Bipolar Parents Affect their Kids with Mental Woes
By AJP
Feb. 1, 2010
NEW YORK (Reuters Healt) – Your preschool child is throwing a fit: is it just a temper tantrum, or could it be an early sign of something more serious, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or oppositional defiant disorder? The answer may lie in your own mental health.
According to a new study, young children whose parents have bipolar disorder — a mental illness marked by severe mood swings from depression to mania — have an eight-fold higher risk of ADHD relative to young children of mentally healthy parents.
They also have a six-fold high risk of having two or more mental disorders.
The study, led by Dr. Boris Birmaher of the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania compared 121 children ages 2 to 5 from 83 parents with bipolar disorder with 102 children of the same age from 65 comparison group parents with no history of bipolar disorder.
The researchers excluded parents who had ever been diagnosed with schizophrenia, mental retardation, or mood disorders stemming from substance abuse, medications, or medical conditions.
Their results, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, point to an elevated risk for ADHD and other psychiatric disorders among children of parents with bipolar disorder.
And while only three children of bipolar parents had mood disorders, children of parents with bipolar disorder, especially those with ADHD and oppositional defiant disorder, had significantly more severe manic and depressive symptoms than comparison children.
While diagnosing a preschooler with mania is a controversial endeavor, the investigators point to previous studies showing that preschoolers can indeed be diagnosed reliably with a psychiatric disorder, including bipolar disorder, as young as age 2.
They acknowledge in their report that parents with bipolar disorder may witness behaviors in their own children that remind them of their own symptoms. Such watchful anxiety may be justifiable, as “The single largest risk factor for the development of bipolar disorder is a positive family history of the disorder,” the investigators note.
As with most medical issues, there is a benefit of early detection, Birmaher and colleagues note. Psychosocial interventions aimed at helping preschool children regulate their mood, they point out, have been found to be useful in preschoolers with disruptive behavior disorders and in older children with signs of mood disorders.
And effective treatment of mental health problems in parents “may diminish the severity of, and perhaps delay or prevent the new onset of,” similar problems in preschool children of parents with bipolar disorder.
SOURCE: Lifescript
Editor’s Note: This article was published in American Journal of Psychiatry on Jan. 15, 2010.
We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com
Students across America Helping Haiti
By Jill Lederman
Feb. 2, 2009
Students in Pennsylvania are collecting pennies in jars. Fourth-graders in Iowa are holding a lollipop sale. Kids in a Michigan school are going class to class to ask for donations. And a school in New Jersey asked kids to pay a dollar to wear regular clothes instead of their uniforms.
These are just some examples of how kids are raising money to help Haiti. A very destructive earthquake struck that Caribbean nation last month. Tens of thousands of people died, and many more were injured.
The nation’s capital, Port-au-Prince, and surrounding areas were left in ruins.
It’s likely to take many months—even years—for Haiti to recover from this earthquake. Haiti was already a very poor nation.
Getting water, food, and medical aid to people there remains an urgent need.
Experts say the best way to help is to donate money to groups carrying out relief efforts. People worldwide have answered that call. Kids across America are doing their part too.
Kids in Renea Boles’s fourth-grade class in Glenside, Pennsylvania, were saving pennies to help pay for a new school playground. But they decided the people of Haiti need that money more.
“The kids there don’t even have a school, and we’ll still have a playground,” said Lucy, a student in Ms. Boles’s class.
Her classmate Julie says helping people makes her feel proud. “Supporting and helping people reminds me of how lucky I am, and . . . that everything isn’t always about me.
To help others is always the right thing to do,” she said.
THINK AND WRITE
Read today’s story about kids raising money to help earthquake victims in Haiti, and then use what you’ve learned to respond to this writing prompt
Source: Scholastic News Online
Editor’s Note: Students stand before a sign made to raise awareness and money for Haiti relief efforts. (Photo: Larry Schwartz)
We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com
We Can Learn from 12 Year Old Stock Market Smarts
By Robbin Friedman
Feb. 1, 2010
Do you ever wonder about the smartest way to spend your allowance? Twelve-year-old Fabian Fernandez-Han might have a few good ideas for you. Fabian won the NYSE Financial Future Challenge, sponsored by the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) Foundation.
