A tribute to Dr. Ashton

Today we say goodbye to an amazing man. A Tribute to Dennis Ashton

From Dr. Joe Jopling--

Dennis Ashton was many things to me. First he was my partner in the practice of pediatrics. Much like being a parent, being a pediatrician is one of the best and one of the most consuming jobs you can have. Another role he played in my life was being a dear friend. I even came to think of him much like a brother. However, most importantly, Dennis was, and will always be, one of my heroes.

It seems that our society is always looking for heroes. We want to be inspired. We want to think we too can overcome adversity and succeed, and yes, we want to remain a decent person in the process. It also seems that many of the people we choose as heroes are constantly disappointing us. Maybe part of the problem is that we choose the wrong people. Dennis Ashton never disappointed me.

When I started out as a new doctor at Willow Creek Pediatrics, Dennis was one of my two mentors. I learned a lot from him, not just about how to be a good doctor, but also how to be a good human being. Although Dennis was not large in physical stature, he was a giant in moral and professional stature. Certainly he was medically knowledgeable, but more importantly, he had a rare gift of wisdom which made him an incredibly thoughtful leader. No one could stay as calm in a crisis or think as clearly as Dennis was able to do.

Dennis genuinely cared about all of the patients that he saw. He was the ultimate team player for the benefit of the families in our practice. He was always the first to the office and the last to leave. If other doctors were taking time off, he would stay later to see extra patients or he would come in for a while on his day off so no parent that needed to have their child seen that day would be turned away.

Dennis was one of the toughest people I have ever met. His mental strength and physical endurance were of the standard you would associate with a high level athlete. Certainly those are some of the reasons that he lived for so many years after having been diagnosed with a cancer that is usually rapidly overwhelming. If anyone ever “fought the good fight”, it was Dennis.

However, it is not just Dennis that is my hero; it is also his incredible wife, Joan, and in fact, I can include his entire family. They are famous for an unwaveringly positive attitude and the uncanny ability to keep a sense of humor even in the face of turmoil. The Ashtons have always been able to bring a spiritual, mental and physical strength to life because it is just part of the basic fabric of who they are.

Someone mentioned to me that it was a gift to live as long as Dennis did. I agree, but the gift was not just to Dennis and his family, it was a gift to everyone that ever knew him. He was an inspiration to all of us. Dennis Ashton will forever remain one my heroes. I think I chose well.

From Dr Kathy O'Mara

Dennis was a powerful example to me as my senior partner in pediatrics.  He welcomed me into Willowcreek Pediatrics with open arms and treated me as an equal from the day I started 12 years ago.  He was dedicated to his patients and his staff.  He treated everyone he met with dignity and respect.  In all the years I knew him, no matter how busy, stressed or sick, I never saw him angry. 

He was a quiet man but his soft spoken words carried power.  When we would all be in a tizzy about some “major issue” in our practice, we would sit in a meeting and all would gnash their teeth and finish ranting. Dennis would sit silently till we stopped, say two or three coherent sentences that were an obviously reasonable solution and we’d all stop and say, “Well, OK then”.  He was a great leader and I miss that.  We are all still gnashing and ranting…………

His fight against cancer was unbelievable.  He was always positive and had a go get ‘em attitude.  This was in part because of the incredible Ashton Clot, Joanie, Brodi and Erin (and families) who all seem to be made of the same fabric.  They were all dealt a terrible hand and played it with grace, dignity and humor.  The humor was the salient feature.

 After his first round of chemo, radiation and surgery, my husband, Doug and I wanted to do something in his name to raise money to fight this horrible disease.  In 2008 we rode LOTOJA in his name and have continued that tradition – I hope that the Huntsman has gotten a little closer to a cure for this terrible affliction.  Rest and Relax Dennis, you deserve it! 

Lots of love,

Kate O

From Dr Steve Lynch--

Dennis Ashton was not only the founder of Willow Creek Pediatrics, and a leader within our practice, but he was unquestionably the heart and soul of Willow Creek.

Despite his quiet demeanor, he commanded respect, and he had an unparalleled ability to see and understand both sides of any issue.

