Child Safety & Protection Month

The month of November is Child Safety Protection Month.

According to the National Network of Child Care, there are several classifications of safety and protection to keep in mind, including car safety, dental health, emergencies and disaster, food safety, healthy routines and habits, illness prevention, indoor & outdoor safety, poisoning, and toy safety.

While creating awareness about the dangers in the outside realm is important, it’s just as important to bring attention to the dangers that children may face in their own home.

American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has provided some additional tips to ensure a safe holiday season:

Trees

·         When purchasing an artificial tree, look for the label "Fire Resistant."

·         When purchasing a live tree, check for freshness. A fresh tree is green, needles are hard to pull from branches and when bent between your fingers, needles do not break. The trunk butt of a fresh tree is sticky with resin, and when tapped on the ground, the tree should not lose many needles.

·         When setting up a tree at home, place it away from fireplaces, radiators or portable heaters. Place the tree out of the way of traffic and do not block doorways.

·         Cut a few inches off the trunk of your tree to expose the fresh wood. This allows for better water absorption and will help keep your tree from drying out and becoming a fire hazard.

·         Be sure to keep the stand filled with water, because heated rooms can dry live trees out rapidly. 

Lights

·         Check all tree lights - even if you've just purchased them - before hanging on your tree. Make sure all the bulbs work and that there are no frayed wires, broken sockets or loose connections.

·         Never use electric lights on a metallic tree. The tree can become charged with electricity from faulty lights, and a person touching a branch could be electrocuted.

·         Before using lights outdoors, check labels to be sure they have been certified for outdoor use. To hold lights in place, string them through hooks or insulated staples, not nails or tacks. Never pull or tug lights to remove them.

·         Plug all outdoor electric decorations into circuits with ground fault circuit interrupters to avoid potential shocks.

·         Turn off all lights when you go to bed or leave the house. The lights could short out and start a fire.

Decorations

·         Use only non-combustible or flame-resistant materials to trim a tree. Choose tinsel or artificial icicles of plastic or nonleaded metals.

·         Never use lighted candles on a tree or near other evergreens. Always use non-flammable holders, and place candles where they will not be knocked over.

·         In homes with small children, take special care to avoid decorations that are sharp or breakable. Keep trimmings with small removable parts out of the reach of children to prevent them from swallowing or inhaling small pieces. Avoid trimmings that resemble candy or food that may tempt a young child to eat them.

·         Wear gloves to avoid eye and skin irritation while decorating with spun glass "angel hair." Follow container directions carefully to avoid lung irritation while decorating with artificial snow sprays.

·         Remove all wrapping papers, bags, paper, ribbons and bows from tree and fireplace areas after gifts are opened. These items can pose suffocation and choking hazards to a small child or can cause a fire if near flame. 

Toy Safety

·         Select toys to suit the age, abilities, skills and interest level of the intended child. Toys too advanced may pose safety hazards for younger children.

·         Before buying a toy or allowing your child to play with a toy that he has received as a gift, read the instructions carefully. 

·         To prevent both burns and electrical shocks, don’t give young children (under age 10) a toy that must be plugged into an electrical outlet. Instead, buy toys that are battery-operated.

·         Young children can choke on small parts contained in toys or games. Government regulations specify that toys for children under age three cannot have parts less than 1 1/4 inches in diameter and 2 1/4 inches long.

·         Children can have serious stomach and intestinal problems – including death -- after swallowing button batteries and magnets. In addition to toys, button batteries are often found in musical greeting cards, remote controls, hearing aids and other small electronics. Keep them away from young children and call your health care provider immediately if your child swallows one.       

·         Children can choke or suffocate on uninflated or broken balloons; do not allow children under age 8 to play with them. 

·         Remove strings and ribbons from toys before giving them to young children. 

·         Watch for pull toys with strings that are more than 12 inches in length. They could be a strangulation hazard for babies.

·         Parents should store toys in a designated location, such as on a shelf or in a toy chest, and keep older kids’ toys away from young children.

Food Safety

·         Bacteria are often present in raw foods. Fully cook meats and poultry, and thoroughly wash raw vegetables and fruits.

·         Be sure to keep hot liquids and foods away from the edges of counters and tables, where they can be easily knocked over by a young child’s exploring hands. Be sure that young children cannot access microwave ovens.

·         Wash your hands frequently, and make sure your children do the same.

