How a children's game proves ADHD really is all in the mind By Oona Mashta
Last updated at 10:10 PM on 16th January 2010
The news will infuriate millions of parents who have children diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). A new British study has proved that children suffering from the behavioural disorder can control their symptoms - simply by learning self-discipline.
Researchers from the University of Hertfordshire's School of Psychology in Hatfield have been studying the effects of a thought-controlled computer game that requires the player to concentrate in order to win.
Ten children, who were either diagnosed with ADHD or identified by their teachers as having attention problems, were asked to play the game three times a week for 12 weeks.
Game plan: Justis Wintz has made steady progress since taking part in the study and his mother Suzanne says he is much calmer
Each session lasted for half an hour with the children tested to measure their attention before and after the experiment. At the end of the study, the researchers found that the children's impulsive behaviour had improved by at least 25 per cent.
The results are being hailed by experts as a major breakthrough in the treatment of ADHD, which is estimated to affect between three and nine per cent of children in the UK.
'The game trains children who have problems with attention to concentrate,' explains Professor Karen Pine, who led the study.
'Children with ADHD can't sit still and find it hard to stick at any task. They never seem to listen and appear unruly or badly behaved. The condition makes it hard for them to curb their impulsiveness.
'Traditionally, drug treatment has been the only real option. But these findings show that ADHD can be tackled simply by teaching self-control.'
ADHD is defined by two broad groups of behavioural problems: inattentiveness, and a combination of hyperactivity and impulsiveness. Common symptoms also include a short attention span, restlessness and constant fidgeting.
It was first described by physiologists in the late Eighties, and boys are three times more likely to be diagnosed. The condition is usually managed, if at all, with medication including powerful amphetamine-like stimulant drugs, which work by affecting levels of brain chemicals known as neurotransmitters, aiding concentration and reducing hyperactivity.
However, these carry serious side effects when taken long-term, including damage to the cardiovascular and nervous systems - and many parents are reluctant to medicate their children. Around 60 per cent of children diagnosed with ADHD continue to suffer from the condition as adults.
The Hertfordshire researchers were investigating the effects of a learning strategy known as electroencephalography (EEG) biofeedback, now used in a number of American schools for children with attention problems.
The games system, called Play Attention, uses a helmet lined with electrodes, to monitor brain activity, which is connected to a computer.
'The helmet picks up brain rhythms associated with concentration,' explains Prof Pine. 'This sends messages to what is effectively a computer games console, so the player can control the game with their mind.
'The games are designed so that if the player concentrates for long enough they win. However, if their attention is broken the game freezes.
'In one game the children had to get a deep-sea diver to descend to the seabed and retrieve treasure. To get him to dive, they had to focus their attention - he stopped moving if their mind wandered. It is a fun and very effective way of teaching these children to control their attention.'
One child who took part was eight-year-old Justis Wintz, from Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire.
'When Justis first started school, it quickly became obvious he had problems concentrating,' says his mother Suzanne Delaney, 39, a mature student. 'His teachers told us that he wouldn't sit still and that he'd often blurt out inappropriate questions.
'This didn't surprise us - at home his temper was volatile. One minute he'd be playing, the next he was angry and throwing things at us. He was impossible to discipline.'
Suzanne and her partner Joseph Wintz, 41, a supervisor for London Underground, eventually had to move their son to a local special school. But since participating in the Play Attention study, they are delighted with his progress.
'He is calmer and he doesn't fidget as much,' says Suzanne. 'He now gets dressed with less prompting, gets his own juice and even washes up the odd saucepan, which he never did before. Since he's changed so much in a relatively short time, our aim is for him to go into a mainstream secondary school.'
In US studies, EEG feedback was found to be effective in controlling symptoms of ADHD in 75 per cent of patients. The games makers, educational charity Games For Life, hope the systems - which cost around £2,500 - will eventually become commonplace.
Prof Pine believes the results of the study are promising but says that more research is needed.
'We don't know how long the effect lasts but we expect three months of sessions would be a minimum length of time needed to see a significant lasting difference in behaviour,' she says.
• www.gamesforlife.co.uk
ADHD In Adults - SymptomsFind Out If Your SymptomsMay Be ADHD.
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Identify ADHD TreatmentLearn About ADHD Treatment OptionsIdentify A Treatment For Your Needs
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Info On ADHDStart Living A Fullfiling LifeWith ADHD. Start Today.
AroundMe.com
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Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1243739/How-childrens-game-proves-ADHD-really-mind.html#ixzz0dAOst5cF
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1243739/How-childrens-game-proves-ADHD-really-mind.html
Isabella Brooke Knightly and Austin Gamez-Knightly
In Memory of my Loving Husband, William F. Knightly Jr. Murdered by ILLEGAL Palliative Care at a Nashua, NH Hospital
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
1938 Austria -- Land of "The Sound of Music" Story By: Kitty Werthmann
1938 Austria -- Land of "The Sound of Music" Story By: Kitty Werthmann (An Austrian who witnessed what took place under Hitler)Posted by Phil AGJ Spokesperson December 16, 2009 at 2:20am
.America Truly is the Greatest Country in the World. Don’t Let Freedom Slip Away
By: Kitty Werthmann (An Austrian who witnessed what took place under Hitler)
What I am about to tell you is something you’ve probably never heard or read in history books.
