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News and Information as of Jan 28, 2012 |
More juveniles in Santa Cruz County tried as adults than state average
Tue, 30 Aug 2011 20:21:02 - Pacific Time
Santa Cruz County is more likely than most counties in the state to try juvenile offenders as adults for serious crimes, a new study shows. A study authored by the nonpartisan, San Francisco-based Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, describes “wild” disparities between California counties when it comes to prosecutors filing to try minors in adult courts. Titled “An analysis of direct adult criminal court filing 2003-2009: What has been the effect of Proposition 21?” the paper suggests that some counties use direct filing more than others based on prosecutorial discretion.Proposition 21, passed by voters in 2000, allows prosecutors to “direct file” certain juvenile felony cases in adult court without having to review them first with a judge. The usual reason for direct adult filing is to secure a potentially longer sentence, because youths sentenced in juvenile court typically can only be imprisoned until they are 25. From 2003 through 2009, California prosecutors filed 4,045 youth cases in adult criminal court, the report says. During that time, for every 1,000 youths whose charges qualified for possible adult trials, the state average was 25.4 per thousand. Santa Cruz County had a higher-than-average rate of using the practice with 31.4 filed per 1,000 cases, the report stated. San Francisco County had the lowest rate, with an average of 1.5 per thousand. Ventura County had the highest rate with 122.1 per thousand. "We use direct filings for the most serious offenders," said Bob Lee, the Santa Cruz County district attorney. Juveniles accused of murder and other serious acts of violence would meet that criteria, though Lee said he looks at all cases before they are direct-filed. Lee said he considers the offender’s age and the severity of the crime. "We try to protect the community from people who have demonstrated a callous disregard for human life," Lee said. The year Proposition 21 passed in 2002, it was billed as a way to reign in youth gang violence. But the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice’s report says the law’s application has had no effect on youth crime rates. "Prosecutor predilection towards direct adult criminal court filing is not founded upon any demonstrable effect of reducing juvenile crime rates," the report states. Youth crime has declined statewide, but the analysis found that the 30 counties using direct filing at higher-than-average rates actually saw less of a reduction in youth crimes during the seven years studied than the 28 counties that used it at lower-than-average rates. That discovery, along with "radically different" practices among counties "is disturbing," the authors state. "This practice has not proven successful." Read More...
Moms' smoking linked to psychiatric meds in kids
Sun, 28 Aug 2011 08:31:13 - Pacific Time
Kids whose moms smoked while pregnant were more likely to end up on medications such as antidepressants, stimulants and drugs for addiction in a new study from Finland that hints at maternal smoking's effect on a baby's developing brain. hile the findings don't prove that cigarette smoking during pregnancy causes changes in kids' brains or behavior, they offer one more piece of evidence that should encourage women not to light up while pregnant, the researchers wrote in the American Journal of Epidemiology. he new study is "entirely consistent with a large and still-growing research literature on the effects of prenatal and secondhand smoke exposure on the mental health of children," said Dr. Michael Weitzman, who studies that topic at New York University Medical Center and was not involved in the new study. I found it very interesting and very important," Weitzman said. he research, he added, is the first he knows of that looks specifically at use of psychiatric medications in kids whose moms had smoked. hat's important, the authors noted, because tracking medication prescriptions may pick up on more mild conditions than studies that only include kids who are hospitalized for mental illness, for example. Read More...
