THE BABBLE TAKE

Mainstream science classifies ADD/ADHD as a neurobiological disorder, most likely genetic, best treated by medication in combination with behavioural therapy. But ADD/ADHD rates are rising, causing speculation that there may be environmental factors. Some say ADD is over-diagnosed, the label slapped on children with a wide variety of behavioural problems. Leading British child psychiatrist Michael Rutter has even raised doubts as to whether or not ADD exists. Conversely, some experts believe the condition is underdiagnosed, questioning the effects of failing to treat a child with ADDHD. Some doctors feel the benefits of medications like Ritalin far outweigh the negatives. Others warn that we still know little of the long-term effects of such medicines on growing brains. They advocate medication only as a last resort.

IT’S UNDERDIAGNOSED:
ABC News
“Why Is ADHD So Under-diagnosed And Treated?”

The child and adolescent component of the 2000 National Mental Health Survey reported a rate of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) of about 6 per cent, essentially identical to a recent analysis of data from throughout the world. Yet the highest rates of medication for ADHD in Australia are no more than about 1.5 per cent. What is happening to the other 75 per cent of young people whose lives and those of their families are impaired by ADHD? Are they even being identified, far less receiving behavioural or other intervention?

IT’S OVERMEDICATED:
Dr. Sears
“Ritalin and Other A.D.D. Medications”

A: Let’s begin with the “A.” A.D.H.D. is not always a problem with attention . Often, these kids have a selective attention problem. They are able to go into a state of hyperfocus (pay deep attention) to things that interest them; but assign a task that seems trivial or lacks personal relevance (like most homework) and they will often tune out. When recognized and channeled properly, the ability to hyperfocus can work to the child’s advantage, both now and later on in life.

MIDDLE GROUND:
Children, Youth And Women’s Health Service
“ADD and ADHD – how to manage them”

It is best if your child and your family have several different types of help with ADD/ADHD including ways of helping your child in the classroom, plans to help with specific behaviours, support for any learning difficulties, family support and drug treatment.

IT’S REALLY A DISCIPLINE ISSUE:
Dr. Cohen
Excerpt from The New Basics, “Attention Deficit Disorder (A.D.D.)”

I believe ADD is both over-diagnosed and over-treated. Many children who don’t have ADD are impulsive and have a low tolerance for frustration. The pattern can take root at an early age, when a toddler fails to acquire proper frustration-management skills and a sense of boundaries. Parents play a major role in the early acquisition of these skills, and inconsistent responses to a toddler’s frustration can foster this behavior. These kids become so preoccupied with control issues that they lose their ability to focus on other matters, such as a school curriculum, an art project, or a play activity. This can lead to low self-esteem and unhappiness, which in turn reinforce the impulsiveness. Too frequently, these kids end up misdiagnosed and treated for ADD. This quick fix suggests that the problem stems from some faulty wiring in Jimmy’s brain rather than from fundamental issues of parenting and discipline.

IT’S NOT A DISEASE:
Focus Adolescent Services
“A.D.D. and A.D.H.D.”

Although health professionals often state that ADD/ADHD is a brain-based biological disorder caused by a brain chemical imbalance, there is simply no reliable test to prove this — no physical or chemical abnormality validates ADHD as a medical disease.  As there can be no diagnosis without a disease, what is there?

As babies grow up, become toddlers and graduate to “real” food, feeding becomes an infinitely more complex and tricky business. Children at this age have a tendency to become picky eaters. Suddenly they learn to verbalise likes and dislikes, which adds yet another dimension to feeding them right. In general, experts say, toddlers need the same kinds of foods as adults do, with nutrients from all the major food groups. Several of the links below have sample menus describing what a nutritionally well balanced day in the life of a toddler might look like. Regular meals interspersed with healthy snacks is the general recommendation. However Dr. Sears’s advice is to not sweat it if your child won’t eat a particular food; there are likely other options that will provide similar nutrients and most fussiness passes with time. Just focus on presenting nutritious foods in a toddler-friendly way. Other expert tips for establishing good eating habits include setting a good example through healthy eating, sitting down to eat as a family, encouraging, but not forcing, your child to try a variety of foods, and trying to limit distractions such as toys or TV at the table.

