Genetic Testing for Kids: Is It a Good Idea?

With the advent of new genetic tests, it's increasingly easy to gauge whether you're predisposed to developing certain conditions — diabetes, say, or breast cancer. For adults, that knowledge can be simultaneously overwhelming and empowering. For children, the ramifications of such predictions are especially controversial, which is why professional groups — the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), in particular — have come out against genetic testing of children for adult-onset diseases.

Yet a new study published today in the AAP-affiliated journal Pediatrics finds that parents who were offered the option of genetic testing for themselves said they would also like to test their children. The 219 parents surveyed indicated they believe that the risks of testing their children for eight adult-onset conditions — colon, skin and lung cancer; heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, Type 2 diabetes and osteoporosis — outweigh the benefits.

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Dealing with Cyberbullying: 5 Essential Parenting Tips

Cyberbullying is back in the news, most recently because of a so-called "smut list" published online that targeted 100 teenage girls, some as young as 14, for being promiscuous. So Healthland asked two bullying experts — Elizabeth Englander, author of Understanding Violence, and Jonathan Singer at the Temple University School of Social Work — for tips for helping parents teach kids to avoid, cope with and understand the harm of digital abuse:

Make sure your kids know cyberbullying is wrong. Many kids don't understand that when they write down and disseminate feelings of frustration, jealousy or anger toward others online, it can quickly escalate into problems in the real world. They also tend to think that what happens digitally "doesn't count" and that digital abuse doesn't hurt, especially since parents usually focus on their kids' behavior in person.

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Psychological Problems in Childhood Affect Earning Power and Relationships Later

In a 50-year study of more than 17,000 British people who were followed since birth, researchers from the RAND Labor and Population program found that psychological problems during childhood were related to measurable social and financial deficits later in life.

By age 50, those who had experienced serious psychological problems as children had family incomes that were 25% smaller than those of their peers who didn't have the same issues. Kids who had serious psychological problems — such as depression, anxiety, substance abuse or other mental disorders that caused moderate or severe 'emotional maladjustment' as determined by a doctor — were also less likely to have stable personal relationships or to be married by 50.

"These findings demonstrate that childhood psychological problems can have significant negative impacts over the course of an individual's life, much more so than childhood physical health problems," said James P. Smith, one of the study's authors and a senior economist at RAND, in a statement.

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Are We Oversnacking Our Kids?

Yesterday, I thought I was being really smart. In the late afternoon, I'd happened into a chic, newish Park Slope coffee shop, Venticinque, and as I was ordering a little pick-me-up, I spotted something on the counter: chocolate-chip cookies, $1 apiece.

Now, I wasn't particularly hungry, but they might be just the thing to give to my 2-year-old daughter, Sasha, when I picked her up from daycare in an hour. Three stops on the subway may not seem like much, but that kid can get jumpy and cranky fast. A cookie, however unhealthful, could keep her occupied. Maybe.

An hour or so later, I sat her on my lap on the F train, reached into my pocket and pulled out the cookie, only slightly melted from my body heat. Sasha grew excited as I unwrapped its plastic sheath, and when she bit in and smiled, I felt vindicated.

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Study: Kids Eat Less Sugar If They're Allowed to Sweeten their Own Cereal

Last year, I wrote about a study that showed cereal companies market the cereals with the sugariest nutritional profiles to kids, essentially encouraging children to choose Froot Loops over, say, Cheerios. In response to the study, conducted by researchers at Yale's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, major cereal manufacturers including General Mills and Kellogg's said kids simply won't eat unsweetened cereals. Rudd researchers were skeptical. They decided yet another breakfast cereals study was called for.

This time, they ventured into summer camp territory, dividing campers into two groups. In one room, kids had a choice of three low-sugar cereals: Rice Krispies, Cheerios and Corn Flakes. In another room, children were given those cereals' sugar-glazed equivalents: Cocoa Krispies, Froot Loops and Frosted Flakes.

Kids were allowed to choose among the three, and they were also offered milk, cut-up strawberries, sliced bananas, orange juice and sugar packets.

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Psychiatric Risks are More Common among Kids with Epilepsy

According to a study of the Alfstad, National Centre for Epilepsy at Oslo University Hospital, it has been revealed that psychiatric symptoms are more common among the children with epilepsy. Around 40,000 of the people are suffering from epilepsy. However, the research is failed to explain that how children with epilepsy develop with psychiatric problems.

Some other risk factors for the psychiatric symptoms are low socioeconomic status, living alone, poverty, and some chronic diseases, such as diabetes and asthma.

Although, it has been found that boys had a higher risk of psychiatric problems, as they are more hyperactive and suffer more peer pressure in contrast to girls.

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ACTIVE FATHER-FIGURE HELPS KIDS

A new research study highlights the benefit of an active father figure for reducing behavioral problems in boys and psychological problems in young women.

Swedish researchers also found that regular positive contact reduces criminal behavior among children in low-income families and enhances cognitive skills like intelligence, reasoning and language development.

Children who lived with both a mother and father figure also had less behavioral problems than those who just lived with their mother.

The review is published in the February issue of Acta Paediatrica.

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MISTAKE PHOBIA

Mistake phobia: No, it’s not a real diagnosis, although maybe it ought to be. I came up with the idea while listening to a mom talk about her 9-year-old son:

“My son, Theo, can never seem to finish anything,” she said. “He starts all kinds of projects but gets easily frustrated when they don’t look exactly like what he had in mind. Often he storms away in tears. A good example is the way he worked with his Legos the other day. We saw some dinosaurs made out of those little bricks at the local children’s museum. When we came home, he tried to make one too. After trying for about 15 minutes, he kicked the bricks in all directions, calling himself stupid and dumb.

The same thing happened when it was time for the Pinewood Derby in Cub Scouts. The kids are supposed to make their cars themselves with only a little help from parents.

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BRAIN SCAN CAN PREDICT THERAPY RESPONSE FOR ANXIOUS KIDS

Experts say a brain scan can predict which kids with anxiety disorders will respond to one form of psychotherapy. As a consequence, Georgetown University neuroscientists say the use of psychiatric medication is not necessary for certain children.

Their study, presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in San Diego, utilized functional Magentic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to map regions of brain activity. The results showed that children and adolescents, ages 8 to 16, who show fear when looking at happy faces on a screen were those who had least success with an eight-week course of cognitive-behavioral therapy.

Conversely, children who showed fear while looking at fearful faces benefitted from the treatment, the researchers found.

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Some Kids With Spinal Cord Injury May Be Overlooked for Walking Rehabilitation

The traditional way to predict whether children can regain movement after spinal cord injuries may exclude a small subset of patients who could benefit from therapy, according to two studies presented by University of Florida researchers at the Society for Neuroscience meeting in San Diego.

In one study, researchers present details of a child with incomplete spinal cord injury who continues to improve four years after recovering walking ability in a locomotor training program at UF, even though clinical assessment tools predicted he would never walk again.

In another presentation, the scientists discussed findings in which three of six children with severe, chronic and incomplete spinal cord injuries -- patients who retain some sensation or movement below the injury -- improved through locomotor training,to the point where they could take steps.

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