I am an eyewitness to history. I cannot tell you that Hitler took Austria by tanks and guns; it would distort history. We elected him by a landslide – 98% of the vote. I’ve never read that in any American publications. Everyone thinks that Hitler just rolled in with his tanks and took Austria by force.
In 1938, Austria was in deep Depression. Nearly one-third of our workforce was unemployed. We had 25% inflation and 25% bank loan interest rates.
Farmers and business people were declaring bankruptcy daily. Young people were going from house to house begging for food. Not that they didn’t want to work; there simply weren’t any jobs. My mother was a Christian woman and believed in helping people in need. Every day we cooked a big kettle of soup and baked bread to feed those poor, hungry people – about 30 daily.
The Communist Party and the National Socialist Party were fighting each other. Blocks and blocks of cities like Vienna , Linz , and Graz were destroyed. The people became desperate and petitioned the government to let them decide what kind of government they wanted.
We looked to our neighbor on the north, Germany , where Hitler had been in power since 1933. We had been told that they didn’t have unemployment or crime, and they had a high standard of living. Nothing was ever said about persecution of any group -- Jewish or otherwise. We were led to believe that everyone was happy. We wanted the same way of life in Austria . We were promised that a vote for Hitler would mean the end of unemployment and help for the family. Hitler also said that businesses would be assisted, and farmers would get their farms back. Ninety-eight percent of the population voted to annex Austria to Germany and have Hitler for our ruler.
We were overjoyed, and for three days we danced in the streets and had candlelight parades. The new government opened up big field kitchens and everyone was fed.
After the election, German officials were appointed, and like a miracle, we suddenly had law and order. Three or four weeks later, everyone was employed. The government made sure that a lot of work was created through the Public Work Service.
Hitler decided we should have equal rights for women. Before this, it was a custom that married Austrian women did not work outside the home. An able-bodied husband would be looked down on if he couldn’t support his family. Many women in the teaching profession were elated that they could retain the jobs they previously had been required to give up for marriage.
Hitler Targets Education – Eliminates Religious Instruction for Children:
Our education was nationalized. I attended a very good public school.. The population was predominantly Catholic, so we had religion in our schools. The day we elected Hitler (March 13, 1938), I walked into my schoolroom to find the crucifix replaced by Hitler’s picture hanging next to a Nazi flag. Our teacher, a very devout woman, stood up and told the class we wouldn’t pray or have religion anymore. Instead, we sang “Deutschland, Deutschland, Uber Alles,” and had physical education.
Sunday became National Youth Day with compulsory attendance. Parents were not pleased about the sudden change in curriculum. They were told that if they did not send us, they would receive a stiff letter of warning the first time. The second time they would be fined the equivalent of $300, and the third time they would be subject to jail. The first two hours consisted of political indoctrination. The rest of the day we had sports. As time went along, we loved it. Oh, we had so much fun and got our sports equipment free. We would go home and gleefully tell our parents about the wonderful time we had.
My mother was very unhappy. When the next term started, she took me out of public school and put me in a convent. I told her she couldn’t do that and she told me that someday when I grew up, I would be grateful. There was a very good curriculum, but hardly any fun – no sports, and no political indoctrination. I hated it at first but felt I could tolerate it. Every once in a while, on holidays, I went home. I would go back to my old friends and ask what was going on and what they were doing. Their loose lifestyle was very alarming to me. They lived without religion. By that time unwed mothers were glorified for having a baby for Hitler. It seemed strange to me that our society changed so suddenly. As time went along, I realized what a great deed my mother did so that I wasn’t exposed to that kind of humanistic philosophy.
Equal Rights Hits Home:
In 1939, the war started and a food bank was established. All food was rationed and could only be purchased using food stamps. At the same time, a full-employment law was passed which meant if you didn’t work, you didn’t get a ration card, and if you didn’t have a card, you starved to death. Women who stayed home to raise their families didn’t have any marketable skills and often had to take jobs more suited for men.
Soon after this, the draft was implemented. It was compulsory for young people, male and female, to give one year to the labor corps. During the day, the girls worked on the farms, and at night they returned to their barracks for military training just like the boys. They were trained to be anti-aircraft gunners and participated in the signal corps. After the labor corps, they were not discharged but were used in the front lines. When I go back to Austria to visit my family and friends, most of these women are emotional cripples because they just were not equipped to handle the horrors of combat. Three months before I turned 18, I was severely injured in an air raid attack. I nearly had a leg amputated, so I was spared having to go into the labor corps and into military service.
Hitler Restructured the Family Through Daycare:
When the mothers had to go out into the work force, the government immediately established child care centers. You could take your children ages 4 weeks to school age and leave them there around-the-clock, 7 days a week, under the total care of the government. The state raised a whole generation of children. There were no motherly women to take care of the children, just people highly trained in child psychology. By this time, no one talked about equal rights. We knew we had been had.
Health Care and Small Business Suffer Under Government Controls:
Before Hitler, we had very good medical care. Many American doctors trained at the University of Vienna .. After Hitler, health care was socialized, free for everyone. Doctors were salaried by the government. The problem was, since it was free, the people were going to the doctors for everything. When the good doctor arrived at his office at 8 a.m., 40 people were already waiting and, at the same time, the hospitals were full. If you needed elective surgery, you had to wait a year or two for your turn. There was no money for research as it was poured into socialized medicine. Research at the medical schools literally stopped, so the best doctors left Austria and emigrated to other countries.