Children, Youth And Women’s Health
“Feeding Toddlers”

“Feeding toddlers and preschoolers can sometimes be a problem for parents. Food and eating is often something toddlers want to be in control of. Toddlers’ appetites naturally decrease during the second year of life. They are not growing as much and they don’t need as much to eat. At the same time they are learning to try different foods, some of which they might not like.” …read the full article

Raising Children Network
“Family Meals: A Time For Toddlers”

“Family meals also help teach toddlers about food. They may prefer to stick with a rather narrow array of favourite dishes for a while, but they will observe that there are many other types of interesting-looking foods in the world and might even venture to try a bite of something that obviously is pleasing their parents and older siblings. Helping to prepare meals also makes toddlers more willing to try different foods, so when possible, give your toddler simple tasks like tossing the salad or adding raisins or water to muffin batter.” …read the full article

Children’s Hospital Westmead
“Healthy Eating For Toddlers”

“As a parent or carer, you are responsible for WHAT they eat. Your toddler however has an inborn ability to determine whether they are hungry and hence they should decide HOW MUCH or WHETHER they should eat at all.” …read the full article

Dr. Sears
“Feeding Toddlers: 17 Tips for Pleasing the Picky Eater”

“Being a picky eater is part of what it means to be a toddler. We have since learned that there are developmental reasons why kids between one and three years of age peck and poke at their food. After a year of rapid growth (the average one-year-old has tripled her birth weight), toddlers gain weight more slowly. So, of course, they need less food.” …read the full article

BabyCentre Australia
“How To Cope With Toddler Feeding Patterns”

“Develop a daily routine of three meals and two to three snacks around your toddler’s daytime sleep pattern and try to stick to it. Toddlers thrive on routine and knowing what to expect.” …read the full article

In some ways having an adopted baby is not much different from producing a biological one. In other ways, it can be daunting. When you have a biological child you prepare for the rather standard experience of caring for a newborn. In many cases adopted children don’t come home to their parents until they are at least a few months old and so preparing for their arrival can be different from a practical as well as an emotional standpoint. Adopted children may also have special emotional or medical needs, especially if they are older and have been bounced around between different caregivers before being adopted. Some parents worry about their own reactions to their new child and how to best welcome their baby home. However most adoptive parents say they quickly find their way with their children and soon can’t remember what life was like without them.

Adoption Australia
"Adoption Australia Guide"

" For Australian adoption, each state or territory has its own adoption authority which is responsible for arranging Australian adoption. In order to be eligible for international or Australian adoption, there are a number of processes that you will need to go through including meeting the eligibility criteria as well as going through an in-depth assessment stage. — family." …read the full article

BabyCenter ®
"Forming A Healthy Attachment with An Adopted Child"

" When an older baby or young child comes to us with a history — having experienced, say, the loss of an adored caregiver at his orphanage — many of us worry: Will this child form a strong attachment to me? The basic steps of healthy attachment are the same whether a child has been adopted or born into a family. Attachment is a process. Just as one wonderful moment of love and protection does not make an attachment between parent and child, neither does one difficult moment mean an attachment problem. " …read the full article

Raising Children Network
"Raising An Adopted Child"

" Research shows that there is little difference in the quality of attachment between adopted children and non-adopted children. The exceptions are when a parent has difficulty accepting the child as their own and feels as though they have a lack of support for this process." …read the full article

International Adoption Articles
"Post Adoption Depression- The Unacknowledged Hazard"

