The CDC publication Vital and Health Statistics for September 2007 reported that there are 4.5 million children ages 3 to 17 of 7% of the age group with ADHD. Furthermore it was reported that boys are more than twice as likely to have ADHD with 11% of boys in this age range having the disorder and 4% of girls. ADHD is the most commonly diagnosed behavioral disorder for kids in the United States. However, there are no neurological markers for ADHD, and experts disagree on its prevalence, fueling intense public debate about whether ADHD is under-diagnosed or over-diagnosed. [SD] The prevalence of ADHD among our children is disconcerting, as is some of the latest research on the condition.  Just a quick scan of recent research articles illustrates this fact. Researchers have published papers stating that ADHD is caused by food allergies and genetic anomolies...it's over diagnosed...exacerbated by video game playing...and the list goes on...with no answer in sight. Hopefully this list of current research articles and resources will help parents sort through the mass of information to find the truth as it applies to their child.

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There is an opinion war raging in the educational field these days and the generals are surprisingly two former college dropouts; technological and entrepreneurial geniuses, Bill Gates of Microsoft and Steve Jobs of Apple.

On the one hand, Gates seems to hold the view that the investment of funds in a college education demands a field of study emphasis on work-related learning...on study of specific fields and skills that are demanded in the workplace today. Gates seems to hold the idea that technology is an end in itself. He has proposed using technology already available to analyze and decode the education system with an eye toward improving its productivity as one might improve the productivity of an assembly line.

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It's turning out to be an interesting day. 

I opened up my email expecting to find a few business items to take care of; perhaps a note from my daughter who's out of town; and a bunch of Google Alerts waiting to be sorted. Instead, I was greeted with an email from an individual who saw a personal Facebook comment of mine. Rather than responding publically, she went into a disjointed, rabid, hate filled rant questioning among other things my integrity and at the same time repeating over and over that I was a liar; all because she'd made some grandiose and erroneous assumptions about who I really was. Well...that was fun!

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One of the things that amazed me the most as I was raising my girls was the myriad of ways that they could push the limits of the guidelines I gave them; to see just how far away that line in the sand really was. My oldest daughter would be a good case in point. One day, being the rambunctious child that she was, she made a series of decisions that landed her on her first timeout. I sat her down in the hallway and told her that her bottom was glued to the tile until she had had time to think about the fact that not climbing on the counter to get cookies before dinner included not opening a new package from the pantry. Well, she wailed and cried and exclaimed that she was a good girl because she hadn't climbed on the counter (yes, she only heard what she wanted to hear)...and then...she was silent. Hmmmmm... Imagine my surprise when I checked on her and found her all the way down the hall and peaking around the corner into the TV room blithely watching Barney. "Miss Chloe," I asked, "why are you off your timeout spot?" "I'm not," she replied. "My bottom is still glued. I just scooted a little bit!" In the space of five minutes she had managed to outsmart me...and not one, but two guidelines.

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As children across the country anticipate their Spring Break I thought it might be a good time to talk about some of the best children's books for 2011. Whether you and your children are hanging out at the house or flying off on an adventure, vacation time is a great time to help your child embrace the joy of reading and the value of always having a good book handy. Every skill in life needs to be practiced and reading is no exception! Help your improve their reading skills by buying them a good book!

2011 Caldecott Award Winners

A Sick Day for Amos McGee, illustrated by Erin E. Stead, written by Philip C. Stead. A Neal Porter Book, published by Roaring Brook Press, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing. In this tender tale of reciprocity and friendship, zookeeper Amos McGee gets the sniffles and receives a surprise visit from his caring animal friends. (Medal Winner)

Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave, illustrated by Bryan Collier, written by Laban Carrick Hill, published by Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc. Collier’s arrestingly beautiful artistic interpretation of Hill’s poetic text reveals Dave the potter’s artistic process while also conveying the dignified triumph of his humanity in the face of oppression. (Honor Book)

Interrupting Chicken, written and illustrated by David Ezra Stein, published by Candlewick Press. Stein’s hilarious story presents Little Chicken and her long-suffering Papa, who just wants to get through a bedtime story without his daughter’s metafictive disruptions. (Honor Book)

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