Court Ruling Denies Quick Resolution of Autism Therapy Issue
Fri, 26 Aug 2011 11:05:56 - Pacific Time
A Sacramento Superior Court judge issued a preliminary ruling that denies an attempt by HMOs to receive a quick decision as to whether health insurers must cover a certain autism treatment, the Sacramento Business Journal reports.The matter will move to trial if the tentative ruling holds following a limited argument in court on Thursday. The case involves a therapy known as applied behavioral analysis, or ABA. The treatment teaches children with autism and similar conditions how to eat, learn and play. Insurers consider ABA as an educational therapy rather than a medical treatment. In October, the California Association of Health Plans filed a lawsuit claiming that only lawmakers, not the state Department of Managed Health Care, can mandate a new insurance benefit. The association asked for a speedy adjudication of the issue or a summary judgment. Meanwhile, DMHC in July announced deals with Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of California to extend coverage to policyholders who request the therapy until the issue is settled. Judge Shelleyanne Chang concluded that the insurance association did not satisfy the burden of proof that the law is clear on the issue of coverage. She noted that there are disputed matters and that the lawsuit should proceed. Chang said DMHC has established the existence of a "triable issue" on five facts, thereby requiring denial of a summary judgment. Nicole Evans -- a spokesperson for the California Association of Health Plans -- said, "Essentially, the court decided to delay making a decision without addressing the subject of the lawsuit." Evans said the association will keep pursuing the lawsuit. DMHC officials were reviewing the ruling and did not issue a comment (Robertson, Sacramento Business Journal, 8/24). Read More...
Sibling Autism Risk is Higher Than Previously Thought
Thu, 25 Aug 2011 07:59:13 - Pacific Time
Parents of a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) face about a 19 percent chance that subsequent children will also develop ASD, according to a study partially funded by NIMH. This estimate is much higher than previous reports but may also be more accurate due to the study's size and design, according to the researchers. Their study was published August 15, 2011, online ahead of print in the journal Pediatrics. A few previous studies have explored the recurrence rate of ASD, or the likelihood of later-born siblings of children with ASD to also develop ASD. Sally Ozonoff, Ph.D., of the University of California-Davis, and colleagues evaluated data on 664 infants who were tested at 12 sites across the United States and Canada. All sites were members of the Baby Siblings Research Consortium (BSRC), an international network supported by the U.S. advocacy group Autism Speaks. All BSRC members contribute data to a centralized database that allows infant-sibling researchers to pool data across many sites and answer questions that require very large and geographically diverse samples to address. The average age of the infant participants at the start of the study was 8 months, an age when signs of ASD are not usually present; two-thirds of the total study population were enrolled before age 6 months. All had at least one older sibling diagnosed with ASD, which was confirmed by a consortium doctor. The participants were themselves assessed for ASD multiple times in their first three years of life. Out of the total study sample, 18.7 percent of participants were diagnosed with ASD by age 3. Boys were nearly three times as likely as girls to be diagnosed with ASD. Participants who had more than one older sibling with ASD were about twice as likely to also be diagnosed with ASD, compared to participants who had only one older sibling with ASD. Unlike some previous studies, the gender or IQ of the older sibling with ASD did not affect the later sibling's risk in the present study. The findings indicate that ASD recurrence is 18 percent or higher, compared to 3-14 percent estimated in earlier studies. The researchers note that their study's size and design minimized the effects of stoppage, overreporting, and ascertainment bias. Read More...
