School Stages Attempted Murder on Teacher as Lesson

A bunch of kids walked into what looked like a grisly attempted murder scene when they arrived at school last week. There was blood all over, and their teacher’s head had been bandaged.

The kids - some as young as five - freaked. And the school says no biggie. Continue reading »

What Would You Give Up for Your Child?

As parents, we’re used to making sacrifices for our kids.  We sacrifice “me” time to play yet another game of Chutes and Ladders.  We sacrifice designer clothing and high-priced vacations to sock money away for college.  And sometimes, we sacrifice time with our kids in order to put a roof over their heads and food on the table.

But sometimes, our kids need an even bigger gift, a sacrifice that says, “Yes.  I can put my own needs aside and do that for you.”  In his column “Modern Love,” Joe Blair writes about that gift and why he’s giving it to his special needs son.

Continue reading »

Teacher’s Aides Accused of Abusing Students with Special Needs

Two teacher’s aides from a Montana middle school are facing felony charges of assault on a minor and endangering the welfare of children. Parents of five children with special needs are accusing Julie Parish and Kristina Marie Kallies of severely abusing their children, at least one of whom could not speak. There were twelve children in the class altogether, so it’s possible that other parents may come forward as well. Continue reading »

Docs Fire Parents Who Won’t Vaccinate

If you’re thinking about opting out on vaccines, you might want to check with your doctor. No, not about whether it’s a good idea. Whether the practice will let you keep bringing your kid.

Pediatricians who are fed up with the anti-vaccine movement are beginning to show patients the door. Continue reading »

A Wired Cover Story That Jenny McCarthy Won’t Like

With all the concern about swine flu, not to mention the regular flu (hey, remember that?), conversation about the potential dangers of vaccinating our children is bubbling up again.

Jeanne posted an item earlier this week, pegged to a story on Slate, about how non-vaccinated children can have a potentially negative impact on children whose immune systems are compromised by leukemia or other conditions. Shelley Abreu also wrote this piece right here on Babble about why parents should not be afraid to get their children an H1N1 flu vaccine.

But one of the most candid,  no b.s. media reports on the anti-vaccination movement has to be the cover story of November’s Wired magazine. Let’s put it this way: when Jenny McCarthy reads it, she will not be pleased.

Continue reading »

Parents Claim a Cure for Third of Autism Cases

Much ado has been made of the new study saying the numbers of autistic kids in America are much higher than the already high numbers advocates have been using for years. But hidden inside the study comes an even more shocking figure.

More than a third of the parents included in the study in Pediatrics reported their kids were no longer autistic. Continue reading »

Scientists Study How Animals Help Autism

While service dogs for autistic kids paw their way into the classroom, scientists have decided to finally study the link between kids and their pets.

Sponsored by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the study is meant to go beyond anecdotal evidence that therapy animals have a positive affect on kids, especially those with autism. Continue reading »

Getting Kids High to Treat Autism

With the news just this week that there are more autistic kids out there than ever before, Marie Myung-OK Lee’s story of how cannabis is helping her nine-year-old son couldn’t have come at a better time.

At the outset, the idea is shocking - the family feeds their nine-year-old pot-laced cookies every day. Continue reading »

They Say: Autism More Common Than Previously Thought

Experts estimate that roughly 1 in 150 children has autism spectrum disorder, but a new study suggests that that number is closer to 1 in 91.

The government study examined data from the National Survey of Children’s Health, a group of 78,000 children between the ages of 3 and 17.

What they found was that 1,142 of those children had received a diagnosis of autism at some point in their childhood — 494 mild, 320 moderate, and 90 severe.  Nearly 500 of the children no longer carried the diagnosis. Continue reading »

Best of FameCrawler - Week of September 25th

Tom Cruise, Jeff Gordon and Patriotic Rejects

John Travolta Admits Autism In Extortion Case

Mel Gibson is Panicked, and According to His Girlfriend, Balding and Bloated

John Travolta Extortion Case: The Details Come Out

Jennifer Garner Is An Old-Fashioned Mom

John Travolta Tried To Save His Boy

Kate Says The Dogs Can Come Home Eventually

Justin Timberlake is Dating Rihanna; Jessica Biel’s Baby Plans in Peril

Ellen Pompeo Gave Birth To A Baby Girl!

Grant and Candice Double the Family