Autism, Parent-Blaming and False ‘Cures’ Once again the mainstream autism field risks blaming parents for the cause of autism. This time, through studies often funded by relative-led organisations. The “refrigerator mother” hypothesis blamed supposedly cold parenting for autism. Some of the families who were socially isolated and even split apart by this way of thinking… Read more »
By YPAG member Louie Glover The term “young person” usually refers to someone between the ages of 14 and 17, so legal rights of a person within this incorporating term varies, almost yearly. The law is complex but I feel it is necessary to present a quick outline of the major laws for young people… Read more »
Introduction Many years ago I heard a teenager screaming to her mother “You are a worm that enters the brain of your own child to drive her crazy!” In those days, blaming mothers for the mental health of their offspring was still a rather private business. Nowadays, the subject has entered the public debate, “in… Read more »
Research suggests, that in medical practice children have a minimal role in major treatment decisions regarding their health care. In particular, an investigation conducted by Coyne (2008) found that the ‘views of children are rarely sought nor acknowledged’. This conflicts with the well-established United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, that states children… Read more »
Raising Children on the Inside I’ve spent a lot of my time in prison this summer, playing with babies and chatting with their mums. There are six prison mother and baby units in the UK, and they are all different. The one I work in is contracted out to a charity, which is responsible for… Read more »
Attention to children’s brain development in the early years has been at the centre of English social policy since the late 1990s, and is linked to recent efforts to ‘improve people’s life chances’. Children’s food policy has been influenced by the language used in these debates. The belief that habits learnt in the early years… Read more »
By YPAG member Abigail Miller Ethics and politics are topics that effect the younger generation as well as the current generation. However, the younger generation has very little say in what’s currently happening; it’s important that that changes so we are able to have more say in the decisions that will impact us. Some people… Read more »
The Nobel Prize winners David Hubel and Torsten Wiesel demonstrated that kittens deprived of sensory input in one eye at birth remained permanently blind in that eye. The story of a blind kitten certainly tugs at the heart strings, but Hubel and Weisel, did not only demonstrate the irreversibility of the damage in the shut… Read more »
Picture perfect pregnancy Since the days when a pregnant Demi Moore posed proudly on the front cover of Vanity Fair, the media has bombarded us with images of what pregnancy should look like. Magazine covers display images of glowing women engaged in wholesome activities: drinking kale smoothies, attending yoga classes, or enjoying breezy countryside walks.… Read more »
Psychosis is a medical condition that is most commonly characterised by visual hallucinations and voices, and/or by the presence of grandiose, persecutory or self-blaming delusions. A psychotic episode can be a terrifying and often traumatic experience for young people. This is especially true for those that have previously had limited exposure to or awareness of… Read more »