" Post Delivery Depression, long recognized as an expected part of normal pregnancy and delivery is an issue that is openly discussed and well understood by the medical community and the public. The public and medical attitudes toward PDD are a far cry from the silence and secrecy that surround a much more pervasive problem – Post Adoption Depression Syndrome (PADS)… " …read the full article

Children, Youth and Women’s Health Service
"Adoption"

"(Information for children) It is a legal way to create a parent-child relationship between people who are not related by blood. The adopted child is entitled to the same privileges as a natural child of the parents. The adopted child usually takes the name of the new family, and is brought up and cared for as if she had always been part of the family. " …read the full article

So now that you have one baby, you can’t wait to do it all over again, right? There are various schools of thought on the ideal spacing of babies. Some feel it’s too exhausting to have children back to back, others say that’s precisely the way to go. Adherents to the latter philosophy say the difficulty of having more than one baby around pays off later, once the two infancies end almost simultaneously. Most agree the first child will probably be slightly jealous no matter when a younger child arrives. On the bright side, there are plenty of benefits to having a sibling. Doctors say having babies too close together can create medical problems. Studies show that getting pregnant within 6 months of giving birth may increase risk of premature birth and low birth weight. Some women can get pregnant again soon after giving birth, others may not be able to conceive until six months after pregnancy, or until they’ve finished breastfeeding (though doctors stress breastfeeding is not a fool-proof birth control method). In the end, experts say, child spacing is a highly individual decision.

Dr. Greene
“Second Pregnancies”

"There is no ‘right time’ for a second pregnancy; many factors need to be considered when deciding to try again. These include the age of the mother, her health, the emotional status of each family member, and the financial well being of the family. [. . .] In my opinion, any time an expectant mother and father are both excited about a second pregnancy is a good time." …read the full article

Baby World
“I’d Like another Baby, But…”

"Taking the decision to start a family is probably one of the biggest you will ever have to make. Even if you have always wanted children, bringing a new life into this world with someone else is rather awe-inspiring . . . and downright scary! But was it as terrifying as the prospect that now faces you: whether to add another member to your brood?" …read the full article

Raising Kids
“New Baby? What About The Age Gap?”

"Research suggests that the age gap of 2-4 years is the one that is likely to result in more rivalry. Unfortunately, this age gap between siblings is the most common. Most parents plan their children according to pressures on their own time and give little thought to the likelihood of sibling rivalry." …read the full article

BabyCentre Australia
“Are You Ready For Another Baby”

"Researchers have tried to tackle this question, and while they can’t say definitively that every woman should wait two to three years between births, many of the studies do settle roughly on that time frame." …read the full article

Web MD
“Pregnancy Spacing Affects Outcome – Very Long and Very Short Intervals Increase Risk”

"Babies born to women who get pregnant very quickly after having a child or wait many years between children are at greater risk for potentially serious delivery-related complications, including premature birth and low birth weight." …read the full article

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Children, Youth And Women’s Health Service
“Spacing Babies”
ABC
“Wait for the Second Child”
Babble Australia
“Anxieties”

Children usually take their first steps toward the end of their first year, though experts say some start earlier and many others don’t walk until they are nearly a year-and-a-half old. Dr. Sears attributes the timing of baby’s first steps to a combination of strength, balance and temperament, citing the last factor as the most crucial. More laid-back babies, Sears says, don’t feel a particularly strong urge to join the bipeds and will stick with crawling for a while since it is easier and faster. Similarly, another expert says, many babies will continue to crawl long after they’ve taken their first steps, as it is more convenient. In any case paediatricians say not to worry much if your child is a little late in starting to walk. Early walking is not necessarily an indicator of what his motor skills will be like later in life. Also late walkers tend to walk well once they finally start. Another piece of advice from those who know is not to worry about funny walking styles. Waddling, tip-toeing or pigeon-toed walking abounds up until about age three, and baby’s walking usually straightens itself out without the need for any intervention.

