Dealing With Cerebral Palsy

 

By Steven j. Bachrach, MD
Oct. 11, 2009

 

Have you ever heard a family member talk about your first step or the first word you spoke? For kids with cerebral palsy, called CP for short, taking a first step or saying a first word is not as easy. That’s because CP is a condition that can affect the things that kids do every day.

 

What’s CP?

Some kids with CP use wheelchairs and others walk with the help of crutches or braces. In some cases, a kid’s speech may be affected or the person might not be able to speak at all.

 

Cerebral palsy (say: seh-ree-brel pawl-zee) is a condition that affects thousands of babies and children each year. It is not contagious, which means you can’t catch it from anyone who has it. The word cerebral means having to do with the brain. The word palsy means a weakness or problem in the way a person moves or positions his or her body.

A kid with CP has trouble controlling the muscles of the body. Normally, the brain tells the rest of the body exactly what to do and when to do it. But because CP affects the brain, depending on what part of the brain is affected, a kid might not be able to walk, talk, eat, or play the way most kids do.

 

Types of CP

There are three types of cerebral palsy: spastic (say: spass-tick), athetoid (say: ath-uh-toid), and ataxic (say: ay-tak-sick). The most common type of CP is spastic. A kid with spastic CP can’t relax his or her muscles or the muscles may be stiff.

Athetoid CP affects a kid’s ability to control the muscles of the body. This means that the arms or legs that are affected by athetoid CP may flutter and move suddenly. A kid with ataxic CP has problems with balance and coordination.

A kid with CP can have a mild case or a more severe case — it really depends on how much of the brain is affected and which parts of the body that section of the brain controls. If both arms and both legs are affected, a kid might need to use a wheelchair. If only the legs are affected, a kid might walk in an unsteady way or have to wear braces or use crutches. If the part of the brain that controls speech is affected, a kid with CP might have trouble talking clearly. Another kid with CP might not be able to speak at all.

For some babies, injuries to the brain during pregnancy or soon after birth may cause CP. Children most at risk of developing CP are small, premature babies (babies who are born many weeks before they were supposed to be born) and babies who need to be on a ventilator (a machine to help with breathing) for several weeks or longer. But for most kids with CP, the problem in the brain occurs before birth. Often, doctors don’t know why.

 

What Do Doctors Do?

Doctors who specialize in treating kids with problems of the brain, nerves, or muscles are usually involved in diagnosing a kid with cerebral palsy. These specialists could include a pediatric neurologist (say: nyoo-ral-uh-jist), a doctor who deals with problems of the nervous system and brain in kids.

Three other kinds of doctors who can help kids with CP include a pediatric orthopedist (say: or-tho-pee-dist), who handles problems with bones or joints, a developmental pediatrician, who looks at how a kid is growing or developing compared with other kids the same age, and a pediatric physiatrist, who helps treat children with disabilities of many kinds.

There is no special test to figure out if a kid has cerebral palsy. Doctors may order X-rays and blood tests to find out if some other disease of the brain and nervous system may be causing the problem. To diagnose CP, doctors usually wait to see how a kid develops to be sure.

A case of cerebral palsy often can be diagnosed by the age of 18 months. For example, if a child does not sit up or walk by the time most kids should be doing these things, the kid might have CP or some other problem that is causing development to go more slowly. Doctors follow infant and child development closely and look for problems with muscle tone and strength, movement, and reflexes.

 

How Is CP Treated?

For a kid with CP, the problem with the brain will not get any worse as the kid gets older. For example, a kid who has CP that affects only the legs will not develop CP in the arms or problems with speech later on. The effect of CP on the arms or legs can get worse, however, and some kids may develop dislocated hips (when the bones that meet at the hips move out of their normal position) or scoliosis (curvature of the spine).

That is why therapy is so important. Kids with CP usually have physical, occupational, or speech therapy to help them develop skills like walking, sitting, swallowing, and using their hands. There are also medications to treat the seizures that some kids with CP have. Some medications can help relax the muscles in kids with spastic CP. And some kids with CP may have special surgeries to keep their arms or legs straighter and more flexible.