He received a prize of $2,500 and had the honor of ringing the closing bell at the stock exchange on January 11.
The contest aimed at getting young people to think about money management and investing. Kids ages 6 to 19 were asked to create a product idea that would teach their peers about finances and the stock market, and inspire them to think about saving or investing money.
Along with the NYSE Foundation, two other groups sponsored the contest: By Kids for Kids (BKFK), which encourages innovation by young people, and education company K12 Inc.
Financial experts chose five finalists, including Fabian, from thousands of entries. Voters on BKFK.com picked Fabian’s “Oink-a-Saurus” as the winner.
An Imaginary Piggy Bank on Your Phone
Fabian’s Oink-a-Saurus is an idea for an iPhone or iPod app, a computer program that runs on Apple phones and MP3 players. Oink-a-Saurus would gather information about people’s interests and spending habits by tracking what they browsed online or bought in stores.
Like an imaginary piggy bank, Oink-a-Saurus would then show how much money a user might have earned by saving and/or investing the money, instead of spending it.
Fabian explained why his idea is important. “Many kids spend huge amounts of money on things they don’t need when they should be saving and investing for their future, such as college.”
He thinks that if kids knew more about money, and how to save and invest it, they might make better choices.
More Great Ideas
The other finalists offered their own cool ideas for teaching kids about finance. Eight-year-old Tyra Smith proposed “Stock Pocket,” a game that would use electronic flashcards.
Players would learn facts about the stock market and win points by answering questions correctly.
Twelve-year-old Kelsey Foss suggested a reality TV show called “Stock Market Tycoon Idol.” On the show, kids would compete to make or lose virtual money by investing in the stock market.
Her plan included adult experts helping the kids and teaching the audience about money at the same time.
What Is the Stock Market?
Fabian and the other contestants tackled a very tough topic. Investing in the stock market is tricky even for many adults to understand. That’s one reason the NYSE and the other sponsors want to help kids learn about it early.
The New York Stock Exchange is the biggest American marketplace for buying and selling stocks, or parts of public companies. While some companies are privately owned by a person or family, many big companies divide ownership into shares, or many little pieces of the company’s total value. Together, the shares are called stock.
People can invest their money in a company by buying one or more of its shares. If the company does well, the value of the investment usually goes up. If they wish, investors can then sell their shares at a profit.
Money can be lost in the stock market as well, when the value of shares falls. Many investors lost money during the recent economic downturn.
So what does Fabian plan to do with his $2,500 prize money? Invest it, of course.
WHAT’S YOUR NEWS IQ?Read today’s story, and then check what you’ve learned with this comprehension quiz.
Source: Scholastic News Online
Editor’s Note: Fabian Fernandez-Han was honored at the New York Stock Exchange on January 11. (Photo: Jon Whitney Studios)
We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com
Hero of the Week – 7 year old Charlie Simpson
By Dan Samaria
Publisher/GCC
Jan. 25, 2010
Editor’s Note: Each Week we will be Honoring people or groups that are making a difference in helping others especially during this tough times in America.
When we as Americans are put through a test, we come out in flying colors on the other side.
We would like to know what you think. And if you know someone or group that we can Honor. You can contact us at dan@youngchronicle.com
This week we will be honoring: Charlie Simpson. Here is his story:
By Warren McLean Bundanoon
Australia
The other day I posed the question: “who is the more sustaining? Those who only care about themselves, or those who look out for others?”
The story of Charlie Simpson, gives me hope it is the latter.
Young Charlie, all of seven years old, saw the images of the Haiti earthquake survivors and wanted to do something to help. He told his folks he wanted to organize a sponsored bike-a-thon around his local park in London, UK.
He hoped to raise £500 ($800 USD). At the time of writing he’d amassed donations for UNICEF worth over £67,800 ($109,000 USD).