UK doctors study link between Down syndrome and Alzheimer's
Wed, 24 Aug 2011 08:11:24 - Pacific Time
Individuals with Down syndrome are living longer than ever, and they face increased risks of age-related conditions such as Alzheimer's disease. In fact, due to an extra copy of a chromosome, people with Down syndrome produce extra Alzheimer's-linked proteins in their brains. Like all people with Alzheimer's disease, people with Down syndrome develop plaques and tangles in their brains, but they do so at a younger age than people who don't have Down syndrome. Research has shown that virtually all individuals with Down syndrome have Alzheimer's-like changes in their brains by age 40, although they might not develop dementia until age 50 or later. During this approximately 10-year period, although the brain appears to have protein changes consistent with dementia, individuals continue to function at their usual levels. This same thing occurs in the general population, as many participants in the UK Sanders-Brown Center on Aging brain donation program come to autopsy with full-blown Alzheimer's pathology in their brains but no record of clinical dementia symptoms during life. Working to understand how the brains of individuals with Down syndrome adapt to aging might hold keys to unraveling the mysteries of Alzheimer's disease. If we as investigators learn how people can continue to function normally while their brains develop physical manifestations of Alzheimer's, we might be one step closer to heading off dementia in millions of people. Because the brain aging process is in many ways accelerated in people with Down syndrome, working with these individuals is an ideal way to study how we can prolong normal brain function for individuals with Down syndrome and the general population. To this end, researchers are conducting a study involving participants 35 and older who have Down syndrome. The study is funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Participants are asked to come to the University of Kentucky every six months throughout the five-year study to give a blood sample, take thinking and memory tests, have a neurological exam, and undergo a MRI brain scan. The goal is to recruit and study 40 adults with Down syndrome who do not have signs of dementia, and 10 to 12 adults with Down syndrome who have been diagnosed with dementia. Those who already have dementia will come to UK only once. While adults with Down syndrome are predisposed to Alzheimer's disease, there is hope. We are learning much from their experiences and hope that our research will result in knowledge that can improve the quality of life for individuals with Down syndrome and their families, and for those with Alzheimer's and related dementia. Read More...
ADHD on the Rise: Almost One in 10 Children Diagnosed
Wed, 24 Aug 2011 08:07:21 - Pacific Time
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, is on the rise, with nearly one in 10 American children receiving an ADHD diagnosis, according to a new study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "ADHD continues to increase, and that has implications for educational and health care because kids with ADHD disproportionately use more services, and there are several co-morbid conditions that go along with it," Dr. Lara J. Akinbami, lead author of the study, told ABCNews.com. From 1998 to 2009, according to the study, the percentage of children ever diagnosed with ADHD increased from 7 percent to 9 percent. The study also found a larger increase in ADHD among children in the South and Midwest regions of the U.S. ADHD is one of the most common behavioral problems in children, characterized by difficulty in sustaining attention, impulsivity and hyperactivity. It continues to occur more frequently in boys than girls, and the number of cases increased by about 10 percent in children living in low-income households. "ADHD is genetically based and often unnoticed," said Michael Manos, head of the Center for Pediatric Behavioral Health at the Cleveland Clinic. "We're far better at noticing it now, and that is good." But researchers say it's not clear whether the number of reported cases of ADHD has actually increased or whether there's simply more awareness of the disorder. "Most informed professionals will concur that it is better reported and recognized. This fact has resulted in the prevalence increases," said Manos. Every major ethnic group saw an increase in ADHD except for children of Mexican descent. "Mexican children remain with much lower ADHD prevalence than other Hispanics," said Akinbami. "We tend to miss the differences between Puerto Ricans and Mexicans, and this difference could be largely due to remaining language behaviors and cultural attitudes. Whether this is a real lower prevalence or if it remains unreported is unclear." Past research shows that only about half of children who qualify for an ADHD test actually receive one, researchers noted in the study. "With prevalence rates so high across sex and race, and with the barriers that limit treatment in low-income families, we do a disservice to a large percentage of our population," said Manos. Read More...
ADHD Tied to Risk of Written-Language Disorder in Children
Tue, 23 Aug 2011 11:11:49 - Pacific Time
Children of both genders with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have an increased risk of written-language disorder (WLD), with girls having a significantly higher risk of WLD with reading disability (RD) than boys, according to a study published online Aug. 22 in Pediatrics.Kouichi Yoshimasu, M.D., from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and colleagues investigated the incidence of WLD among 5,718 children (2,956 boys and 2,762 girls) with and without ADHD (born between 1976 to 1982, and 5 years or older). Data were collected from medical, school, and private tutorial records; cumulative incidences of WLD, with or without RD, and hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated. The investigators found that, for both genders, children with ADHD had a significantly higher cumulative incidence of WLD by 19 years of age than children without ADHD (boys, 64.5 versus 16.5 percent; girls, 57 versus 9.4 percent). Compared to boys, girls had a significantly higher magnitude of association between ADHD and WLD with RD (adjusted HR for girls, 9.8; adjusted HR for boys, 4.2); however, there was no significant difference between boys and girls for the association between ADHD and WLD without RD (adjusted HR for girls, 7.4; adjusted HR for boys, 6.6). "Our results show that ADHD is associated with a significantly increased risk of WLD in boys and girls regardless of comorbid RD; however, the magnitude of the risk of WLD with RD associated with ADHD is significantly higher for girls than for boys," the authors write. Read More...
