in more reasonable ways (cognitive therapy), behave in ways that are productive and healthy (behavioral approaches), […]

Written by Dr. John Carosso First, what is it, and what’s with the name? Pica is an unusual compulsion to eat nonfood items. It goes beyond ‘mouthing’ objects to actually swallowing; most common items include dirt, clay, paint chips, chalk, baking soda, feces, hair, glue, toothpaste , and soap. However, the list of potential items […]

Written by Dr. Carosso Traditional approaches, for better or worse You all know the traditional approaches to helping kids with ADHD. Children are often prescribed medication, and a number of behavioral approaches are used in the classroom including sitting away from distractions, near the teacher, calling on these children more often, and using sticker charts […]

The Sting Not too long ago I was stung by a hornet. Not a pleasant experience by any means, but it’s not like I haven’t been stung before so didn’t think it would be much more than an annoyance. All stings not created equal Well, as it turns out, the first sting, possibly years earlier, […]

Marvelous Melatonin | September 11, 2012 It seems that melatonin is becoming increasingly popular as a sleep aide. This trend stands to reason, given the anecdotal and research-based evidence that it’s effective and safe. Drawbacks? It would seem intuitive that it’s always best to first try behavioral approaches and more “natural approaches”. Not that melatonin […]

Written by Dr. Carosso Yes, it’s that time It’s that ‘back to school’ time. Yes, it’s sad to see the summer coming to a close but definitely time to get back to the school routine. Summer vs School Routine Need I mention the difference between summer and school-year routines? If you start about 2-3 weeks […]

Is Your favorite Show Harmful? Do you watch re-runs of your favorite show, or do your kids enjoy the Disney Channel. Seems pretty harmless, right? Well, maybe not so much. The TV Blues Does watching TV cause depression? Well, the poor quality of television programming may, in fact, be quite depressing, but a team of […]

I’ll keep this one short and simple; yes, they work. However, as usual, there’s a bit more to it than that. Short and long-term A social group program out of UCLA found that a social group for teenagers with autism proved to be successful not only for the short-term, but the gains were ongoing and […]

To lie or not to lie Okay, I’ll set the stage. Harvard researchers used an MRI to assess people’s brain wave functioning comparing those who lied vs. those who did not lie when asked a particular question. What’d they find? Those who lied tended to have significantly elevated brain wave activity in the prefrontal cortex […]

The SportZone fundraiser for the Autism Center of Pittsburgh (ACP) has been changed to Friday, June 15, from 6-9:00 PM. There will still be tons of activities for your kids including Deck Hockey, crafts, cookout, obstacle course, volley ball, water balloon contest, and much more. Only $10.00 per child (all ages and exceptionalities, or nonexceptionalities, […]