As for healthcare, our tax rates went up to 80% of our income. Newlyweds immediately received a $1,000 loan from the government to establish a household. We had big programs for families. All day care and education were free. High schools were taken over by the government and college tuition was subsidized. Everyone was entitled to free handouts, such as food stamps, clothing, and housing.
We had another agency designed to monitor business. My brother-in-law owned a restaurant that had square tables. Government officials told him he had to replace them with round tables because people might bump themselves on the corners. Then they said he had to have additional bathroom facilities. It was just a small dairy business with a snack bar. He couldn’t meet all the demands. Soon, he went out of business. If the government owned the large businesses and not many small ones existed, it could be in control.
We had consumer protection. We were told how to shop and what to buy. Free enterprise was essentially abolished. We had a planning agency specially designed for farmers. The agents would go to the farms, count the live-stock, and then tell the farmers what to produce, and how to produce it.
“Mercy Killing” Redefined:
In 1944, I was a student teacher in a small village in the Alps . The villagers were surrounded by mountain passes which, in the winter, were closed off with snow, causing people to be isolated. So people intermarried and offspring were sometimes retarded. When I arrived, I was told there were 15 mentally retarded adults, but they were all useful and did good manual work. I knew one, named Vincent, very well. He was a janitor of the school. One day I looked out the window and saw Vincent and others getting into a van. I asked my superior where they were going. She said to an institution where the State Health Department would teach them a trade, and to read and write. The families were required to sign papers with a little clause that they could not visit for 6 months. They were told visits would interfere with the program and might cause homesickness.
As time passed, letters started to dribble back saying these people died a natural, merciful death. The villagers were not fooled. We suspected what was happening. Those people left in excellent physical health and all died within 6 months. We called this euthanasia.
The Final Steps - Gun Laws:
Next came gun registration. People were getting injured by guns. Hitler said that the real way to catch criminals (we still had a few) was by matching serial numbers on guns. Most citizens were law abiding and dutifully marched to the police station to register their firearms. Not long after-wards, the police said that it was best for everyone to turn in their guns. The authorities already knew who had them, so it was futile not to comply voluntarily.
No more freedom of speech. Anyone who said something against the government was taken away. We knew many people who were arrested, not only Jews, but also priests and ministers who spoke up.
Totalitarianism didn’t come quickly, it took 5 years from 1938 until 1943, to realize full dictatorship in Austria .. Had it happened overnight, my countrymen would have fought to the last breath. Instead, we had creeping gradualism. Now, our only weapons were broom handles. The whole idea sounds almost unbelievable that the state, little by little eroded our freedom.
After World War II, Russian troops occupied Austria . Women were raped, preteen to elderly. The press never wrote about this either. When the Soviets left in 1955, they took everything that they could, dismantling whole factories in the process. They sawed down whole orchards of fruit, and what they couldn’t destroy, they burned. We called it The Burned Earth. Most of the population barricaded themselves in their houses. Women hid in their cellars for 6 weeks as the troops mobilized. Those who couldn’t; paid the price. There is a monument in Vienna today, dedicated to those women who were massacred by the Russians. This is an eye witness account.
“It’s true….those of us who sailed past the Statue of Liberty came to a country of unbelievable freedom and opportunity.
America Truly is the Greatest Country in the World. Don’t Let Freedom Slip Away
"After America , There is No Place to Go"
http://www.resistnet.com/profiles/blogs/1938-austria-land-of-the
.America Truly is the Greatest Country in the World. Don’t Let Freedom Slip Away
By: Kitty Werthmann (An Austrian who witnessed what took place under Hitler)
What I am about to tell you is something you’ve probably never heard or read in history books.
I am an eyewitness to history. I cannot tell you that Hitler took Austria by tanks and guns; it would distort history. We elected him by a landslide – 98% of the vote. I’ve never read that in any American publications. Everyone thinks that Hitler just rolled in with his tanks and took Austria by force.
In 1938, Austria was in deep Depression. Nearly one-third of our workforce was unemployed. We had 25% inflation and 25% bank loan interest rates.
Farmers and business people were declaring bankruptcy daily. Young people were going from house to house begging for food. Not that they didn’t want to work; there simply weren’t any jobs. My mother was a Christian woman and believed in helping people in need. Every day we cooked a big kettle of soup and baked bread to feed those poor, hungry people – about 30 daily.
The Communist Party and the National Socialist Party were fighting each other. Blocks and blocks of cities like Vienna , Linz , and Graz were destroyed. The people became desperate and petitioned the government to let them decide what kind of government they wanted.
We looked to our neighbor on the north, Germany , where Hitler had been in power since 1933. We had been told that they didn’t have unemployment or crime, and they had a high standard of living. Nothing was ever said about persecution of any group -- Jewish or otherwise. We were led to believe that everyone was happy. We wanted the same way of life in Austria . We were promised that a vote for Hitler would mean the end of unemployment and help for the family. Hitler also said that businesses would be assisted, and farmers would get their farms back. Ninety-eight percent of the population voted to annex Austria to Germany and have Hitler for our ruler.
We were overjoyed, and for three days we danced in the streets and had candlelight parades. The new government opened up big field kitchens and everyone was fed.
After the election, German officials were appointed, and like a miracle, we suddenly had law and order. Three or four weeks later, everyone was employed. The government made sure that a lot of work was created through the Public Work Service.