Mental problems rise with kids' screen time
Tue, 12 Oct 2010 06:48:16 - Pacific Time
More than two hours a day spent watching television or playing computer games could put a child at greater risk for psychological problems, suggests a new study. British researchers found the effect held regardless of how active kids were during the rest of the day. "We know that physical activity is good for both physical and mental health in children and there is some evidence that screen viewing is associated with negative behaviors," lead researcher Dr. Angie Page of the University of Bristol told Reuters Health in an e-mail. "But it wasn't clear whether having high physical activity levels would 'compensate' for high levels of screen viewing in children." Page and her colleagues studied more than 1,000 kids between the ages of 10 and 11. Over seven days, the children filled out a questionnaire reporting how much time they spent daily in front of a television or computer and answering questions describing their mental state -- including emotional, behavioral, and peer-related problems. Meanwhile, an accelerometer measured their physical activity. The odds of significant psychological difficulties were about 60 percent higher for children spending longer than two hours a day in front of either screen compared with kids exposed to less screen time, the researchers report in the journal Pediatrics. For children with more than two hours of both types of screen time during the day, the odds more than doubled. Read More...
Jaundice at birth may be linked to autism
Tue, 12 Oct 2010 06:45:05 - Pacific Time
Babies diagnosed with jaundice may be more likely to later receive a diagnosis of autism, suggests a large new study. However, the Danish researchers caution that many questions remain unanswered, making it too early to say for sure if there is a true cause-and-effect relationship between the conditions. Environmental exposures prior to, during and shortly after birth are emerging as important risk factors for the development of autism, in addition to genetic factors, Hannah Gardener of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, who was not involved in the study, told Reuters Health in an e-mail. Jaundice is a common condition among newborns that results when the yellow pigment found in bile, called bilirubin, accumulates faster than the immature liver can process it. More than half of babies born full-term have some of the characteristic yellowing of the skin and eyes, but it usually resolves itself and is rarely harmful. Autism, which causes problems with social and communications skills, affects approximately one in every 110 U.S. children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In a prior study, Dr. Rikke Damkjaer Maimburg of Aarhus University found that children diagnosed with autism were twice as likely to have been admitted to the neonatal care unit as newborns, most commonly for jaundice. Yet she knew that earlier research into a link between jaundice and autism had yielded conflicting results. So Maimburg and her colleagues decided to conduct a larger and more rigorous study than those done in the past. They retrieved detailed information from national registries on nearly all babies born in Denmark between 1994 and 2004. Of the 733,826 children born during that period, 35,766 were born with jaundice, 1,721 were later diagnosed with a psychological disorder of some kind and 577 developed autism. Read More...
News Archive
Early ADHD diagnosis a risk factor for depression: Tue, 5 Oct 2010 19:03:46 - Pacific Time: Read More...
The Help Group Summit 2010: Tue, 28 Sep 2010 06:34:22 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Congress eliminates the R-word: Tue, 28 Sep 2010 06:29:07 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Court rejects counting interns as qualified teachers for 'No Child' law: Tue, 28 Sep 2010 06:25:39 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Study Claims Puberty Cming Earlier for U.S. Girls: Tue, 10 Aug 2010 02:27:45 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Little evidence antidepressants helpful for autism: Tue, 10 Aug 2010 02:22:39 - Pacific Time: Read More...
ADHD meds help, but many parents still against them: Tue, 20 Jul 2010 09:58:06 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative produces long-term gains: Wed, 30 Jun 2010 06:22:06 - Pacific Time: Read More...