 

Living With CP

Cerebral palsy usually doesn’t stop kids from going to school, making friends, or doing things they enjoy. But they may have to do these things a little differently or they may need some help. With computers to help them communicate and wheelchairs to help them get around, kids with CP often can do a lot of stuff that kids without CP can do.

Kids with cerebral palsy are just like other kids, but with some greater challenges that make it harder to do everyday things. More than anything else, they want to fit in and be liked.

Be patient if you know someone or meet someone with CP. If you can’t understand what a person with CP is saying or if it takes a person with CP longer to do things, give him or her extra time to speak or move. Being understanding is what being a good friend is all about, and a kid with CP will really appreciate it.

Source: Kids Health

 

Editor’s Note: We would like to hear your story, if your child as CP. dan@youngchronicle.com

How to Deal with Everyday Stress

 

By AARP
Oct. 11, 2009

Editor’s Note: As Americans in this tough times, we are dealing with stress on an everyday basis. We hope that this article, which first appeared in AARP. Here are some tips to deal with them. We hope you enjoy it and you will let us know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

 

Are you stressed? Who isn’t? At one time or another, we’re all bound to feel stress from work, family, finances, social situations, or illness. It might be the acute, short-term stress which comes from being stuck in a traffic jam or your boss confronting you at work. Or it could be chronic, long-term stress, the kind that comes from being in an unhappy marriage or taking care of a sick family member for a long time.

At times, some stress is motivating, like when it helps you win a competition or meet a deadline. But we mostly think of stress as a negative or uncomfortable feeling that we associate with sweaty palms, a racing heart, and feeling out of control.

Different things can trigger stress in different people. Planning a big house party or having to give a speech might delight you but totally unnerve a friend.

How you respond to stressful situations depends on several things, including:

• Your view of the situation — how bad is this? Can you get through it?
• Your general outlook on life — do you tend to be more positive or negative?
• Your general health and well-being — Are you well-rested or sleep-deprived? Do you have a healthy diet or live on junk food? Do you get enough exercise or is there never enough time to fit it in? Are you healthy overall or do you have chronic health problems?

Many people who never seem to get stressed have learned to cope successfully with stressful situations.

Stress Affects Your Health

Any stress that keeps occurring can lead to getting sick more often; problems concentrating, sleeping and eating; high blood pressure and heart disease; and anxiety and depression. In other words, left alone stress can be bad for both your physical and mental health.

That’s why you want to get control of your stress before it gets control of you. The time and energy you spend managing your stress will pay off in the long run by promoting health and happiness. Here are five steps to help you get started.

 

Steps to Less Stress

Make a list. Think of the things that cause you the most stress. Write them down, along with the level of stress they cause (off the charts versus a great deal) and how they affect you (keep you awake at night, make you feel shaky inside, etc).

 

Take control. Decide which things on your list you can do something about. Remember that you might not be able to control everything on your list. For instance, your children leaving home or traffic jams are the trying parts of life. Even though you can’t control these events, you can control how you react to them. Instead of getting worked up during morning rush hour traffic, use the time in your car to listen to a book on tape. Even small changes can make a difference and help you feel more in control of your life. Try one or two of these suggestions:

• Assign some of your household chores to other family members.
• Sign up for community services to help you care for a sick parent.
• Start planning early for the holidays — create a budget and stick to it.

 

Unload and learn to say no. If there are things at home or at work that you just can’t or don’t want to do, let them go — cross them off your list if you can. And don’t commit to new things just because you feel you have to. Say “no” to that new project if you already have too many duties at work. Let someone else run the church bazaar this year.

 

Practice. Saying no might feel uncomfortable at first. But taking on too much and failing is more stressful than “passing” on a request in the first place. Work on shedding the “perfection impulse.” Don’t expect perfection from yourself or others. For some things, an okay job is just fine.

 

Set limits. The key to setting limits is to set priorities first. Decide what is most important for your family and you, and set time aside for those things, such as family meals, fun time, or retirement planning. For everything that falls outside your priority list, ask yourself, “What’s the worst thing that would happen if I didn’t do this?” If you can live with the answer then drop it from your ‘to do’ list.

