A recent cross-sectional study of over 13,000 first-grade children in four regions of the United States was designed to estimate the prevalence of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, including fetal alcohol syndrome, partial fetal alcohol syndrome, and alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders are costly, life-long disabilities. Older data suggested the prevalence of the disorder in the United States was 10 per 1000 children; however, there are few current estimates based on larger, diverse US population samples. Out of a total of 6,639 children who were selected for participation, a total of 222 cases of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders were identified. The conservative prevalence estimates for fetal alcohol spectrum disorders ranged from 11.3 per 1,000 children. The weighted prevalence estimates for fetal alcohol spectrum disorders ranged from 31.1 per 1,000 children. Estimated prevalence of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders among first-graders in 4 US communities ranged from 1.1% to 5.0% using a...

Children of Alcoholics (COA) Week is a campaign led by Nacoa (The National Association for Children of Alcoholics) to raise awareness of children affected by parental alcohol problems. Imagine coming home from school and dreading what you might find. Imagine having no friends because you’re too embarrassed to bring them home in case mom or dad are drunk, or worse. Imagine living in a home full of fear and having no one to turn to because everyone denies there’s a problem. Together we can increase awareness of this hidden problem and the support available. Find out how you can help children of all ages know they are not alone. This year, under the slogan “All you need is Love”, the Children of Alcoholics week activities of Active – Sobriety, Friendship and Peace reflect on love and safety, as not just feelings that children experience, but also part of children’s rights. Children...

Calls to poison control centers regarding dietary supplements increased by almost 50 percent between 2005 and 2012, according to a new study. A majority of the calls involved children 6 years old and under, ABC News reports. Researchers report in the Journal of Medical Toxicology that the majority of dietary supplement exposures were unintentional. Most exposures occurred at home. “Many consumers believe dietary supplements are held to the same safety and efficacy standards as over-the-counter medications,” study senior author Gary Smith, MD, MPH, said in a news release. “However, dietary supplements are not considered drugs, thus they are not required to undergo clinical trials or obtain approval from the FDA prior to sale, unless the product is labeled as intended for therapeutic use.”

Foster-care systems throughout the United States are being overwhelmed by children whose parents are addicted to opioids, according to The Washington Post. The problem is most acute in rural areas. “It’s pretty much every state — except maybe four or five — that have seen an increase in the number of children in foster care,” said John Sciamanna, Vice President of Public Policy at the Child Welfare League of America. “What you are seeing now is just a straining of the system.” In 2012 there were 397,000 children in foster care. By 2015, there were 428,000 children – an increase of 8 percent. Experts say since then, the number has increased dramatically, although concrete numbers are not yet available. The increase in foster children is stretching state budgets, the article notes. There are not enough families willing to take in foster children, and the caseloads of social workers are overloaded.

A new study finds the number of young children and teens hospitalized for opioid painkiller overdoses has almost tripled in recent years. Opioid overdoses increased 205 percent from 1997 to 2012 among children ages 1 to 4, HealthDay reports. Among teens ages 15 to 19, overdoses increased 176 percent. Most poisonings due to opioid painkillers among children under 10 were accidental. Lead researcher Julie Gaither of the Yale School of Medicine says young children are “eating them like candy.” Most overdoses among teens were accidental, although some were suicide attempts, Dr. Gaither noted. The study appears in JAMA Pediatrics.

Children whose parents use alcohol or drugs are at increased risk of medical and behavioral problems, according to a new report. The American Academy of Pediatrics, which published the report, urges pediatricians to assess children’s risk, and intervene when necessary, according to PsychCentral. “Alcohol misuse and substance use are exceedingly common in this country, and parents’ or caregivers’ substance use may affect their ability to consistently prioritize their children’s basic physical and emotional needs and provide a safe, nurturing environment,” said report co-author Vincent C. Smith, MD, MPH. About 20 percent of U.S. children grow up in a home in which someone misuses alcohol or has a substance use disorder, the report notes.

The shortage of child psychiatrists, which has been a problem for many years, is becoming worse at a time when the United States is facing an increase in depression and suicides among young people, experts tell NBC News. Fewer child psychiatrists are taking insurance because of low reimbursement rates. Many are approaching retirement, while not enough medical students want to become child psychiatrists. “We’re not replenishing ourselves,” said Mark Olfson, who teaches and researches child psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center in New York. Currently there are about 8,500 child psychiatrists in the country, and an estimated 15 million children who need one, according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry says. The group says there should be 47 child psychiatrists for every 100,000 children 17 or younger, or one for every 2,127 children. No states meet that standard. Wyoming has one child psychiatrist for every 22,960 children, while...

Almost half of parents whose child had unused prescription opioid painkillers left over from a surgery or illness keep the medication at home, a new poll finds. Parents who have a discussion with their child’s doctor about how to properly dispose of the medication are much more likely to do so, the poll found. Researchers from the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan, polled nearly 1,200 parents with at least one child ages 5 to 17. They found about one-third of parents said their children had received pain medication prescriptions, mostly for opioids such as oxycodone or hydrocodone, HealthDay reports.Only 8 percent of parents said they returned the unused medication to a pharmacy or doctor, while 30 percent disposed of the drugs in the trash or toilet, and 6 percent said other family members used the medication. Nine percent said they didn’t remember where the medications went. Only one-third...

Poison control centers around the country have seen a sharp increase in calls about young children’s exposure to e-cigarettes. The biggest threat appears to be ingestion of liquid nicotine, HealthDay reports. Young children exposed to e-cigarettes appear to suffer worse health effects than those exposed to regular cigarettes, the researchers report in the journal Pediatrics. The number of e-cigarette exposures in children younger than 6 years old increased 1,500 percent between 2012 and 2015. During that period, poison control centers in the United States received more than 29,000 calls related to e-cigarette, nicotine and tobacco product exposures among children under 6. E-cigarettes accounted for 14 percent of those calls, while traditional cigarettes accounted for about 60 percent of exposures, and other tobacco products accounted for 16 percent of calls. Children under age 2 accounted for almost all cigarette and other tobacco exposures, and 44 percent of e-cigarette exposures. In April 2015,...

Too many children ages 2 to 5 who are diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are receiving medication as the first treatment, before behavioral therapy is tried, a new government report states. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says about 75 percent of young children with ADHD receive medicine as treatment, the Associated Press reports. Only about half of young children with ADHD in Medicaid and 40 percent with employer-sponsored insurance receive psychological services, including the recommended first-line treatment, behavior therapy. Behavior therapy improves ADHD symptoms without the side effects of medicine, the CDC notes. “ It is an important first step for young children with ADHD and most effective when delivered by parents,” the report notes. “With the support of healthcare providers and therapists, parents can learn specific ways to improve their child’s behavior and keep their relationships strong.” Behavior therapy involves a therapist teaching parents over...