Dennis exemplified all that we should strive for as pediatricians, in offering both care and compassion to our patients and their families. He embodied so many more key attributes: concern, thoughtfulness, patience, and selflessness readily come to mind.

He was unruffled, and never appeared rushed or stressed.  More than anyone, he made extra time for the patients of Willow Creek, staying late when the need arose.  Never being asked, always stepping forward, leading by example … and always appreciated. 

Dennis was a great partner, and a better person.

While fighting through illness in recent years, he was truly inspirational, displaying uncommon grace and dignity each day.

It was a privilege to work with Dennis, to share that first hallway, and to be considered a partner with him.  He has influenced me in so many ways.  I am a richer person for having known him.

I miss Dennis, and yet he lives on - his lessons, his insights, his approach to patients and families - within me and within all of us, each and every day.

I would like to honor him, for few would be more deserving, by keeping him in my presence each day, and during each patient visit, at Willow Creek Pediatrics. 

From Dr Michelle Chamberlain--

"Bad things happen to the best people" certainly applies to Dennis, who was one of the kindest, most soft-spoken and humble people I have ever known. He was a compassionate partner, friend and doctor, and he is going to me missed by so many because he has had such a positive impact on so many people. He taught us all so much about not only living life, but also about dying with courage and strength. He always put others' needs before his own, and now it is his turn to rest in peace, hopefully knowing what an incredible person he was in this life.


Please feel free to leave your thoughts about Dr Ashton so we can share this tribute with the Ashton family.

With much sadness we say Goodbye

 It is with deep sadness and heartfelt sympathy that we share with you Dr Ashton's obituary.  Dr Ashton was one of the co-founders of Willow Creek Pediatrics and the heart and soul of our office. He had such a positive impact on so many people. We know so many our patients loved Dr Ashton just like we all love and honor him. We hope we can continue his love and legacy in his honor. Dr Ashton you will be missed by so many--We love you. To the Ashton family--we love you, from your Willow Creek Family! Please visit his guest book at the bottom of this page

1945 ~ 2012
Dennis Ashton, a quiet man, a fierce warrior, left this life in triumph. He was an extraordinary husband, father, grandfather, brother and doctor.
We are sad because it's over, but we smile because he lived.
He is survived by his wife, Joan, his daughters Erin (Dave) Gubler and Brodi (Sam Johnson) Ashton, his grandkids Abram, Josh, Necie, Asher, Carter and Beckham, his brothers David (Sandy) Ashton, Ron (Vicki) Ashton, Jon (Pat) Ashton, sisters Kathy (Brent) Harper, Jane (Kent) Norton. He was preceded in death by his parents Reed and Emma Lucy Ashton, and Bernice "Yaya" Dorrity Jacobson.
A viewing will be held Monday, April 30, 2012 from 6-8 p.m. at Wasatch Lawn Mortuary (3401 South Highland Drive, Salt Lake City, UT, 84106). Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, May 1st, 2012 at the Holladay 25th Ward Building located at 4650 Naniloa Drive, Salt Lake City, UT, 84117. Family and friends may visit beginning at 9:30.
Thank you to the angels at the Huntsman Cancer Institute
Visit Guest Book

Guest Post Week 2: Expert Readers

Three Key Things Expert Readers Do That Novice Readers Don’t Do!

Emily A. Swan, Ph.D.

Last week, I talked about What Reading Does for the Mind and I encouraged readers of this blog to read to their children for 30 minutes per day. Well… how did you do?

 Did you do it? Did your kids LOVE it? Did you have fun? I’d love to hear your comments.

If you didn’t do it, or didn’t do so well, guess what? You have another chance! Start Tonight! They won’t be little forever! You only have to read on the days you eat!

This week, I’m going to talk about the difference between an expert reader and a novice reader. There are some distinct differences that are crucial for children’s success in school. I believe if all parents knew these differences it would have an impact on not only parents’ conversations with their children, but also on the way children approach reading!

What is an Expert Reader?

I define an expert reader in terms of what expert readers KNOW and DO: expert readers do different things when they read, compared to novice readers. Expert readers know that there are things they can do to make reading make sense, make reading more interesting, make reading easier… and expert readers DO these things! Expert readers are also strategic. There are several strategies expert readers use before, during, and after they read. This makes such a difference in how much they comprehend, how interested and engaged they are while they are reading, and how much they remember about what they read.

