CF Special Report

A child’s sensory system is at work from the moment they are born.  Immediately, they recognize their mothers’ smell and the sound of her voice.  As they grow other senses continue to develop, such as taste, touch, movement and vision.  However, some children are unable to properly process certain senses which results in problem behavior.

Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), formerly known as Sensory Integration Dysfunction (SID), is a condition that exists when sensory signals don’t get organized into appropriate responses.  It’s often said SPD is like a neurological traffic jam that prevents parts of the brain from processing sensory information appropriately.  
CT based clinical psychologist, Dr. Robert Reynolds commonly treats children with SPD, and is considered a leader in the field of treatment.

“It’s not uncommon for a child with SPD to be easily distracted by extraneous noises.  Or often times, children with this disorder are very sensitive to wearing certain fabrics or materials,” said Dr. Robert Reynolds.  “It’s a condition that can be very disruptive in a child’s day to day life.”
The cause of SPD is not known.  However, it appears some children may be at greater risk of developing the condition.  Increased risk factors include:
• Diagnosed condition on autism spectrum
• Tube fed for extended periods of time
• Drug addicted during fetal development
• Relatives or siblings with SPD
• Food allergies
• Gifted.

Symptoms of SPD include:
• Negative response to unexpected or loud noises
• Holds hands over ears
• Prefers to be in the dark
• Avoids eye contact
• Does not seem to smell strong odors
• Continually seeks various movement activities
• Constantly hangs on other people, furniture, objects
• Walks on toes
• Avoids climbing or jumping
• Takes excessive risks while playing, a no safety awareness
• Avoids getting messy with glue, sand finger paint
• Is sensitive to certain fabrics (clothing & bedding)
• Has decreased awareness of pain or temperature
• Has difficulty paying attention
• Is overly affectionate with others
• Is accident prone
• Seem anxious

Some of the symptoms of SPD are similar to ADHD.  Therefore, this disorder is commonly misdiagnosed.
“It is critical that SPD is correctly identified in order to provide the child with the most suitable course of treatment,” said Dr. Reynolds.

Dr. Reynolds supports a therapeutic approach to treatment that does not rely on pharmaceutical intervention.  He has found great success in treating behavioral disorders using neurofeedback training.   This approach is designed to improve mental functioning in children by re-training the brain through brain mapping.

Brain mapping is a non-invasive technique that takes a picture of an individual’s brain wave activity, thus identifying the proper place on the cortex, or surface of the brain, to target the neurofeedback training.  Neurofeedback therapy is a powerful method for regulating brainwave activity through the use of game-like displays on a computer monitor.

Dr. Robert Reynolds has been on the leading edge of neurofeedback training since 1978 and was the first practice to offer the treatment in Connecticut.  As a result, his clinic has become a sought after resource in helping students, families, schools and individuals cope with attention, learning and behavior challenges across the lifespan.

Connecticut Educational Services utilizes the most advanced diagnostic and treatment techniques and provides all evaluations and treatments through highly trained licensed professionals. A number of specialists exists locally; ask your physician about their training and experience in this field.

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By Kristen Stewart

Who doesn’t go gaga over a baby’s coos and goos? More than merely cute noises, however, these early sounds form important building blocks for later language development. If only every step on the road to speech was so tailor-made for prime time.

Take blowing raspberries, for example, that flaunting of social etiquette when a baby sticks out his tongue and blows spit bubbles. By approximately 4 months of age, babies have gained enough oral motor control to progress from the early open-mouthed noises of a newborn to more complex sounds involving the tongue and lips.

Parents should curb their impulse to run for an umbrella (or check the diaper for a similar sounding explosion of a different kind of bodily fluids). Instead, they should smile, laugh and even—at the risk of offending Great Aunt Edna—blow a raspberry or two of their own.

“Children learn language through back and forth communication,” says Claire Lerner, director of parenting resources at Zero to Three, a national non-profit devoted to promoting health and development of babies and toddlers. By responding to a baby’s raspberries and other sounds with eye contact, imitation and general positive reinforcement, parents are teaching him that he matters and what comes out of his mouth is important. It also encourages him to keep practicing which is a good thing.

Blowing raspberries serves a physiological purpose as well. Like any type of exercise, the more a baby uses his mouth muscles, the stronger they become and the easier it will be for him to put together the different sounds necessary for word formation.

As for parents? Enjoy it now. In just a few short years when he’s torturing siblings and playmates by blowing raspberries, it won’t be nearly so endearing.

 “DID YOU KNOW?”
A 2006 study found children who were less skilled at licking their lips and blowing bubbles at age 21 months were weaker at language skills than their counterparts.  Researchers hope the findings can help child experts identify children who will need extra help with understanding words and speech as they grow older.

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The Consumer Product Safety Commission reports these recent recalls of infant cribs.  The recall involves the SunKids convertible crib/playpen/bassinet/bed with model number PY256. “SunKids” is embroidered on the bottom left of the crib’s drop side. The convertible cribs have a drop side rail, stationary side rail, canopy assembly and bassinet. The sides of the convertible crib are fabric and mesh.

