Discovery Health's ADVENTURES IN PARENTING Week Spotlights Daunting Challenges Faced by Extraordinary Families

- Weeklong Programming Event Featuring Six Premiere Specials Begins September 13 on Discovery Health -

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Aug 16, 2010, 11:53 ET

SILVER SPRING, Md., Aug. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Every parent is confronted with challenges when raising a child; however, not all challenges are created equal. From September 13 through September 17, Discovery Health offers a look into families coping with remarkable parenting challenges with ADVENTURES IN PARENTING, an all-new weeklong programming event. With premiere specials airing nightly, ADVENTURES IN PARENTING profiles parents confronting diverse family issues, ranging from raising a child genius, to tackling childhood obesity, to caring for a child with Tourette's syndrome.

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The week kicks off with the world premiere of TOURETTE'S UNCOVERED on Monday, September 13, at 9 PM (ET/PT). In the one-hour special, viewers will meet four different children with Tourette's and the parents who desperately try to add comfort and normalcy to their lives, which are dominated by this stigmatized and misunderstood condition. On Thursday, September 16, at 9 PM (ET/PT), Discovery Health opens a dialogue on the childhood obesity epidemic with the world premiere of BIG KIDS. The special follows two overweight kids from different socioeconomic backgrounds and their families as they battle to reclaim their health and their self-esteem. Along the way, both families receive counsel and inspiration from leading experts on the topic, including Dominique Dawes, Olympic gold-medal-winning gymnast and the co-chair of President Obama's Council on Physical Fitness, Sports and Nutrition.

"ADVENTURES IN PARENTING will grab viewers' attention and move them with poignant profiles of passion and perseverance," said Laura Michalchyshyn, President and General Manager of Discovery Health. "The riveting stories and inspirational individuals captured in these specials will provide stirring examples of the incredible power of a parent's love for their child."

The full-slate of ADVENTURES IN PARENTING specials is as follows:

TOURETTE'S UNCOVERED

Premieres Monday, September 13, at 9 PM (ET/PT)

In this one-hour special, viewers will meet four children with startlingly different Tourette's diagnoses: Jonah, a boy who cannot suppress his overwhelming need to get up and run away; Colin, a boy who experiences constant headaches as a results of his tics; Marques, who suffers from the rare strain of Tourette's that causes patients to shout obscenities uncontrollably; and Jaylen, a remarkable boy who is taking his experiences in school dealing with Tourette's to a group of kids in an anti-bullying speech. Cameras will follow the lives of parents as they help their children cope with life within a world where you just can't stop "ticking."

8 BOYS WANTING A GIRL

Premieres Tuesday, September 14, at 8 PM (ET/PT)

What is it like to have a family dominated by one gender? 8 BOYS WANTING A GIRL is the controversial documentary that explores the debate surrounding child sex-selection and gender identity. The special follows the lives of several families willing to do anything it takes to stack the odds in their favor for the baby boys or baby girls they desire.

DEADLY DECISIONS AT 13

Premieres Tuesday, September 14, at 9 PM (ET/PT)

DEADLY DECISIONS AT 13 is a highly charged, emotional film that captures the real-life story of Hannah Jones, a terminally ill 13-year-old girl who refused a lifesaving heart transplant. Tired of a life of invasive medical attention, Hannah refused to undergo the surgery and requested to die peacefully within her home. While her supportive parents sided with her decision, authorities took a very different view and ordered police to remove the girl from her home so the treatment could proceed. In 2008, Hannah made headlines when she won the right to refuse treatment against the British high government. With exclusive access to Hannah and her family, viewers will follow the amazing journey of this brave and extraordinary young girl.

MY CHILD WON'T TALK

Premieres Wednesday, September 15, at 8 PM (ET/PT)

Enter the mind of a child who suffers from the strange and isolating condition known as selective mutism. These children will often speak normally at home, but in public they are paralyzed with anxiety that leaves them speechless. Untreated, the condition threatens to destroy all aspects of a normal social life. MY CHILD WONT TALK tells the fascinating story of children who struggle from one of the most severe forms of social anxiety, and how their parents seek out options for a cure.