According to a spokesperson for the UK branch of the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, Charlie now holds the record for most funds raised in a single day.
When Charlie had raised just £9,000, UNICEF told BBC News (see video here, with Charlie also being interviewed) that money could help 900 families protect themselves from waterborne diseases.
We assume £70,500 (as it now stands, by the time we had this post written up) goes much further.
To get up to his eight kilometers (five miles) of cycling, Charlie rode laps around South Park in Fulham with his dad and a friend.
The BBC reported that at the 1.5 mile mark Charlie was finding it “quite tiring.” But on he went. (See BBC News footage of Charlie pedaling in his park.)
“My name is Charlie Simpson, I want to do a Sponsored Bike Ride for Haiti because there was a big earthquake and loads of people have lost their lives. I want to make some money to buy food, water and tents for everyone in Haiti.”
From his Just Giving page, which is still open for donations? So if you want to help UNICEF support the children of Haiti, go donate, so that Charlie’s passionate pedaling feat is appropriately rewarded.
Go Charlie, you rock.
Put a bicycle in the right hands, and its power to do good never ceases to amaze.
Source: Tree Hugger Just Giving
Will You March for Life with Palin and Huckabee?
By Fox nation
Jan. 24, 2010
Hundreds of thousands of Americans are expected to attend tomorrow’s National March for Life, which takes place annually on the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision.
Americans United for Life Action, in an effort to bolster the real March for Life, launched the first-ever Virtual March for Life http://www.virtualmarchforlife.com/ earlier this week.
This innovative online campaign allows people to create an avatar of themselves and “march” online. The Virtual March for Life currently boasts 45,000 Americans and is growing by the minute.
As part of this effort, the Virtual March for Life is featuring prominent leaders who are lending their support to the cause.
“The healthcare bill as currently written will unravel long-standing federal policy by allowing public funds to be used for abortion. Because of the magnitude of this threat, this year’s national March for Life will be the most important in history.
We created the Virtual March for Life to encourage people to be here tomorrow and to give voice to countless Americans who can’t be in Washington but wish they could.
We are encouraging everyone to click and be heard,” said Dr. Charmaine Yoest, President and CEO of Americans United for Life Action. Read more here.
ALSO:
50,000 Join Virtual March for Life
Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com
America and Others Rushes to Earthquake Victims
By Daniel Wetter
Jan. 19, 2010
More than 3,242 miles and an entire continent separate the small country of Haiti and Sacramento, California. But people in the Golden State’s capital immediately geared up to send help to the poorest country in the northern hemisphere when it was struck by a 7.0 earthquake on Tuesday.
“People are reaching deep down and giving what they can,” said Tanya Davis, the Christian Service Director at St. Francis High School in Sacramento.
The school is holding a “free dress” fundraiser, where students donate money and get to wear regular clothes, rather than their uniforms, to school one day.
One of the students at St. Francis has family in Haiti. She spoke at an assembly where she admitted that she is worried, but is still living up to what her family said briefly in a phone call to the U.S. after the quake hit:
“We don’t need tears, we need prayers,” she said. The school is hoping to raise more than $5,000 to help families in Haiti.
Devastation
Haiti is an impoverished island, with little money for help or services. The 7.0 quake devastated the entire country, even crumbling its National Palace in the capital city of Port-au-Prince.
More than 2 million people will need food aid, according to the UN’s World Food Program. So far only a few thousand have been able to get aid because of transportation and infrastructure damage.
In Port-au-Prince, 30 per cent of the buildings were damaged. In other areas, more than 50 per cent of the buildings were damaged or destroyed. The U.S. is sending 10,000 troops immediately to help restore order and distribute food.
“I’ve directed my administration to launch a swift, coordinated, and aggressive effort to save lives and support the recovery in Haiti,” President Obama said on Thursday.
“This is one of those moments that calls out for American leadership.”
The Red Cross has also jumped into action on both the local and national levels.
