Consequences of Meningitis? A study out of the UK finds�that having had bacterial menintitis in infancy may impair an adolescent’s school performance. The researchers found that 25% of the youngsters who had had bacterial�meningitis in infancy failed all of their high school certification exams, compared with 6.6% of the control group.� The authors note: “Raising parental awareness of the long term consequences of meningitis in infancy might also improve the uptake of immunization.”

Maternal Depression News: A report published in the journal Developmental Psychology finds an association between maternal depression and conduct problems, such as lying, fighting, bullying and stealing, in children with ADHD. “Specifically, the researchers found that children with mothers who displayed the highest levels of positive parenting during preschool had significantly lower levels of conduct problems over time, when other possible contributing factors were controlled. Also, children of previously depressed mothers had significantly higher levels of conduct problems over time compared to children whose mothers had never been depressed.”

Brooke Shileds on the aftermath of PPD: “I’ve become more of who I am. Someone said adversity builds character, but someone else said adversity reveals character. I’m pleasantly surprised with my resilience. I persevere, and not just blindly. I take the best, get rid of the rest, and move on, realizing that you can make a choice to take the good.”

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