child and adolescent

Birth – 18 years.

Our child and adolescent Blogs

One in 12 teenagers self harm, but most stop spontaneously

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Researchers from Australia have published the first population based study to chart the incidence of self harm during the transition from late adolescence through to adulthood. They recruited a stratified random sample of 1,943 teenagers from 44 schools across Victoria over a 16 year period (1992-2008). Participants were given questionnaires and telephone interviews and followed [read the full story…]

Study finds children with Down syndrome at risk for developing symptoms of sleep disordered breathing

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The authors of this study set out to investigate sleep patterns in children with Down syndrome by asking parents to complete a questionnaire on sleep habits. Typical sleep problems included sleep maintenance problems, snoring, and disordered breathing. The authors administered a 33 item questionnaire on children’s sleep habits to the parents of 35 children with [read the full story…]

Swedish study suggests incidence of 2.12 per 1000 children each year born to women with learning disabilities

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We have posted elsewhere on the site about the issue of support for parents with learning disabilities and the differences in perspective that exist between parents with disabilities and the professionals who support them. The authors of this study looked at the need for accurate planning data to support the development of support services. The [read the full story…]

Review suggests evidence in favour of risperidone but warns of continued adverse events

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Antipsychotic overprescribing is common in people with learning disabilities who have no record of severe mental illness.

This systematic review set out to look at the efficacy of atypical antipsychotic medication, also known as second generation antipsychotics, commonly used in the treatment of schizophrenia. There continues to be debate around whether these second-generation medications are safer or more effective than typical antipsychotics as they still can produce severe side effects. Other posts [read the full story…]

Family-based prevention and multi-component interventions may help prevent alcohol misuse in young people, say new systematic reviews

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Readers interested in preventing alcohol misuse in young people will find these two new systematic reviews from the Cochrane Library worth looking at in more detail. Both reviews have been conducted by researchers from Brookes University in Oxford, who searched for randomised controlled trials including school aged children up to 18 years old. The first [read the full story…]

Social interaction as part of activity can encourage more frequent participation in exercise by children with Down syndrome

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The authors of this study were interested to explore the barriers that might exist to enabling children with Down syndrome to do the recommended amount of daily physical activity. They were also interested to explore what might be facilitators to physical activity for this group. They carried out in-depth interviews with 20 parents (16 mothers, [read the full story…]

Study finds benefits of Intrathecal baclofen therapy for severe spasticity, despite complications

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Intrathecal Baclofen Therapy (IBT) is used in the management of severe spasticity in the body which cannot be adequately treated by oral means. The treatment is administered through an implantable infusion system, introduced into the space under the arachnoid membrane of the brain or spinal cord. This study set out to explore the impact of [read the full story…]

Two systematic reviews find little evidence for drug treatments in children under 12 with autism spectrum disorders

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Around 1% of the population have autism. There are a number of treatments available for the condition, including learning and development techniques, as well as medical interventions. However, there is little consensus about which drug treatments are most effective. A team of researchers from Nashville have recently published two systematic reviews in the Pediatrics journal, [read the full story…]

Emerging evidence on psychodynamic psychotherapy for children and adolescents

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The evidence-base for psychodynamic psychotherapy is growing. A meta-analysis by Shedler published in early 2010 showed that the effect sizes for psychodynamic therapy can be as large as for other ’empirically supported treatments’. However, there are fewer high quality studies available that look at the effectiveness of these therapies for young people. This systematic review [read the full story…]

New NICE guideline on the recognition, referral and diagnosis of children and young people on the autism spectrum

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The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) have commissioned the National Collaborating Centre for Women’s and Children’s Health to produce a new guideline on the recognition, referral and diagnosis of children and young people on the autism spectrum. The guideline is aimed at GPs, paediatricians, psychiatrists, psychologists, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists [read the full story…]