Georgia State University researchers have found that adopted adolescents who have good relationships with their parents are less likely to get into trouble and are more likely to do better in school, compared to adoptees growing up in more distant families.
Kathleen Whitten, visiting lecturer of psychology, and Scott Weaver, assistant professor of psychology, analyzed data from the National Survey of Adoptive Parents, a survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics.
In their study, to be published in the December edition of Adoption Quarterly, they found that adolescents with better relationships with their adoptive parents were less likely to skip school, to be suspended, or to have trouble with law enforcement or substance abuse.
They also found that the teens, aged 13 to 17, had higher achievement in language arts and reading.
“Historically, there was a view that children couldn’t grow up as healthy in an adoptive family as in a biological one,” Whitten said. “Our findings contradict that, and are also consistent with more contemporary studies that have found that adoptive parents may spend more time with their children, and there may be less conflict in those families.”
The measures for the parent-child relationships include questions about how often the child is affectionate or tender with the parent, and whether the parent trusts the child, for example.
Additionally, Whitten and Weaver found no differences in these outcomes for children who were adopted by parents of a different race.
“Some thought at one time that parents of a different race couldn’t provide racial socialization, therefore leading to worse child outcomes,” Whitten said. “We analyzed a group of transracially adopted children to see if there were any differences, and there’re not.”
Like adolescents in the broader sample of adoptees, transracially adopted children with positive relationships with their parents had better behavioral and school adjustment.
The National Survey of Adoptive Parents is the first nationally representative sample of adoptive families in the United States, and it’s providing a wealth of data to investigate adoption. Data were collected during 2007 to 2008, and it provides information about the health and well-being of adopted children, as well as information about their families’ experiences and reasons for adoption.
Investing time and resources in establishing and strengthening the parent child relationship bond is very important, Weaver said.
“A positive parent-child relationship can be established regardless of whether the adoption is transracial or not,” he said.
Whitten recommends that social service agencies prepare prospective parents to establish ties and prepare for challenges.
“Agencies should teach parents to expect the best and to prepare for the worst,” she said. “By preparing for the worst, they need to be able to monitor their own emotional reactions to their child’s behavior, need to be patient, and need to be able to attribute positive motives to their child rather than negative.”
For example, if a child is misbehaving shortly after he or she is placed with the parent, parents should see this not as an attempt to control the parent or parents, but as a miscue for emotional distress, she said.
“So rather than responding with more control, and with a more authoritarian, punitive response, parents need to be able to stop and calm themselves, and to help the child do the same,” Whitten said.
-----
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Showing posts with label research. Show all posts
Showing posts with label research. Show all posts
Friday, November 12, 2010
Thursday, September 2, 2010
This School Year, Learn About the 3 R’s -- and Your Brain
As our children prepare for the first day of school this fall, they will fill their book bags with the usual paraphernalia; notebooks, pencils, and even laptops. What most of them won't bring to school is an understanding of the most important tool they are going use -- their brains.
As neuroscientists, we are dismayed that we do not give our students the most basic information about the care and use of their brains. Research reveals there are a number of things students can do to improve their performance in both academics and life outside of school. We're not talking about smart pills, expensive imaging or difficult procedures. We're talking about teaching what a student needs to know about his brain, so he can use it properly and perform well.
It all starts with attitude. Other researchers have found that students have one of two basic beliefs, or "mindsets," about their brains. They either believe their brain function is fixed and they're stuck with the capabilities with which they were born, or they can improve their brain function and accomplish harder tasks. The latter group takes risks, not fearing failure, because they know that learning and growth comes from failure. Even if they were not born with exceptional intellectual abilities, these kids tend to be more successful.
The good news is students can learn the "growth" mindset. Simply letting them know that learning improves with practice and training makes a measurable difference in performance. This belief works well for disadvantaged kids.