“We are facilitating information to people,” said Trista Jensen of the Sacramento Sierra Red Cross. They will also be helping with financial donations and other food and water donations.
The Red Cross is recommending that people give financially to help the most, and says that people should not try to go to Haiti and help on their own.
“We’re just asking people to be generous,” said Sharol Josephson of Bayside Church in Granite Bay, California. Bayside Church will be donating 10 per cent of its Radical Generosity Fund to the relief efforts in Haiti. Bayside was one of the first churches to start a fund for Haiti relief.
Nationwide Effort
As efforts move from rescue to recovery, schools, churches, and other organizations throughout the U.S. will begin to raise money and other donations to send to Haiti.
Scholastic Kid Reporters are covering relief efforts in their areas and will be sending in stories over the next two weeks. Check back often to find out what’s going on around the country to help the people of Haiti.
For background on the country of Haiti, check out this article from The New Book of Knowledge, Grolier Online.
You can find also the history of Haiti and its people in this article, also from The New Book of Knowledge.
Source: Scholastic News Online
Editor’s Note: People look at debris of a building in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on January 13, a day after a 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck the country. (Photo: Orlando Barría /EFE/NewsCom)
We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com
The Life of Martin Luther King Jr.?
By: Sally Tusa
Jan. 18, 2009
Americans honor the birthday of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. annually on the third Monday of January.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a wonderful holiday for families because it allows parents and teachers to discuss the valuable lessons of equality, compassion, and understanding to children of all ages.
Read this biography of Dr. King’s life and accomplishment about this civil rights leader, then discover ways to add fun to your Martin Luther King celebration with some Martin Luther King Jr. Day activities. Also learn about other important African-Americans for Black History month.
Who Was Martin Luther King Jr.?
Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia on January 15, 1929 into a family of pastors–both his father and his grandfather served as pastors for many years. King came of age in a time where blacks and whites were separated in much of the U.S.
The two groups were unable to attend the same schools, drink from the same water fountains, or eat in the same restaurants. King himself attended segregated public elementary and high schools.
He also went to an all-black college in Atlanta, Morehouse, from which he graduated in 1948.
King saw his calling in the family business, going on to attain graduate degrees at Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania and Boston University, where he received a doctorate in Systematic Theology in 1955.
This schooling set him up to lead a church, but his beliefs and determination–and, certainly, his circumstances–propelled him to do even more.
After marrying a woman named Coretta Scott, whom he met while in graduate school in Boston, King moved to the South, where racial segregation and prejudice was deep-seated and rampant.
The situation was especially marked in towns like Montgomery, Alabama, where, in 1955, as pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, King started fighting for change.
Spurred on by Rosa Parks’ refusal–and subsequent arrest–to sit in the rear, “colored” section of the bus, King advocated a boycott of public buses that lasted more than a year. In 1956, the U.S. Supreme Court banned segregation on public buses, and a movement fueled by nonviolent protest began.
For more than ten years, King’s inspiring speeches (he gave more than 2,500 in his lifetime) earned him followers across the United States and internationally.
He travelled millions of miles; led protest marches, sit-ins and boycotts (which often led to his arrest) everywhere he saw racial disparity; published five books, numerous articles and essays, including the “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” now famously known as the call to action for the civil rights movement; and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.
Yet King is perhaps best remembered for delivering his 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech in front of a quarter of a million people in the Mall in Washington, DC.
His famous line, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character,” still resonate today.
Five years later, he was killed in Memphis, where he was to lead a protest march–shot by an assassin while standing on the balcony outside his motel room.
To find out how Martin Luther King Jr. Day came to be a national holiday and learn about creative ways to celebrate the holiday with our article, “Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2008: Remember and Celebrate.”
Source: Kaboose
Editor’s Note: Sally Tusa is a freelance writer and editor based in Manhattan.
We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com
One Grandmother’s Story of Caring in Haiti
by The Editors
Jan. 17, 2010
All of us at Grandparents.com, like you, have been moved to do our part to support the people of Haiti in the wake of this week’s devastating earthquake.