 So, what are these things? I’ll teach you three!

 Three Key Things Expert Readers DO.

1.   Expert Readers ASK QUESTIONS!

What do you WONDER? This is a great question to ask your child! Questioning and wondering about the world means that your child is curious. Curiosity provides a wonderful purpose for reading… any book any topic! Questions are so important and sometimes it’s our questions that get us into a book in the first place.

·         Questions give us a purpose for reading. Where are you going for summer vacation?? Washington, D.C.? France? Lake Powell? What do your children know about where you are going? Do they know how Lake Powell was formed? How many people visit Lake Powell each summer? What makes the water levels change from year to year? All of these kinds of questions are great reasons to READ. Then, wherever you go, you can talk about what you have learned. Your children will remember the vacation so much more because they learned about the place and their experiences there will be deepened because they read about it! (OR because you read to them about it!)

·         Questions are diagnostic tools for thinking. Questions give us, as parents, a window into our child’s thinking. What are they worried about? What does that word mean? Why did that person do that? Who is this character? What do you think is going to happen next? All of these kinds of questions help children THINK. Wondering is the beginning of knowledge. When your child wonders things, and then you help them find the answers to their questions in books, they learn. Learning is fun! It’s a very empowering cycle! Wonder-read-learn!

·         Questioning can be done before, during, and after reading. Sometimes our questions get us into a book; we wonder something so we read for the answer. Other times, we have questions while we are reading. Questioning during reading is also important. Knowing what words mean, questioning what the author is saying, figuring out things that don’t make sense are all things expert readers do. This means readers are thinking and reading isn’t fun unless readers understand. Questioning is the way to keep readers thinking. After reading, sometimes readers have unanswered questions or additional questions. This is great news because then readers are more likely to keep reading additional books to find their answers!

2.   Expert Readers MAKE CONNECTIONS when they read!

We are always looking for ways to make connections. Think about the popularity of Facebook! It’s all about connections. When we read, it is important to make connections to what we already know or think to what we are reading. When we can help children make connections with characters, concepts, places, ideas, facts, pictures, settings, events, or problems and their solutions in books, we help them love reading more.

·         Help your child make personal connections to books they are reading. Help your child connect to people, events, or things in the books you read to things in their personal life: a pet, a friend, an interest, favorite colors, foods, places, or talents that are similar to your child’s.

·         Help your child make connections to other books they read. Help them connect to characters, places, settings, events, problems, topics that are in one story or book you have read, with the book you are currently reading.

·         Help your child make connections to the world. There are universal concepts that authors write about: love, friendship, fear, forgiveness, families, favorite places, humor, special characteristics or features of a topic or idea. Help your child recognize and think about these universal ideas. The more connections you can help your child make, the more interesting books become to them!

 3.   Expert Readers choose books about their INTERESTS! I have had plenty of 4^th grade boys tell me that reading is boring. When I ask them what they are reading, many times the titles of the books they are reading ARE boring! (note: Sarah Plain and Tall is NOT the best book for 4^th grade boys!) My advice to them: “Why are you reading that book? Choose something you are INTERESTED in reading instead!” Sometimes, kids just need permission to read what they want. Take your children to the library. Find what is interesting to them, it might be non-fiction topics like bugs or frogs or volcanoes. Great! Go to the non-fiction section and check out 30 books on that topic! It’s free! It’s fun! You get to read the books for three weeks! What is better than that? Then take them back and get some more! Life is too short to read boring books. If your kids think reading is boring, they need to find some interests!