MY KID'S SMARTER THAN ME

Premieres Wednesday, September 15, at 9 PM (ET/PT)

Walker will soon have his IQ tested. His obsession with cars has produced an amazing talent: At just 3 years old he can identify the make and model of any car by sight alone. MY KID'S SMARTER THAN ME explores the joys and hardships faced by ordinary families raising off-the-chart kids. In this special we meet child geniuses ranging in age from 3 to 15, who have never gone public with their talents: Pranav, a 7-year-old from Ohio who has an IQ 16 points higher than Einstein's, and Autumn, an 8-year-old art prodigy whose works sell for thousands of dollars. With "in the moment" interviews with the children, their parents, siblings and experts, MY KID'S SMARTER THAN ME enters the world of parenting extraordinary children.

BIG KIDS

World Premiere Thursday, September 16, at 9 PM (ET/PT)

BIG KIDS is the one-hour special that puts viewers in the front seat of America's obesity epidemic, profiling the lives of two obese children and their struggles to embrace healthier, happier lifestyles. While one participates in a nationally renowned weight-loss boot camp, the other receives personal intervention-style counseling from top fitness and nutrition experts at home. Follow these children and their families as they seek lasting solutions to a health problem millions of Americans struggle with each day. Highlights include a special appearance by motivational speaker and Olympic gold medalist Dominique Dawes on behalf of the Presidential Counsel for Physical Fitness, discussing the first lady's LET'S MOVE health initiative.

PARALYZED AND PREGNANT: FOUR YEARS LATER

Premieres Friday, September 17, at 9 PM (ET/PT)

Following up on the moving story of Michelle Cartsen, a quadriplegic mother who beat the odds and gave birth to a healthy baby, viewers get an inside look at her life four years later. Now separated from her husband and sharing custody of her preschool-aged son, Michelle is ready to tackle the next stages of her life, including parenting a son with the challenges of paralysis and even diving back into the dating scene.

TOURETTE'S UNCOVERED is produced for Discovery Health by Advanced Medical Productions/ Figure 8 Films. For Discovery Health, Laura Michalchyshyn and Alon Orstein are executive producers and for Figure 8 Films Bill Hayes is executive producer. DEADLY DECISIONS AT 13 is produced by BBC productions for Discovery Health. For Discovery Health, Alon Orstein is executive producer and for BBC Julian Mercer is executive producer. MY KIDS SMARTER THAN ME is produced by LMNO Productions for Discovery Health. For Discovery Health, Lynn Sadofsky is executive producer and for LMNO Eric Schotz and Paul Amirault are executive producers. BIG KIDS is produced by Discovery Studios for Discovery Health. Alon Orstein is executive producer for Discovery Health and Rob Burke is executive producer for Discovery Studios. PARALYZED AND PREGNANT: FOUR YEARS LATER is produced by Discovery Studios for Discovery Health . For Discovery Health Wendy Douglas is executive producer and for Discovery Studios Judy Block is producer.

About Discovery Health:

Discovery Health Media includes the Discovery Health and FitTV television networks and online assets including www.discoveryhealth.com, as well as its Continuing Medical Education (CME) business and Discovery's first stand-alone VOD service, Discovery Health On-Call. Discovery Health Media is part of Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), the world's number one nonfiction media company, reaching more than 1.5 billion cumulative subscribers in over 170 countries. Discovery empowers people to explore their world and satisfy their curiosity through 100-plus worldwide networks, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Planet Green, Investigation Discovery and HD Theater, as well as leading consumer and educational products and services, and a diversified portfolio of digital media services including HowStuffWorks.com. For more information, please visit www.discoverycommunications.com.

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SOURCE Discovery Health