Learning to manage the stress in your life can help you live healthier and happier; enjoy your job, family, and friends more; and focus your energies on the things that really count.

 

Source: Grandparents

Family Fun Shrimp Nests

By Family
Oct. 11, 2009

Editor’s Note: We would love to hear from you on Recipes that you do with your children. dan@youngchronicle.com

 

 

 

Ingredients

4  ounces dry angel hair pasta

1  clove garlic, minced

1  red bell pepper, chopped

3  tablespoons olive oil, divided

1  cup cooked baby shrimp

2  tablespoons lemon juice

1/4  teaspoon salt

1/8  teaspoon pepper

1  tablespoon fresh basil, chopped

 

 

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, saute garlic and pepper with 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes. Stir in shrimp, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes more to heat through.

2. Drain pasta and return to pan. Toss with 2 tablespoons oil and basil. Use a fork to twirl the pasta into nests on each serving plate. Spoon some of the shrimp mixture into each nest.

Nutrition Facts

Servings Per Recipe 4 servings

• Amount Per Serving
• Calories 242
• Total Fat (g) 11
• Saturated Fat (g) 2
• Sodium (mg) 228
• Carbohydrate (g) 24
• Fiber (g) 2
• Protein (g) 12
• Vitamin A (DV%) 0
• Vitamin C (DV%) 0
• Calcium (DV%) 3
• Iron (DV%) 13

Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Source: Family

 

Apple Dumpples

By Amanda Moore
Oct. 10, 2009

Editor’s Note: We would like to hear from you on recipes that you do with your kids. dan@youngchronicle.com

 

Description
If you want a dessert that will have the whole neighborhood talking like mine, then you want to try this recipe! Everyone is sure to love it so don’t be stingy (although I know you’ll want to)!

Ingredients
4 organic Granny Smith apples recommended but may substitute for Golden Delicious.
2 cans of croissants or homemade dough
1c. Sugar
1 1/4 c. butter
1 tsp. vanilla or almond extract
1/2 can of Sprite or Sierra Mist soda pop
1/2 c. sugar/cinnamon mix

Directions
Pre-heat oven to 350F. Rinse apples and cut into fours. Wrap apples inside of dough (think pigs in a blanket). Put in a baking pan about 1 inch apart. In a saucepan, combine butter, vanilla or almond extract, and sugar. Cook until butter barely melts and sugar has dissolved. Once melted, pour over Apple Dimples and sprinkle sugar/cinnamon mixture over the top. Pour soda pop in bottom of pan. Bake approx. 30-35 min. or until Golden Brown. Let cool for 10-12 min. Tips: Great w/ ice cream, coffees, or strawberries for added pizzazz!

Prep Time: 10 Min
Cook Time: 30 Min
Total Time: 40 Min
Servings: 8

Source: Ever save

Inspiring Students

By Tracy Young
NASA/PIO
Oct. 10, 1009

NASA has selected 1,732 high school students from 48 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico to participate in its Interdisciplinary National Science Program Incorporating Research Experience, also known as Inspire. The Inspire project is designed to encourage students in grades nine through 12 to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

The selected will participate in an online learning community in which students and parents have the opportunity to interact with their peers and NASA engineers and scientists. It also provides appropriate grade-level educational activities, discussion boards and chat rooms for participants and their families to gain exposure to the many career opportunities at NASA.

The selected students will have the option to compete for workshops and internships at NASA facilities and participating universities throughout the nation during the summer of 2010. The summer experience provides students a hands-on opportunity to investigate careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

The INSPIRE project is part of NASA’s education efforts to engaging and retaining students in disciplines critical to the agency’s missions.

Source: NASA
Editor’s Note: For more information about this program, you can visit http://www.nasa.gov/education/INSPIRE . For NASA’s education programs, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/education . You can reach Tracy Young at tracy.g.young@nasa.gov

We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

Nail in the Fence

By Unknown
Oct. 8, 2009

 

Editor’s Note: Do you know what “Joyology” means? It is the study of caring, sharing, listening and Sacrifice.

