June 16, 2012

UNICEF recently published a report called “Measuring Child Poverty”, which analyzes data on child deprivation and relative child poverty as to 35 countries it classifies as the world’s richest. This report is part of a multi-part research series on children’s well-being throughout the world.

The countries examined include the following: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States.

On the list measuring the percentage of children living in relative poverty in each of the countries, the United States ranked second highest. The United States also ranked highest as to the “poverty gap”, a measurement of the gap between the poverty line and the incomes of those below the poverty line.

According to the report’s author, Peter Adamson, nations that are failing to maintain their children’s economic well being are failing their most vulnerable as well as storing up future social and economic problems for the years ahead.

I think this data indicates a sad reality about priorities in the United States.

You can read the full text of the UNICEF report here: Measuring Child Poverty, UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre, Report Card 10.

June 11, 2012

I have to admit – I was very surprised. Just like most of you, I’ve read the stories about Catholic priests and child sexual abuse. I knew there were so many cases of abuse and coverup by Catholic clergy that the lawsuits led to bankruptcy filings by a number of Archdiocese. Like many people, I was initially shocked but upon learning all the gruesome facts, but eventually came to terms with the understanding that Catholic priests regularly preyed on schoolchildren in sexual assaults. It became part of my world view that Catholic priests carry on a history of inappropriate behaviors with children and thought it was a secret part of that culture.

Suddenly, this weekend, I read about the elite private prep school Horace Mann in New York, a school recently named second in a Forbes list of top prep schools in the country and regularly named in the top ten. It turns out that in this school for the privileged, multiple teachers engaged in sexual behaviors with numerous students, everyone keeping the incidents quiet for years. At least three teachers and coaches have been identified as engaging in the molestation from 1978 until 1994.

Reportedly, the school dealt with the incidents very discreetly, in two cases letting the teachers go though without any warning to other schools to which they thereafter moved, and in one allowing a teacher to remain. The school is accused of failing to report the molestation to police or to parents.

My world view has changed. Yes, I’ve heard the Sandusky story and the other stories of molestation in the Boy Scouts, public schools, and other institutions where adults have access to children. However, this one is different.

I genuinely thought that elite schools to which admission is highly selective rose above the others. I believed they were places where children were protected, kept safe, nurtured, taught by the highest quality of educators. I thought they were places in which we all aspire to educate our families.

I’ve learned that my view was idealistic – and that child abuse reaches the most apparently golden of places.

This story was the subject of a recent New York Times cover article and has led to widespread press coverage and commentary by victims who have come forward to share their stories. Here is an interview with an alumnus who wrote the recent New York Times story: Behind the Cover Story: Amos Kamil on Sexual Abuse at Horace Mann

June 4, 2012

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) is continuing to work on revisions to the latest draft of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V). Public comment on the most recent proposed revisions is being accepted until June 15.

The revisions include a number of changes indicating a broader recognition of traumatic stress, its complexity, and its impact on the mental health. In fact, the proposed organizational structure of the manual contains a Trauma and Stressor Related Disorders category.

The following are some of the proposed revisions on this subject: (1) revisions of the criteria for PTSD; (2) a preschool subtype of PTSD; (3) a subtype of PTSD with prominent dissociative symptoms; (4) a proposed splitting of Reactive Attachment Disorder into two separate diagnoses: Reactive Attachment Disorder and Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder; and (5) a new category, Trauma- or Stressor-Related Disorder Not Elsewhere Classified.

If you would like to take a look, here is the APA’s current DSM-5 revision page: Recent Updates to Proposed Revisions to DSM-5, American Psychiatric Association, DSM-5 Development.

May 22, 2012

Recently under more frequent disussion in the community of child welfare professionals is the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study (“the ACE study”) out of Kaiser Permanente, which began in the 1980’s. The ACE study linked adverse childhood experiences with negative adult experiences, including physical health risks, substance abuse, involvement in the criminal justice system, mental health problems, unemployment, and poverty. The ACE study also demonstrated a proportional relationship between childhood adversity and adult problems, meaning that the more adverse childhood experiences a person underwent, the greater the impact on that individual’s adult experiences.

