Wednesday, November 30, 2005

Open letter to Matte Jet Ink Photo Paper

Dear Matte,
You know how attractive I find you. You wooed me from the glossy side of life years ago. So clean. So tasteful. Almost retro, but with a hip-edgy look. I don't think I could ever go back to the flashier, shiny gloss or even semi-gloss I had been involved with before meeting you.
But you vex me so! Would it be too much to ask for you to put some kind of marking or pattern on your backside? It's true there are many other photo paper products that don't, but don't you see Matte? They don't have to because their finish gives them away. I am not asking for anything showy or glitzy. I promise. I never would want you to compromise what you stand for. So what do you think?
No?
Not even a little tone-on-tone watermark or insignia? It would hardly be noticable. No really Matte! Who would know?
Oh you would know and that's enough. Puh-lease. What? Do you think you'd lose the 'artsy' market? I really don't think that should color your decision. Only poseur art-photographer types would dare complain.
There is something you must know then; and I hate to be the one to tell you this Matte. And I really hope it won't hurt your feelings, but it needs to be said: The true purists do not use Jet Ink Printers for their photos. No. They do not. And they never will. Oh I've done my research. Never.
Listen, just think it over and maybe get back to me. I won't leave you yet, I love you Matte, but this two-facedness, is wrong. It is misleading and it is putting a real strain on our relationship. Mull it over. Don't be a hater.
Weary but hopeful,
Desperate in Dallas

Friday, November 25, 2005

Another quote

What can I say? It amuses me...
"Geese are friends to no one, they badmouth everybody and everything. But they are companionable once you get used to their ingratitude and false accusations."
E. B. White

Thursday, November 24, 2005

The History of Thanksgiving


The History of Thanksgiving
By Gary North


Thanksgiving Day is an old tradition in the United States. It had its origins in Plymouth Colony, in the fall of 1621, when the Pilgrims who had survived the first year invited Chief Massasoit to a feast. He showed up with 90 braves and five deer. The feast lasted three days.

The first official Thanksgiving Day was celebrated on June 29, 1676, in Charlestown, Massachusetts, across the Charles River from Boston. Over a century later, George Washington proclaimed a day of Thanksgiving on October 23, 1789, to be celebrated on Thursday, November 27. In 1863, Abraham Lincoln officially restored it as a wartime measure. The holiday then became an American tradition.

Lincoln was a strange contradiction religiously. He was a religious skeptic, yet he invoked the rhetoric of the King James Bible on many occasions. His political rhetoric, which had been deeply influenced by his reading of the King James, was often masterful.

For example, when he spoke of the cemetery of the Gettysburg battlefield as "this hallowed ground," using the King James word for holy, as in "hallowed be thy name," he was seeking to infuse the battle of Gettysburg with sacred meaning, a use of religious terminology that was as morally abhorrent as it was rhetorically successful. It is the sacraments that are sacred, not monuments to man's bloody destructiveness. In that same year of 1863, he used biblical themes in his October 3 Thanksgiving Day proclamation.

It is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God; to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations are blessed whose God is the Lord.

He went on, in the tradition of a Puritan Jeremiad sermon, to attribute the calamity of the Civil War to the nation's sins, conveniently ignoring the biggest contributing sin of all in the coming of that war: his own steadfast determination to collect the national tariff in Southern ports.

In his proclamation, he made an important and accurate theological point.

We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown.

But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand, which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.

This observation leads to the same question that Moses raised long before Lincoln's proclamation: Why is it that men become less thankful as their blessings increase?

Less than a decade after Lincoln's proclamation, three economists came up with the theoretical insight that provides an answer.

Marginal Utility Theory

In the early 1870s, Karl Menger, William Stanley Jevons and Leon Walras simultaneously and independently discovered the principle of marginal utility. Their discovery transformed economic analysis.

They observed that value, like beauty, is subjectively determined. Value is imputed a familiar Calvinist theological concept to scarce resources by the acting individual. Other things remaining equal, including tastes, the individual imputes less value to each additional unit of any good that he receives as income. This is the principle of marginal utility.

This can be put another way. We can say that each additional unit of any resource that a person receives as income satisfies a value that is lower on that individual's subjective scale of value. He satisfied the next-higher value with the previous unit of income.

This provides a preliminary solution to the original question. I call this solution the declining marginal utility of thankfulness. People look at the value of what they have just received as income, and they are less impressed than they were with the previous unit of income. They focus on the immediate, "What have you done for me lately?" rather than the aggregate level of their existing capital. They conclude, "What's past is past; what matters most is whatever comes next."