This was written by Mr Jeineke in 1975

We would like to know what you think: dan@goldcoastchronicle.com

What is a Joyologist? A joyologist, then would be one who studies joylogy. Frankly our world could use a great many joyologists whose mission in life is to actively research the effects of discussing and sharing joy. The research could branch out into how joy effects our careers, family lives, and friendships. The very act of doing the active research should spread jubilation throughout the world and bring about positive results. What a fun job!

All one needs to start with is to share the words joyism, joyology, and joyologist with others. Use the words daily and make them a part of the world’s vocabulary.

The upcoming year is going to challenge us all. Here is something we need to think about:  Nail in the Fence

 

There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His Father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.

Finally the day came when the boy didn’t lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper.

The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, “You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one.

Source: Joyology

Fun Learning Math

By Apple 4 the Teacher
Oct. 8, 2009

Are you tired of your dull and boring math assignments? Then you have come to the right place! This article is all about fun and effective activities to help you master your addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Make sure to ask your parents before using food and other household supplies that are recommended for these activities!

One of the best (and yummiest) ways to master your basic arithmetic is with food! Candy, crackers, or just about any other snack can be used to help you with your skills. Make sure the food is something you can separate into individual pieces, like crackers or skittles. You need pieces so you can add and subtract parts.

Ask your parents if you can get a treat from the store or the cupboard to help you with your math. Once you have access to food, you can get started. Using an actual item, like food, helps a lot of kids because you actually get to see the math that you are doing. It is not longer a random and abstract concept! You can even use your food to help you solve your math homework problems.

For example, if your assignment is a worksheet with word problems, use your food to help you compute the arithmetic. If the question asks you to add numbers together, take this number of your individual pieces of food and add them together.

If your parents won’t let you use food, there are many other items in your house that work just as well. Crayons, pencils, and paperclips are good alternatives because they are easy to move and around and you can use them for math without having to waste them.

Make sure that whatever you use is not something that you will not be able to reuse later. For example, it would not be a good idea to use tissues or toilet paper because you will just have to throw them away after solving your math. You would use crayons, pencils, or paper clips the same way that you would use food. Each item can be added together or separated apart to help you see the math you are doing.

Games are another great way to conquer your math! There are many games that involve math concepts. These include cards, dominoes, checkers, chess, and Yahtzee. Are you surprised that these games are listed as math helpers? Take a second to think about the skills that are needed to play these games. Cards and dominoes require an understanding of numbers, checkers and chess use logic which is closely tied to math, and Yahtzee requires players to add and multiple numbers!

This means the next time your parents nag you to study your math you can request to play a game with them (if they have a hard time with that, have them read this article and other math related articles located on this site). However, please understand that games and other activities that are listed in this article should not be considered replacements to homework and studying; therefore, you still have to finish your daily assignments and will have to do other more serious forms of studying part of the time.

There are also math games on the computer and the Internet that will help you understand the math skills that are plaguing you. Many kids’ sites have links to online math games. Be sure to check out ours in the resource directory! If you are having a lot of problems with your math class, then you might want to check out a more specialized math game.

Ask your parents about online tutoring. Online tutoring lessons combine fun math games with specialized instruction. This means you get to play fun games and get a lot of extra help with math class. Your parents can learn more about online tutoring by reading the articles on our site.

As you can see, there are more ways to learn math than just through math assignments! The next time you get bored or need a little more help figuring out your math assignment, try the tips and activities that were listed in this article. Hopefully they will be fun and effective for you.

Source: Apple 4 the Teacher

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. Dan@youngchronicle.com

CPR for Children

By Melisa Coburn
Oct. 9, 2009

As moms, we spend tons of time, energy, and money obsessing about every detail of our kids’ safety. But here’s a basic you may not be on top of: Do you know how to perform CPR on your child in case of an emergency?

There are lifesaving techniques you need to know how to execute, correctly and quickly, if your child is choking, suffocating, drowning — or has stopped breathing for any other reason. Would you know what to do?

