How to talk to you children after the Powell Tragedy

(From Dr Jopling)--Sometimes things happen in life that seem beyond our comprehension. How could a parent do something so horrific to his children? How can we as parents talk to our children about this? Unfortunately, it is too much in our face to ignore. Each of us has to first come to grips with our own feelings before we can move on to help our children with their feelings. Dr Doug Goldsmith is a child psychologist at the Children’s Center here in Salt Lake City. I have a great respect for his insight in dealing with difficult situations. Here is a link to a recent interview where he gave his suggestions to parents. Watch it, think about it and do your best to individualize it to your children. Your doctor is available to answer questions you may have about how your children are doing.

http://www.connect2utah.com/news/features/guests/stories/vid_12.shtml

All of our staff and doctors here at Willow Creek Pediatrics express our deep sadness and heartache at this time for the family and friends of the Powell boys. We have had several patients ask about how to handle this very tragic situation and hope you can find some answer in this link above.

Fact Friday: Campaign targets Teen Drinking; Parent awareness

Recently we found this article while looking at the website www.ParentsEmpowered.org and wanted to share a new campaign they are launching this year 2012.

Campaign Targets Teen Drinking

Parents need to wake up and smell the alcohol, experts say in a new campaign alerting them to the signs their children may be getting "trashed." For the next several months, local garbage trucks will serve as mobile billboards in Weber and Davis counties to help remind parents to talk with their kids about the dangers of alcohol on the developing brain.Weber Human Services and Waste Management have teamed with Parentsempowered.org to help get the message across, said Zac Snow, prevention specialist with Weber Human Services.The mobile billboards will carry various messages such as, "What part of their brain don't your kids need?" According to parentsempowered.org, a media and education campaign funded by the Utah Legislature and designed to prevent and reduce underage drinking, binge drinking begins as early as the sixth grade. Yet, more than 60 percent of Utah parents are unaware their child is drinking. In addition, 45 percent of Utah kids who begin drinking before the age of 13 will become alcohol dependent. Snow said a teen's brain is more vulnerable to addiction and dependence. "There are two key brain areas that research has indicated are affected by drinking during the teenage years," Snow said. "The prefrontal lobe is responsible for making judgments and controlling impulses. This area is crucial in the development of our personalities and behaviors that we engage in." The other area of the brain is the hippocampus, which is responsible for learning and memory and is also vulnerable to the affects of alcohol because it is still developing.

"Research has found that parents have greater influence over their children's choices to drink than they realize," Snow said. "Recent figures indicate that underage drinking increases among teens whose parents consider drinking acceptable. Research has also indicated that when teens feel close with and involved with their parents and parents feel closer to each other, teens are less likely to drink or start drinking."

Recent data from the Utah Student Health and Risk Prevention Survey (SHARP) in Weber and Morgan counties indicated that close to 60 percent of sixth-, eighth-, 10th- and 12th-graders who reported using alcohol in the last year also reported drinking at their own home or someone else's home without permission.

The data also indicates Weber and Morgan counties are higher than the state average for lifetime alcohol consumption among students at those grade levels.

Snow stressed the importance of parent involvement with their children.

"Knowing who they are friends with, what activities they are engaged in, where they are going to be are all part of parental monitoring, having clear rules, expectations and bonding with teens."

Snow said parents should talk with their children about the dangers of underage drinking and make sure they understand the risks. Bonding, setting clear rules and boundaries and monitoring kids can go a long way.

"Underage drinking is a real issue that needs to be taken seriously. Ideally we want underage drinking to stop," Snow said. "Realistically, though, we hope that through utilizing the media and educating parents we can drastically reduce and prevent underage drinking in the state."

Link: http://www.standard.net/stories/2012/01/01/campign-targets-teen-drinking-parent-awareness

Alcohol affects a child’s developing brain much differently than an adult’s.

A child’s brain goes through rapid change and development between the ages of 10 to 21. Drinking alcohol before age 21 interferes with this development and can cause permanent brain damage.

Alcohol damage can cause your child to: Have poor judgment; develop social problems; get into trouble; have trouble learning and remembering information; do poorly in school; and have problems attaining lifelong goals.

Underage drinking can lead to early alcoholism. More than 40 percent of individuals who start drinking before the age of 15 become alcohol-dependent at some point in their lives. In contrast, people who begin drinking at the legal age of 21 have just a 7 percent chance of becoming addicted. Research shows 67 percent of teens who drink before age 15 will try other illicit drugs.

- Facts from the American Medical Association Report & National Longitudinal Alcohol Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol Damage to the Adolescent Brain.

So what can parents do? Here are a few suggestions from there website. Please go and check out the website. This process is transferable to other substance problems and to other different areas including  academics, friends, etc.  It has so many amazing suggestions along with a newsletter that helps you stay current on the alcohol issue HERE in Utah.