Modern economic theory discounts the past to zero. The past is gone; it is not a matter of human action. Whatever you spent to achieve your present condition in life is no longer a matter of human action. The economist calls this lost world "sunk costs."

There is a major problem in thinking this way. It is the problem of saying "thank you." The child is taught to say "thank you." He is not told to do this because, by saying "thank you," he is more likely to get another gift in the future. He is taught to say "thank you" as a matter of politeness.

The problem is, we look to the present, not to the past. We look at the marginal unit of economic decision-making and not at the aggregate that we have accumulated. We assume that whatever we already possess is well merited. Then we focus our attention on that next, hoped-for amount of income.

As economic actors, we should recognize that the reason why we are allocating our latest unit of income to a satisfaction that is lower on our value scale is because we already possess so much. We are awash in wealth. We are the beneficiaries of a social order based on private ownership and free exchange, a social order that has made middle-class people rich beyond the wildest dreams of kings a century and a half ago. Or, as P. J. O'Rourke has observed, "When you think of the good old days, think one word: dentistry."

About half of the Pilgrims who arrived in Plymouth in 1620 were dead a year later. The Indians saved the colony by showing the first winter's survivors what to plant and how to plant it in the spring of 1621. The Pilgrims rejoice at that festival. They would say that they were graced and happy to be alive.

Ludwig von Mises wrote somewhere that Charles Darwin was wrong. The principle of the survival of the fittest does not apply to the free market social order. The free market's division of labor has enabled millions of people to survive today, who would otherwise have perished.

So, give thanks to God tomorrow, even if your only God is the free market. You did not obtain all that you possess all by yourself. The might of your hands did not secure it for you. A little humility is in order on this one day of the year.

trying something crazy today with Abby...

Styling her hair. Both of my girls really despise the hair dryer (as well as those hand dryers in public restrooms, leaf blowers, etc. ). I recently splurged on a new hairdryer with a diffuser to see if that would help, but all Abby had to say about that is, 'I don't like it with the confuser either. I still don't like it.' Ugh. Anyway, there here has always been such drama associated with hairdrying that I have never even tried to do anything as radical as curl their hair. That is quiet of course, but they are so torqued after the hair drying that when they have even seen a stying tool they freak out. But, today I am going to be brave and try to use a curling brush on Abby's hair. We want to take a few pictures of the girls while we are at my SIL's today and I'd really like for Abby's hair to look nice.Wish me luck!

Quote for the day...

"True happiness, we are told, consists in getting out of one's self, but the point is not only to get out—you must stay out; and to stay out you must have some absorbing errand."
~Henry James