Hitler decided we should have equal rights for women. Before this, it was a custom that married Austrian women did not work outside the home. An able-bodied husband would be looked down on if he couldn’t support his family. Many women in the teaching profession were elated that they could retain the jobs they previously had been required to give up for marriage.
Hitler Targets Education – Eliminates Religious Instruction for Children:
Our education was nationalized. I attended a very good public school.. The population was predominantly Catholic, so we had religion in our schools. The day we elected Hitler (March 13, 1938), I walked into my schoolroom to find the crucifix replaced by Hitler’s picture hanging next to a Nazi flag. Our teacher, a very devout woman, stood up and told the class we wouldn’t pray or have religion anymore. Instead, we sang “Deutschland, Deutschland, Uber Alles,” and had physical education.
Sunday became National Youth Day with compulsory attendance. Parents were not pleased about the sudden change in curriculum. They were told that if they did not send us, they would receive a stiff letter of warning the first time. The second time they would be fined the equivalent of $300, and the third time they would be subject to jail. The first two hours consisted of political indoctrination. The rest of the day we had sports. As time went along, we loved it. Oh, we had so much fun and got our sports equipment free. We would go home and gleefully tell our parents about the wonderful time we had.
My mother was very unhappy. When the next term started, she took me out of public school and put me in a convent. I told her she couldn’t do that and she told me that someday when I grew up, I would be grateful. There was a very good curriculum, but hardly any fun – no sports, and no political indoctrination. I hated it at first but felt I could tolerate it. Every once in a while, on holidays, I went home. I would go back to my old friends and ask what was going on and what they were doing. Their loose lifestyle was very alarming to me. They lived without religion. By that time unwed mothers were glorified for having a baby for Hitler. It seemed strange to me that our society changed so suddenly. As time went along, I realized what a great deed my mother did so that I wasn’t exposed to that kind of humanistic philosophy.
Equal Rights Hits Home:
In 1939, the war started and a food bank was established. All food was rationed and could only be purchased using food stamps. At the same time, a full-employment law was passed which meant if you didn’t work, you didn’t get a ration card, and if you didn’t have a card, you starved to death. Women who stayed home to raise their families didn’t have any marketable skills and often had to take jobs more suited for men.
Soon after this, the draft was implemented. It was compulsory for young people, male and female, to give one year to the labor corps. During the day, the girls worked on the farms, and at night they returned to their barracks for military training just like the boys. They were trained to be anti-aircraft gunners and participated in the signal corps. After the labor corps, they were not discharged but were used in the front lines. When I go back to Austria to visit my family and friends, most of these women are emotional cripples because they just were not equipped to handle the horrors of combat. Three months before I turned 18, I was severely injured in an air raid attack. I nearly had a leg amputated, so I was spared having to go into the labor corps and into military service.
Hitler Restructured the Family Through Daycare:
When the mothers had to go out into the work force, the government immediately established child care centers. You could take your children ages 4 weeks to school age and leave them there around-the-clock, 7 days a week, under the total care of the government. The state raised a whole generation of children. There were no motherly women to take care of the children, just people highly trained in child psychology. By this time, no one talked about equal rights. We knew we had been had.
Health Care and Small Business Suffer Under Government Controls:
Before Hitler, we had very good medical care. Many American doctors trained at the University of Vienna .. After Hitler, health care was socialized, free for everyone. Doctors were salaried by the government. The problem was, since it was free, the people were going to the doctors for everything. When the good doctor arrived at his office at 8 a.m., 40 people were already waiting and, at the same time, the hospitals were full. If you needed elective surgery, you had to wait a year or two for your turn. There was no money for research as it was poured into socialized medicine. Research at the medical schools literally stopped, so the best doctors left Austria and emigrated to other countries.
As for healthcare, our tax rates went up to 80% of our income. Newlyweds immediately received a $1,000 loan from the government to establish a household. We had big programs for families. All day care and education were free. High schools were taken over by the government and college tuition was subsidized. Everyone was entitled to free handouts, such as food stamps, clothing, and housing.
We had another agency designed to monitor business. My brother-in-law owned a restaurant that had square tables. Government officials told him he had to replace them with round tables because people might bump themselves on the corners. Then they said he had to have additional bathroom facilities. It was just a small dairy business with a snack bar. He couldn’t meet all the demands. Soon, he went out of business. If the government owned the large businesses and not many small ones existed, it could be in control.
We had consumer protection. We were told how to shop and what to buy. Free enterprise was essentially abolished. We had a planning agency specially designed for farmers. The agents would go to the farms, count the live-stock, and then tell the farmers what to produce, and how to produce it.
“Mercy Killing” Redefined:
In 1944, I was a student teacher in a small village in the Alps . The villagers were surrounded by mountain passes which, in the winter, were closed off with snow, causing people to be isolated. So people intermarried and offspring were sometimes retarded. When I arrived, I was told there were 15 mentally retarded adults, but they were all useful and did good manual work. I knew one, named Vincent, very well. He was a janitor of the school. One day I looked out the window and saw Vincent and others getting into a van. I asked my superior where they were going. She said to an institution where the State Health Department would teach them a trade, and to read and write. The families were required to sign papers with a little clause that they could not visit for 6 months. They were told visits would interfere with the program and might cause homesickness.
