by Melissa Jeltsen on November 11, 2010
It’s time to get dressed for school and your daughter is giving you that sad face—again. “I don’t feel well,” she moans, although she was perfectly fine last night. When you try and convince her to get up, a look of sheer terror crosses her face. You’d let her stay home but this is the fifth time this month—and aside from her complaints, she’s not displaying any other symptoms. So what’s going on?
“School refusal, which affects around 4 percent of school-aged children, refers to a child who refuses to attend school and who identifies home as safer and more secure place,” says Jayne Singer, PhD, clinical psychologist in Children’s Hospital Boston’s Developmental Medicine Center. While it’s not unusual for children to make excuses to avoid going to school, when it becomes commonplace or even chronic, children risk falling behind in academics and social development. Full story »
by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on October 7, 2010
A new study shows kids with food allergies are more likely to be bullied at school. Unfortunately, the findings were recently proven in Pennsylvania, where a student with a food allergy was threatened with an allergy provoking food. Joshua Feblowitz, a Thrive contributor who has lived with severe food allergies his whole life, comments on the study’s findings and offers advice to parents on how they can help protect their children from food bullies.
Joshua and his allergist, Lynda Schneider, MD
Having a child with food allergies poses challenges that go well beyond watching what he eats. Sometimes other kids (and adults) in your child’s life won’t understand food allergies; they may become overly anxious or not take the problem seriously enough. And sometimes, unfortunately, kids can be cruel. Bullies can use a victim’s food allergies to taunt, tease and even threaten.
A recent study, published in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, found that one in four children with food allergies has experienced some form of food-related bullying. This type of bullying becomes more common as kids get older, with over 50 percent of food allergic kids in grades 6-10 reporting an instance of food bullying. In one particularly disturbing case, a teenager was suspended from school and charged with assault after purposely smearing peanut butter on the forehead of a nut-allergic student. Full story »
by Tripp Underwood on June 2, 2010
Overweight kids can fall victim to all kinds of bullying. From name calling to playground confrontations, studies show heftier kids are more likely to be the target of bullying than children with smaller body sizes.
But what’s a kid to do when he or she is feeling bullied at home because of their weight? A recent news story by CNN focused on a young girl whose family called her names like “Twinkie” and “Gordita” and nagged her about food choices, thinking their criticism would inspire her to lose weight. In actuality the abuse caused her to eat even more, turning to food for the comfort and support she wasn’t offered by her family.
Full story »
by Melissa Jeltsen on May 4, 2010
Thanks to anti-bullying legislation signed into law yesterday by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, schools may soon be safer for kids. Parents and law makers are lauding the new bill. But how do kids feel about bullying and the recent attention the issue is receiving? Do they believe bullies (and responsible third parties) deserve harsher penalties? According to Thea Hickey, a 13 year old from Southborough, MA, yes.
Here, she writes about the trials and tribulations of middle school, and what it’s really like to be bullied.
Picture yourself as a teenager again. It’s that tender and delicate time in our lives when we’re most vulnerable to criticism, when we’re trying to figure out who we are and what we’d like to become as adults. You’re walking down the halls to your next period with your books tightly clutched to your body. What do you see? Friends getting along and students coming together as a happy community? If you do, I’d really love to go to your middle school. Full story »
by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on April 18, 2010
Here’s a quick look at what Thrive was up to this week.
Children’s researchers found that in many cases kids with egg allergies could receive flu vaccinations made from egg embryos, and that performing a skin test prior to vaccination may not be necessary.
Claire McCarthy, MD, shared her thoughts on bullying and why so many adults fail to recognize the signs that bullying is taking place.
Susan Rudders, MD, talked about her research which found that one EpiPen may not have enough of a dosage to help a child in an anaphylactic shock as a result of a food allergy.
A recent outbreak of measles in Vancouver, as well as newly released study on a 2008 outbreak in the San Diego area, are raising questions about intentionally unvaccinated children and the potential health threat and costs they could pose to the public. Ronald Samuels, MD, MPH talked to Thrive about the dangers of unvaccination as well as common misconceptions about vaccination.
Washington Post writer Gene Weingarten recently won a Pulitzer Prize for an article he wrote on parents who accidentally left their kids in their cars—with fatal results.
Read one family’s story about traveling from California to Children’s Hospital Boston, so their baby, who was born with esophageal atresia, could receive special treatment.
by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on March 13, 2010
by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on March 6, 2010
by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on February 21, 2010
Here’s a quick look at what Thrive was up to last week.
School life for children after cancer takes a toll. Children’s Nelson Aquino, CRNA, reflects on his life-altering experience in Haiti. There are ways to confront bullying and cyberbullying head-on. Children’s injury prevention expert offers fire safety tips for your family. Learn how to make snacking a healthy time for your child. Are infants who swim more likely to get asthma? Girls’ soccer injuries are preventable. What are parents’ legal responsibilities when it comes to sexting? Is there such a thing as Internet overload for your child’s brain?
Other stories we’ve been reading:
Other stories we’ve been reading:
