Following simple safety rules can help protect children from injury while they’re having fun this summer, say experts from Safe Kids East Central and the Medical College of Georgia’s Children’s Medical Center. 

Here are some safety guidelines: 

• When riding in a vehicle, children age 12 and under should be secured in the back seat in a child safety seat, booster belt or safety belt that’s appropriate for their age and size. Children ages 4 to 8, or those weighing more than 40 pounds, should be in a car booster. Children taller than 4 feet 9 inches may use an adult seat belt. 

• Teach children never to play in or around parked cars. They should be taught where the trunk release is located. Never leave a child alone inside a car. 

• Never let a child under age 10 cross a street alone. Make sure all children know when and where to cross a street. At night, make sure children wear reflective materials. Never let children walk alone at night. 

• Always supervise young children around pools, spas, baths and buckets. Children should always wear a personal flotation device when on boats, near open water, and when taking part in water sports. 

• Enroll children in swimming lessons with a certified instructor, but don’t assume that swimming lessons make children “drown-proof.” They still need to be supervised when doing water-related activities. 

• Children should always wear proper protective equipment (such as helmets and pads) when using bicycles, scooters, inline skates and skateboards. Teach children the rules of the road. 

• Always supervise children at the playground or in the backyard. Make sure they play on a safe surface, such as mulch, rubber or fine sand. Check that playground equipment is in good shape and safe. 

A Columbia & NYU study reveals teens watching TV three or more hours a day are at risk for developing attention and learning problems. The study examined 678 families from upsate New York, interviewing parents and children about their television habits and school performance.

Did excessive TV time cause attention and learning problems, or were children who already had these problems more prone to watch TV? The association is not clear, but suggests that those who watch a large amount of television are at a disadvantage in school compared to those who do not.

Some of the outcomes noted with increased TV viewing include failure to complete homework, boredom at school, poor grades, negative attitudes about school, failure in secondary school, and failure to obtain post-secondary education. It may be simply that excessive TV viewing takes away time that may otherwise be spent on educational activities, reading and doing homework.

To improve educational achievement, parents should limit TV time to 1-2 hours per day of quality programming. We suggest removing the TV from your child’s room to limit unrestricted access and monitor what your child is watching. Spend more time on family activities and games that challenge learning and thinking for everyone!

http://www.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=604353

New evidence reported by the British Food Standards Agency (FSA) shows a link between food additives-commonly found in junk foods and soft drinks-and hyperactivity in children. Scientists at Southampton University tested the effects of seven synthetic colorings and preservatives in children ages 3 and 9. As a result British government researchers are warning parents to keep artificial colorings out of their children’s diet. Their data supports the long-standing suggestions that additives and preservatives are linked to ADHD.

Supermarket chains in Britain, including ASDA (a unit of Walmart stores) and Tesco, have responded by removing all artificial colors and flavors from it’s own private labeled food products. ASDA has pledged that by the end of the year it’s own labeled food and drinks would no longer contain any artificial colors or flavors, aspartame, hydrogenated fat, or flavor enhancers. http://uk.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUKL152719320070515

Food additives and enhancers offer no nutritional value and may be worsening your child’s behavior. We recommend keeping the use of additives to a minimum in your own family’s diet and eat healthier by choosing whole foods, served in their original form the way mother nature intended. At ADD Health and Wellness, we integrate nutritional information with traditional psychotherapeutic and medical interventions for the best outcomes.

More data released emphasizing the risks of smoking during pregnancy. Biological Psychiatry just this week released data that highlights the impact of smoking during pregnancy. Specifically, there is a connection between an unborn baby being exposed to smoking and ADHD symptoms in genetically susceptible children. The study investigated male and female twin pairs, aged 7–19 years and determined that: “When genetic factors are combined with prenatal cigarette smoke exposure, the ADHD risk rises very significantly”.

We have substantial research indicating that children with ADHD are at increased risk for substance abuse. Therefore, smoking during pregnancy actually perpetuates the difficulties associated with ADHD across generations.

A recent survey conducted by The Pew Internet and American Life Project reported that teens may be more cautious with sharing demographic information than we think. The survey reported that although teens are putting their first name and a photo, most do not include a full name or make their profile public. They are using these sites to connect with friends and people they already know. The most popular sites that teens with ADHD discuss in our offices are MySpace and Facebook. Another safety mechanism is that most social-networking sites have restricted access to their profiles in some fashion, such as by requiring passwords or making them available only to friends on an approved list. However, even with these safeguards, I continue to recommend that parents monitor their teens profile and general internet activity. Remembering that developmentally most teens believe they are immune to most problems in society.

Did you know that ADD is almost as heritable as height? Join us and the Rehman family (Kelly, Ben, and Ali) in our Channel 5 Evening News interview on Adult ADD. ADD affects so many families and the genetics are strong. If your child has ADD, the chance of you (a parent) having the condition is 31 – 40%. If you the parent have ADD, your child’s risk for having ADD is over 50%. And if one child in your family has ADD, the risk for their sibling having ADD is 20 – 25%. It’s not surprising there is significant impact on families! In response, we are proud that the community is taking such an interest in our integrated model for diagnosing and treating ADHD for both children and adults. We commonly work with several members in a household to support their needs around counseling, testing, coaching, medication management, academic supports, parent skills training, and nutrition. Here is the Rehman family to share their experience with you.

Environmental exposures do matter. Even relatively low levels of lead and second hand tobacco smoke may be putting our children at risk. A recent study in Environmental Health Perspectives showed a significant link with environmental exposures to lead and tobacco smoke among children diagnosed with ADHD. Authors quote a 4-fold increase risk of ADHD in children with blood lead levels > 2.0 ug/dL. This number is shocking since “normal” lead levels are generally considered to be 0-9.0 ug/dL. This research is showing children can suffer neurologic effects at very low levels of lead exposure that would be consider well into the “normal” range. The risk of ADHD in children exposed to environmental tobacco smoke was increased 2.5 times over children not exposed to environmental tobacco smoke. Although genetics are the major factor in ADHD, this research suggests that up to 32% of ADHD cases may be attributable to lead and tobacco smoke exposures. http://www.healthsentinel.com/org_news.php?id=118&title=Half+a+million+cases+of+children+with+ADHD+linked+to+lead+exposure+and+environmental+tobacco+smoke&event=org_news_print_list_item

Smoking during pregnancy is known to boost the risk of attention problems in children, but a study published on Wednesday suggests that teens who smoke and were also exposed to nicotine in the womb are even more impaired. The U.S. study also found differences in visual and auditory attention problems between boys and girls who smoked — suggesting hormone levels may play a role. “In girls, it affects both types of attention and in boys, it affects primarily auditory attention,” said Dr. Leslie Jacobsen, a psychiatrist at Yale University School of Medicine who led the study. The findings, published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology, give new clues about the role smoking and gender differences may play in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, a condition that now affects from 3 percent to 7 percent of the U.S. population. ADHD is three to five times more common in boys than in girls. The condition is marked by hyperactivity and an inability to manage impulses and focus attention. In the study, researchers tested 92 adolescents exposed to smoke in the womb and 89 who were not. The teens were tested to determine how well they could focus on both auditory and visual cues.