As time passed, letters started to dribble back saying these people died a natural, merciful death. The villagers were not fooled. We suspected what was happening. Those people left in excellent physical health and all died within 6 months. We called this euthanasia.
The Final Steps - Gun Laws:
Next came gun registration. People were getting injured by guns. Hitler said that the real way to catch criminals (we still had a few) was by matching serial numbers on guns. Most citizens were law abiding and dutifully marched to the police station to register their firearms. Not long after-wards, the police said that it was best for everyone to turn in their guns. The authorities already knew who had them, so it was futile not to comply voluntarily.
No more freedom of speech. Anyone who said something against the government was taken away. We knew many people who were arrested, not only Jews, but also priests and ministers who spoke up.
Totalitarianism didn’t come quickly, it took 5 years from 1938 until 1943, to realize full dictatorship in Austria .. Had it happened overnight, my countrymen would have fought to the last breath. Instead, we had creeping gradualism. Now, our only weapons were broom handles. The whole idea sounds almost unbelievable that the state, little by little eroded our freedom.
After World War II, Russian troops occupied Austria . Women were raped, preteen to elderly. The press never wrote about this either. When the Soviets left in 1955, they took everything that they could, dismantling whole factories in the process. They sawed down whole orchards of fruit, and what they couldn’t destroy, they burned. We called it The Burned Earth. Most of the population barricaded themselves in their houses. Women hid in their cellars for 6 weeks as the troops mobilized. Those who couldn’t; paid the price. There is a monument in Vienna today, dedicated to those women who were massacred by the Russians. This is an eye witness account.
“It’s true….those of us who sailed past the Statue of Liberty came to a country of unbelievable freedom and opportunity.
America Truly is the Greatest Country in the World. Don’t Let Freedom Slip Away
"After America , There is No Place to Go"
http://www.resistnet.com/profiles/blogs/1938-austria-land-of-the
Sunday, January 17, 2010
NH Public Hearing-Performance Audit of DHHS
HB1424 Session Year: 2010 Title: requiring a performance audit of the division of child support, department of health and human services. 1/21/10 9:45
http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/house/committees/HouseBillsInCommittee.aspx?code=H37
http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/house/committees/HouseBillsInCommittee.aspx?code=H37
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Open Message To Austin Knightly-Our Beloved Grandson
Hi Austin. I'm hoping that somehow you might be able to read this message. Today is Grampies birthday. A very sad day without you here with us, just as the rest of the birthdays and holiday's have been without you. The greatest gift of all would be your return to the family who loves you more than life itself.
No matter how many pills they give you to try to make you forget us, no matter how much brainwashing they do to you and no matter how many times they tell you that you no longer have a mother and grandparents, please know that yes, we are still here fighting for your return and will never give up this fight against the corruption and fraud that took you from us. You will always be in our hearts and prayer's. You will always be Austin Knightly, no matter what. A new name means nothing. The strangers you are with will never be your family. You and the rest of the kids stolen by the state are made to believe these people care about you. None of you realize they are being paid to keep you from your real families. You're being held hostage by the state. You bring in big money, even more now that they've disabled you. The state is pushing drug's into you to keep you under control, because they don't have a clue how to handle the pain they are putting you through. Please don't try to commit suicide again. We will never stop fighting for you to come home.
Please, don't ever trust DCYF, CASA or the stranger's you've been placed with. They don't care about you or any other children. If they cared, you would be home with us. They are looking out for themselves and their job's.
Please know that we didn't let them take you willingly. When DCYF came and dragged you out of the house kicking and screaming, they told Grampie they had a court order and a warrant. They lied. They had nothing and took you illegally.
Grampie said, "Hi," and he loves you. Belle still kisses your picture every day and is waiting for you to come home. We still live in the same house. The house we bought for you, Ally and Isabella. Some day we'll be together again. I promise.
We love you with all our heart's and alway's will. You will alway's be our little buddy. We will never forget the good times we spent together. Please don't forget us and know we are here for you and alway's will be. Love alway's, Grammie and Grampie.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Overhaul of Kansas foster-care system urged (How about country-wide overhaul?)
Overhaul of Kansas foster-care system urged
By DAVID KLEPPER
The Star’s Topeka correspondent
More News
Inspired by memories, teen opens her heart to Haiti E-911 fee on Kansas cell phones may be increased so emergency systems can keep up with technology People with friends and colleagues in Haiti wait anxiously for word from them Here are ways to make donations to Haitian relief efforts Offender known for baby oil slatherings is missing Wayside Waifs looks to find homes for dogs before renovations can begin Tax proposals refused by Kansas legislative committee Beware the ‘you’ in YouTube Mother of two toddlers killed in KCK fire blames space heater Local news in brief | Murder charge filed in April killing Missouri state children's agency earns national accreditation Winning lottery numbers for Thursday, Jan. 14 Two toddlers perish in KCK house fire Judge partially opens jury selection in Roeder trial Overhaul of Kansas foster-care system urged Hall Foundation gives $18 million to KU Cancer Center goal Parents sue fraternity over KU student's death Man convicted of first-degree murder in drug-sale death Karl Brooks named regional administrator for Environmental Protection Agency Runaways pose a quandary for police TOPEKA | Legislation to end Kansas’ privatized foster care system is the latest volley from lawmakers who say the state lacks oversight over the contractors managing such child welfare services.
