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Archives for September 2016

Has your child been arrested for a misdemeanor crime? Is your child eligible for a Juvenile Diversion Program?

September 3, 2016 By admin Leave a Comment

juvenile detention JW037.jpg

Ohio Juvenile Diversion Programs are early intervention programs for juveniles who are first-time misdemeanor offenders.  Diversion programs allows cases to be diverted from prosecution if the juvenile successfully completes the requirements identified at the onset of the 12 month program.  Once the juvenile successfully completes the program, his/her criminal record is expunged.  The requirements of the program are based on the unique needs of the juvenile offender who works directly and actively with the diversion team.  The diversion team includes, but is not limited to, the juvenile, parents/caregivers, police officer, probation officer, magistrate, psychologist, and etc. 

In general, juvenile diversion programs have three main goals:  (1) Restitution (to hold the juvenile accountable for their offense), (2) Rehabilitation (to encourage positive choices related to academic performance and behavior, and personal goals) and (3) Pro-social Behaviors (to eliminate the risk of future criminal offenses).  Parents, guardians and caregivers are strongly encouraged to be involved in the Juvenile Diversion process to support and encourage the success of their child. 

The purpose of restitution is to hold the juvenile accountable for their offenses. Restitution may include paying fines to replace property damaged caused by the offense, completing community service hours and/or writing letters of apology to those affected by the offense. Rehabilitation may include goals that focus on school attendance, academic performance and/or personal skills such as decision making or communication.  To achieve these goals, the juvenile may be required to participate in counseling, seminars or educational services related to drug and alcohol use, shoplifting or aggressive behaviors.

Psychologists and counselors who work with juveniles enrolled in diversion, can play a significant role as a member of the Juvenile Diversion Team.  The team works collaboratively with the juvenile offender and his/her parents from the beginning of the program and throughout, with the goal of successfully completing diversion. Communication between the diversion team members and the juvenile offender provides ongoing support, constructive feedback about decisions or choices and encouragement to participate fully.  Counseling can provide the juvenile a private “safe-space” to talk, vent, and develop new ways to deal with stress, fear, conflict and challenges.  Although the specific content of counseling sessions remains private and protected under customary HIPPA laws and ethical standards, the counselor’s involvement in the diversion team assures that the juvenile’s goals and progress is not isolated.  By adding the psychologist to the diversion team, the juvenile can be held accountable for attending counseling sessions and gain insight and support for developing and utilizing new behaviors.  New behaviors such as communicating assertively (as opposed to aggression), calming down during a situation (as opposed to stressing to the point of feeling out of control) and pausing to think before acting (as opposed to lashing out) can be supported by the diversion team.  Progress most likely will continue as the juvenile acknowledges how these positive changes have not only resulted in avoiding a repeat of past criminal behavior, but have empowered this individual to feel proud, encouraged and successful about achieving personal and academic goals.

Filed Under: My Thoughts

Pregnancy, the Flu and Autism…

September 1, 2016 By admin Leave a Comment

Does exposure to the influenza virus while pregnant increase the risk of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD’s) for the child?

A study conducted with 196,929 children between 2000 and 2010, compared mothers who were exposed to the influenza virus to mothers who were not exposed to the virus during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy.  In the influenza group, mothers were either diagnosed with the flu or were vaccinated for the influenza virus during pregnancy.  This exposed group was compared with pregnant mothers who were not exposed to the influenza virus during pregnancy.

Within the group of mothers who were exposed to influenza, 0.7 percent of the mothers (1,400) contracted influenza and 23 percent (45,231) received a vaccination for influenza.

Of the children born to both groups, 1.6 percent (3,101) were later diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).  This finding suggests NO significant increased risk of a child becoming diagnosed with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder whether their mother (during pregnancy) was exposed to the influenza virus or not. 

As with all studies, there are limitations that the author discloses to the reader so that the findings of the study are interpreted realistically and in the proper context. In this study, the authors identified several limitations.  Limitations identified are: (1) they evaluated pregnancies that reached the gestational age of at least 24 weeks, (2) they did not evaluate mothers who a received influenza vaccination in the first month of pregnancy, and (3) the ASD status of the children was determined by medical records as opposed to validated standardized clinical assessments for all cases. 

The study by Ousseny Zerbo, PhD. &co-authors) found, “no association between ASD risk and influenza infection during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy” and “do not advocate changes in vaccine policy or practice”. 

If you would like to read the entire study, go to: “Association Between Influenza Infection and Vaccination During Pregnancy and Risk of Autism Spectrum Disorder” by Ousseny Zerbo, PhD; Yinge Qian, MS; Cathleen Yoshida, MA; Bruce H. Fireman, MA; Nicola P. Klein, MD, PhD; and Lisa A. Croen, PhD in JAMA Pediatrics Published on A study of more than 196,000 children found no association between a mother having an influenza infection anytime during pregnancy and an increased risk of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in children, according to a new study published online by JAMA Pediatrics. Published online November 28 2016 doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2016.3609.

Filed Under: My Thoughts

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