As the Halloween season approaches, I have again been reminded of the frequent concern of parents who are considering using medication as part of the treatment plan for their child’s emotional-behavioral problems. The dilemma that I and many other clinicians repeatedly hear from parents is that they want their child’s symptoms improved without changing the […]
Let them Cry? Pick them Up? Does it Matter?
The practice of letting infants cry it out on their own when they wake up at night versus picking them up and soothing them has been an ageless parenting dilemma, especially since sleep expert Ferber popularized his technique. While there are many strong opinions on the subject, there is surprisingly little long-term data. Approximately half […]
Tags: ferberization, infants, parenting, sleep problems
“Counselors Are on the Scene” – Now What?
(Editor’s note: Primary care clinicians pride themselves on being able to handle medical emergencies, but the best response after an emotional trauma is less well known. We often hear after such events that “counselors have been called in” but what do they actually do? On this 9/11 anniversary, Robin Pesci, who directs a local crisis […]
Tags: disaster, psychological first aid
Finger Length Ratios Related to Child Aggression and Attention Problems
A proxy for the level of exposure to prenatal androgens is the length of the second finger digit relative to the length of the forth finger (although not all studies support this link). Lower ratios are generally associated with more male typical behaviors. A new study published in the journal Development and Psychopathology examines a […]
Tags: adhd, aggression, finger length, ODD, testoserone