Behavior therapy effective in reducing tics

Courtesy of Science Daily: A study at UCLA finds that behavior therapy can be a very effective means of reducing tics in individuals with Tourette Syndrome. Basically, when the individual feels the premonitory urge to tic, s/he is taught to engage in an action that is incompatible with the tic (e.g., instead flinging your arms out behind you cross the in front of your chest).

Now, unfortunately my son tried this method, and we discovered that he is among the minority of individuals who actually will experience more severe tics after implementing this approach. This does not detract from my support of use of the method in general. I am fully in favor of finding non-invasive means of managing TS.

Depression in teens

Time reports that a new study published in JAMA indicates that group cognitive-behavioral therapy may be effective in preventing episodes of depression in teens.

"The Hawthorne Effect"

The author of Slate's "medical examiner" column discusses alternative therapies for autism, why he believes none of them work, and why he believes parents continue to swear by them. The article is interesting -- and less caustic than one might expect. I believe the author does miss one key point, though. I think it is entirely possible that parents continue to cling to treatments that are dismissed by the scientific community because they need to know that they are doing something that is helping their children. Nobody wants to give up hope.

Melatonin

"Melatonin therapy for circadian rhythm sleep disorders in children with multiple disabilities: What have we learned in the last decade?"

http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=255857

"Comfortably Numb"

I am hearing snippets of this show in between running in the backyard with the kids and making lunch. Today on Fresh Air, Charles Barber discusses his book, Comfortably Numb: How Psychiatry is Medicating a Nation. Find more information here: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89882885

I have mixed feelings about medications. I have to agree, though, with Barber's statements about the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy. We have seen many benefits from CBT.

For the Do-It-Yourselfers

Thanks to my friend Jennifer for the "heads-up" on this story.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/20/education/edlife/continuinged.html?pagewanted=1

"Of the 100 students in Dr. Reeve’s three-year-old program, 17 are parents of children with autism or related disorders. Like Ms. Duddy, they have decided that completing a master’s degree — and investing some $25,500 in tuition — is worth it to help their children. Along the way, most have been inspired to begin new careers. Ms. Duddy hopes to train therapists once her own education is complete."

I thought this was an interesting article, for a few reasons. I have been known to observe that I have accumulated enough knowledge and life experience for a master's degree in whatever field we want to assign to "raising and educating a twice-exceptional child." I certainly have felt, at times, that I would be better off handling all aspects of my son's care myself.

The comments about New Jersey resources also caught my attention. There are many things I do not like about life in New Jersey, but I readily admit that our decision to move here turned out to be the best thing we could do to help Origami with his issues. Birding seems to be very popular here, as well. :-)