There's more good news. Students can improve brain function without a moment of additional study -- no extra books, computer drills or tutoring sessions. They need to make three simple lifestyle changes, each of which is based on findings from modern neuroscience.
First, sleep at least 8-9 hours every night. Sleep deprivation can impair learning as much as brain damage. When you sleep, the brain consolidates what you learned when you were awake.
Second, eat a breakfast with protein (even cereal with a generous serving of milk) to provide a sustained source of blood sugar, which is essential to alertness. This avoids the rush and crash of a high-sugar breakfast.
Third, move every day -- dance, walk, skateboard, whatever. Exercise leads to development of new brain cells and improves memory.
So why not just stop class, tell students what to do, and then give them a brochure to take home to their parents? Well, because there is much more to learn than these simple lessons. Change takes knowledge, motivation, time and practice, and the support of the home and community. It can't be done in 10 minutes, but it can be taught, aided by daily messages from parents, teachers and the media. It can even start well before the school years, if parents are taught the basics.
So why don't school curricula and parent training classes include training about the brain? Perhaps one reason is we scientists have not stressed enough the importance of brain health. If we did this, then educators could include brain information throughout the school environment, from academics to classroom behavior to extracurricular activities.
Also, schools are required to do high-stakes testing for the basic courses, and perhaps they feel there isn't time for something as unusual as teaching about the brain. We have a solution that should please everyone.
Most school systems are required to teach a health curriculum for all students. We think this is one place to include formal instruction about the brain. We can meet the mandated goals of these curricula while also teaching the basics of brain function and brain health. Almost every goal of current curricula relates in some way to the brain-- exercise, sex, media literacy or substance abuse. Because improved brain function leads to improved school performance, schools should be anxious to teach this lesson, and adopt such a curriculum.
Teaching students about brain health gives them some control over their own learning, is not expensive, and does not add to a school's burden. At a time when our educational system is in crisis, we need to change our mindsets and teach students about the most important tool they have -- their brain.
By Wilkie A. Wilson and Cynthia Kuhn
Wilkie A. Wilson is a research professor of prevention science at Duke; Cynthia Kuhn is a professor of pharmacology and cancer biology. Both are both affiliated with Duke's Center for Child and Family Policy.
------
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As neuroscientists, we are dismayed that we do not give our students the most basic information about the care and use of their brains. Research reveals there are a number of things students can do to improve their performance in both academics and life outside of school. We're not talking about smart pills, expensive imaging or difficult procedures. We're talking about teaching what a student needs to know about his brain, so he can use it properly and perform well.
It all starts with attitude. Other researchers have found that students have one of two basic beliefs, or "mindsets," about their brains. They either believe their brain function is fixed and they're stuck with the capabilities with which they were born, or they can improve their brain function and accomplish harder tasks. The latter group takes risks, not fearing failure, because they know that learning and growth comes from failure. Even if they were not born with exceptional intellectual abilities, these kids tend to be more successful.
The good news is students can learn the "growth" mindset. Simply letting them know that learning improves with practice and training makes a measurable difference in performance. This belief works well for disadvantaged kids.
There's more good news. Students can improve brain function without a moment of additional study -- no extra books, computer drills or tutoring sessions. They need to make three simple lifestyle changes, each of which is based on findings from modern neuroscience.
First, sleep at least 8-9 hours every night. Sleep deprivation can impair learning as much as brain damage. When you sleep, the brain consolidates what you learned when you were awake.
Second, eat a breakfast with protein (even cereal with a generous serving of milk) to provide a sustained source of blood sugar, which is essential to alertness. This avoids the rush and crash of a high-sugar breakfast.
Third, move every day -- dance, walk, skateboard, whatever. Exercise leads to development of new brain cells and improves memory.
So why not just stop class, tell students what to do, and then give them a brochure to take home to their parents? Well, because there is much more to learn than these simple lessons. Change takes knowledge, motivation, time and practice, and the support of the home and community. It can't be done in 10 minutes, but it can be taught, aided by daily messages from parents, teachers and the media. It can even start well before the school years, if parents are taught the basics.