In school, oftentimes, teachers assign reading and often assign it without a purpose. So kids do the reading, without much thinking, and it is pretty boring that way. They do the reading because it was assigned (this is called compliance), not because they chose it. But there ARE ways to add personal interest into an assigned reading. Here is a suggestion: When your child is assigned a chapter at school to read, ask them: “What is the teacher’s purpose for having you read this chapter? What is the assignment?” Your child may or may not know this, depending on the teacher. If you know the teacher’s purpose, write it down. THEN, ask your child: “Given this topic and this assignment, what are YOU interested in learning about?” Write this down too. It might even be in the form of a question. Encourage your child to do the reading first for their interest and see how much they can learn. Then, after that first reading, check to see if they also found the answer to the teacher’s purpose. If not, have them then read for the teacher’s purpose. Teaching your child how to find their OWN interests, regardless of whether or not the reading is assigned, is a powerful lesson in autonomy. Even though your child’s interest was not assigned, learning about their own interests FIRST, makes the teacher’s assignment more interesting, relevant, and valuable. Another suggestion when your child’s teacher wants your child to read a chapter and answer the questions at the end of the chapter is this: Have your child read the questions at the end of the chapter FIRST. Have your child choose the question(s) that are most interesting to them. Then have your child read the chapter to answer the “interesting” questions first and then the other ones may be easier to answer. Focusing on your child’s personal interest keeps them engaged; they pay more attention, and as a result, learn more!

Expert Readers versus Novice Readers

The biggest difference between an expert and a novice reader is that novice readers do not understand that they don’t understand! Think about it. They don’t know what they don’t know. Novice readers also don’t know that it is smart to question, make connections, and choose interesting books or find something interesting within the parameters of assigned readings. Novice readers don’t read. They don’t see a purpose, don’t understand the value, and don’t realize that when they read, they are getting SMARTER! But expert readers DO! Expert readers READ!

Action Plan for this week:  Help your child become an expert reader by acting like one! Find out what they WONDER! Help them make CONNECTIONS to what they are reading! Help them figure out what their INTERESTS are and read about them. You can spend your 30 minutes per day focusing on these things and I think it will really make a difference! Try it yourself. Share with your children what you read and why! They’ll love hearing about it!

 Next week: Motivating Kids to Read: What NOT To Do! The things that parents do that undermine children’s motivations to read.

****We are in the the process of producing some useful tools for mothers and others to help kids LOVE reading. If you are interested in receiving these updates, please let us know at EngagewiththePage@comcast.net We'll keep you informed when our new tools are ready! If you have any questions or comments you can also email Emily! Thanks!!

Family dinners healthier for KIDS

How many times do you have family dinner? Do you find that you eat a better nutritional diet if you eat at home? This article that was just published gives some great information about the importance of family dinners. This week we encourage you to have one more family dinner than you did the week before and let us know how it went!  Have a great week!

More than 40 percent of the typical U.S. food budget is spent on eating out but family meals at home are linked to healthier eating, U.S. researchers said.
Study co-authors Jennifer Martin-Biggers, Amanda Berhaupt-Glickstein, John Worobey and Carol Byrd-Bredbenner, all from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, said aside from negative effects on the family budget, eating out has been shown to be generally associated with poor food choices and bad health.
The researchers evaluated results from 68 previously published scientific reports considering the association between family mealtime and children's health.
The review found numerous benefits to children associated with having frequent family meals, including increased intake of fruits, vegetables, fiber, calcium-rich foods and vitamins. In addition, the more a family ate together the less children consumed dietary components thought to be harmful to health such as soda.
The researchers found a weak link between family meals and obesity risk, but children in families with frequent family meals tended to have lower body mass index than those who enjoyed fewer family meals.
The findings were presented at the American Society for Nutrition's scientific sessions in San Diego

Read more: http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2012/04/23/Family-dinners-healthier-for-kids/UPI-95501335236508/#ixzz1t5Gjn9Y4

CPR Class Reminder!

Only a few more slots left in the CPR Courses for Parents! Such a huge hit last time and so many of you keep asking for it! Great for parents or grandparents!

Saturday, April 28th 2012 at 2:00 pm

The class will last approximately 1 hour

$15 per person

15-20 spots available

To sign up, please speak with our office coordinator, Margie. You can contact her by calling the office at 801-942-1800 or email her at margiet@wasatchpeds.net.

Spots will be offered on a first come first serve basis!

This is only a CPR class, NOT certification. It will be taught by Christine Keddington, who is certified to teach CPR.

What did you do for EARTH DAY?