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

Say it Loud, Autistic and Proud


For many, it's a condition which evokes pity and even fear. But a campaigning group of activists is determined to change the way we view autism by dealing not with its many downsides, but by focusing on its positives.
The stark black-and-white photograph shows a large, ungainly young woman with a shaven head, wearing shorts and a T-shirt and sitting cross-legged on the floor. Her face is hidden. 'The young woman in this picture has autism,' reads the text beside it, 'a debilitating developmental disorder that affects communication, socialisation and behaviour.' The next photo shows the helmet she has to use to stop her damaging her head when she bangs it on the wall, her adult-sized nappies and the picture board she has to use, because she can't speak. 'Sometimes she screams, and nobody knows what she's thinking,' explains the text, 'but she's clearly frustrated about her communication disorder.' More pictures show her lying on the floor staring at blocks of wood or sitting in a chair, unresponsive. 'If she had a voice, we wonder ... What is she thinking? What would she say?' These are pictures designed to trigger pity and maybe a guilty twinge of revulsion; they might even move you to make a donation. But you've been suckered. They form the opening pages of an angry radical website designed to challenge familiar stereotypes. They are a knowing and brutal parody of campaigns to raise money to find a cure for a 'terrible disorder'.
They are part of a grassroots revolution by a new breed of autism activists who identify with other once-marginalised sections of society like black people and homosexuals, engaged in the same sort of struggle to establish basic rights and to outlaw discrimination. The first Autistic Pride Day march took place in America this summer and the organisers declared their intention was to 'promote the concept that those identified as autistic are not suffering from a pathological disease any more than those with dark skin are suffering from a form of skin disease'.
This point about the integrity and validity of the autistic state is also hammered home on www.gettingthetruthout.org. After the initial pitiful images, we see the same woman wearing a different T-shirt. It reads: 'Not being able to speak is not the same as having nothing to say.' She may not be able to speak, but she is fiercely articulate at the keyboard as she lucidly denounces the way autistic people are belittled in the name of 'helping' them: 'I will not have my life medicalised this way so you can fund the elimination of autistic people from the planet.' There are more than 500,000 people believed to have some (often undiagnosed) degree of autism in this country, and if the radicals are right we could be treating them in completely the wrong way. If this is the case, there are some major implications for many of our assumptions about education, brain sciences and psychology. Last summer, to pick up some clues about what the autistic pride movement wanted and what it might have to teach us, I went to the strongest manifestation of this new consciousness yet to emerge in the UK.
Called Autscape, it was the first conference in Britain organised by and for people with autism, a process described by the organisers as 'like herding cats'. The media stereotypes I carried with me were three: the once-cuddly toddler now screaming and unreachable, lost to his distraught parents; Dustin Hoffman's incompetent but endearing genius calculator in Rainman; and the shamelessly inquisitive, literal-minded adolescent in Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time.
None of them prepared me for the real world of autism; immediately I was struck by the badges they all wore. In place of the impersonal, minimally revealing badges of 'normal' conferences, these were raw shouts from the heart. There were three options. Red meant: 'Do not approach me. I do not wish to socialise with anyone.' Yellow said: 'Do not approach unless I have already told you that you may approach me while I am wearing a yellow badge.' Green declared: 'I would like to socialise, but I have difficulty in initiating. Please feel free to approach.' My first response was: what a brilliant idea. Who hasn't wished for something similar at a party social occasion? 'I really don't feel like talking this evening unless you are a Bob Dylan fan/ Chelsea supporter.' But, more than that, they immediately challenged one of the most pervasive myths: that autistic people lack a 'theory of mind', that they have no sense that other people have an interior world. While non-autistic people can predict social behaviour by imagining what is going on in other people's minds, so the theory goes, those with autism behave as if other people are machines with no inner world. It's this that makes their social skills so poor. But which shows more awareness of others: 'Mark Tucker: Marketing' or 'Do not approach me'? Shortly afterwards, an even more firmly rooted assumption took a good hammering. Jim Sinclair is one of several legendary American activists, the founder of Autism Network International, and he has been organising a similar event, Autreat, in the States for nearly a decade. He is diagnosed as autistic and uses a wheelchair, however his clarity and intensity makes him a commanding figure. He tackles the hugely sensitive issue of the emotions of parents whose child has been diagnosed with autism. Few of us 'normals' could do anything else but mutter inarticulate sounds of consolation. But in discussing it, Jim is far clearer - and sterner.
'These parents are grieving, but this grief does not stem from the child's autism,' he pronounces. 'It is a grief over the loss of the normal child the parents had hoped and expected to have. But this grief over a fantasised normal child needs to be separated from the parents' perceptions of the child they do have: the autistic child who needs the support of adult care-takers and who can form very meaningful relationships with those care-takers if given the opportunity. Continuing focus on the child's autism as a source of grief is damaging for both parents and the child.' It is a point vividly made on www.gettingthetruthout.org. 'I began to know that my future lay in an institution,' writes an anonymous author. 'Or maybe on the streets. Or dead. Because that's what everyone around me believed would happen if I wasn't cured. I reacted to this knowledge the way a lot of people do. I began my reign of terror. Other people's response was to increase the restrictions on my life until I spent most of my time tied down and isolated from not only the outside world but the rest of the institution, too.' This is not a picture of someone cut off, unable to respond to the words and actions of others - rather she picked up their messages all too clearly. It's the sense of not being valued, not being respected for who you are, that gets to the heart of the radicals'
complaint.

full article here

Saturday, November 19, 2005

Wrongful life suit? 'I wish my daughter had never been born.'


When is it wrong to be born? That is a question facing an Australian court. A mother, Olga Harriton, says if she would have known that her daughter would have the birth defects she was born with, she would have aborted her. Alexia Harriton, 24, is blind, deaf, and has mental retardation as a result of her mother's contracting rubella during the first trimester of her pregnancy for Alexia. Exposure to rubella during prgnancy, by the way, can lead to autism. Alexia is suing to the doctor who misdiagnosed her mother's rubella for "a lifetime of suffering" in Australia's "wrongful life" suit. "Lawyers for the Sydney woman argued in Australia's highest court Thursday that Dr. Paul Stephens is liable for the costs arising from a lifetime of medical treatment that Harriton needs to survive." To read the entire story, see the Court TV article.

