parenting
This Child Loves Danny the Dragon!
This lovely and heartwarming letter came in to me today from a mother in England who purchased a book via this Danny the Dragon website. As an author this is one of those special moments in our lives that we know we are doing what we love and it is touching others. I think any other children’s author will agree with me on this. Hi Tina 🙂 We have one VERY EXCITED little boy!! 🙂 He absolutely loved waking up to a package on Saturday morning. Jumped out of bed and said “Can I go to School today?” and I said …
When Should Your Child Get Cochlear Implants
Before my visit to a school for the deaf on my East Coast book tour to promote my children’s title, Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy, I hardly knew anything about the subject of deaf literacy. However, since that life-changing day,when I decided to do something on behalf of this issue, I now understand the complexity of the issue, especially for parents of deaf children. Perhaps the most important decision you’ll make as the parent of a deaf child is which method of communication is best for your child. If you’ve decided that your child should join the 219,000 deaf people …
Autism-Vaccine Author Defends His Research
Dr. Andrew Wakefield, who published a study in 1998 about the possible link between autism and vaccines which was subsequently questioned and discredited by the medical community, has defended his work in an interview on CNN. Dr. Wakefield’s work has been discredited over the past several years, and ten of the eleven doctors who were involved in the study have removed their names from it. The Sunday Times reports that Dr. Wakefield “changed and misreported results” in his research, according to “confidential” medical documents and interviews with witnesses. Dr. Wakefield’s study was published in February 1998 in The Lancet medical …
Autism-Vaccine Author Defends Work
 Dr. Andrew Wakefield, who published a study in 1998 about the possible link between autism and vaccines which was subsequently questioned and discredited by the medical community, has defended his work in an interview on CNN.  Dr. Wakefield’s work has been discredited over the past several years, and ten of the eleven doctors who were involved in the study have removed their names from it. The Sunday Times reports that Dr. Wakefield “changed and misreported results” in his research, according to “confidential” medical documents and interviews with witnesses.  Dr. Wakefield’s study was published in February 1998 in …
Take a Sneak Peek at the iPad Danny the Dragon App
 Danny fans can now see a preview of the iPad Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy app, which stands out as a groundbreaking innovation for being the first children’s book app with a sign language interpretation mode. iStoryTime, the app developer for DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon, has posted a sample of the signed reading of the book on You Tube.  I’m very pleased with the wonderful job iStorytime has done with the app. iStoryTime co-founder, Woody Sears, has said of the project, “We are extremely proud to release the first-ever children’s book app for the deaf …
Danny the Dragon Reading Featured on YouTube
Stay-at-home mom and blogger Annie (www.MamaDweeb.com) has posted a delightful reading of Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy to her adorable three-year-old daughter, Lizzie, on YouTube. Have a look yourself at the link below! Â http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8wKtMwFiKI Â Tina Turbin www.DannyTheDragon.com
Reduce Your Exposure to Chemical Food Dyes – Part 2
  The easiest way to avoid or reduce your exposure to chemical coloring is simply to avoid a lot of processed food. Check your gluten-free labels always. FD&C on a label means the FDA allows the dyes to be used in food, drugs and cosmetics. Sometimes you’ll see FDA Red 40 or FD&C Red 40, so these are just 2 ways the labeling is used. The FDA allows nine synthetic color additives to this date despite consumer advocacy groups showing mass evidence of the 2 dyes; Red 40 and Yellow 6 linked to hyperactivity, hence attention disorders. Also, the …
Link Demonstrated between Child Psychiatric Disorders and Gluten Sensitivity
                       Recent research is now indicating that there may be a link between Autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and other developmental and child psychiatric disorders and an allergy or sensitivity to gluten. Gluten is a protein found in barley, rye, and wheat, and it is estimated that millions of Americans have a sensitivity or allergy to it. Gluten intolerance can affect the entire body, leading to a variety of troubling physical as well as mental symptoms.     Upon a change in diet, various developmental disorders have been documented to lessen in some cases. Some of the disorders the …
Hey, Parents, Turn off the TV!
    There are so many reasons to dramatically cut down on television or to cut it out altogether. You’ll find in the end that your children will be much more likely to become avid readers and, as a result, perform better in school and in life. Instead of acting out the drama and degradation on popular TV, your kids will demonstrate the values you seek to pass on to them. You’ll also find your own productivity will increase, and oftentimes, a marriage will be sparked back to life by eliminating television. It may be a challenge at first to get …
What to Look for in Healthy Friendships
What should you look for in a good friend whose companionship will bring health and happiness to you instead of just raising your blood pressure? There are a few things you should ask yourself before befriending someone. First of all, make sure to choose a friend who has positive things to say to you. Every once in a while, a good friend may need to tell you something that might be tough to hear—“hard truths”—but these remarks should be very infrequent and you should generally walk away after spending time with them feeling better about yourself. Also, look for friends …