BabyCenter Australia®
"Developmental Milestones: Walking"

" One of the most important milestones in your child’s life, learning to walk is a huge step towards independence. As he moves from standing propped up against the couch to tottering hesitantly to your waiting arms to running, skipping, and jumping confidently, he’ll be leaving babyhood behind. " …read the full article

Dr. Sears
"Walking"

“There are early walkers and late walkers. Around fifty percent of babies usually walk by one year, but there is a wide normal range of walking, from nine to sixteen months. Walking is a matter of coordinating three factors: muscle strength, balance, and temperament, and the latter seems to influence the age of walking the most.” …read the full article

Dr. Spock
Excerpt from Dr. Spock’s Baby and Childcare

"Walking. Lots of factors determine the age at which a baby walks alone: inheritance probably plays the largest role, followed by ambition, heaviness, how well she can get places by creeping, illnesses, and bad experiences. A baby who is just beginning to walk when an illness lays her up for two weeks may not try again for a month or more. One who is just learning and has a fall may refuse to let go with her hands again for many weeks. Most babies learn to walk between twelve and fifteen months. A few muscular, ambitious ones start as early as nine months. A fair number of bright children do not begin until eighteen months or even later. You don’t have to do anything to teach your child to walk. When her muscles, her nerves, and her spirit are ready, you won’t be able to stop her. (The devices called walkers don’t help babies learn to walk sooner and are unsafe.)"

Children, Youth And Women’s Health
"Gait"
" Parents often worry about the way their children walk, especially young children and wonder whether it is “normal”. In most cases differences in the way children walk are part of normal development and will correct themselves as the child grows. " …read the full article

Better Health Channel
"Feet- Children"

" Your toddler doesn’t need shoes until they have been walking for a couple of months, and then only to protect their feet from sharp objects. It is important to allow your child to go barefoot regularly to help them develop balance, coordination and posture. " …read the full article

Relationships are tricky enough when they are a two-person endeavour. Add more people to the equation (one baby, two babies, grandparents, etc.), and they become a jungle of potential pitfalls and conflict. No matter how open and psychologically aware parents are, family life has a tendency to provide everyone involved with ample material for future therapy sessions. One common complaint is that new fathers feel left out as mothers bond with their new baby. Older siblings have also been known to develop jealousy issues when a new baby arrives. Even later on, when everyone is reasonably grown up and settled in their roles, it can be hard to make time for family events, not to mention one-on-one time with various family members. Babycenter’s® expert urges you to talk about these problems, no matter how awkward it may feel, while Raising Children Network sings the praises of organisation; The links below offer some takes on and solutions to the various issues that can arise from new family equations.

BabyCenter Australia®
"I’m A New Dad and I’m Jealous Of The Baby"

"It’s completely normal to be jealous of your wife’s relationship with your new baby — especially if she’s bonding with him through breastfeeding. But it’s important to ask yourself who’s really making you jealous: your wife, for being so close with your baby? Or your baby, for coming between you and your wife? My guess is probably both. Whatever the cause of your jealousy, it’s best to get your feelings out in the open. Start by talking to your partner as clearly and honestly as possible."…read the full article

Parenting South Australia
"Second Baby"

"The birth of a new baby is one of the most stressful times in a young child’s life, especially if your other child is two or under. As your toddler has not yet formed a strong inner sense of security and as there is always less of your time available when a new baby arrives, your toddler can feel less loved." …read the full article

Raising Children Network
"Family Management"

"Families come in all shapes and sizes. It doesn’t matter what your family looks like, so long as it provides a solid and loving base for your children. But a happy, well-functioning family doesn’t just happen – it takes a bit of effort." …read the full article

iVillage
"Jealous of Husband’s Closeness to Baby"