SIMPLICITY DROP SIDE CRIBS
Hazard: The crib’s plastic hardware can break or deform, causing the drop side to detach. When the drop side detaches, it creates space between the drop side and the crib mattress. Infants and toddlers can roll into this space and become entrapped, which can lead to suffocation.
Description: This recall involves all drop side cribs with a different or “newer” style of plastic hardware from those cribs recalled in September 2007. This newer style of Simplicity hardware can be identified by a flexible plastic tab at the top of the lower tracks. The recalled model numbers include but may not be limited to: 8050, 8325, 8620, 8745, 8748, 8755, 8756, 8765, 8778, 8810, and 8994, 8995, 8996.
Sold at: Department stores, children’s stores and mass merchandisers nationwide from January 2005 through June 2009 for between $150 and $300.
Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled cribs and find an alternative, safe sleeping environment for their baby. Consumers should immediately return the crib to the place of purchase for a refund, replacement or store credit.

SUNKIDS CONVERTIBLE CRIBS
Hazard: The sides of the crib are made of mesh that expands, creating a gap between the side and the crib’s mattress if it’s not zipped into place, or a gap between the side and an added mattress. A young child can slip into this gap and become entrapped or suffocate. Also, the crib’s drop side can fail to fully latch, posing a fall hazard to young children.
Description: The recall involves the SunKids convertible crib/playpen/bassinet/bed with model number PY256. “SunKids” is embroidered on the bottom left of the crib’s drop side. The convertible cribs have a drop side rail, stationary side rail, canopy assembly and bassinet. The sides of the convertible crib are fabric and mesh. The mattress support, bassinet, canopy and bed skirt are covered in fabric. The fabric and the mesh were sold in navy blue, light blue, pink, beige, white, beige checker and pink heart.
Sold at: Small juvenile product retailers in New York, New Jersey and California from January 2007 through October 2008 for about $100.
Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled convertible cribs and return them to the store where purchased for a full refund. For additional information, contact Suntech Enterprises toll-free at 888-268-8139 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. (Pacific time), Monday through Friday.
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More than half-a-million cribs were recalled by Stork Craft and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission earlier this year. The “voluntary” recall comes as a result of Stork cribs’ metal support bracket, used to support the crib mattress and mattress board, which can crack and break causing the mattress to collapse and create a dangerous gap.

Ten incidents were already reported, and, the worst part is, these were 10 recent incidents, preceded by dozens in 2008 alone. Don Keenan, a nationally recognized child advocate attorney and founder of the Atlanta-based Keenan’s Kids Foundation, a nonprofit child safety organization, says these crib deaths are preventable. “A crib should be the safest place to sleep imaginable,” said Keenan, author of “365 Ways to Keep Kids Safe.” “Cribs are the only baby product manufactured with the intention of leaving a child unattended. Because of this, every necessary measure should be taken to ensure the crib is the safest possible environment.”

This recall of roughly 535,000 products follows millions of crib-product recalls within the past two years. In October 2008, 1.6 million Delta Enterprise cribs were recalled along with 2,000 portable cribs from New York-based company Playkids USA. Meanwhile, dozens of retailers had recalled defective Simplicity bassinets in August 2008, preceded by 1 million Simplicity cribs in September 2007, which was previously the biggest crib recall until Delta Enterprises.

After these recalls, the CPSC said they planned to do more with their performance requirements to help strengthen the problems. But Keenan said it has to start with parents. “The bottom line is that the government cannot be depended upon to protect,” he said, “and it isn’t safe to assume a crib is safe without carefully checking it periodically to make sure all its parts are in proper working order.” Keenan stressed that whether your child’s crib has been recalled or not, not every crib on the market should automatically be considered safe.

He recommended using the following Crib Design Checklist, from “365 Ways to Keep Kids Safe”: • Consistently looking for updated recall information;

• Not using older cribs because they can be unsafe, and many contain lead paint;
• Checking for missing slats and not purchasing a crib with slats more than two-and-three-eighths inches apart;
• Ensuring the crib’s corner posts are no more than one-sixth of an inch higher than the end panels of the crib and the top rails are at least 26 inches above the top of the mattress, ensuring the child cannot fall out; and
• Parents should address height as the child grows, because once the height of the top rail is less than three-fourths the child’s height, the crib should no longer be used.

When considering a crib’s mattress, parents should make sure the mattress fits tightly and no more than two fingers can fit between the edge of the mattress and the crib. Also remember drop latches need to be too difficult for a child to release in order to be considered safe. This year’s “voluntary” recall asked consumers owning any style of a Stork Craft Baby Crib purchased between May 2000 and January 2009 to “stop using recalled products immediately.”

The cribs were available at JCPenney, Kmart and Walmart stores nationwide and online at Amazon.com, BabiesRUs.com, Costco.com and Walmart.com for between $100 and $400. Consumers should contact Stork Craft to receive a free replacement kit, with new mattress support brackets, by calling 866-361-3321 to order the free replacement kit, or log on to www.storkcraft.com.

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