Dozens of parents who lost custody of their children have complained to lawmakers in recent weeks that the state and its contractor caseworkers remove children without giving sufficient reason or the chance to appeal.
The legislation would stop the state from signing new deals with the foster care contractors. The Johnson County lawmaker behind the new legislation said it’s meant to force contractors to answer questions if they want to keep the state’s business.
“We’re certainly going to get their attention,” said Rep. Mike Kiegerl, an Olathe Republican. “There’s a lack of oversight, a lack of transparency. Nobody ought to have the kind of power these caseworkers have.”
The contractors and the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services say they’re happy to address lawmakers’ concerns.
They note that local police and judges also play a key role in deciding when a child should be removed.
SRS officials promised to investigate the complaints raised by parents. But they stand by the privatized system, which was the first of its kind in the United States when it began in 1996.
“We feel like we have made a lot of accomplishments since privatization,” said SRS spokeswoman Michelle Ponce.
Kyle Kessler, a spokesman for contractor KVC Behavioral HealthCare, said his company will “provide any information that is requested.”
To reach David Klepper, call 785-354-1388 or send e-mail to dklepper@kcstar.com.
Posted on Wed, Jan. 13, 2010 10:55 PM
http://www.kansascity.com/115/story/1682382.html
By DAVID KLEPPER
The Star’s Topeka correspondent
More News
Inspired by memories, teen opens her heart to Haiti E-911 fee on Kansas cell phones may be increased so emergency systems can keep up with technology People with friends and colleagues in Haiti wait anxiously for word from them Here are ways to make donations to Haitian relief efforts Offender known for baby oil slatherings is missing Wayside Waifs looks to find homes for dogs before renovations can begin Tax proposals refused by Kansas legislative committee Beware the ‘you’ in YouTube Mother of two toddlers killed in KCK fire blames space heater Local news in brief | Murder charge filed in April killing Missouri state children's agency earns national accreditation Winning lottery numbers for Thursday, Jan. 14 Two toddlers perish in KCK house fire Judge partially opens jury selection in Roeder trial Overhaul of Kansas foster-care system urged Hall Foundation gives $18 million to KU Cancer Center goal Parents sue fraternity over KU student's death Man convicted of first-degree murder in drug-sale death Karl Brooks named regional administrator for Environmental Protection Agency Runaways pose a quandary for police TOPEKA | Legislation to end Kansas’ privatized foster care system is the latest volley from lawmakers who say the state lacks oversight over the contractors managing such child welfare services.
Dozens of parents who lost custody of their children have complained to lawmakers in recent weeks that the state and its contractor caseworkers remove children without giving sufficient reason or the chance to appeal.
The legislation would stop the state from signing new deals with the foster care contractors. The Johnson County lawmaker behind the new legislation said it’s meant to force contractors to answer questions if they want to keep the state’s business.
“We’re certainly going to get their attention,” said Rep. Mike Kiegerl, an Olathe Republican. “There’s a lack of oversight, a lack of transparency. Nobody ought to have the kind of power these caseworkers have.”
The contractors and the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services say they’re happy to address lawmakers’ concerns.
They note that local police and judges also play a key role in deciding when a child should be removed.
SRS officials promised to investigate the complaints raised by parents. But they stand by the privatized system, which was the first of its kind in the United States when it began in 1996.
“We feel like we have made a lot of accomplishments since privatization,” said SRS spokeswoman Michelle Ponce.
Kyle Kessler, a spokesman for contractor KVC Behavioral HealthCare, said his company will “provide any information that is requested.”
To reach David Klepper, call 785-354-1388 or send e-mail to dklepper@kcstar.com.
Posted on Wed, Jan. 13, 2010 10:55 PM
http://www.kansascity.com/115/story/1682382.html
child welfare system needs to improve visitation with birth parents (Not just in New Jersey, but all over the country!)
New Jersey Real-Time News
Breaking Local News from New JerseyNews, Parental Guidance, Politics, Statehouse »
Federal monitor says N.J. child welfare system needs to improve visitation with birth parents
By Trish G. Graber
January 14, 2010, 9:01PM
TRENTON -- The state must ensure that children in foster care visit their birth parents regularly, "one of the most important factors in determining whether they will reunite with their families," the state's child advocate said in a report issued today.
The report follows a federal monitor's assessment of New Jersey child welfare system showing the state's seven-year court-ordered reform effort has improved outcomes for children, but the department still needs to work on several areas -- including facilitating and documenting visits between kids in the system and their parents.
Matt Rainey/The Star-LedgerA 2006 file photo of Ronald Chen."While New Jersey has made great strides in reforming its child welfare system, this is a critical area that clearly needs more focused attention," said New Jersey Acting Child Advocate Ronald Chen.
The federal monitor found children removed from their homes had at least a weekly visit with a parent only 17 percent of the time, during the first six months of 2009. The figure is less than half what it should be in the next reporting period, covering the final six months of last year.
Association for Children of New Jersey Director Ceil Zalkind said last week the statistics raised a red flag. She called visitation -- between children and their parents, as well as between separated siblings -- a "fundamental" issue, critical "to ensuring that children are safe whether living with their own families or in placement."
Department of Children and Families Commissioner Kimberly Ricketts said caseworkers indeed coordinated more visits than recorded in the report, but failed to record them in the computer system, which skewed results.