• Talk to your child
• Discuss your family values and rules and safe boundaries about alcohol, tabacco and other drugs. Let your child know that he or she cannot cross these boundaries without damaging his or her brain and development
• Help your child make good choices by knowing there friends, schedules and whereabouts. Ensure your CHILD has an alcohol-free social environment
• Stay close to your child and have fun together. Teens report the #1 reason they chose not to drink is parental disapproval.

Even if you only have small children at home this is information is great to share with family and friends who have teens in their home! Check out the website www.ParentEmpowered.org It has SEVERAL wonderful resources.

**info list above and from www.ParentEmpowered.org

Contest and 200th blog post!!!

Today marks the 200th post to our blog here at Willow Creek Pediatrics!!! We have had so much fun sharing information and even more we love our blog "followers" and our loyal patients! To celebrate and THANK YOU we are starting a NEW CONTEST! We are giving away a $50 gift card to Target! So how do you win?....Simple! You need to SCHEDULE a Well Child Exam in the next 30 days! That is it! Recently we told you the recommendations for a Well Child Exam and it is such a great time to get your child in before all the school sign ups, camps, sports etc.....

Just follow these simple rules
#1 The Well Child exam needs to be scheduled for an appointment between Jan 1, 2012 and June 1, 2012
#2 Every child that is scheduled for a Well Child exam gets one entry for that parent (so three children,...three entries)
#3 You must schedule the appointment before March 2nd! We will announce the winner on March 3rd!
#4 If your child has had a Well Child exam during the month of January you will also get to enter in the contest. Just enter the child's name, the date and which doctor they saw. (we don't want to leave you out since we just saw you!)
#5 You must leave a comment on our blog so we know it is booked. Leave a comment that says Dr Name, Date, Child First name only....... Example: Dr Jopling, 3/3, Sam (don't include last name) This is only for our blog readers so make sure you leave a comment.
#6 Winner will be announced on Saturday March 3rd!  So leave a comment before March 2nd
#7 If you don't want to leave a comment on the blog you can email us at willowcreekpediatrics@gmail.com and that will also enter you into our contest!

Let us know if you have any questions and GOOD LUCK!! We can't wait to see who wins!! Thanks again for visiting our blog and being a part of our family here at Willow Creek Pediatrics.

Well Child Check Up Reminder

Have we seen you lately??.....Did you know that the current recommendations for the American Academy of Pediatrics are for children to get a well child exam annually? This has changed within the past few years.

 

Well-child care also is a chance to raise questions and concerns about your child’s development, behavior, and general well-being — questions that are difficult to discuss during sick visits. For instance, pediatricians are used to discussing common concerns with parents such as eating, sleeping, toilet training, social behaviors, as well as attention and learning problems. Having regular well-child visits with your child’s doctor and raising the concerns that matter most to you are key ingredients in helping the doctor know you and your child, and in forming a reliable and trustworthy relationship.

 

 The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Department of Research recently conducted 20 focus groups with parents and 31 focus groups with pediatricians and pediatric nurse practitioners to gather recommendations about how to make the most of the well-child office visit.

From these sessions, four themes emerged:

• Pediatricians and parents share the goal of healthy children.
• Pediatricians want the well-child visit to best serve the needs of children and their families.
• Pediatricians are experts in child health, but parents are experts on their child.
• A team approach can best develop optimum physical, emotional, and developmental health for the child.
• It may seem early in the year to even think about scheduling your child's check up, but this is when the busy season starts! All children who are entering kindergarten or middle school, who have not had a well child exam within the past year will need one before they register for school! So if you have not done so already, please call the office as soon as possible to schedule your child's well visit!

To read more on why it is recommended for your child to have a well visit annually, you can read this article provided by healthychildren.org. We look forward to seeing you. WATCH the blog tomorrow for a FUN new CONTEST that is going to be worth your time!!

http://www.healthychildren.org/English/family-life/health-management/pages/Well-Child-Care-A-Check-Up-for-Success.aspx?nfstatus=401

 **some info from AAP

Study: Babies try to lip read

Last week we shared a post with you on how babies comprehend mother's tone of voice. Dr Lynch found this story in the Washington Post that suggest that babies don't just listen but they actually try to lip-read while turning babble into words. Read part of the article here and click below for the full article.

WASHINGTON — Babies don’t learn to talk just from hearing sounds. New research suggests they’re lip-readers too.
It happens during that magical stage when a baby’s babbling gradually changes from gibberish into syllables and eventually into that first “mama” or “dada.”
Florida scientists discovered that starting around age 6 months, babies begin shifting from the intent eye gaze of early infancy to studying mouths when people talk to them.