·         Never put a spoon used to taste food back into food without washing it.

·         Always keep raw foods and cooked foods separately, and use separate utensils when preparing them.

·         Always thaw meat in the refrigerator, never on the countertop.

·         Foods that require refrigeration should never be left at room temperature for more than two hours.                       

Happy Visiting

·         Clean up immediately after a holiday party. A toddler could rise early and choke on leftover food or come in contact with alcohol or tobacco.

·         Remember that the homes you visit may not be childproofed. Keep an eye out for danger spots like unlocked cabinets, unattended purses, accessible cleaning or laundry products, stairways, or hot radiators.

·         Keep a list with all of the important phone numbers you or a baby-sitter are likely to need in case of an emergency. Include the police and fire department, your pediatrician and the national Poison Help Line, 1-800-222-1222. Laminating the list will prevent it from being torn or damaged by accidental spills.

·         Traveling, visiting family members, getting presents, shopping, etc., can all increase your child's stress levels. Trying to stick to your child's usual routines, including sleep schedules and timing of naps, can help you and your child enjoy the holidays and reduce stress.

Fireplaces

·         Before lighting any fire, remove all greens, boughs, papers, and other decorations from fireplace area. Check to see that the flue is open.

·         Use care with "fire salts," which produce colored flames when thrown on wood fires. They contain heavy metals that can cause intense gastrointestinal irritation and vomiting if eaten. Keep them away from children.

·         Do not burn gift wrap paper in the fireplace. A flash fire may result as wrappings ignite suddenly and burn intensely.

Therapists at PTP can work with families in creating strategies to help your child and to help prevent injuries to those with physical, developmental or cognitive disabilities.

If you have any concerns with your child, please visit us at www.pediatrictherapypartners.com and request a free screening today.

Safety Resources:

American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)  http://www.aap.org/en-us/Pages/Default.aspx

National Network of Child Care  http://cyfernet.ces.ncsu.edu/nncc/

SafeKids  www.safekids.org

National Epilepsy Awareness Month

This month brings an opportunity to spread the word about epilepsy. 

November is National Epilepsy Awareness Month, in which Congress passed a formal declaration in 2003.

Epilepsy affects more than two million people in the United States and 65 million people worldwide. This year, another 200,000 people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with epilepsy. Despite all available treatments, 30 to 40 percent of people with epilepsy continue to experience seizures (Epilepsy Foundation).

Epilepsy affects children in various stages in their life, in many different ways. Especially in children, epilepsy can limit participation in recreational, educational, or work-related activities.

According to the CDC, epilepsy can begin in children as little as 2 years old, as well as adults above the age of 65.

Epilepsy is a medical condition in which reoccurring abnormal electrical activity in the brain causes involuntary changes in the body, including movement, function and behavior. When a person has two or more unprovoked seizures, they have epilepsy.

When the physician has made a diagnosis of seizures or epilepsy, often the next step is to select the best form of treatment.

Pediatric Therapy Partners can provide therapy and treatment plans that will compliment additional methods, including surgeries, special diet, or medical treatments in the effort to prevent further seizures and avoid side effects throughout the child’s day.

Pediatric Therapy Partners is also a host for the Epilepsy Support Group “Parent Connect Support Group” for parents of kids of any age with epilepsy.  Amy Haugen, the F-M Regional Community Outreach Coordinator for the Minnesota Epilepsy Foundation, leads the group the first Tuesday of each month from 7:00-9:00pm.

“PTP has been opening doors since we started Support Group a year ago,” Amy said. “It’s been a lifeline for parents and the best way to connect with each other.”

Amy personally understands the struggles with epilepsy through her children. She feels gratitude towards Pediatric Therapy Partners and the support that was given, including the opportunity to join forces in creating a great stroll team for the annual Epilepsy Stroll, a family-friendly fundraiser to raise awareness for those living with seizures and overcoming the strugglers of epilepsy. In addition to support groups, the Epilepsy Foundation also provides educational trainings with various organizations and schools and forms relationships with local businesses.

“I knew how great services were,” she said.

Amy mentions how Pediatric Therapy Partners is really involved in the lives of the parents, “trying to help the community at large.” she said. She also feels Pediatric Therapy Partners has such a great presence at the schools, as several parents take kids to the clinic.

If you have any concerns with your child, please visit us at www.pediatrictherapypartners.com and request a free screening.