Another study has been recently published on the subject. Arising out of Brown College in Missouri, led by Melissa Johnson-Reid, PhD, and co-authored with Patricia L. Kohl, PhD, and F. Brett Drake, PhD, this study tracked a number of children by the number of child maltreatment reports and followed them into early adulthood.

The team found that the more childhood adversity someone underwent, the worse their outcomes both in adolescence and in early adulthood. The negative outcomes looked at in adolescence included delinquency, substance abuse, and getting a sexually transmitted disease, among others. In adulthood, they included adult substance abuse, maltreating one’s own children, and suicide attempts, among others.

These findings provide further support to the work done as part of the ACE Study and other similar research.

You can find the new study in the current issue of Pediatrics. See this synopsis in Science Daily: Chronic Child Abuse Strong Indicator of Negative Adult Experiences.

May 10, 2012

If you haven’t seen it, just in time for Mother’s Day, Time Magazine’s May 21, 2012 cover of a young mother breasfeeding her three-year-old son has been getting quite a bit of attention. It comes complete with the subtitle: “Are you Mom enough?”

Inside, the magazine profiles Dr. Bill Sears, a long time proponent of attachment parenting, who has written numerous books on the topic. Attachment parenting promotes extended closeness and limited punishment in raising children.

Advocates of attachment parenting believe that children develop in natural stages and need to receive as much love as possible from their parents in the early years until they no longer need it so that they can grow to become independent and confident human beings when they are ready. Attachment parenting encourages breastfeeding until a child weans himself or herself, or as long as possible, co-sleeping if a baby cries at night, carrying a baby in a sling or carrier so as to promote the close bond between mother and child, nursing on demand so that that a baby’s needs are met when it is most crucial, and responding to all of a baby’s cries so that it is not left alone in emotional deprivation.

The philosophy relies on the understanding that infants need strong attachment to their primary caregivers and that they will naturally separate and become independent once their needs for closeness, love, and attachment are fully met. It also relies on the closeness between the mother and child to make a mother feel more loving and attuned to the child, in part through the release of hormones in the mother’s body by virtue of that closeness.

In profiling attachment parenting, Time Magazine has relied on powerful, controversial imagery to shock people about the concept. Some have pointed out that this imagery is misleading. I agree. In the photo, the child is fully dressed in mature clothing and standing on a chair, which makes him look older, taller, and closer to the height of his mother. The mother is fully dressed and standing defiantly facing the camera. While it is true that attachment parented babies tend to nurse into toddlerhood, this photo appears intended to dismay the average American into seeing attachment parenting as ridiculous, outlandish, and abnormal.

Additionally, the general depiction of the concept refers to Dr. Sears as the guru of the attachment parenting community, attempting to paint it as cult-like. In fact, many parents recognize that closeness between mother and child and early attachment are important without feeling obligated to follow specific rules which according to some portrayals define attachment parenting.

Numerous studies have shown and mainstream child development psychology currently holds that attachment to the mother early in life is critical to healthy emotional, psychological, cognitive, and moral development.

The magazine’s choices as to what subject matter to portray in profiling this issue and the slant with which it describes it betray a prejudice in favor of more punitive parenting styles. Unbiased journalism it is not.

See for yourself: http://ideas.time.com/dr-william-sears-meet-the-man-who-remade-motherhood/

April 30, 2012

In Baltimore last Tuesday, a mother, Kenisha Thomas, 29, entered the Social Services building concealing a large kitchen knife and repeatedly stabbed her own 8-month old baby in the face and neck.

The mother was reportedly in a room with a social worker and the baby, named Pretty Diamond, for a scheduled visitation and became irate. She then pulled the knife out of a paper bag and stabbed the infant several times in the head and face.

