Polly Palumbo Ph.D.

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  1. The Poop on Pampers Dry Max Diapers vs Facebook Moms: A Rash of Rashes or Rash Rush to Recall?

    6/10/10 4:57pm by Polly Palumbo Ph.D.
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    There's a battle raging online over little butts. Parents on Facebook posting cringe-worthy stories and photos of rashes, blisters, burns, and bleeding they attribute to Pamper's new Dry Max diapers.  Read more >

  2. Pesticides and ADHD: Having Salad with a Side of Suspected Toxins

    6/3/10 5:49am by Polly Palumbo Ph.D.
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     I try to buy organic fruits and veggies, at least the dirty dozen.  Organic milk too. Pasta, once or twice.  Read more >

  3. Kid's Blood Samples Taken At Birthday Parties? Need Any Further Proof Vaccines Don't Cause Autism??

    2/3/10 5:04pm by Polly Palumbo Ph.D.
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    Children getting their blood drawn at a birthday party? Did the invite remind kids to wear short sleeves and skip breakfast?  Has this become an accepted party game along side the bouncy castles and treasure hunts?  It is if you're Dr.  Read more >

  4. Autistic Clusters in Affluent California: Cross Out Some Environmental Causes

    1/7/10 4:05pm by Polly Palumbo Ph.D.
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    Drinking the local tap water won't cause autism.  Also forget chemicals, pollution, pesticides, heavy metals and any other enviromental sources particular to where you live.   Your choice of neighborhood, town, even city doesn't seem to put your child at risk of autism.   Fortunately, we can cross off a slew of suspects from the list of possible causes of autism...       Read more >

  5. Poor Kids Prescribed More Antipsychotic Drugs? The Power of a Poor Graph

    12/14/09 7:52am by Polly Palumbo Ph.D.
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    Children on Medicaid are more likely to be prescribed antipsychotic meds than those with private insurance - and for less severe conditions - that's the front-page news in Sunday's New York Times.   So I read the article with interest, expecting something dramatic in the results of a new study that left me wondering if the media has stretche  Read more >

  6. Ditching Asperger's Syndrome: Rethinking The Austic Spectrum

    11/12/09 3:12pm by Polly Palumbo Ph.D.
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    Is Asperger's a distinct autistic disorder that deserves its own place on the autistic spectrum?  No.Not according to an expert panel charged with revising the upcoming fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), the bible of mental health workers in addition to health insurance companies.  The panel wants to get rid of Asperger's and Pervasive Developm  Read more >

  7. Some Suprising Facts about CyberBullying and Children's Online Safety

    10/30/09 6:39am by Polly Palumbo Ph.D.
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    Predators seeking and stalking children online.  A parent's nightmare.  As scary as it sounds, the most typical case of a child being solicited online (i.e.  Read more >

  8. Autism and Mercury: It's a Fishy Hypothesis Now

    10/27/09 11:10am by Polly Palumbo Ph.D.
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    Remember the hypothesis that mercury triggers autism?   It's starting to smell a little fishy.  At least according to a new study out showing that children diagnosed with autism actually have lower levels of mercury circulating in their blood streams.  It has nothing to do with vaccines, dental work or other sources of mercury...    Read more >

  9. Baby Einstein Not So Brainy: Just the Tip of the Iceberg

    10/26/09 8:11am by Polly Palumbo Ph.D.
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    So Disney's refunding money to parents who bought their Baby Einstein products.  But come on, did any parent really and truly believe watching those inane videos would accelerate their children's brain development?  Two moms made the first video in one of their basements.  It wasn't like it was created in some cold dark laboratory by two Ph.D.s who'd sold out to big business.  As a researcher myself, I'm thankful to have a public discussion about the bad science behind the Baby Einstein brouhaha.  Read more >

  10. Autism Rising? Can We Believe a National Survey Saying Autism Even More Prevalent

    10/23/09 9:52am by Polly Palumbo Ph.D.
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    Is autism even more prevelant than we thought?  By now we're not suprised to learn autism is diagnosed in more children than in past decades (for no doubt a host of reasons - expanded criteria, earlier diagnoses, greater awareness, etc.).  Lately we've been reading autism appears in 1 in 100 to150 kids.  But a new study provides the highest prevelance rate yet:1 in 91 children (aged 3 to 17) or 1.1%  Read more >

Polly Palumbo

Full Name
Polly Palumbo
Member Since
July 2008
About Me: 

As a psychologist, former researcher, and mother of three who reviews and writes about child research I strongly believe parents deserve more nuanced evidence about children's health and well-being. On my blog, Momma Data, I set the record straight and tell you what the science really says - whether it contradicts famous pediatricians who write best-selling books, behemoth parenting websites, celebrity moms/activists, or sloppy researchers with their scientific mumbo jumbo.

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