When to Buy Your Child a Cellphone: Tue, 29 Jun 2010 07:52:41 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Smoking around kids exacts a high toll: Tue, 29 Jun 2010 07:42:36 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Parenting style influences teen drinking patterns, researchers say: Thu, 24 Jun 2010 06:34:16 - Pacific Time: Read More...
States Seek Federal Waivers to Cut Special Education: Tue, 15 Jun 2010 10:39:57 - Pacific Time: Read More...
States Closing Youth Prisons as Arrests Plunge: Wed, 9 Jun 2010 06:13:10 - Pacific Time: Read More...
U.S. Supreme Court Rejects No Child Left Behind Challenge: Tue, 8 Jun 2010 07:40:43 - Pacific Time: Read More...
No magic bullet for education: Tue, 1 Jun 2010 07:58:09 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Report On "Kids For Cash" Juvenile Justice Scandal: Tue, 1 Jun 2010 07:51:09 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Vyvanse effective for teens with ADHD: Fri, 28 May 2010 04:20:17 - Pacific Time: Read More...
New Report Highlights Strategies to Improve California's Juvenile Justice System: Thu, 27 May 2010 10:34:15 - Pacific Time: Read More...
U.S. Supreme Court rejects life sentences for some youths: Tue, 18 May 2010 08:44:48 - Pacific Time: Read More...
U.S. schools add fresh food without busting budgets: Thu, 6 May 2010 17:20:33 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Early Promise for Mental Retardation Drug: Wed, 5 May 2010 07:33:30 - Pacific Time: Read More...
UAE sees high rates of Down Syndrome: Tue, 4 May 2010 07:29:52 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Education Chief Vies to Expand U.S. Role as Partner on Local Schools: Tue, 4 May 2010 07:26:43 - Pacific Time: Read More...
U.S. students suffering from Internet addiction: study: Sun, 25 Apr 2010 14:52:21 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Key lawmaker: Education overhaul might get left behind: Fri, 23 Apr 2010 07:24:40 - Pacific Time: Read More...
84 Percent of California Teachers Reported Unfavorable Attitudes Toward NCLB: Mon, 12 Apr 2010 05:48:32 - Pacific Time: Read More...
CSUN Awarded Federal Grant to Strengthen Special Education Programs: Thu, 8 Apr 2010 07:29:13 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Citing Trig, Palin Says “Give Health Care Reform a Chance”: Thu, 1 Apr 2010 06:54:13 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Family therapy helps ease kids' stomach pain: Fri, 26 Mar 2010 04:33:25 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Texas shows Obama how to replace No Child Left Behind: Fri, 19 Mar 2010 09:38:16 - Pacific Time: Read More...
National Academic Standards Call For Higher Bar In Special Education: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 04:45:06 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Teens With More Screen Time Have Lower-Quality Relationships: Wed, 3 Mar 2010 05:09:07 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Advice on who should consider genetic testing: Wed, 17 Feb 2010 09:59:46 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Reading to Kids a Crucial Tool in English Language Development: Wed, 17 Feb 2010 09:50:51 - Pacific Time: Read More...
High-achieving disabled teens shatter stereotypes: Mon, 15 Feb 2010 06:26:29 - Pacific Time: Read More...
White House Meeting Draws ‘R-Word’ Apology, Pledge From Emanuel: Thu, 4 Feb 2010 07:42:15 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Drugs tested to improve learning in Fragile X syndrome, may give autism hints: Tue, 2 Feb 2010 01:18:05 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Seven Years After Accusations, Judge Orders Special Education Teacher Fired: Thu, 14 Jan 2010 05:29:32 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Loss of epigenetic regulators causes mental retardation: Sat, 9 Jan 2010 06:37:28 - Pacific Time: Read More...
Court to decide LAUSD battle with charters: Fri, 8 Jan 2010 05:58:45 - Pacific Time: Read More...