I can understand regretting a child's disabilities and wishing it were not so and even imagining how life would be better if the child did not have the disabilities. But to wish that the child had never been born, is quite another matter. In my darkest moments, perhaps this thought has crossed my mind. I can not imagine life without these girls of mine, exactly how they are. This "mother" would prefer no child to the child she has! I am sure she has suffered (which one of ya'll has not suffered?) but life is sometimes very hard. What do ya'll think?

Friday, November 18, 2005

pray for this family please

The folks I brought a meal to tonight, the Kalbs. A friend of a family in our church who recently lost their college age son (their only child) in a car accident. They just returned with his body and they are preparing for his funeral. It was the saddest scene I've ever happened onto. This family actually does not attend our church, I don't know if they attend anywhere. The woman (mother) is partner in a law firm that one of our congragants is partner in and so that's how the 'Hugs and Quiches' ministry got involved. I have dropped off a meal to many families in similar situations over the past four years and never once has what happend tonight happened before. When I went to leave the mother just fell on me in her grief, weeping. 'He was my only baby. My only baby.' Here she was surrounded by eight maybe ten people who knew her and her son and she was so bereft that she literally fell on a total stranger, just weeping. It was surreal. I could see his 1980's looking baby book open on the coffee table behind me as I held her up while she sobbed.
Heart breaking stuff, this.

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

'When I'm old...



...will you still kiss me and sing me lullabies?'

That's what Abby asked me yesterday.

Tuesday, November 15, 2005

something cute Emma Jean said...

While I was getting dinner and vitamins together this evening, Jimmy and the girls were outside planting pansies. Emma Jean had gotten sidetracked and was filling little pots with top soil and dirt to build a sand castle. The way she was doing it was way harder than it had to be (that's the way we do everything around here..the hard way...LOL). Anyway, at one point Jimmy saw her struggle and he topped off her pot with some dirt. She looked up at him and said, 'Oh thanks daddy! You know sometimes? When you help a little kid? It makes them real happy.'
How sweet is that? And it was an original sentence, unprompted and everything! Jimmy was so touched.

__________________
'Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you.'
Isaiah 54:10

Monday, November 14, 2005

Tom Robbins' quote:


"Philosophers have argued for centuries about how many angels can dance on the head of a pin, but materialists have always known it depends on whether they are jitterbugging or dancing cheek to cheek."
~Tom Robbins

Friday, November 11, 2005

stupid human tricks

I don't know about ya'll, but I was on autopilot those first few weeks post-partum. They girls were my first experience of infants and I was frenzied: nursing round the clock, trying to keep our tiny jumbled aprtment from imploding, getting adjusted, and of course very little sleep. Then there are all the joys of just having delivered my first babies. No tears, no surgery, but I was SORE and I developed an unrelentling rash on my tummy and upper thighs that we later learned was an allergy to oxytocin.. The itching was terrible and I often had to get up in the night after nursing the girls and retrieve an icepack for relief. I would wrap it in a thin cup towel and place it on my stomach and try to catch a few winks. Anyway, one morning following another itchy night, I was bustling around the bedroom and I kept noticing this smell. It wasn't a bad smell, in fact it smelled kind of good, but it wasn't a baby smell either. Even though the aroma persisted, I couldn't figure out what it was and I just dismissed it and went about my morning. Early afternoon, I finally got around to making our bed. As I snapped the sheets tight and fluffed the comforter I smelled the mysterious smell once more. Again, I checked the girls, the diaper pail (yes we used cloth ) the oven, the trash, nothing explained it. I went back to the bed after I finished making it up I noticed a lump between the duvet and the cover. I went to smooth it out and when I couldn't I had to investigate. Low and behold, the source of the scent was at last discovered:
TURKEY ENCHILADAS!
In my stupor the night before while foraging for an icepack, I had grabbed and taken to bed with me a foil package of leftover turkey enchiladas that Jimmy had frozen.
OM gosh. I just laughed and laughed that I had been sleeping with my sweet new babies and some spicy enchiladas.

Saturday, November 05, 2005

50 disorders that mimic ADHD.....


WOW! I thought this was really interesting and could be helpful. I know I can get mired in all the overlap and co-morbids of spectrum life. Anyway, I thought I'd post this in case someone else might find it to be a useful bookmark.