Rose-Marie Chierici, a grandmother in Rochester, N.Y., has worked for years to help children in her home country through the organization she founded, H.O.P.E., or Haiti Outreach.
In 2009, we recognized her efforts to support education, nutrition, and social programs in one of the most underserved communities in the world, in our Today’s Extraordinary Grandparents program.
The day before the earthquake struck, Chierici, a professor of anthropology,
returned to Rochester from a visit to Haiti. She later sent this message to her group’s supporters:
“First of all, I would like to thank all who have reached out to us and inquired about the fate of people in Haiti and especially in Borgne (the area on the northern coast where H.O.P.E. works).
I am extremely touched by your concern, your warmth, and generosity toward my homeland. Words fail me to express the depth of my feelings and confusion at this point.
This is a tragedy of incredible proportions for an already vulnerable country ravaged by poverty, underdevelopment, political turmoil, and tragedies.
“I returned from Haiti Monday evening after a week of hard work but also of incredible promise. Everyone I met last week was hopeful and excited. They told me that this was the best time we have seen in Haiti in the past 25 years — political stability, more security, less violence — and hope that the country was finally on its way to recovery and development.
As for H.O.P.E., the picture looked great. Our health-care program was on track. We laid the groundwork for a Mobile Teacher Program to take education to the most vulnerable kids — children 4-to-7 years old — whose parents could never afford to send them to school; orphans; and children whose parents had emigrated.
We formed a new partnership with an international organization to bring relief to families who lost someone to AIDs and start a micro-credit venture for women. So, this tragedy hits even harder! From my vantage point right now, the high of these last few days seems to have crashed.
“We at H.O.P.E. have decided that the best way for us to help is to prepare and plan how to resupply and meet the critical needs of people in our area. With roads cut off, nothing will move to the north so food, medical supplies, and other necessities will not reach our area.
Although most of the damage occurred in Port-au-Prince, like a cracked windshield, the tragedy will spread quickly to the rest of the nation. To this end, we will collect funds, harness the good will of our students, and find the best way to bring much-needed relief and hope to those in the north.
While most of the relief work will focus in the Port-au-Prince area, H.O.P.E. will think of those on the margins who will likely be forgotten.”
Source: Grandparents
Editor’s Note: Your donations to help the people of Haiti begin to recover from this disaster are needed both immediately and for the long-term:
Send a donation to the American Red Cross.
Find out more about Rose-Marie’s organization, and how to support her work
We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com
17th Annual Ultimate Sports Extravaganza and Auction
By MWF/PIO
Jan. 9, 2010
Have you ever counted backward before taking that shot…pumped your fists after sinking a putt or hitting that perfect backhand winner…faked a home run trot or raised your hands singling touchdown, even though the game was just in your backyard…
We understand.
We all want to have the glory, wish to be the hero, even for just a moment. Sports can provide that opportunity, especially for a child.
This year we are celebrating those magical moments that live inside each and every one of us.
The 17th Annual Make-A-Wish Ultimate Sports Extravaganza & Auction will highlight the theme, “Every Child Deserves to Wish.”
Join us February 25th at 6:00 p.m. at The Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa in Hollywood, Florida.
This year’s event is poised to be our most exciting. The star-studded extravaganza will be filled with various interactive moments with local and national celebrities from the world of sports and entertainment, as well as some very special wish children.
The auction will have unique items that appeal to the avid collector as well as someone just looking for a special keepsake.
The hotel’s catering has promised to create an epicurean delight from the hors d’oeuvres to the sit down dinner.
Sure, the above alone would make for a great night; however the Make-A-Wish Foundation is about creating tremendous evenings.
As such, we are pleased to announce that our Featured Guest will be legendary Miami Dolphins and Hall of Fame Coach Don Shula.
This event will provide you with the opportunity to interact with the ONLY coach to lead an NFL team to an undefeated season and the winnings coach in league history.
We are honored to have him participate in this historical event and hope that you will share in the festivities.