“The baby in order to imitate you has to figure out how to shape their lips to make that particular sound they’re hearing,” explains developmental psychologist David Lewkowicz of Florida Atlantic University, who led the study being published Monday. “It’s an incredibly complex process.”
Apparently it doesn’t take them too long to absorb the movements that match basic sounds. By their first birthdays, babies start shifting back to look you in the eye again — unless they hear the unfamiliar sounds of a foreign language. Then, they stick with lip-reading a bit longer.
“It’s a pretty intriguing finding,” says University of Iowa psychology professor Bob McMurray, who also studies speech development. The babies “know what they need to know about, and they’re able to deploy their attention to what’s important at that point in development.”
The new research appears in this week’s issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. It offers more evidence that quality face-time with your tot is very important for speech development — more than, say, turning on the latest baby DVD.
It also begs the question of whether babies who turn out to have developmental disorders, including autism, learn to speak the same way, or if they show differences that just might provide an early warning sign......Click here for the full article

**thanks to Washington Post for part of this article

Fact Friday: Poison Control helps more than 40,000 people a year!

The poison center helps more than 40,000 poison victims a year. (Including my 4 year old son last night--spraying Lysol in his eyes) Quick action could save a life.  About half of poisoning emergencies involve small children, but also provide immediate life-saving information for suicide attempts, medication errors, chemical spills, occupational exposures, product misuse, drug interactions and pet poisonings.  About 67% of Poison Center callers are treated at home...safely.  That saves the region's residents over $18 million/year in unnecessary health care costs. Reported poisonings are monitored for new or unusually dangerous hazards.  When we identify a problem, we urge manufacturers and government regulators to change the formulation, improve the closure or even ban the product.

ACT FAST  - if you think someone has been poisoned!

• If you find your 2-year-old with an open bottle of medicine
• If your spouse mixes household cleaners and can't stop coughing
• If your teenager overdoses
• If that liquid in the glass wasn't soda

• If you think someone has been poisoned....
Call 1-800-222-1222 right away!

Personal Experience:
Last night my four year old thought he would "spray" Lysol to make our house clean and instead it went straight into his eyes. I did many thing wrong from the start. First, I put my guard down since my children are older. I still have all my cleaning supplies locked up but this was sitting in plain sight in my kitchen. Second, I assumed that he was old enough to not use it after repeated warnings but lets be honest, he was a curious boy! Finally, I assumed it can't happen to me. My son is fine and I flushed it immediately like the bottle said and then called Poison Control. I have to admit I have called them several times, in my 11 years of parenting, and every time I am SO impressed with the calm, educated person on the other line giving me the EXACT information that I need to help my child.  Be sure to have what ever "poison" with you when you call--but once again I was humbled by the fact that we have such an amazing resource. So please use my personal experience as a Reminder!  At the end of my call she suggested me to follow up with my pediatrician or to call back if I had any other questions.

 Willow Creek is always here to answer any questions you may have and we will refer you to Poison Control if necessary. We at Willow Creek Pediatrics are very grateful for a wonderful service like this! Please pick up a magnet or sticker for your home so you have this number at hand. We have stacks at the office and would love to give them to you! Also, there is a APP for your smart phones and also click on this link for more information
 http://www.poison.org/home.asp or http://www.aapcc.org/dnn/PoisoningPrevention/Children.aspx
**info from Poison.org and Poison Prevention

Babies comprehend mother's tone of voice

Dr Jopling found this great article and wanted to share it with you. "This study suggests that we parents need to be more intune with HOW we say things, than the WORDS we actually speak to our children. I think it is true, for differing reasons, for all ages of children (and yes, even adults as well)." --Dr Jopling

Here is part of this article--click below for the full article

Babies understand what their mothers are saying even though they do not know the language she is speaking, according to new research by British scientists.

Scientists studied reactions from one-year-old babies to their mum's voice The study proves what parents have known for years - that babies pick up on the tone of their mother's voice rather than her words. Researchers showed that babies reacted in the same way to mum's voice regardless if she is speaking English or Greek. The scientists studied reactions from one-year-old babies to their mum's voice even when she was speaking either languages. Babies watched their mothers perform actions with toys using the English words "whoops" and "there". And the same process was repeated in Greek with the same tone in the voice.

The academics found that babies reproduced the same reaction regardless of whether they knew the language - proving it was all Greek to them.

Study leader Dr Merideth Gattis, of Cardiff University's School of Psychology, said: "What this work showed as that children could have access to understanding using simply the tone of voice.
"We did "whoops" and "there" in two languages and got exactly the same results - whether in English or Greek, which none of the children understood." The research published in the journal Cognitive Development was conducted with 84 babies, aged between 14 and 18 months, in Cardiff over the course of a year with none of the babies having any previous exposure to Greek.
Dr Gattis said that children respond to "tone" clues in their parents' speech from an early age.
She said: "Tone of voice is a really useful signal to what someone is thinking.
"We never have access through to other people's minds, except the signals in language that we give out."
She said that the study results meant that it was less important what parents said, but "how they said it".
She said that even swearing, or anger could theoretically be "covered up" by disguising tone - but that it was better to use another word in its place. CLICK here for full article.
**info from the TELEGRAPH