TEEN PRESCRIPTION DRUG ABUSE GROWING
(January15, 2008) PR Newswire, Longview, TX, reported prescription drug abuse by teenagers and young adults is a growing problem in the US, with four types of drugs identified as commonly abused: painkillers, stimulants, sedatives and tranquilizers. All of these are typically stored in medicine cabinets at home.

TEACHERS "PREJUDICED" AGAINST BOYS
(January 19, 2008) Telegraph.co.uk reported Dr. Jeremy Swinson, an honorary lecturer in educational psychology at Liverpool John Moores University, lectured "Teachers assume that boys are more badly behaved, possibly because the sort of bad behavior they engage in is likely to be louder." Thus, the "prejudiced" views of some teachers could be damaging boys' self-belief causing them to do badly in school.

RANCH FOR TROUBLED ADOPTEES
(January 20, 2008) The LA Times reported a Montana ranch offers intervention and structure for adopted kids, whose families cannot handle their disruptive conduct. These children are part of an expanding phenomenon known as adoption disruption, the official term for parents attempting to return their adoptive children.

REDUCING JUVENILE JUSTICE MIGHT HELP
(January 27, 2008) A column in The Providence Journal in Rhode Island entitled "Preserving Families," concluded that the effectiveness of state residential juvenile programs is so dismal that a reduction in state residential programs might be helpful in the long run for juveniles and their families.

MHA CRITIQUE ON JUVENILE BOOT CAMPS
(January 29, 2008) Mental Health America, formerly the National Mental Health Association, explained why they consider boot camps are not an effective "quick fix", because many teens lack the maturity and self-control to succeed in a military-style program.

APA CRITICIZES WILDERNESS PROGRAMS
(January 31, 2008) The American Psychological Association (APA) in their online web site quoted Alison Pinto in emphasizing "Some wilderness camps and other 'disciplinary' programs for teens are generating complaints of abuse and neglect-some of it fatal."

FOOD ADDITIVES LINKED TO HYPERACTIVITY
(February 3, 2008) Crime Times reported a new study in Britain's The Lancet that concluded food additives and colorings can cause hyperactivity in children with no history of the problem.

STIGMA AGAINST ASPERGER'S CHILDREN
(February 7, 2008) Telegram.com, a British publication, reported parents and school officials in Massachusetts are worried about a possible backlash and stigma attached to children with Asperger's syndrome, after the stabbing death of a 15-year-old boy by a fellow student with Asperger's syndrome.

GIRL EQUALITY SHOWING IN BAD BEHAVIOR
(February 10, 2008) The Washington Post reported a survey by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University found girls between the ages of 12 and 17 were at equal or higher risk of substance abuse compared with boys. In addition, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy found the number of girls who smoke or abuse prescription drugs had surpassed that of boys.

SOFTWARE DEVELOPS COGNITIVE SKILLS
(February 18, 2008) EdNews.org contained an interview with Dan Cavalli, Vice President of the School Division of Knowledge Adventure, 732-643-1446, and Betsy Hill, Chief Operating Officer/ Chief Marketing Officer of Learning Enhancement Corporation, 312-239-2677, about a new software program, "BrainWare Safari." The interview shared the techniques and development of their program which is designed to improve brain functioning.