So why don't school curricula and parent training classes include training about the brain? Perhaps one reason is we scientists have not stressed enough the importance of brain health. If we did this, then educators could include brain information throughout the school environment, from academics to classroom behavior to extracurricular activities.
Also, schools are required to do high-stakes testing for the basic courses, and perhaps they feel there isn't time for something as unusual as teaching about the brain. We have a solution that should please everyone.
Most school systems are required to teach a health curriculum for all students. We think this is one place to include formal instruction about the brain. We can meet the mandated goals of these curricula while also teaching the basics of brain function and brain health. Almost every goal of current curricula relates in some way to the brain-- exercise, sex, media literacy or substance abuse. Because improved brain function leads to improved school performance, schools should be anxious to teach this lesson, and adopt such a curriculum.
Teaching students about brain health gives them some control over their own learning, is not expensive, and does not add to a school's burden. At a time when our educational system is in crisis, we need to change our mindsets and teach students about the most important tool they have -- their brain.
By Wilkie A. Wilson and Cynthia Kuhn
Wilkie A. Wilson is a research professor of prevention science at Duke; Cynthia Kuhn is a professor of pharmacology and cancer biology. Both are both affiliated with Duke's Center for Child and Family Policy.
------
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Monday, January 11, 2010
Spoon Size Matters When It Comes to Safely Dosing Medicine
A properly sized spoon helps the medicine go down without unintended side effects, finds a new study by two marketing researchers, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
“Prone to error, spoon dosing of medicine is one of the leading causes of pediatric poisonings,” says Georgia Tech marketing assistant professor Koert van Ittersum, who conducted the study with Brian Wansink, a marketing professor at Cornell University. “While the Food and Drug Administration recommends against kitchen silverware to dose liquid medicine, a majority of people still use spoons when pouring medicine for themselves and family members.”
In their study, the researchers found that people dosed 8.4 percent less than prescribed into medium-sized spoons and 11.6 percent more into larger utensils. Yet, study participants (195 university students) had above-average confidence that they’d poured the correct dosage. “Although they were young, educated, and had poured in a well-lit room following a practice pour, these participants were still unaware of these biases,” the researchers write. “Whereas the clinical implications of an 8-12 percent dosing error in a single-teaspoon serving of medicine may be minimal, the dosing error is likely to accumulate among fatigued patients who are medicating themselves every four to eight hours for a number of days.”
Based on their findings, the researchers recommend that patients or caregivers use a measuring cap, dosing spoon, measuring dropper, or dosing syringe for accuracy instead of relying on their estimating abilities. While one might expect more experienced pourers such as nurses and practiced patients to be more accurate in their estimations, this might not be the case, the researchers note.
Wansink and van Ittersum have previously conducted related research showing veteran bartenders are inconsistent about the amount of liquor they pour, depending upon the type of glass used (over-pouring into short, wide glasses).
By Matthew Nagel
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“Prone to error, spoon dosing of medicine is one of the leading causes of pediatric poisonings,” says Georgia Tech marketing assistant professor Koert van Ittersum, who conducted the study with Brian Wansink, a marketing professor at Cornell University. “While the Food and Drug Administration recommends against kitchen silverware to dose liquid medicine, a majority of people still use spoons when pouring medicine for themselves and family members.”
In their study, the researchers found that people dosed 8.4 percent less than prescribed into medium-sized spoons and 11.6 percent more into larger utensils. Yet, study participants (195 university students) had above-average confidence that they’d poured the correct dosage. “Although they were young, educated, and had poured in a well-lit room following a practice pour, these participants were still unaware of these biases,” the researchers write. “Whereas the clinical implications of an 8-12 percent dosing error in a single-teaspoon serving of medicine may be minimal, the dosing error is likely to accumulate among fatigued patients who are medicating themselves every four to eight hours for a number of days.”