Print out our essential Emergency Guide to CPR for infants and older kids and put it on your fridge (it’s a printable PDF, complete with illustrations). Read and discuss it with your partner and your child’s caregiver.

Emergency Guide to CPR
Source: Parents

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

Sticky Situation – Hall Monitor

By Scholastic News
Oct. 7, 2009 

Marty is a hall monitor at school. While monitoring the hall, he sees his friend Paul take a cell phone out of his backpack. Cell phones are not allowed in school. Marty doesn’t want to get Paul in trouble, but Marty is supposed to help keep order in the halls and to tell a teacher when school rules are broken. What should Marty do?

Write a paragraph explaining what you think Marty should do in the “Post a comment” section below.

Other Scholastic News readers will be posting their thoughts about this week’s ethical dilemma, too. So come back to the Sticky Situation blog to discuss their solutions!

Cick on comments

Source: Scholastic News Online

 

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

 

Scientists Discover New Species – Tiny T. Rex

By Laura Linn
Oct. 7, 2009

Scientists recently identified the fossil of a dinosaur that had the same features as those of Tyrannosaurus rex—only in miniature. This new species of dinosaur, named Raptorex kriegsteini [RAP-tur-ex kreeg-STEE-nee], had the same extra-large skull, sharp teeth, tiny arms, and powerful legs as T. rex—only it was 9 feet tall and weighed only about 150 pounds. That may not seem “mini” nowadays, but the average T. rex was 40 feet tall and weighed more than 10,000 pounds!Raptorex, or the “mini T. rex,” as some are calling the discovery, lived about 125 million years ago in what is now northern China.

That’s about 35 million years before T. rex terrorized the Earth. New Theory About T. rex Paleontologists, or scientists who study fossils, are finding that the Raptorex discovery is teaching them a lot about T. rex. Scientists had thought T. rex’s stumpy arms developed gradually during the dinosaur’s time on Earth. The researchers believe the Raptorex fossil overturns this theory.

The old thinking was that T. rex descended from smaller dinosaurs with longer forearms, and then developed its tiny arms as an advantage to its species. Large forearms, said scientists, would have thrown off the balance of these giant hunters, while smaller arms would have made it easier for them to move quickly when chasing prey. But now Raptorex is leading scientists to believe that T. rex inherited its tiny arms from these smaller ancestors.

This new dinosaur is “a very significant find” for understanding the development of T. rex, paleontologist Thomas Holtz of the University of Maryland told National Geographic News. “We didn’t know where and when in the history of the tyrannosaurs this arm shortening occurred,” explained Holtz. Scientists believe Raptorex would have had feathers similar to that of an ostrich.

They believe it hunted pig-size plant-eating dinosaurs and turtles that lived near the lake where it was discovered. Raptorex Returns HomeThe Raptorex fossil was dug up without permission, taken out of China, and sold to a dealer. Raptorex kriegsteini is named after the father of Henry Kriegstein, a private fossil collector, who bought it from a dealer.

Kriegstein contacted paleontologist Paul Sereno of the University of Chicago and asked him to examine the fossil. Sereno identified the scientific value of the fossil and convinced Kriegstein to donate it to science. By examining fragments of sand found on the skeleton, Sereno was able to determine from which general region of China the fossil was taken. Soon the fossil will return to its homeland to be displayed at a museum in China’s Inner Mongolia region. “[Raptorex] is more than just a Chinese specimen,” Sereno told BBC News.

“It has given us some real insights into our own tyrannosaurs here in North America. So it really belongs to science. It belongs to the world.” “Fossils like these should be protected . . . or there’s a chance they could disappear forever,” Sereno told National Geographic News.Even though scientists don’t know exactly where the Raptorex fossil was discovered, Sereno is hopeful that the find will help lead to the discovery of other important dinosaur specimens.

Source Scholastic News Online

 

Editor’s Note: University of Chicago scientist Paul Sereno reconstructs the skeleton of the newly-discovered Raptorex on September 17, 2009. This dinosaur is a smaller ancestor of Tyrannosaurus rex. (Photo: AFP PHOTO/AAAS/Mike Hettwer).

Laura Linn writes for Scholastic News Online

We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

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