Parenting

I had an interesting morning last month in my developmental pediatrics practice. I saw three 5-year-old boys back to back—each with a history of early diagnosis of autism—along with their mothers. Each child had received intensive and appropriate early intervention services and was now transitioning from special preschool to kindergarten. Each child had had a Read more

It happened in Ohio to a nine-year-old boy. He weighed 218 pounds; his mother was offered help, he didn’t lose weight and he was removed from his home. Is a mother who allows her son to become morbidly obese guilty of a form of abuse? That’s for the legal eagles to decide, but I’d say Read more

This post was adapted from material Ms. Berko originally wrote for Autism Speaks. Over the last few years, several studies have shown that the average age of parents of children with autism is higher than the average age of parents of typically developing children born in the same time period. From this association, we learned that older parents Read more

A recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study reporting a sharp increase in the prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in children up to 8-years-old has set off controversy over what the spike really means. The study examined school records of more than 300,000 children in the U.S. and is based on 2008 figures. Its findings suggest Read more

When I heard about the 218-pound 8-year-old Ohio boy who was removed from his home because he was too obese late last year, my heart sank. The boy was placed in foster care and away from the only home he’s known, based on a judge’s ruling of medical neglect by his parents. I’m a pediatric nutritionist Read more