The mother was charged Thursday with attempted first-degree murder, assault, and child abuse. The baby, amazingly, has survived and is listed in stable condition at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center.

According to the Social Worker supervising the visit, as Thomas was told the visit was almost over, Thomas replied, “It is about to be over.” Witnesses heard Thomas say, “I’m going to kill her.”

Witnesses told the police that Thomas was upset about the way the baby was being cared for and stated, “If I can’t have her, no one will.”

Concerns are also being raised about security in the building and about how Thomas was able to get past the metal detector with the knife.

For another take on the story, please see this Huffington Post article on this topic: Baltimore Baby Stabbed: Mother Attacked Infant with Kitchen Knife at Social Services Building

April 22, 2012

When Monsignor William Lynn decided to plead not guilty and go to trial on charges that he assisted the church in covering up sexual abuse cases, he opened the floodgates to the public revelation of large amounts of painful and emotional evidence.

We were stunned when we first heard the evidence about adults sexually abused and groped as children in churches by the church leaders we trusted. Now, while most of us have accepted that these horrific acts occurred under the cloak of moral righteousness, that numerous parents wrongly mistrusted authority, and that coverups were occurring, we can’t help but be shocked when we hear direct testimony about the hypocrisy of those who took advantage of their positions of power to misuse and harm innocent children.

In the landmark Lynn trial in Philadelphia, the court has allowed testimony concerning 20 other priests who have not been formally charged. So far, ten alleged victims have testified with more to come, and internal church memos have been read aloud.

In one poignant instance, a 48-year-old man testified that he had been in love with his parish priest during a five-year sexual relationship that began in ninth grade and jealous when the priest had sexual relationships with other teens. Girls were fondled, boys were raped, and parents continued to send their children to the priests despite signs and even direct disclosures from the children themselves.

In my opinion, this trial and resulting publicity is important to social progress. When we as a society recognize that there are those in power use who their authority to harm the innocent, we move a step closer to ending cycles of abuse, violence, cruelty, and pain.

April 11, 2012

The San Francisco area is rich with activities, including parks, museums, performances, beaches, and eateries. Getting your children to some of these is great for their development. San Francisco natives will know these by heart, yet to those who live outside the City or are looking for kid friendly activities, these will be amazing finds.

Here is a list of what I nominate as the best:

1. The Academy of Sciences – Huge. It’s good as it was years ago before they put it in the fancy building, but you can’t argue with the beautiful architecture. It’s rife with opportunities for interaction with your kids, learning, and interfacing with nature. And it still has a planetarium. Admission fees are stiff. Consider a membership if you live nearby and have younger kids. 55 Music Concourse Drive San Francisco. (415) 379-8000. Open Mon – Sat 9:30 am – 5 pm; Sun 11 am – 5 pm.

2. Golden Gate Park – We are so lucky to have this enormous haven nearby. Wander through a woodsy path and get lost, go into the Conservatory of Flowers and see the current exhibit, walk through manicured Rose Garden, or hike around the picturesque Stow Lake. Your children will feel in tune with nature, and you will have spent time together as a family exercising your stiff muscles. It is too big for an address. Here is a link to its website containing some maps: http://www.golden-gate-park.com/category/maps.

3. The Exploratorium – A San Francisco classic. A massive facility at the Palace of Fine Arts; on two floors with imaginitive, educational, and fun science exhibits throughout. Even older kids love it. Afterwards, walk by the bay at Crissy Field, people-watch, dog-watch, and take in the amazing views. 3601 Lyon Street, San Francisco. (415) 561-0399. Open Tues – Sun 10 am – 5pm. Check out this cool video to see inside: http://www.exploratorium.edu/visit/plan_your_visit/.