Epilepsy Resources:

CDC: www.cdc.gov/epilepsy

Epilepsy Foundation: www.epilepsyfoundation.org

Epilepsy Support Group: Amy Haugen

National Physical Therapy (PT) Month

As National Physical Therapy (PT) Month comes to an end, we’d like to share with you the ways physical therapists help heal, restore, and improve our ability to move. This month gives physical therapists and assistants an opportunity to highlight their expertise in improving quality of life.

No matter what area of the body, physical therapists help many individuals of all ages. They can work in hospitals, clinics, schools, or homes. The American Physical Therapy Association describes physical therapists as “trusted health care professionals with extensive clinical experience who examine, diagnose, and then prevent or treat conditions that limit the body’s ability to move and function in daily life.”

Pediatric physical therapists work with children and families to assist each child in reaching their maximum potential to function independently and to promote active participation in home, school and community environments (APTA). Pediatric physical therapists also help motor development and function, improve strength and endurance, enhance learning opportunities, and ease challenges with daily caregiving.

At Pediatric Therapy Partners, our physical therapists work to improve a child’s gross motor skills, the everyday activities that use the body’s large muscle groups. Pediatric Therapy Partners holds certification and extensive training including:

·        Aquatic (pool) therapy

·        NDT (Neurodevelopmental) based treatment techniques

·        Lower Extremity orthotic and prosthetic evaluation and training

·        Childhood athletic injuries

·        Childhood health and fitness

Some common diagnoses seen in pediatric Physical Therapy include:

·        Musculoskeletal

·        Orthopedic

·        Neuromuscular

·        Gross motor development

·        Coordination and balance

·        Mobility training

·        Motor planning

·        Adaptive equipment assessment and training

Pediatric Therapy Partners works together with each family, seeing as they have a primary role in their child’s development. The therapists at PTP collaborate with the family to stimulate development and implement treatment strategies with the goal of reaching further for our clients to help them laugh, love, and live life to its fullest.

If you have any concerns with your children, please visit us at www.pediatrictherapypartners.com and request a free screening.

PT Resources

American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) http://www.moveforwardpt.com/WhyTherapy/AboutPTs/

Pediatric Therapy Partners  www.pediatrictherapypartners.com

National Down Syndrome Awareness Month

October is National Down Syndrome Awareness Month – a chance to give individuals with Down syndrome a voice and an opportunity to share their stories.

“For many of us, every day is a chance to promote Down syndrome awareness—advocating for our children to be included in school and community activities, highlighting their talents, giving them opportunities to show just how much they have to share” (National Association for Down Syndrome).

Ways to promote awareness and get involved include the National Down Syndrome Society Buddy Walk, a national program which raises awareness on a local level, or the NDSS My Great Story campaign where anyone who has something to share can submit stories as part of a collection from all over the nation. 

On a local level, the Up with Downs Fall Conference in Fargo, ND introduces the needs of the child and experiences of families living with a child with Down syndrome. Pediatric Therapy Partners is a host for the Down Syndrome Playgroup, held on the second Sunday of each month from 3pm-5pm.

According to the National Down Syndrome Society, individuals with Down syndrome are becoming increasingly integrated into society and community organizations, such as school, health care systems, work forces, and social and recreational activities. More and more Americans are interacting with individuals with Down syndrome, increasing the need for widespread public education and acceptance.

As stated by the NDSS, “A person’s a person – instead of “a Down syndrome child,” say “a child with Down syndrome.”

Children with Down syndrome can often benefit from speech therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy. Pediatric Therapy Partners provides quality, coordinated home-based therapy services throughout the community as well as in our facility for special needs children and their families throughout the Red River Valley.

If you have any concerns regarding your child with Down syndrome, or any other child, please visit our website at www.pediatrictherapypartners.com and request a free screening.

About Down syndrome

According to the National Down Syndrome Society, one in every 691 babies in the United States is born with Down syndrome, making Down syndrome the most common genetic condition. Approximately 400,000 Americans have Down syndrome and about 6,000 babies with Down syndrome are born in the United States each year. In every cell in the human body there is a nucleus, where genetic material is stored in genes.  Genes carry the codes responsible for all of our inherited traits and are grouped along rod-like structures called chromosomes.  Typically, the nucleus of each cell contains 23 pairs of chromosomes, half of which are inherited from each parent. Down syndrome occurs when an individual has a full or partial extra copy of chromosome 21. There are three types of Down syndrome:  trisomy 21 (nondisjunction), translocation and mosaicism.  This additional genetic material alters the course of development and causes the characteristics associated with Down syndrome. A few of the common physical traits of Down syndrome are low muscle tone, small stature, an upward slant to the eyes, and a single deep crease across the center of the palm - although each person with Down syndrome is a unique individual and may possess these characteristics to different degrees, or not at all.