Tickets for the Make-A-Wish Ultimate Sports Extravaganza & Auction are now available beginning at $250.
Sponsorships, which include exclusive event benefits for complete tables of ten, are also available starting at $2,500. Call 954-967-9474 ext. 318 today.
The Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa – Hollywood, FL
Date: February 25, 2010
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Source: Make a Wish Foundation
Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com
Games to Get Kids Having Fun
By Felisa Billet
Jan. 9, 2010
With the New Year in full bloom, add a fresh dimension to your exercise routine. You don’t have to join a gym, train for a 5K, or buy expensive gear.
A great way to motivate you is to team up with a fitness buddy. What better buddy than your grandchild!
“Children learn from role models,” says Liz Donnelly, a family fitness specialist from Cleveland, who blogs at Family Fitness Guru. “Grandparents are in a perfect position to [be that] role model” by stressing the importance of an active lifestyle.
“If the older generation takes the younger generation by the hand and engages in little bits of activity together, they are doing an extraordinary service to the health and well-being of their grandchildren,” says Michael Feigin, owner of The Fitness Guru, a multigenerational exercise studio in Brooklyn.
Walking or biking to a destination instead of driving, or even playing Wii instead of watching TV encourages kids to be active.
Next time you are with the grandkids, use playtime as a way to get the heart pumping.
“Don’t get caught up in technique,” says Donnelly. “Just be goofy and encourage movement. Before you know it, your grandchildren will have so much fun they won’t even realize they’re exercising.”
Try playing these games with the kids. Besides getting a workout, you’ll all get a wealth of laughs.
Play a Game of Hot Lava
Kids love this game of imaginary adventure where players pretend they are escaping an active volcano. Randomly place sheets of paper on the floor (you can substitute pillow cases, towels, or any mats).
Work your way across the room jumping and leaping from paper to paper, making sure not to touch the “hot lava” (the floor). You will increase your heart rate as you challenge the kids to see who can cross the room first.
This game helps kids develop spatial awareness as they learn to control their body tempo and movement.
Skip, Hop
Helping young grandkids learn how to skip and hop improves their coordination while providing you with a cardiovascular workout.
Jumping and hopping, movements that create an impact on the skeleton, increase bone density. To make it fun, designate a finish line and have the kids hop forward and then backward as they make their way across the room.
Hang Ten
Head outdoors with the grandkids to work on upper-body strength. Give your arms and shoulders a workout by clutching onto tree branches or monkey bars.
See who can cling the longest, or count how long you can hang on and try to beat your score next time. Pick branches or bars that aren’t too high, so the kids can jump down on their own. If you can do chin-ups, show off your strength and technique.
Run Wheelbarrow Races
A wheelbarrow race, in which one player “walks” on his hands, while a partner holds his legs, provides multigenerational exercise fun.
This classic game offers an upper-body workout for the person “walking” on the ground and challenges the total body strength of the player holding the feet.
Crawl like a Crab
Pretend to be a crab: Walk sideways on your hands and feet with your torso and head facing up. As you and the grandkids crab-crawl around the room, you’ll tone your arms and backs.
Once you get the hang of it, have a race! To increase the challenge, find out who can crab-crawl the longest, using only one foot, an exercise game that strengthens the backs of the hips and legs.
Walk like a Spider
Position yourself on all fours, with your head facing the floor. Walk on your hands and on the balls of your feet, keeping your backside up. This exercise builds strength in the body’s core area.
Pretend you are spiders or prehistoric animals, or just have a funny race around the house.
Stride like a Giant
Also known as walking lunges, a popular exercise for adults, this activity really works the hamstrings and gluts. Position your hands on your hips and bend your knees as you take a giant step forward.
For each step, bring the next foot forward with the knees bent. Play tag, but instead of running, players lunge as they try not to get caught.
If all else fails: “Get outside and play as much as you can,” says Donnelly. “Our nervous system is so well stimulated with the sun and air. Go out even if it’s cold. What kid won’t love building a snowman?”
Source: Grandparents
Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com