50 Conditions that Mimic ADHD
ADHD is often diagnosed by health professionals who form their opinion by observing a child's behavior. There are no brain scans, blood tests, or anything else definite that is used during diagnosis. The problem with this is there are many other problems that have the same symptoms of ADHD. Many parents, because of not knowing, settle for ADHD as a diagnosis before looking at everything. For example, any problem dealing with the fuels of the body: water, food, blood and air can cause behavior problems. Water, food, blood and air to the body are just like gas and oil to a car. If you put bad gas or have old or the wrong oil in your car, it will act up just like a child acts up when eating foods they are allergic to, drinking or breathing contaminated water or air or having blood disorders.


There are also many medical, biological, emotional and mental conditions that mimic ADHD also. For those who are searching for reasons behind their child's behavior, here are some possibilities. Only settle for the diagnosis of ADHD after checking out all of these problems and many more.

! Conditions most over looked.

1.(! 1.) Hypoglycemia (Low Blood sugar) Low blood sugar can stem from thyroid disorders, liver or pancreatic problems, or adrenal gland abnormalities, or even an insufficient diet. Hypoglycemia can display the same ADHD like symptoms.

2.(! 2.) Allergies: 15 to 20 percent of the world has some type of allergy. A person can be allergic to nearly anything so check for all forms. Food is one of the primary causes of allergic reactions. Just like the Car and human analogy stated above. If a child eats food they are allergic to, the body will not run properly and that may affect behavior. Everyone has different sensitivities to allergens so just because you aren't affected does not mean your child won't be also. (Some examples, Allergic reactions to food dye, milk, chocolate, and grains, ect.)

3.(! 3.) Learning disabilities: If the primary place of behavior problems is at school, learning disabilities may be the cause of ill behavior. One of the main things that affect a child's self-esteem is how well they do in school. If a child has an undiagnosed learning disorder that makes school much harder and sometimes impossible. Children with undiagnosed learning disabilities are labeled as lazy, stupid, and many other downgrading opinions that affect self-esteem. And many times when a child's self-esteem is at jeopardy they try to make up for it in other sometimes-nonproductive ways such as acting out, bullying, or becoming the class clown.

4.(! 4.) Hyper or hypothyroidism: An imbalance in metabolism that occurs from an overproduction or underproduction of thyroid hormones. This imbalance may cause a variety of behaviors and may affect all body functions.

5.(! 5.) Hearing and vision problems: If a child can't see or hear properly, school and daily things in life are nearly impossible and it may cause ADHD like symptoms especially in educational settings.

6. (! 6.) Mild to high lead levels, even in the absence of clinical lead poisoning: research shows that children with even mildly elevated lead levels suffer from reduced IQs, attention deficits, and poor school performance. Lead is the leading culprit in toxin-caused hyperactivity..

*Other good possibilities to check for

7.(*1.) Spinal Problems: Some spinal problems can cause ADHD like symptoms because if the spine is not connected to the brain properly nerves from the spinal cord can give the brain all of signals at once making a child rambunctious and always on the go.

8.(*2.) Toxin exposures: Children are more vulnerable to toxins than adults. Such as pesticide-poisoning (Eating vegetables and fruit not washed thoroughly, they can be exposed to them by playing outside on the ground), also by gasoline fumes, and herbicides. Inside there are also many toxins. Disinfectants, furniture polishes and air fresheners are toxins that can affect some children's behaviors. Beds and carpets are one of the most dangerous places in the house because they are full of different types of dust, and other toxins. Toxins can cause hyperactivity, attention deficits, irritability, and learning problems.

9.(*3.) Carbon Monoxide poisoning : Thousands of children each year are exposed to toxic levels of this gas each year. Sources include gas heaters, and other gas appliances such as fireplaces, dryers, and water heaters.

10.(*4.) Seizure disorders: The most overlooked is the absence Seizures. During an absence seizure, the brain's normal activity shuts down. The child stares blankly, sometimes rotates his eyes upward, and occasionally blinks or jerks repetitively, he drops objects from his hand, and there may be some mild involuntary movements known as automatisms. The attack lasts for a few seconds and then it is over as rapidly as it begins. If these attacks occur dozens of times each day, they can interfere with a child's school performance and be confused by parents and teachers with daydreaming.

11.(*5.) Metabolic disorders: They reduce the brain's supply of glucose, the bodies fuel and can cause ADHD like symptoms.

12. (*6.) Genetic defects: Some mild forms of genetic disorders can go unnoticed in children and display some of the same symptoms of ADHD. Mild forms of Turner's syndrome, sickle-cell anemia, and Fragile X syndrome are some examples. Almost any genetic disorder can cause hyperactivity or other behavior problems, even if the disorder isn't normally linked to such problems. Many genetic diseases disrupt brain functions directly, through a variety of paths. A simple blood test can rule out genetic disorders.
13.(*7.) Sleeping disorders or other problems causing fatigue and crankiness during the day.