Yesterday was Earth day and while we forgot to mention it we hope you take a moment this week and think of the impact you can have on your child by teaching them small and simple things to help this EARTH we live in. This week we ask you to take time to think about five things we find so simple and yet take for granite.

 LOOK at nature--

LOOK at your footprint you leave--

LOOK at what we teach our children about our earth--

LOOK at your neighborhood and community and see what you can improve--

LOOK and learn together something new about EARTH DAY!

 Have a great week!

Guest Post: The Incredible Power of Reading: What It Does For Your Mind

The Incredible Power of Reading: What It Does For Your Mind

Emily A. Swan, Ph.D.

An Introduction

Semester after semester, the most frequent comment I receive from my students on my course evaluations is: “Why didn’t I learn these things when I was younger? It would have made the biggest difference in my life!”  When I first began teaching college reading courses, I thought these kinds of comments were made simply because I had just gotten out of graduate school and I was teaching my students these things for the first time.

          Fourteen years later, I can honestly say that this comment is still the most frequent comment made—regardless of which level of reading class I happen to be teaching! How can this be? Theoretically, the teachers I taught 5, 7, even 10 years ago should have taught their students what they learned, right? The students I have now were only in the 2^nd or 3^rd grade when I was first teaching their teachers about these reading concepts and principles. You’d think that somewhere along the way, they would get at least one teacher who could teach them what reading does for their mind. But somehow, all of the teachers I have taught, are either not teaching what they learned explicitly to their students or they aren’t teaching my future students, neither of which makes any sense to me. When I ask my students, semester after semester, “What does reading do for your mind?” they have NO idea!

Do YOU know what reading does for the mind? I’ll tell you up front: A LOT!

For the next few weeks, I will be teaching you how to empower your own children. I believe if parents understand the impact that reading, or not reading, can have on their children’s success in school and in life, they will be more motivated to take a more active and purposeful role in helping their children be successful. I cannot think of an example of a parent who doesn’t want their children to be successful; but being armed with knowledge sure makes it easier to help them! I will teach you the most important things I know that will make the biggest difference for your children. And hopefully, if any of your children decide some day to become teachers, and they happen to take a reading class from me, they might say: “Oh I know this! My parents taught me this! It has made a big difference in my life!”

Wouldn’t that be great?

What Reading Really Does Do For The Mind

1. Reading impacts cognitive development in children in powerful ways. Reading has both dramatic and exponential consequences on a child’s cognitive development. Reading can cause a “Matthew Effect” where the rich-get-richer and the poor-get-poorer. Anne Cunningham and Keith Stanovich (1998) describe this Matthew Effect which begins in the early stages of reading development. Young children, who are poor readers, have a difficult time decoding words and/or struggle with comprehension. These poor readers are exposed to fewer books than their more skilled peers. Poor readers find books too difficult, get frustrated more easily, and as a result read less, if at all. Their motivation to read decreases and their avoidance of reading increases. The less time poor readers spend reading, the fewer opportunities these children have to increase their skills. Poor readers expend lots of energy trying to sound out words, while not being able to focus on the meaning of the story, which makes reading boring and seemingly more difficult. When reading is difficult, poor readers continue to avoid doing it, which may create feelings of frustration and a loss of self-confidence. For poor readers there are both cognitive and motivational factors at play. Poor readers disengage in reading-related activities, withdraw, and develop negative attitudes towards reading. Unrewarding literacy experiences multiply and eventually create a downward spiral that continues to get worse, not better, if the situation is not corrected.

On the other hand, skilled readers learn how to sound out words early and practice their reading skills by reading often. Skilled readers’ word reading becomes more automatic, so they can focus more on comprehension, which makes reading more fun because they understand what’s happening in the books they read. The more they read, the more they learn, which gives skilled readers more to talk about with others, which increases confidence. Reading volume (or the amount of time spent reading) increases vocabulary development, a larger and deeper knowledge base, and more practice using thinking skills such as questioning, making inferences, retelling, and reading increasingly more difficult texts. For skilled readers, there is also a spiral effect, but this spiral moves upward. As you can imagine, the gap between the poor reader and the skilled reader continues to get wider as the years progress.

