COVID-19 takes its toll on kids’ mental health
As experts warn that increasing behavioral and mental health challenges could represent a “second wave” of the pandemic in kids and teens, a recent study suggests that hospitalizations for self-harm and suicide attempts show no signs of ebbing. According to a study from Boston Children’s Hospital and the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto, ... Read More
Eating disorders in the time of COVID: Advice for parents
As the COVID-19 pandemic has worn on, it has led to a secondary epidemic of eating disorders among children and teens. In January, the National Eating Disorders Association reported a spike of activity on its help lines. And treatment programs are having trouble keeping up with the requests. “We have seen a huge increase in ... Read More
Helping your kids understand and cope with anti-Asian racism
Over the past year, there has been an alarming increase in anti-Asian sentiment and discrimination in the United States. The advocacy and hate reporting group Stop AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) Hate reports more than 6,600 hate incidents — including harassment, shunning, and physical attacks — since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. ... Read More
Can we explain sudden infant deaths? It’s complicated.
Since the early 1990s, “Back to Sleep” campaigns have urged parents to place infants to bed on their backs to prevent suffocation and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). The results were clear: from 1992 to 1996, SIDS fell by more than half. But since then, rates of what is now called sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) ... Read More
Could returning to sports after COVID-19 harm kids’ mental health?
After a year away from playing, athletes everywhere are excited to jump back into the sports they love. And for the most part, participating in sports is great for kids’ mental health. Yet for some, the demands of training and competition can cause stress and anxiety. While their teammates celebrate their return to play, some ... Read More
A modified brace and a new treatment option for infantile scoliosis
While bracing is a common treatment for adolescents with moderate idiopathic scoliosis, infantile scoliosis is typically treated with casting. But putting an infant in a cast requires general anesthesia, which carries risks. And children must remain in their casts 24/7, for weeks or months at a stretch. Parents can only give them a full bath ... Read More