A recent Dutch study has concluded that nearly 1 in 10 children aged seven to eight hear voices, but most aren’t bothered by them. About 3,800 children were surveyed and asked whether they heard one or more voices that only they themselves could hear.

Nine percent of the children answered yes. Only 15 percent of these children said the voices caused them serious suffering, and 19 percent said the voices interfered with their thinking. Boys and girls were equally likely to report hearing voices, but girls were more likely to report suffering and anxiety due to the voices.

I don’t quite know what to make of this information. This seems like a lot of kids. I’m a bit skeptical that there weren’t some children answering in the affirmative just for attention, or perhaps seeking approval. After all, we’ve seen many examples of the power of suggestion over people.

However, even if the numbers are reliable, experts say not to panic if your child hears voices. They conclude that most children suffering from auditory vocal hallucinations will not have any long-term effects from the condition. One of the study’s authors, Agna A. Bartels-Velthuis of University Medical Center Groningen in The Netherlands, said, “In most cases the voices will just disappear. I would advise them to reassure their child and to watch him or her closely.”

Perhaps these hallucinations account for some of the children who are attributed with “special gifts” such as psychic abilities? Many kids claim to have imaginary friends; but, perhaps, to some children, these friends are not really imaginary. Rather, they are voices inside their heads. It’s interesting research.

The team plans on following up in a few years to study how the auditory hallucinations evolve and what effect, if any, they have on the child’s behavior.

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The enormously long line

Our pediatrician’s office won’t have the vaccines in until early November, and with a kid who’s already been to the ER twice with croup, I was getting a little antsy.  Keeping him home from daycare would mean that we’d lose a bit of income, so I dragged the family to one of the LA County Public Health clinics.  (Click the link for a full schedule and information.)  They’re open from 9-5, in most cases.  We got there at exactly 9 and were out by a few minutes after 11, in spite of the ridiculously long line.  My husband and I took turns entertaining the lad and holding our place in the line.  Husband was none too pleased to be awakened early on a Sunday, but I don’t think I would have had a very good time dealing with the kiddo and the line simultaneously.  It really turned out to be a two parent job, especially because just parking the car took a while, so I nabbed us a spot while the husband drove around for twenty minutes looking for a space. » Continue reading “We got our H1N1 shots today.”

Our daughter started wearing glasses when she was a year and a half. We’ve had a long road of patching, drops, surgery, and eye examinations to treat her amblyopia. There was a steep learning curve for my husband and myself about her condition and eye health in general. Mommy Mythbuster has a great article on the myths and facts of children’s eye health.

Some of the myths discussed include sitting too close to the television, eating carrots, and contact lenses. My favorite nugget of information:

“If a child is sitting too close to the TV or computer screen, it is probably because he needs glasses to see well. Sitting very close to the screen will not cause them to need glasses,” said Dr. Borchert.

To make your child’s computer station more comfortable, make sure the screen is at eye level. Reduce screen glare by using a desk lamp with a dimmer so there isn’t a big contrast between the brightness of the screen and the room. Make sure your child can’t see her own reflection on the screen.

Rob T. over at Science-Based Parenting blog just posted a review of tonight’s Dateline NBC special, Dose of Controversy. He says that although Matt Lauer interviewed several people to refute the claim that vaccines cause autism, including reporter Brian Deer and vaccine expert Dr. Paul Offit, in the end, Matt dropped the ball.

So they explained the controversy, and they had some good takeaways for parents, but all in all, Dateline failed to spend enough time pounding home the multiple studies that have shown no link between vaccines and autism.  Sure, they mentioned the conflicting studies in passing a couple of times, but then they spent an entire segment on an 11-year-old getting a controversial treatment at Dr. Wakefield’s Thoughtful House.  If they truly wanted to have their show be science based, they would have spent a segment on those other studies.

Head on over there and read Rob’s entire review.

So many parents worry about what their kids eat (rightfully) and whether they are getting the right balance of nutrients and vitamins vs junk. How far should you go when preparing food for your family, picky or not?

When my children were growing up, I didn’t cook separate meals for the kids, but I also didn’t cook anything I knew they would actually despise. Kids are fickle. One day chicken is fine; the next it isn’t. Who can keep up? If they are hungry enough, they’ll eat enough of what’s on their plate, and over the course of a week, they’ll get the vitamins, etc., they need. No need to be crazed or to force them to eat carrot ice cream.

Here’s a down to earth article by a foodie father that makes sense:

http://tinyurl.com/lbkpog

I’m at 33 weeks pregnant and am in the middle of the maternity class gauntlet. Jodi’s earlier post about Birthing Classes inspired me write up some of my experiences. 

Lamaze Class at A Local Hospital 

My husband and I signed up for a four week Lamaze class taught through a local hospital. We barely made it through the first class and never went back. Our problem was really with the teacher and not the class, but oh what a big problem it was! 

Right off the bat, the instructor had an unfortunate voice. Loud, nasal… annoying. My willingness to ignore the voice and concentrate on the message may have been a mistake. It turns out that when a screechy harpy voice is mixed with condescension, unsubstantiated claims, anti-doctor paranoia and anti-vaccination messages, the voice quickly becomes intolerable.  » Continue reading “Birthing and Parenting Classes – My Experiences So Far”

Update 5/24: My statement that “there is no other camp like [Camp Inquiry] in the world” was unnecessary hyperbole. Anyone considering sending their kids to Camp Inquiry should also look into opportunities at Camp Quest!

If you are interested in science or skepticism, and if you have kids, have I got a summer camp for you! Camp Inquiry is a week-long summer camp for children aged 7-16, which runs from July 6-12, and is hosted by CFI, near Buffalo, NY. It has all the regular camp stuff, like hiking in the woods, outdoor sports, and sleeping in bunkbeds. But, oh man, it has so much more!

Camp Inquiry has a three-part focus, teaching children about the arts and sciences, skepticism, and ethics. Every day at camp is different, but every day the campers will work on science projects, develop critical thinking skills, and work with professional scientists, skeptics, artists, musicians, and magicians. I’m afraid to name names, because contracts may not be finalized, but the kids who come to Camp Inquiry this summer will: » Continue reading “Fun, Educational Summer Camp for a Skeptical Kid or any Kid!”

I’m sure we’ve all seen this study or at least have heard about it by now. It seems to me that all moms are talking about this in some form, and it’s scaring several moms I know.

A recent study showed that children who spend more time in daycare than their non-daycare-attending counterparts tended to act out more by the time they reached kindergarten. (The newscast below says, “went to school,” so I’m assuming that’s kindergarten, but I suppose it could be pre-school.) And apparently, researchers found that the quality of the facility and those who supervise doesn’t matter—it’s the length of time kids spend in daycare that may affect behavior.

What do you think, readers? Have you seen any difference in children you know? Would you attribute the length of time these children spend in a daycare facility or at home to be the primary reason for any major behavioral differences?

By the way, if you can find the text of the study itself, let me know. I did a quick search and came up empty-handed.

I recently did some research over a current issue and had an A-HA! moment.

Over the last year or so, my two and a half year-old has caused me many mealtime headaches. She became stuck on her favorite foods and wasn’t willing to try anything new. More frustratingly, some foods she used to like were suddenly offensive. I made every effort to keep her meals balanced, fresh, and a combination of old and new foods. I also introduced some of the childhood favorites. Aren’t all kids supposed to like pizza and peanut butter/jelly sandwiches? Well, mine didn’t. I’ve even given her foods endorsed by her favorite TV characters (did you know there is an Elmo pizza?). She became pickier and pickier until she was eating a rotation of only seven or eight food items.

» Continue reading “Kitchen Nightmares: The Childhood Edition”

First of all I want to announce that I am 5 1/2 months (22 weeks today,  Thursday March 26^th,2009) pregnant with our first child! It’s a boy, and my belly is getting bigger by the day.  My husband has been sweet and wonderful and has decreased his teasing of me to a bare minimum. 

As you may know, pregnancy attracts advice. Most of my friends have been fantastic and have only given me the good and welcome sort of advice, meaning, the advice is either based in scientific fact or admittedly anecdotal and offered as something that helped them and I should take or leave as I see fit. The annoying advice has come from acquaintances and strangers. 

» Continue reading “Smile and Nod”