The Snack Edition

The consummate kid snack, goldfish crackers, are 50 years old!  Over 142 billion fish crackers are produced annually. 

Adding a dip such as ranch dressing or hummus to your child's plate will encourage more veggie eating.  A study found that kids ate 80% more broccoli when it was served with 5 tablespoons of low fat ranch dressing. 

Need some healthy snack ideas to keep every one's energy on an even keel?  Keeping blood sugar steady can prevent mid-afternoon meltdowns. 
Here are some good ideas:

• Sliced apples with almond or peanut butter
• Hummus with raw veggies
• String cheese with a handful of whole grain crackers
• Trail mix with nuts, dried fruit and a few m and m's won't hurt

Need an on the go snack?

• Granola bar and a banana

Autism Treatment

As of today, if you search the internet for "autism treatment", over 81 million entries are returned.  How many of those entries are valid treatments and how many of those treatments are looking to take advantage of parents who would move heaven and earth to help their child? 

As professsionals, those of us at the Rosenberg Center feel a strong obligation to offer evidence based intervention options to the families we see.  Evidence based interventions are therapies that have reasearch to prove that they work.  That the children who participate in them are safe and make progress.

It is sad to say that some therapies not only don't help, but can be dangerous and expensive. 

A great resource for finding evidence based treatment is the website www.asatonline.org.  The National Institutes of Health  and the American Medical Association are also good resources. 

Chewing Gum..For Ear Infections?

Four recent studies found that xylitol, found in sugarless gum, reduces the chance of ear infections in children under 12 by 25%!  Researchers believe that xylitol might work by inhibiting harmful bacteria that contributes to ear infections.  As an aside-  chewing gum should only be given to children who understand that they must not swallow it! 

The Rosenberg Center is a clinic of excellence offering assessment and treatment for children with developmental and behavioral needs and their families.  We strive to be a center that offers families support, guidance and the time they need to make good decisions for their children and their futures.