Research by the Child Advocate's office found children are 10 times more likely to be reunited with their parents when mothers visit their children regularly. Children who do not experience regular visits with their parents spend three times longer in out-of-home care than those who do. And kids visited regularly by their parents show fewer behavioral problems and less anxiety and depression than those who are not, the report said.
"The absence of frequent and supportive parent-child family time can have a profoundly negative effect on a child and seriously jeopardize the child's safety, permanency and well-being," Chen said in the 33-page report.
As of Sept 2009, 8,353 New Jersey children were placed out of the home, in home-based foster care, group homes, an independent living setup, or with a family member or family friend, according to the report.
The report also lays out practices used in child welfare systems across the country that promote children's well-being. They include holding visits in "the least restrictive, most comfortable setting possible" and facilitating contact between parents and their children almost immediately after removal from the home.
In Rhode Island, for example, a program offers visitation at the Providence Children's Museum, where children and parents can spend time together in a "healthy" setting. In California, children must be given the opportunity to call their birth parent an hour after they are removed from their home, under state law.
"It is our hope that this information will be used by professionals in all areas of the child welfare field to view visits as an opportunity to further strengthen families and ensure that even more children safely return home," Chen said.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Previous coverage:
• Report shows improvement at N.J. child welfare system
• Federal monitors give largely positive marks for N.J. child welfare
• Federal monitor to unveil report on Division of Youth and Family Services
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/01/child_advocate_report_says_nj.html
Breaking Local News from New JerseyNews, Parental Guidance, Politics, Statehouse »
Federal monitor says N.J. child welfare system needs to improve visitation with birth parents
By Trish G. Graber
January 14, 2010, 9:01PM
TRENTON -- The state must ensure that children in foster care visit their birth parents regularly, "one of the most important factors in determining whether they will reunite with their families," the state's child advocate said in a report issued today.
The report follows a federal monitor's assessment of New Jersey child welfare system showing the state's seven-year court-ordered reform effort has improved outcomes for children, but the department still needs to work on several areas -- including facilitating and documenting visits between kids in the system and their parents.
Matt Rainey/The Star-LedgerA 2006 file photo of Ronald Chen."While New Jersey has made great strides in reforming its child welfare system, this is a critical area that clearly needs more focused attention," said New Jersey Acting Child Advocate Ronald Chen.
The federal monitor found children removed from their homes had at least a weekly visit with a parent only 17 percent of the time, during the first six months of 2009. The figure is less than half what it should be in the next reporting period, covering the final six months of last year.
Association for Children of New Jersey Director Ceil Zalkind said last week the statistics raised a red flag. She called visitation -- between children and their parents, as well as between separated siblings -- a "fundamental" issue, critical "to ensuring that children are safe whether living with their own families or in placement."
Department of Children and Families Commissioner Kimberly Ricketts said caseworkers indeed coordinated more visits than recorded in the report, but failed to record them in the computer system, which skewed results.
Research by the Child Advocate's office found children are 10 times more likely to be reunited with their parents when mothers visit their children regularly. Children who do not experience regular visits with their parents spend three times longer in out-of-home care than those who do. And kids visited regularly by their parents show fewer behavioral problems and less anxiety and depression than those who are not, the report said.
"The absence of frequent and supportive parent-child family time can have a profoundly negative effect on a child and seriously jeopardize the child's safety, permanency and well-being," Chen said in the 33-page report.
As of Sept 2009, 8,353 New Jersey children were placed out of the home, in home-based foster care, group homes, an independent living setup, or with a family member or family friend, according to the report.
The report also lays out practices used in child welfare systems across the country that promote children's well-being. They include holding visits in "the least restrictive, most comfortable setting possible" and facilitating contact between parents and their children almost immediately after removal from the home.
In Rhode Island, for example, a program offers visitation at the Providence Children's Museum, where children and parents can spend time together in a "healthy" setting. In California, children must be given the opportunity to call their birth parent an hour after they are removed from their home, under state law.
"It is our hope that this information will be used by professionals in all areas of the child welfare field to view visits as an opportunity to further strengthen families and ensure that even more children safely return home," Chen said.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Previous coverage:
• Report shows improvement at N.J. child welfare system
• Federal monitors give largely positive marks for N.J. child welfare
• Federal monitor to unveil report on Division of Youth and Family Services
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/01/child_advocate_report_says_nj.html
Resolve to reunite foster children with families
Resolve to reunite foster children with families
Joan L. Benso is president and CEO of Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children, a statewide children's advocacy organization based in Harrisburg.
Northampton County (Pennsylvania) January 14, 2010
A new year commonly ushers in declarations and promises of what we can do differently, better, healthier. As a child advocate, I can think of no sounder resolution than to ensure every child in the Lehigh Valley, and in Pennsylvania, lives in a safe, stable and permanent home in 2010 and beyond.
Between April 1, 2008, and April 1, 2009, there were more than 31,000 children living in foster care in Pennsylvania; 607 in Lehigh County; 419 in Northampton County. While many children will safely be reunified with their birth families or relatives, others will neither be reunited with their birth families nor adopted and instead placed in group homes and institutions, perhaps until they turn 18 and ''age out'' of the system as 1,100 youth in Pennsylvania do every year.
How is Lehigh County doing in assuring safe, stable and permanent families for its children? ''The State of Child Welfare,'' (porchlightproject.org/reports_and_media_socw09.shtml) a new report by Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children, shows that while there are many practices already in place that help to promote permanency and strengthen families in crisis, there are key areas that need improvement as well.