"My husband and I have been married three years and we have a one-year-old son. I went back to work full-time about five months ago; my husband works part-time and is home with our son half-days. [...] I hate to admit it, but I am jealous of the fact that my son prefers my husband to me! When our son needs a hug, he almost always reaches for daddy. When my husband leaves the room, my son starts to cry. I know it’s crazy, but I have to stop myself from competing with my husband to see if I can ‘make’ the baby prefer me!"…read the full article

Dr. Spock
"Grandparents’ Relationship with Parents"

"In many parts of the world, grandparents are considered experts, and young parents take it for granted that when they have a question about their babies or need a little help, the grandparents will be there. When parents have this kind of confidence in the grandparents, they can get not only advice but also comfort. In the United States, though, new parents are often more inclined to turn to their doctors first, and some don’t ever think of consulting their mothers or fathers."…read the full article

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Babble Australia
“In Defense Of Sibling Rivalry”

Three of the most popular progressive educational philosophies are Waldorf (also known as Steiner), Montessori and Reggio Emilia. All three sprang out of early twentieth century European desires to fix the ills of the world through educational reform. All strive to treat even very young children as competent beings to be respected. Both Montessori and Waldorf are formal models with elaborate pre-designed systems for learning and teacher-training programs. Reggio Emilia takes a looser approach and is based on a continuing and evolving process of feedback and learning between teachers and students. Some of the differences between the various methods are that Waldorf puts a high premium on play and fantasy and withholds academic learning until children have reached an appropriate age. Montessori believes children are inherently interested in learning and encourages students to explore the world through activities like baking and tools such as glass beads representing mathematical numbers. The Reggio Emilia approach places emphasis on the feel and aesthetics of the learning environment. It also teaches that learning should be shaped by give-and-take between each kid and her teachers. Some educators swear by their own approach, others are less orthodox and dabble in different methods.

Early Stars
“The Emilio Reggio Approach To Early Years Education

“It is a socio-constructivist model. That is, it is influenced by the theory of Lev Vygotsky, which states that children (and adults) co-construct their theories and knowledge through the relationships they build with other people and the surrounding environment.” …read the full article

Steiner Australia
“Frequently Asked Questions”

"The aim of Waldorf schooling is to educate the whole child, “head, heart and hands”. The curriculum is as broad as time will allow, and balances academics subjects with artistic and practical activities… By freely using arts and activities in the service of teaching academics, an internal motivation to learn is developed in the students, doing away with the need for competitive testing and grading." …read the full article

Montessori Australia
“Montessori Approach”

"The Montessori approach offers a broad vision of education as an aid to life. It is designed to help children with their task of inner construction as they grow from childhood to maturity… Its flexibility provides a matrix within which each individual child’s inner directives freely guide the child toward wholesome growth." …read the full article

Early Childhood Research and Practice
“Three Approaches from Europe: Montessori, Waldorf and Reggio Emilia”

"Waldorf, Montessori, and Reggio Emilia are three progressive approaches to early childhood education that appear to be growing in influence in North America and to have many points in common. This article provides a brief comparative introduction and highlights several key areas of similarity and contrast." …read the full article

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Daily Mail UK
"Children at Montessori Schools Are Better Educated"

The subject of childhood masturbation makes many people uneasy. A child touching their genitals looks sexual to an adult and we are not, as a culture, comfortable thinking of children as sexual. But we may be projecting when we freak out about a little boy touching his penis in public. Some, like Dr. Greene, believe that using the word masturbation for a toddler’s fondling of his penis is to project adult notions of sexuality on what is simply exploration. A two-year-old does not know what sex is; many children touch themselves because they are curious, because it feels good, or for comfort, much like they suck their thumb. All this may be good and true, yet public touching of private parts is not socially acceptable and is likely to raise an eyebrow here and there. The line is fine between imposing proper etiquette and labelling a behaviour as bad and dirty; so how do you teach a child to refrain from humping her pillow in front of others without inflicting shame and guilt about sexuality? iVillage’s resident expert suggests aiming to confine such activities to the bedroom. Most experts also note that it is completely normal for a toddler to play with their genitals, but that if a child acts out graphic sexual acts, or seems prematurely aware of the interactive nature of sex, this might be a cause for concern.