14.(*8.) Post-traumatic sub clinical seizure disorder: It causes episodic temper explosions. These fits of temper come out of the blue for no reason. Some of these seizures can be too subtle to detect without a twenty-four-hour electroencephalogram (EEG).

15.(*9.) High mercury levels: One of the most interesting things regarding high mercury levels is that it can relate to dental fillings. Children who have mercury amalgam fillings in their mouth and grind their teeth are at risk of high mercury levels. American dental associations are defensive on the subject of mercury fillings but many European countries have discontinued the use of them because of side effects. There are also other causes of high mercury levels.

16.(*10.) High manganese levels

17.(*11.) Iron deficiency: Iron is an essential component of hemoglobin, the oxygen carrying pigment in the blood. Iron is normally obtained through the food in the diet and by the recycling of iron from old red blood cells. The causes of iron deficiency are too little iron in the diet, poor absorption of iron by the body, and loss of blood. It is also caused by lead poisoning in children.

18.(*12.) B vitamin deficiencies: Many experts believe that one of the main causes for inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, temper tantrums, sleep disorders, forgetfulness, and aggression are caused by faulty neurotransmissions a problem with the neurotransmitters in the brain. Vitamin B-6 is a necessary vitamin used in the making of neurotransmitters that affect behavior. A lack of this vitamin or really any other vitamin can cause a child to act inappropriately.

19.(*13.) Excessive amounts of Vitamins: Excessive amounts of vitamins can be toxic to the body and may cause the same ADHD like symptoms. It is possible to overdose when taking vitamins so make sure you contact a physician and check for vitamin deficiencies before taking extra vitamins.

20.(*14.) Tourette's syndrome: Tourette's syndrome is a rare but disruptive condition. It involves multiple tics (small, repetitive muscle movements), usually facial tics with grimacing and blinking. Tics may also occur in the shoulders and arms. This is usually accompanied by loud vocalizations, which may include grunts or noises, or uncontrollable (compulsive) use of obscenities or short phrases. The tics are worse during emotional stress and are absent during sleep. The cause is unknown. It occurs most often in boys, and may begin around age 7 or 8 or not until the child is in his or her late teens or early twenties. It may, at times, run in families. This disorder can be mistaken for not being able to sit still or impulsive behavior.

21.(*15.) Sensory Integration Dysfunction: Sensory Integration Dysfunction is the inefficient neurological processing of information received through the senses, causing problems with learning, development, and behavior. These children are over-sensitive or under-sensitive dealing in touch, taste, smell, sound, or sight. For example, some of these children crave fast and spinning movement, such as swinging, rocking, twirling, and riding the merry-go-round- without getting dizzy. These children may move constantly, fidget, enjoy getting into upside down positions and be a daredevil. These children may become overexcited when there is too much to look at words, toys, or other children. They may cover their eyes, have poor eye contact, be inattentive when drawing or doing desk work, or overreact to bright light. These children often act out in an attempt to cope with their inability to process sensory information such as acting out in crowded or loud places.

**Definitely check if there is a family history of the condition
22.(**1.) Early-onset diabetes: Symptoms include aggression, depression, and anxiety. If you have a family history of diabetes checking for this is a must.

23.(**2.) Heart disease: It affects blood and oxygen flow to the brain affecting brain function that in-turn affects behavior.

24.(**3.) Cardiac conditions: It can reduce the supply of blood, oxygen and nutrients to the brain. Defective blood vessels between organs to the brain.

25.(**4.) Early-Onset Bi-Polar disorder: Also know as child-like Bi-polar. The experts state that 85% of children with child-like Bi-polar also meet the criteria for ADHD. The symptoms are extremely close. Most people when they think of Bi-polar disorder, think of Adult like Bipolar which mood swings happen over a somewhat long period of time. In child-like Bipolar, the mood swings can happen many times within a twenty-four hour day, known as rapid cycling. At one moment they're calm and the next minute they could be in a full fledge temper tantrum. Some of the symptoms are Distractibility, Hyperactivity, impulsivity, separation anxiety, restlessness, depressed mood, low self-esteem, and many more. Early-Onset Bi-polar should be ruled out before ADHD is considered mainly because they are treated with different medications if you choose medications that is. ADHD is treated with stimulant medications which will make a Bipolar child worse possibly psychotic.

