July 04, 2010 | Posted in Editor's Notes | Post a comment | Share Article |
What is the special appeal of the number 5? Well, we have 5 fingers and 5 toes on each hand and foot respectively, so one could say that 5 represents a complementary part of the whole.
To complement your parenting experience, we have five articles with 5s in them (no, it wasn’t pre-planned; it just happened):
You never know – we adults could be the ones that our children are trying to imitate!
Guilty as charged! Even starting on just one tip can keep that negative rush of emotion in check.
Make full use of spare pockets of time to get going!
Simple yet purposeful is the way to do it.
There are no known statistics on the prevalence of autism in Malaysia, so we have to rely on international statistics to make an estimate (http://www.mind.org.my/index.php?page=176&cat=u&type=news).
In the USA, the incidence of autism is 1 in 1,000 (0.1%) or 2 in 1,000 (0.2%) depending on the definition used (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epidemiology_of_autism). In the sixth edition of the textbook Child Neurology (2000), authors Menkes and Sarnat infer that, “Thus the increase in number of children diagnosed with autism is so spectacular, that it is unlikely to be merely because health care workers are paying greater attention to this condition.” (page 1172). We may never know the cause for sure, but it’s best to know how to read the signs early, even as early as infancy.
The five 5s articles are further complemented by another 5 below:
Damien is autistic but almost 14 years ago when his mother, Nora Tan, wanted to know what his condition was, none of the seven to nine doctors she consulted could spell it out for her! Happily today, Damien is an accomplished artist and a keen musician, thanks to Nora who never gave up searching for the best for her son.
In the past editions, we’ve had interviews with a behavioural psychologist on bullying. We continue our spotlight on aggression with thoughts from clinical and educational psychologist Selina Ding about dealing with troubled children on a deeper emotional level.
P.S. The Children is an organisation that is committed to helping children become aware of their right to safety and protection, and to stand up for that right. Find out how you can support their cause.
When you need a break for a no-frills but yummy breakfast or tea snack, pancakes come to mind. Savour some pointers on how to make the perfect version.
Grab a few small tips that could make a huge difference to the final outcome of your cake.
Finally, before I sign off, I can’t resist highlighting 5 magic words that we should always say to each of our children, “I love you, dear child!”
Barbara Tey
Web Editor