Children, Youth And Women’s Health
“Children’s Sexual Behaviour”

“Learning about sexuality is just as important to children as any other learning. Children need to feel that the sexual parts of their bodies are good, just as they feel that it is good to have arms and legs. They need to feel that it is good to be a boy or a girl. When parents talk with children about their bodies and about their sexual feelings and behaviour, children learn that it is okay to talk about these things with parents. Helping children to feel they can come to you to talk freely is one of the ways to help them sort out their values.” …read the full article

Dr. Greene
“Masturbation In Young Children”

“When a parent catches a boy playing with his ears, questions may arise about ear infections when a parent catches a boy playing with his stiff penis, subterranean concerns, anxieties, guilts, shames, questions and regrets often rumble and stir within — even if we believe that it’s normal behavior. Why do we have these complex and powerful feelings?” …read the full article

iVillage
“Masturbation — Is this Normal for Preschoolers?”
“Occasional masturbation is a normal behavior of many infants and preschoolers. Up to one-third of children in this age group discovers masturbation while exploring their bodies. Just as they explore their toes and knees, children find all their parts of their bodies eventually.” …read the full article

BabyCenter Australia®
“Masturbation In Toddlers”

“Young children masturbate for the same reason that older children (and adults) do: It feels good! Bodily exploration is part of growing up. Right now, your child is learning to run, jump, throw, pump a swing, draw, and (possibly) use the toilet. She’s likely to be just as curious about her genitals as she is about her fingers, toes, and belly button — and if she’s recently switched from diapers to underpants, she may be able to get to them for the first time.” …read the full article

Childcare Homestead
“Masturbation”

“Babies are sexual beings from before birth.? Baby boys in the uterus have been observed having erections.? After birth, some babies begin exploring their sexuality in the middle of the first year, others not until the year’s end.? This interest is as inevitable and healthy a part of a baby’s development as fascination with fingers and toes was earlier.” …read the full article

Diabetes is a disorder in which insulin, a hormone necessary for the body to process sugar, is either not produced or not accepted by the body. Symptoms include frequent urination, excessive thirst, increased appetite, weight loss and fatigue. Type 1 diabetes is most likely to affect a toddler and is caused by the inability of the pancreas to produce insulin. In Type 2 diabetes, the pancreas does produce insulin, but either it doesn’t do so in adequate amounts or the body has developed a resistance to the hormone. Contrary to popular belief, experts say you don’t get diabetes from eating too much sugar, though being overweight is a risk factor for Type 2. Type 2 used to be diagnosed mostly in people past forty, but it is increasingly common among children; due in part to the increased rate of childhood obesity. Type 2 is also much more likely than Type 1 to be genetic, and it affects people of indigenous descent in disproportionate numbers. Both types can be managed through scheduled eating, regular insulin checks and other measures. Experts say it is essential to educate daycare providers and all the other people who care for your child on how to handle diabetes.

Better Health Channel
"Juvenile Diabetes"

"Around one in every 700 Australian children has diabetes, which makes it one of the most common serious diseases amongst children… There are two main types of diabetes: juvenile-onset and mature-onset. Juvenile diabetes can affect anyone of any age, but is more common in people under 30 years and tends to develop in childhood, hence its name." …read the full article

Dr Greene
"Diabetes, Or Just Normal Thirst?"