***General problems you can think about yourself and check if you see fit.

26.(***1.) CAPD (Central Auditory processing Disorder) will sometimes occur in children who have had a history of ear infections and/or PE tubes. Symptoms include distractibility, inability to follow a set of verbal instructions, "space out", etc.

27.(***2.) Worms: Such as Pinworms lay their eggs in the anal area, causing tickling and itching, which are most bothersome at night. The lack of sleep from this type of infestation can cause crankiness or bad behavior during the day. When asleep, nightmares may be present. This problem is mostly found in very young children preschool to kindergarten because of primitive toileting skills, they tend to put their fingers in their mouths, and they participate in a lot of hands-on activities with other kids and with pets. Roundworms, hookworms, and tapeworms are other examples that can make a child display ADHD like symptoms. Worms cause hyperactive behavior, learning problems, depression, or attention deficits by making children miserable on the inside.

28.(***3.) Viral or bacterial infections: When a child is affected by an infection that might cause problem behavior.

29.(***4.) Malnutrition or improper diet: Many children in the United States do not eat a well balanced diet. A proper diet is necessary to growing children. An improper diet can affect a child's behavior in an ill way.

30.(***5.) Head injuries: Such as the post concussion syndrome. Some of the symptoms include Irritability, emotionality, memory problems, depression, and sleep disturbances. A concussion can disrupt brain functioning causing ADHD like symptoms.

31.(***6.) Dietary Factors: (For example to much caffeine and sugar) At doses as low as 250 milligrams a day, a level many American children exceed- caffeine can cause rambling speech, attention and concentration problems, agitation, heart palpitations, insomnia, and hyperactive behavior. In a way, it is true we are what we eat.

32.(***7.) Some disorders such as anemias reduce oxygen to the brain causing disturbance in the brains chemistry causing ADHD like symptoms.

33.(***8.) Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) or Fetal alcohol effects (FAE): FAS is a name that doctors use to describe the damage done to children's brains and bodies when their mother drink heavily during pregnancy. It is the leading form of mental retardation today. Prenatal alcohol impairment, however, also comes in a milder form called fetal alcohol effects (FAE). Children with FAE often don't look disabled, and they tend to score in the low-normal or even normal range of intelligence. But these kids aren't normal. Their mal-developed brains cause them to exhibit a wide range of behavior problems, including hyperactivity, attention problems, learning disorders, and ethical problems such as stealing, lying, and cheating.

34.(***9.) Intentionally or unintentionally sniffing materials such as modeling glue or other house hold products.

35.(***10.) Some drugs:, (both prescription and illegal) can cause the brain to atrophy, leading to disturbed cognition and behavior. If your child routinely takes prescription or over-the-counter medications for asthma, hay fever, allergies, headaches, or any other condition, consider the possibility that the drugs are causing or contributing to behavior problems.

36.(***11.) :A beta-hemolytic streptococcus:(better known as "strep.") Although these bacteria are most commonly thought of as the cause of strep throat. Left untreated, strep can cause rheumatic fever and a movement disorder called Sydenham's chorea. Moreover, recurrent infections can lead, in susceptible children, to a group of symptoms collectively known as PANDAS (Pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders) Some symptoms of PANDAS include obsessive-compulsive behavior, Tourette's syndrome, hyperactivity, cognitive problems, and fidgeting.

37.(***12.) Lack of exercise: "Hyper Couch Potatoes" are children who aren't moving enough. Some children because of lack of exercise may seem as though they are always in motion, but often that motion is in fits and spurts: leaping up from a chair, spinning around in the lunch line, bouncing in a chair while watching TV. Quite a few hyperactive children actually do not get enough sustained, strenuous exercise to stay healthy mentally and physically. Exercise can make people happier, less anxious, less hyperactive, and less depressed. One reason is that exercise increases serotonin levels in the brain exactly what Prozac, Elavil, and similar drugs do.

38.(***13.) Gifted Children: Gifted children often display ADHD like symptoms because most of the time they are bored with what other kids their age are doing. Behaviors associated with Giftedness are poor attention, boredom, daydreaming, low tolerance for persistence on tasks that seem irrelevant, their judgment often lags behind their development of intellect, their intensity may lead to power struggles with authorities, and they may have a high activity level. They may need less sleep compared to other children, and they may question rules, customs, and traditions. If your child scores above average on IQ tests, aces exams, has no trouble with homework, has no apparent learning disabilities, and primarily exhibits his or her problems mostly at school, maybe seeking a more challenging class or school would help.

