1/3 of parents give primary schools an "A;" less than 1/4 give secondary schools an "A" ANN ARBOR, Mich., Jan. 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- School psychologists, counselors and social workers are often the first line of support for children with behavioral, emotional or family problems. Problems can range from attention deficit disorder and homelessness to depression and bullying all of which can make academic success a challenge. The C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health asked nearly 1,100 parents across the United States to grade their children's public schools on how well they support children with behavioral, emotional or family problems. Thirty-seven ...

A schoolboy taunted for being 'chubby' told yesterday how he became anorexic at the age of 11 and lost so much weight he was left on the verge of death. Taylor Kerkham, now 12, became obsessed about his calorie intake, and on some days would eat as little as half a pot of diet yoghurt and a slice of cherry tomato. His anxious parents tried everything to make him eat more, but the previously healthy and active youngster would become hysterical and threaten to throw his dinner plate on the floor. Eventually Taylor collapsed ...

Twinkies. Fat slob. Gordita. It didn't stop with the nicknames. "Eat only half." "Stop eating so much." For Claudia Garza, these taunts didn't come from schoolyard peers -- they came from her family. Obese children are 65 percent more likely to be bullied than their peers of normal weight, according to a study published in Pediatrics this month. But teasing about weight is not confined to schools-- it can also occur within the home, according to childhood obesity experts. Major public health efforts are under way to lower childhood obesity rates as one in three U.S. ...

Dr. Leonard Sax is a family physician and founder of the National Association for Single Sex Public Education, who lives in Pennsylvania with his wife and daughter. The author of two previous books concerning the effects of gender differences on learning, Sax argues in his new book, Girls on the Edge, that today’s teens and tweens look confident on the outside but have a dangerously fragile sense of self. Q: When we spoke two years ago, it was about how poorly boys are doing relative to girls in terms of both motivation ...

TEEN TRUTH is excited to announce our new partnership with TEEN LINE - a confidential telephone helpline for teens, by teens. We know how important it is to talk to someone when you have a problem, so we're really happy to join forces and announce TEEN LINE as the official crisis hotline for TEEN TRUTH. Wherever TEEN TRUTH goes, we'll be sharing the TEEN LINE number so that anyone who needs help with body image, bullying, substance abuse, depression and self-harm can talk to another teen. Please call: (310) 855-HOPE (4673) Or visit: www.teenlineonline.org for more information. Teen operators are available from ...

FULLERTON -- As dozens of bright yellow busses pulled alongside the sunny practice fields at Cal State Fullerton Friday, thousands of high school students lined up to give the passengers the red-carpet treatment -- a human corridor of applause and cheers. The people streaming out of the busses all had different special needs. Some have developmental problems and others have physical difficulties, such as impaired sight or an inability to walk. But they all paired up with high school students at the 25th annual Kathleen E. Faley Memorial Special Games, a day of all-inclusive sports and music that provides understanding and entertainment ...

Students who bully their peers should be allowed to stay in the classroom, Baltimore schools CEO Andres Alonso said Monday as he addressed several high-profile harassment incidents by urging parents and community leaders to step up their involvement. "We believe that to punish children by excluding them and pushing them outside of school classrooms is something that does not work, will not work," he said in remarks at a news briefing at city school headquarters to discuss recent claims of chronic bullying. "The children come as is. We don't choose them. We have an obligation to all of them." Last week, the mother ...

LANDOVER, Md. -- Washington Redskins fullback Mike Sellers said Monday that it's still "extremely tough" for NFL players to resist the temptation of steroids. But Sellers added that he had some simple reasons to stay away from them. "I've never been a fan of needles, so that helps," he said in an interview with The Associated Press. "It's just a matter of your values. Are you going to be stupid enough to make that choice? For me, I didn't feel it was worth it. I like my money. "I don't want to get suspended, and I don't want to be labeled as a ...

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Obese children in grades 3 through 6 are more apt to be bullied by their classmates than children who are trim, regardless of their gender, race, social skills, or academic achievement, a study published today in Pediatrics shows. This finding is "so disturbing to me," Dr. Julie C. Lumeng from University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, who led the study, told Reuters Health. She also admitted being a bit surprised. "Unlike in the 1980s," she explained, "so many kids are obese now. In some schools, half the class may be overweight...so I really thought that maybe being obese ...

RIPON -- A few months ago, gripped by grief, Melinda Shaw decided she'd create a lasting memory of the daughter who died so tragically last year. Before 17-year- old Marissa McLeod took her own life Dec. 1, the Ripon High senior had begun collecting dresses for winter formals and proms, to give to girls who otherwise could not afford them. Shaw decided to continue with her daughter's work through "Marissa's Closet." In February, with help from family members and friends, Shaw set what at the time seemed like an overly ambitious goal: collecting and distributing 700 dresses. Jeff Jardine's column appears Sundays, Tuesdays ...