Moving from one community to another can be difficult for everyone in the family, especially if leaving friends and relatives behind. But the problems can be magnified for kids who have to switch middle or high schools. Studies show that, for high school students, moving just once in a 12-month period can cut in half the likelihood of their getting a high school diploma by age 25. And these findings hold true whether students move to a poorer or richer neighborhood. When moving is inevitable, you can better help your child if you understand his or her temperament. If he or she has had difficulties with transitions in the past — such as moving from elementary to middle school or going through physical changes like puberty — know that he or she will need more help adjusting to a new school. And that it will be even harder if going through another one of those transitions at the same time. The key is to start early, well before the first day of class, and to get school administrators to partner with you. For instance, find out if you and your child can visit the school and meet teachers a few days in advance. Also, let your child know he or she can stay connected to friends left behind with age-appropriate social media and technology like…  read on >

For many city-dwelling teens with asthma, their chronic lung disease may go undiagnosed and untreated, a new study finds. According to a survey of more than 33,000 New York City high school students, 20 percent reported having asthma-like symptoms, but were not diagnosed with the illness. The researchers also found that teenage girls and Asian-Americans were more likely to have undiagnosed asthma. “Potentially, there are a lot of these kids out there who are undiagnosed,” said lead researcher Sharon Kingston. She is an associate professor of psychology at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pa. “There is a need for more public health education and outreach, not only for adolescents and their families, but also for health care providers who could screen adolescents for asthma,” she said in a college news release. In people with asthma, their airways become inflamed. This causes the airway to narrow and swell and make extra mucus, making it difficult to breathe. Asthma is the most common chronic illness among children, and it can lead to school absences, reduced physical activity and quality of life, and the need for health care services. Earlier studies have shown that 8 percent to 49 percent of kids aged 7 to 18 with asthma symptoms were not diagnosed. In teens, undiagnosed asthma is especially problematic, Kingston said. That’s because they are less likely to see a…  read on >

Here’s some career advice for the new year. Experts often suggest that people follow their passion when looking for work that they’ll feel enriched by. But sometimes you don’t have a choice and have to take a job that you’re not quite wild about, to put it mildly. But rather than feel resentful and unhappy every day, over time you can learn to love the job — or at least like it. There are two different mindsets when it comes to finding job satisfaction: the “fit theory” and the “develop theory,” according to researchers from the University of Michigan and the University of Southern California. For people with the “fit theory” mindset, the priority is finding work that they can be passionate about from day one. People with the “develop theory” mindset aren’t as concerned with finding the perfect job. They focus more on the practical, like having a paycheck and believing they’ll develop an inner passion on the job as they master the position. After numerous studies, the researchers discovered that people are actually more flexible than they might think and can change their approach to fit the situation. So if you find yourself in a job that you only feel lukewarm about, there are steps you can take to feel more connected sooner. To create more passion at work: Search out tasks that…  read on >