My friend Liz was worried that her 14-year-old son, Andy, was traumatized. While on a ski trip, he had seen a child fall off the chairlift. Andy was sitting in close range, and he saw the paramedics airlift the boy to a hospital. Liz tried to process the accident with Andy, but he wouldn’t show any reaction. She made a few more attempts at conversation before letting it go.
Sitting in a hairdresser’s chair may sound simple, but for a child with autism having a haircut can be painful. One barber has developed a unique technique where he will cut a child’s hair during long periods while sitting on the floor, on window sills or even in the car.
This weekend, as part of an autism awareness event, he and 11 other barbers will cut the hair of 60 children with autism.
Sometimes, mom is sure there is something going on with her daughter and she’s desperate to know how to help. Other times, mom just misses that close relationship she once had as she navigates the teen yeas, and she’s understandably afraid or even disappointed. Either way, as adolescence descends upon your happy home, there will be changes. Your once chatty child is now becoming an independent young adult and you can feel like an outsider looking in.
Hundreds of disabled children were injured in schools while being physically restrained, an investigation has found.
Pupils were pinned face down on the floor, strapped into chairs, suffered broken bones and one had their head covered with a “spit hood”, according to 5 live Investigates.
There were around 13,000 restraints resulting in 731 injuries in Britain over the last three years, according to a Freedom of Information request by the programme.
Only 37 of the 207 local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales were able to provide the data, which means the actual figures could be much higher.
You can’t explain things like this to a toddler. Or at least, you shouldn’t try unless you want to spend 10 hours being peppered with excruciating questions on the topic. By the time my boys were in preschool, though, I found myself unwilling to give many hard and fast ultimatums, or unequivocal yes or no answers. Life is nuanced, and even a five-year-old can understand that it’s okay to wear no pants in some circumstances, but not others.
A report from Sweden’s Karolinska Institute suggests that parenthood extends life expectancy by about two years. A man of my age (61) can expect to live 20 more years rather than the 18 allotted for the childless.
As is often the case, I find myself feeling grateful to my children. They have not only brought me pleasure, laughter and meaning, but also it turns out that they are acting as a kind of elixir to keep me around. With four daughters – and I know this isn’t mathematically accurate, but allow me my fantasies – I reckon I should be good for at least another 25 years. The question is, why does this effect take place?