4. The San Francisco Zoo – Great for kids of all ages. The zoo does a great job providing large natural habitats for the animals and practices animal conservation. So many fun things for kids to see, and a great way to encourage kids to communicate, connect, and learn. Often foggy in the summer being right by Ocean Beach; bring a warm jacket. Sloat Blvd. & the Great Highway, San Francisco. (415) 753-8141. Open every day 10 am – 4 pm in the winter and 10 a.m. – 5 pm in the summer.

5. Yerba Buena Gardens – An oasis in the middle of the City. A lovely park with a large lawn, performance spaces for regular festivals and a unique and wonderful fountain (the Martin Luther King, Jr. fountain). You can walk behind the fountain and read inspirational MLK quotes. Fun for the littles ones. You can climb to the top and get a fantastic view of surrounding buildings, including the SF Museum of Modern Art. Walk over the walkway over Howard Street and you find a block of kid heaven: there’s a merry-go-round, a playground made out of recycled tires, where the kids can run up the walls, a small interactive discovery museum called the Children’s Creativity Museum (formerly Zeum), a bowling alley, and a large ice skating rink. At Fourth and Mission Streets. (415) 820-3550.

This is by no means an exhaustive list. Nonetheless, these San Francisco classics are hard to beat. Honorable mentions go to the Legion of Honor, Land’s End, AT&T Park, the Ferry Building area, and the Presidio of San Francisco.

March 31, 2012

Traditional childrearing methods often focus on blaming a child for undesirable behaviors and punishing the child to end those behaviors. One of those behaviors is lying. Whether by “whooping”, spanking, yelling, or the more “evolved” versions of “time-outs” or taking away privileges and possessions, parents have often equated punishment with discipline.

There is another way. There are those who see behaviors in a larger developmental and environmental context. They recognize that certain behaviors are natural for certain aged children, such as the widely recognized tantrums of the “terrible twos”.

The terrible two tantrums are a good illustration of this point. As some of you know, the reason two year-olds tend to tantrum is that this is the age when they reach a stage in their development when they recognize their own selves as independent from their environment. They suddenly sense their power to make choices and to have opinions. This reflects itself in what an adult could view as contrariness. It’s not bad contrariness. It’s good, healthy, and appropriate contrariness.

Nonetheless, looking at the statistics, multitudes of parents see this behavior as something they have to correct through spanking or other punishment. That’s the way their parents raised them, and they also react instinctively believing it is their job as parents to show the child this is wrong by punishing the child to end the behavior. They believe that if they don’t, the child will turn out delinquent.

Studies show otherwise. It is children who are spanked who have more behavior problems as they grow.

The fact is that a number of behaviors which we consider wrong, such as lying, are often developmentally natural and require understanding. As children grow, if their parents react to their culturally undesireable behaviors with love, rather than punishment, the behaviors dissipate as the child naturally develops to a new stage of growth.

Additionally, it is sometimes not only development that is behind negative behaviors. Sometimes, the behaviors reflect struggles the children are experiencing in their own lives and families. As one example, if their parents frequently fight, the children will react to the stress.

On these points, please see this very informative and interesting article about lying and appropriate parenting by Rita Brhel: Responding to Lying Positively, The Attached Family, March 23, 2012, Attachment Parenting International.

March 22, 2012

At the cutting edge of modern research is a field called epigenetics. Epigenetics describes the environment’s effect on our genes.

Scientists have shown that genes behave based on signatures imprinted on them through environmental influences. Sometimes, the signatures can be passed down through the generations together with the genes.

In a recent study, researchers showed that childhood mistreatment can lead to epigenetic modifications of the human GR gene. Changes to this gene can impact stress reactivity and psychopathology. Thus, the study essentially links childhood trauma and mistreatment with psychological disorders and conditions throughout life.

It’s exciting to see technology assisting modern research in discovering new information about the human body with the aims of improving quality of life.

Check out the text of the report:

http://www.naturalchild.org/research/adversity_genetic.pdf