Lehigh County has a very low rate of re-entry into foster care for children who have left the system as compared with other urban counties and the state. From April 2007 to March 2009, barely 6 percent of children re-entered the foster care system within 12 months following reunification with parents or relatives compared with 32 percent of children in other urban counties. That is to be commended and shows that the county is concentrating on strengthening its families by addressing the reasons children were removed in the first place and remedied them so children don't return to foster care.
However, far too many Lehigh County children in the foster care system face great instability as 43 percent experience three or more placement settings in the time (12 to 23 months) spent in care. Every time a child moves, the traumatic experience of separation and lack of continuity in his or her life grows. A child who experiences multiple placements while in foster care struggles to build and maintain healthy relationships and is disadvantaged academically due to repeated school changes.
Northampton County children also experience lower re-entry rates than the state and other like counties. However, the county emancipates a lot of its older youth in foster care (11 percent) and needs to do a better job finding permanent families for these teens, perhaps turning to relatives and extended family members as potential guardians.
My organization's report doesn't single out any one county. That is not the purpose. The report provides comprehensive data for all 67 counties that will help policy-makers, children and youth administrators and others invested in the welfare of vulnerable children assess how state and county governments are doing providing safe, stable and permanent families for all children in Pennsylvania. It is important to note that every county -- every local child welfare system -- can make improvements in how it addresses the needs of children in the foster care system and how families are aided and strengthened to help prevent a child's removal in the first place.
Both Lehigh and Northampton counties have made strides to improve the conditions for children who are at risk of abuse and neglect and should keep building on their efforts, moving forward to assure every child a safe, stable and permanent family.
These are all our children, therefore all of us can make a collective resolution to safely reduce the number of children in foster care this year and to find permanent families for those children who cannot be reunified with their birth parents or relatives. We can make 2010 the year we devote to creating forever families for all children in Pennsylvania.
Joan L. Benso is president and CEO of Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children, a statewide children's advocacy organization based in Harrisburg.
Copyright © 2010, The Morning Call
http://www.mcall.com/news/opinion/anotherview/all-yv_benso0106.7139267jan14,0,6691622.story
Joan L. Benso is president and CEO of Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children, a statewide children's advocacy organization based in Harrisburg.
Northampton County (Pennsylvania) January 14, 2010
A new year commonly ushers in declarations and promises of what we can do differently, better, healthier. As a child advocate, I can think of no sounder resolution than to ensure every child in the Lehigh Valley, and in Pennsylvania, lives in a safe, stable and permanent home in 2010 and beyond.
Between April 1, 2008, and April 1, 2009, there were more than 31,000 children living in foster care in Pennsylvania; 607 in Lehigh County; 419 in Northampton County. While many children will safely be reunified with their birth families or relatives, others will neither be reunited with their birth families nor adopted and instead placed in group homes and institutions, perhaps until they turn 18 and ''age out'' of the system as 1,100 youth in Pennsylvania do every year.
How is Lehigh County doing in assuring safe, stable and permanent families for its children? ''The State of Child Welfare,'' (porchlightproject.org/reports_and_media_socw09.shtml) a new report by Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children, shows that while there are many practices already in place that help to promote permanency and strengthen families in crisis, there are key areas that need improvement as well.
Lehigh County has a very low rate of re-entry into foster care for children who have left the system as compared with other urban counties and the state. From April 2007 to March 2009, barely 6 percent of children re-entered the foster care system within 12 months following reunification with parents or relatives compared with 32 percent of children in other urban counties. That is to be commended and shows that the county is concentrating on strengthening its families by addressing the reasons children were removed in the first place and remedied them so children don't return to foster care.
However, far too many Lehigh County children in the foster care system face great instability as 43 percent experience three or more placement settings in the time (12 to 23 months) spent in care. Every time a child moves, the traumatic experience of separation and lack of continuity in his or her life grows. A child who experiences multiple placements while in foster care struggles to build and maintain healthy relationships and is disadvantaged academically due to repeated school changes.
Northampton County children also experience lower re-entry rates than the state and other like counties. However, the county emancipates a lot of its older youth in foster care (11 percent) and needs to do a better job finding permanent families for these teens, perhaps turning to relatives and extended family members as potential guardians.
My organization's report doesn't single out any one county. That is not the purpose. The report provides comprehensive data for all 67 counties that will help policy-makers, children and youth administrators and others invested in the welfare of vulnerable children assess how state and county governments are doing providing safe, stable and permanent families for all children in Pennsylvania. It is important to note that every county -- every local child welfare system -- can make improvements in how it addresses the needs of children in the foster care system and how families are aided and strengthened to help prevent a child's removal in the first place.
Both Lehigh and Northampton counties have made strides to improve the conditions for children who are at risk of abuse and neglect and should keep building on their efforts, moving forward to assure every child a safe, stable and permanent family.
These are all our children, therefore all of us can make a collective resolution to safely reduce the number of children in foster care this year and to find permanent families for those children who cannot be reunified with their birth parents or relatives. We can make 2010 the year we devote to creating forever families for all children in Pennsylvania.
Joan L. Benso is president and CEO of Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children, a statewide children's advocacy organization based in Harrisburg.
Copyright © 2010, The Morning Call
http://www.mcall.com/news/opinion/anotherview/all-yv_benso0106.7139267jan14,0,6691622.story
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