Aristotle's Child

Should a doctor do a pregnancy test before prescribing marijuana to a woman of childbearing age?

For successful attachment between caregiver and infant to occur, the caregiver must be able to read and respond to the infant's cues and the infant must be able to read and respond to the caregiver's cues.

In this new study, 86.5 percent of children and adolescents with FASDs had been misdiagnosed

Our perceptions of risk, especially as identified through racial and socioeconomic factors, are false. This is why current prevention campaigns don’t work - because the information applies to “them,” not “us.”

As policies are implemented, states, communities, and systems need to adhere to the scientific principles behind the policies and avoid reactive and punitive approaches that do not serve the best interests of children and families. Good science makes for good policies.

Too often we hear of a child who has been "diagnosed as FASD." Since there are no diagnostic criteria for FASD, the child is being labeled without due consideration of his clinical condition.

Infection with HIV or Hepatitis C is especially prevalent in pregnant women with a history of drug and alcohol use. Although newborn infection rates are becoming less common, this remains an issue of vital importance for prospective adoptive parents.

Children with sensory integration problems often feel uncomfortable in their own skin, agitated, or out of sorts.

When heroin is used during pregnancy, it can result in the physical dependence of both the mother and the fetus.

The effects of e-cigarettes on pregnancy and on fetal health have yet to be determined, and should not be considered a “safe” alternative to cigarettes until more is known about them.

Inclusion of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and its associated conditions in the DSM has long been a contentious issue. What has resulted is an alphabet soup of terms. But the DSM-5 brings new hope.

Every decade or so, there is a “new” epidemic declared. This time, the media are publishing numerous articles about newborns whose mothers have used prescription medications, specifically narcotics, during pregnancy.

Use of marijuana during pregnancy places the pregnancy and the child at risk. New and emerging state medical marijuana laws must recognize and communicate that risk.

Few if any states that have legislated the availability of medical marijuana have included guidelines for prescribing marijuana to pregnant women.

A recurring question that continues to arrive in my email in-box has been whether families should seek a diagnosis for their child if they think she has fetal alcohol syndrome. There is an underlying fear of labeling vs. diagnosing the child.

A child with sleep problems may be suffering from one of two different types of sensory processing dysfunction, or a combination of both.

In the first year, the most important lesson you can teach your child is that you always will be there for her.

The current guidelines for diagnosis of children who suffer from prenatal exposure to alcohol often impede access to intervention services and treatment.

Many young people who find themselves in trouble have had psychological exams, and almost all have scored well within the normal range on IQ tests. But it is when these young people are asked to connect the dots, to put everything together, to use the information embedded in the deep recesses of their brains, that everything seems to fall apart.

Children, youth, and young adults with FASD are more likely than not to end up before the court on criminal or civil charges, but the legal system has not come close to resolving how their cases should be treated.