39.(***14.) Emotional problems: Kids who are experiencing emotional problems most often display ADHD like symptoms. For example, kids who are constantly subjected to bullying at school can display ADHD like symptoms. These are normal kids that act out because they are scared. They experience sleeping problems, sadness, and they develop physical symptoms, especially if they think those symptoms will keep them home from school. Often they can't concentrate in class, partly because they are worried and partly because they are suffering from sleep deprivation. Really any emotional problem at school or home in which a child is having trouble coping with can result in ADHD like symptoms.

40.(***15.) Some kids are spoiled and undisciplined: A number of children labeled hyperactive are merely under-disciplined children. They tend to run their household and get away with anything. Dr Syndey Walker stated this problem best of why parents under-discipline their children. He stated that he blamed not the parents but on the psychological experts who have counseled parents for several decades that children are fragile, easily traumatized little flowers who could be ruined for life by a cross look or a scolding which is very untrue. Children need firm discipline and strict rules not abuse but setting rules and standards and demanding those standards be met, and giving consequences when your rules are broken. Labeling undisciplined kids as ADHD who are not gives them an excuse for their misbehavior, which will often make it worse.

41.(***16.) Spirited children: When dealing with spirited children the problem usually does not lie with the child but with society's perception of what normal childhood behavior is. Many normal children, according to some people, display ADHD like symptoms not because they are hyperactive or lack sufficient attention spans but because the person forming the opinion has unrealistic standards of how a child should behave.

42.(***17.) Lack of understanding and communication skills: One of the main reasons why a child acts out and throws temper tantrums when they have a problem is because of their lack of understanding of a problem and lack of expressing how they feel. Children do not have the vocabulary or know how to express their emotions like adults do, that's why many act out when they are in a difficult situation. They are not able tell you something is wrong so they show you instead. This is one reason why any emotional or medical problem can cause acting out behavior in children.

Rare Rare conditions but still good to check for and know about.

43.(Rare 1.) Early stage brain tumors: Found rarely in children but should still be considered. Statistically, this diagnosis may not be important but to individual families, they assuredly are.

44. (Rare 2.) Brain cysts: Another rare cause of hyperactivity but should still be considered when searching for the reasons behind displayed ADHD like behavior.

45. (Rare 3.) Temporal lobe seizures: The Temporal lobe is a part of the brain. Any brain malfunction can cause inappropriate behavior. That's why conducting brain scans is a must when trying to figure out behavior problems.

46. (Rare 4.) Klinefelter syndrome: A Genetic disorder in which a male has an extra X chromosome (XXY). Many individuals experience learning, behavior, and social problems. A degree of subnormal intelligence appears in some affected individuals. Many affected individuals are skinny and taller than most of their peers. A simple blood test can rule this disorder out.

47.(Rare 5.) Genetic Disorder XYY: The extra Y chromosome has been associated with antisocial behavior.

48. (Rare 6.) Porphyria: A hereditary enzyme-deficiency disease. Enzymes are very important to our body's chemical reactions. Really nothing occurs in our body without enzymes. A lack of enzymes causes body malfunctioning which can cause ill behavior.

49. (Rare 7.) Candida Albicans infestation (Yeast Infection) : Candida infestations cause hyperactivity in children. Most children who do suffer from Candida infestations have some underlying problem frequently an immune disorder, or a disorder affecting carbohydrate metabolism and thus altering blood sugar levels. So immune disorders can cause other problems that also have the same symptoms of ADHD.

50. (Rare 8.) Intestinal parasites: Parasites rob the body of needed nutrients which in-turn affects behavior.

another first....

Jimmy's birthday is tomorrow. To celebrate, we are taking the girls to their first movie theater movie, "Chicken Little." They are very excited. So are we. We've been practicing and talking about it for two weeks: waiting in line for the tickets, NOT getting a snack because we bring our own, sitting down and keeping our hands and feet to ourselves, about the noise and smells, etc. I hope they don't freak out.
I'll keep ya'll posted. LOL.

thought for the day

"There is a degree of tolerance which borders on insult."
~Jean Rostand

Tuesday, November 01, 2005

overheard


The girls were watching a program on a local Christian station that is supported by viewers contributions. Anyway, between shows, there was a voice over thanking the viewers for their support. You know this kind of thing:"This programming is made possible by viewers like you. Your contributions keep shows like this on the air. Thank you."
I heard Abby gasp solemnly but also excitedly to Emma Jean, "We are the ones Emma Jean. We make it popsicle!!"
  • International Day of Prayer for Autism & Asperger's Syndrome