7.5 percent of American children are taking medication to address behavioral or emotional difficulties

A new survey from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds 7.5 percent of American children are taking medication to address behavioral or emotional difficulties and in most cases parents say the drugs are making a big difference.

Boys and children who are white are most likely to be prescribed medication for behavioral or emotional issues. Children in low-income families and those insured by Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program are also taking the drugs in greater numbers.

The findings are based on interviews with parents of kids ages 6 to 17 across the country who participated in the National Health Interview Survey in 2011 and 2012.

A new survey from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds 7.5 percent of American children are taking medication to address behavioral or emotional difficulties and in most cases parents say the drugs are making a big difference.

Boys and children who are white are most likely to be prescribed medication for behavioral or emotional issues. Children in low-income families and those insured by Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program are also taking the drugs in greater numbers.

The findings are based on interviews with parents of kids ages 6 to 17 across the country who participated in the National Health Interview Survey in 2011 and 2012.

Read more here from Disability Scoop: http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2014/05/05/kids-behavioral-meds-rise/19334/

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Participatory Action Research (PAR) with students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD)

More and more individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) now have the opportunity to attend college.

This is possible not only due to strong advocacy, but also because applications of universal design principles have developed in higher education settings (Behling & Hart, 2008; Silver, Bourke, Strehorn, 1998), there are more grassroots initiatives to adopt supported education models (Mowbray, et al., 2005), and the field of inclusive postsecondary education is advancing non-traditional pathways to enroll and matriculate in college (Grigal, Dwyre, & Davis, 2006; Grigal & Hart, 2010; Hart, Zafft, & Zimbrich, 2001).

Given these approaches in creating college access and participation, it is logical that students with IDD have equally accessible, supported and non-traditional methods to evaluate their college experiences.

Traditional evaluation methods are useful for gathering information about students’ college status. For instance, surveys are useful for collecting descriptive information, such as what classes students are taking, if they are taking the classes for audit or credit, what campus resources they are using, and what supports they require to fully participate in college.

Less used but equally important are research methods that gather students’ perceptions of their college experience from the students themselves. One strategy for effectively gathering data from and with students is Participatory Action Research, or PAR.

PAR is an emancipatory and cyclical form of research that promotes collaboration between researchers and participants. Over the last 20 years, there has been an increasing interest by community-based researchers in using PAR to enable people to tell stories that help them to interpret their lives (Ferguson, Ferguson, & Taylor, 1992; Stringer, 2007).

With thanks to Jasmina Sisirak <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.> of HealthMatters Alerts for this news

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Helen has been living with Uveitis and sight loss since birth. And now she lives with her new baby

Helen Markey writes in her blog: It has been a while since my last blog post and as you can imagine a lot has changed. I now have a happy healthy 9 month old boy and my life couldn't be any different. No more doing as I please, going wherever, whenever I want. I now have another, more important person to put first now.

I am obviously pretty well practised at looking after myself and coping with my low vision, and it has been a whole new challenge with the introduction of caring for a baby.

I have had lots of fun trying to do the little things that most mothers do but with an impairment - express milk using a torch as a back light, nappies take longer than they should as I want to triple-triple check nothing has been missed, and meal times can be a messy experience for all!

Are you worried about cruelty happening to you or someone you know? - UK website with relevant advice

ActionAgainstCruelty provides practitioners and service users with guidance on tackling cruelty towards people with learning disabilities and towards building supportive and informed communities in which people can live safe, independent and fulfilling lives.

Visit: https://www.lemosandcrane.co.uk/actionagainstcruelty/