Ladies and gentlemen it has come to my attention, despite desperate attempts to ignore it, that I am getting older. In truth, I’ve known about this for a while. Time may heal all things but it does diddly squat for old age. I’m afraid time is so often mediated and perceived through a youthful filter. … Continued
Maltreatment
Children of Rage
I would like to start this blog on a slight tangent… Take a look at the picture below. I’m sure many of you are already familiar with this wretched story. To those of you who are not it revolves around a 12-year-old girl and her father, a gun toting, NRA loving, … Continued
Domestic violence and the hidden victims
Medical experts in Australia have concluded, following the result of a royal commission into domestic violence in the state of Victoria (the first of its kind in the country), that children are affected by it even before birth. Statistics show that the number of cases of domestic violence in the country has increased by 136 … Continued
Is China’s war on girls over?
I wrote recently about the draconian abortion laws in Northern Ireland. With the recent announcement by the Chinese government that it is about to abandon its one child policy in favour of a two child policy, I’d like to discuss the other side of that coin…what happens when planned parenthood is directed, engineered and enforced … Continued
One kingdom, two systems
It seems incredible to think that in one part of the United Kingdom the life of its citizens can be so different from the rest. I refer of course to Northern Ireland. It may come as surprise to you that our legal systems are not entirely uniform. One striking point of divergence is the law … Continued
Charity Begins at Home
You don’t have to be a Rockefeller to help a fella I was digging around in a drawer the other day, when I came across an old article from the Sunday Times. It had the emotive title, ‘Stars’ backing ‘cannot save’ kids’ charity’. It was a small piece about Kids Company, the worthy initiative founded … Continued
I dream of Genie
The last blog entry regarding the effects of maltreatment on brain development reminded me of a documentary I’d watched as a teen. It was ostensibly about a wild or feral child (i.e. those recognised as living with little or no human contact) and the impact that this had upon language acquisition. The term wild … Continued
The Effects of Maltreatment on Brain Development
I read an article recently on the effects of maltreatment on brain development in children. It was such a concise and informative overview of recent developments in this area that I decide to reproduce the article (with the kind permission of the Child Welfare Information Gateway) in its entirety and make it available below. Click to … Continued