Down syndrome Resources:

National Down Syndrome Society www.ndss.org

National Association for Down Syndrome www.nads.org  

National Institute of Child Health & Human Development http://www.nichd.nih.gov/

Sensory Integration

About Sensory Integration

Whether you are biting into a hamburger, riding a bicycle, or reading a book, your successful completion of the activity requires processing sensation or "sensory integration" (SPD Foundation).  Sensory Integration refers to how the brain interprets information it receives from the senses and turns it into motor or behavioral response. Sensory Processing Disorder, a complex brain disorder, affects one in twenty children. Children with SPD experience touch, taste, sound, smell, movement, and other sensations differently from typical children (Sensational Kids, Miller & Fuller xviiii). Sensory Integration was developed by Dr. A. Jean Ayres in the 1950s. As an occupational therapist, her theory and her work laid the foundation for Sensory Integration therapy today.

Pediatric Therapy Partners has one of the region’s only Sensory Integration and Praxis Test (SIPT) certified therapists.  Occupational therapists at Pediatric Therapy Partners help uncover strategies that the families can take with them and practice in a home setting. The therapists also help regulate the five senses as well as two additional senses. Proprioception is the sense of body position in space, and vestibular system detects movement of the head in space to help maintain posture, balance, and sense of where the body is. They also assess the impact the disorder has on the child’s self-care, play, social skills, and activities of daily living.

With each session, the therapists identify red flags that indicate the child’s difficulties in processing information. Some signs include impulsivity; excessive movement; oversensitivity or undersensitivity to sound, sight, or touch; poor coordination, becoming easily distracted; fine motor or growth issues. Often, children with autism, prematurity, ADHD, anxiety, depression, bi-polar disorder, OCD, or developmental delays experience sensory processing disorder.

The therapists at PTP believe that parent and family education is very important as therapists provide techniques and treatment plans based on the needs of the child.

Sensory Integration Seminar

The Pediatric Therapy Partners Sensory Integration Team will provide a 2-Part seminar to explain the definition, risk factors, signs & symptoms, and common populations affected by sensory processing disorder. Assessments and evaluations that can be used and the treatment principles and home programming that can be provided will also be covered.

Both sessions will be held from 6:30pm-8pm at Pediatric Therapy Partners, 3060 Frontier Way S., Fargo, ND.

PART 1: Sensory Processing Disorders: Learning to Recognize Sensory Processing Disorder in Children: Thursday, October 11, 2012

PART 2: Sensory Processing Disorders: Treatment for Children with Sensory Processing Disorder: Thursday, November 8, 2012

Please call or email today to RSVP as spots are limited at 701-232-2340 or info@pediatrictherapypartners.com 

For further information, please visit www.pediatrictherapypartners.com or call for a free screening.

Sensory Integration Resources:

Ayres, A. Jean. (1979). Sensory Integration and the Child. Los Angeles: Western Psychological Services.

Bundy, A., Lane, S., Murray, E. (2002). Sensory Integration Theory and Practice, 2^nd Ed. Philadelphia. F.A. Davis.

Kranowitz, Carol Stock. The Out of Sync Child: Recognizing and Coping with Sensory Integration Dysfunction. New York, NY: The Berkley Publishing Group, 1998.

Miller, Lucy Jane; Fuller, Doris A. Fuller. Sensational Kids. New York: Penguin Group (USA) Inc, 2006. Print.

In-Sync Activity Cards by Carol Kranowitz and Joye Newman

http://www.sinetwork.org/about-sensory-processing-disorder.html

Welcome!

We’d like to welcome you to Pediatric Therapy Partners’ blog!

Please stay tuned as we strive to keep you informed of current therapy-related services and educational pieces each month.

If you have topics you’re interested in seeing on our blog, please submit your ideas to info@pediatrictherapypartners.com.

We look forward to being a resource for children and their families.