2. Reading volume makes a difference! Children who read a wide variety of books and spend longer periods of time reading literally get smarter. How much kids read really counts! Reading is the BEST way to increase knowledge so it makes sense that children who read often and for sustained periods of time learn more than children who do not read for very long or do not read a variety of different kinds of books. These children build background knowledge on a variety of topics and concepts. This background knowledge is key in understanding new information. Voracious readers have an easy time connecting new information to their background knowledge, making school easier and more enjoyable, compared to children who don’t read and who don’t have a lot of background knowledge.

3. What your child reads makes a difference; reading books with rare words increases vocabulary and language skills.

On the other hand, children’s picture books contain a relatively high number of rare words and exposure to these books has a greater impact on your child’s vocabulary development than you’d think. The kinds of texts that have the greatest impact on your child’s vocabulary include newspaper articles, informational texts on scientific topics (e.g., books about animals, habitats, space, etc.), comic books, and children’s picture books.

One of the greatest impacts reading has on children is how much it impacts their vocabulary and language use, both in verbal and written language. Think about these facts: if your child only spends only 4.6 minutes per day reading or being read to, they are only exposed to 282,000 words in a year. But if you increase the time spent to just 14.2 minutes per day, your child would be exposed to 1,146,000 words in a year. What’s even more powerful is if your child reads or is read to for 65 minutes per day the number of words your child is exposed to is exponential: 4, 358,000 words per year! Just imagine! If you read a couple of stories to your child at bedtime every night, your child is not only getting exposed to tons of words, but the conversations you have with your child about what you are reading helps your child associate these rare words and the sheer number of words with this positive experience. Over time, the effects of this kind of exposure to words, manifests itself in a variety of ways. Children’s abilities to remember stories, use higher-level vocabulary words in their every day language, write with more imaginative language, build background knowledge, and connect stories to each other and to their lives are all powerful ways reading can impact your child in school.

The other thing to note is that the time spent reading with your child can never be made up later. The preschool years are such important years for cognitive growth that the exposure young children get to books and words will make all the difference in their lives for years to come. I cannot emphasize this fact enough! Reading to your children has a cumulative effect. Nothing can compensate for it later!

4. Reading makes you SMART! I tell young people all the time that the best thing reading does for your mind is that it literally makes you smart. Reading is the number one way to gain knowledge. You can read books about anything and everything. You can learn about people, places, inventions, history, the way things work, the way things are made, how to build things, create things, all about animals, space, ancient civilizations, you name it. Getting smart is the goal of reading. Playing videogames and watching television could never teach you what you can learn from reading. That is a fact.

Many parents believe that their children are either born smart or not and there’s nothing they can do about it. Kids are born with a certain amount of intelligence; this is true. But our intelligence can be influenced by the amount of reading we do. Children can get smarter by the way they use their minds and reading, thinking, and building knowledge have an important impact on intelligence. There are many children who are born with high intelligence who don’t read much. Their intelligence declines when they do not actively and purposefully use their minds or improve their skills. Yet, children who may be born with a lower amount of intelligence can improve their mental ability and agility through wide and frequent reading. The good news for parents is that the long term effects of children who read is that they create a habit for reading and this habit can impact their lives in exponential ways for years to come. Reading has positive effects on mental reasoning, memory, vocabulary, and declarative knowledge as found in many longitudinal studies.

So parents, take heart. Regardless of your child’s age or ability, reading to and with your children will have a positive effect on their academic and emotional success. If you are reading to your children regularly, keep it up; it matters. If you haven’t started reading to your children because they are too young; remember—they are never too young. They need to hear your voice. You can even read Sports Illustrated to your babies; they don’t care. They love to hear your voice and be held on your lap.

If your children are toddlers, read them stories or books about anything around them. Just read. Hold them on your lap, put your arms around them, and share stories together before bed. It’s the best time of the day and it will make a huge difference in their life for years to come. If your children can read on their own, you can still read chapter books to them and with them. Your children can read to and with each other. Take turns. Have fun! There are so many great books out there!

Action Plan for this week:  Read to your children. 30 minutes per day, minimum. No excuses!

Next week: I’ll share three key things expert readers do that novice readers don’t do.