Has your child been misdiagnosed?

Before taking any doctors advice on giving your child medication, look at his/her sleep habits, you might find out something that could save you and your family lots of time, anguish and money. Lack of sleep could have something or everything to do with any issues they may be having. I read this interesting article in New York magazine recently entitled "Snooze or Loose" by Po Bronson. http://nymag.com/news/features/38951/ Here's an excerpt;

"The surprise is how much sleep affects academic performance and emotional stability, as well as phenomena that we assumed to be entirely unrelated, such as the international obesity epidemic and the rise of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. A few scientists theorize that sleep problems during formative years can cause permanent changes in a child’s brain structure: damage that one can’t sleep off like a hangover. It’s even possible that many of the hallmark characteristics of being a tweener and teen—moodiness, depression, and even binge eating—are actually symptoms of chronic sleep deprivation."

"There are many causes for this lost hour of sleep. Overscheduling of activities, burdensome homework, lax bedtimes, televisions and cell phones in the bedroom all contribute. So does guilt; home from work after dark, parents want time with their children and are reluctant to play the hard-ass who orders them to bed. All these reasons converge on one simple twist of convenient ignorance: Until now, we could overlook the lost hour because we never really knew its true cost to children."