"Normally, a hormone called insulin pushes sugar from the blood into the body’s cells where it can be used for fuel. The concentration of sugar in the blood remains within a fairly narrow range. If the body stops making insulin (type 1 diabetes), then adequate sugar doesn’t get into the cells. [. . .] Without insulin, muscle and fat begin to be burned for fuel." …read the full article

MBF
“Demystifying Childhood Diabetes: The Facts About Type 1 vs Type 2"

“Australia’s current influenza outbreak is being linked to an increase in type 1 diabetes – often referred to as juvenile diabetes because it affects young people – and it’s important to cut through any confusion so that parents know why and what they should do." …read the full article

Children, Youth And Women’s Health
"Diabetes In Childhood"

"Children who have been diagnosed with diabetes, and their families, need to learn many new things – how to measure blood glucose levels, give injections and how to balance food and activity – all of which they will find difficult to start with. Diabetes will have to be managed for all of the child’s life, but diabetes need not prevent a child from living a full and active life." …read the full article

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
"Parents Of Children With Type 1 Diabetes"

"When your child is diagnosed with type 1 diabetes it affects the whole family. Even when your child has had diabetes for many years there are still adjustments to be made with each new activity or growth spurt. It can be a constant learning curve. But you are not alone, many parents before you have been down this very path." …read the full article

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Diabetes Australia

Asthma is a chronic disease in which breathing becomes difficult due to a tightening of the bronchial tubes. Exercise-induced asthma and allergic asthma are the two most common types. Doctors say asthma usually first manifests in toddlers through wheezing and coughing fits, though these symptoms are not necessarily a surefire sign of asthma in a young child. Asthma sufferers tend to be genetically predisposed toward the disease — kids with asthma often have parents with asthma. However over the last decades asthma rates have increased in numbers that suggest environmental factors such as pollution, secondhand smoke, mould and dust can cause or aggravate asthma. These are also factors that tend to trigger asthma attacks in those who already have asthma. There is a whole flora of theories on other possible causes of asthma; one British study speculates that household chemicals like bleach and air-freshener may be to blame for the surge in asthma rates among kids; another study looks at the possibility some cases may be linked to early childhood intake of antibiotics. Whatever causes the onset of asthma, it is manageable with medication and control of triggers in the environment.

Dr. Spock
"Asthma"

"If you have a child with asthma, you’re no doubt well aware of the impact this disease can have on his life (as well as your own). But the effects of asthma stretch far beyond your own personal experience. The truth is, asthma is the leading cause of chronic illness in children under the age of 17 in the United States. In fact, an estimated 5 million children under the age of 18 years have asthma, and the disease affects more than 1 million under the age of 5." …read the full article

Children, Youth And Women’s Health
"Asthma In Childhood"

“Children with asthma can become seriously ill quickly. Asthma needs to be taken seriously. A child with a serious asthma attack may not sound wheezy. He may be pale, quiet and breathing quickly with shallow gasps.” …read the full article

Dr. Sears
“Asthma”

"The first step in learning about asthma is to understand what asthma is, how it affects the lungs, what the major symptoms are, and what the different types are. Asthma is basically the tendency for a person’s small airways, called bronchi, within the lungs to constrict or narrow in response to a variety of stimuli. This causes difficulty breathing, coughing, or wheezing. A child needs to display this tendency on numerous occasions before the diagnosis of asthma can be made. A child who wheezes during a cold and couple times a year shouldn’t be labeled ‘asthmatic.’" …read the full article

BabyCentre Australia
"Asthma"

"If the wheezing frequently recurs ask for your GP’s opinion. In a child less than a year old, the airways are so small that they can make a wheezing sound which is not true asthma. Wheezing can be quite common in early childhood, and unless the attacks persist past the age of three, most doctors say there’s no cause for alarm. " …read the full article

Raising Children Network
"Asthma: Symptoms"

"There is a wide variety of symptoms of asthma, their severity, and how often they are present. The most common features are a wheeze, a cough, difficulty in breathing (rapid and/or noisy breathing), tightness in the chest, and shortness of breath." …read the full article

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
London Times
“Household Chemicals in Direct Link to Asthma Rise”
Dr. Greene
“A Link Between Antibiotics and Asthma?”
Australia Institute Of Health And Welfare
“Asthma In Australia 2008″