Based on their findings, the researchers recommend that patients or caregivers use a measuring cap, dosing spoon, measuring dropper, or dosing syringe for accuracy instead of relying on their estimating abilities. While one might expect more experienced pourers such as nurses and practiced patients to be more accurate in their estimations, this might not be the case, the researchers note.
Wansink and van Ittersum have previously conducted related research showing veteran bartenders are inconsistent about the amount of liquor they pour, depending upon the type of glass used (over-pouring into short, wide glasses).
By Matthew Nagel
-----
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Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Studies: All Infant Formula Contains Fluoride at Tooth-Discoloring Levels
/PRNewswire/ -- All infant formulas, whether ready-to-feed, concentrated or organic, contain fluoride at levels which can discolor developing teeth, reports the October 2009 Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA)(1).
Fluoride, added to some bottled and public water supplies ostensibly to prevent cavities, is also in many foods and beverages, including infant formula. Excessive fluoride discolors and/or weakens permanent teeth (moderate fluorosis).
Researchers measured fluoride content of 49 infant formulas. See: http://www.freewebs.com/fluoridation/infantformulafluoride.htm
The research team concludes, "Most infants from birth to age 12 months who consume predominantly powdered and liquid concentrate formula are likely to exceed the upper tolerable limit [of fluoride] if the formula is reconstituted with optimally fluoridated water (0.7 - 1.2 ppm)."
Surprisingly, the study reveals that all 6-month-olds and younger will also exceed the lower "adequate intake" (0.01 mg/day) from all formulas (concentrated or not) risking moderate dental fluorosis from formula, alone.(2)
Breast milk contains about 250 times less fluoride than "optimally" fluoridated water and isn't linked to fluorosis.
"Babies don't need fluoride, and fluoride ingestion doesn't reduce tooth decay," says attorney Paul Beeber, President, New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation, Inc. "So why are U.S. babies still exposed to unnecessary fluoride chemicals via the water and food supplies, and why aren't parents informed of the consequences?" asks Beeber.
Up to 48% of school children have fluorosed teeth - 4% severe, reports the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)(3).
Both the CDC and the American Dental Association's web sites advise parents to avoid mixing fluoridated water into concentrated infant formula, but they have never effectively broadcast this information to parents or the media(4,5).
A review of human studies by different researchers published in JADA (July 2009) concluded, "Our systematic review indicated that the consumption of infant formula [concentrated and ready-to-feed] is, on average, associated with an increased risk of developing at least some detectable level of enamel fluorosis."(6)
"Parents, protect your children since dental and government agencies won't. Petition local and state legislators to stop adding unnecessary and harmful fluoride chemicals into public water supplies and, thereby, into our food supply," says Beeber. "Further, demand that the fluoride content of all food products be required on labels."
-----
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Fluoride, added to some bottled and public water supplies ostensibly to prevent cavities, is also in many foods and beverages, including infant formula. Excessive fluoride discolors and/or weakens permanent teeth (moderate fluorosis).
Researchers measured fluoride content of 49 infant formulas. See: http://www.freewebs.com/fluoridation/infantformulafluoride.htm
The research team concludes, "Most infants from birth to age 12 months who consume predominantly powdered and liquid concentrate formula are likely to exceed the upper tolerable limit [of fluoride] if the formula is reconstituted with optimally fluoridated water (0.7 - 1.2 ppm)."
Surprisingly, the study reveals that all 6-month-olds and younger will also exceed the lower "adequate intake" (0.01 mg/day) from all formulas (concentrated or not) risking moderate dental fluorosis from formula, alone.(2)
Breast milk contains about 250 times less fluoride than "optimally" fluoridated water and isn't linked to fluorosis.
"Babies don't need fluoride, and fluoride ingestion doesn't reduce tooth decay," says attorney Paul Beeber, President, New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation, Inc. "So why are U.S. babies still exposed to unnecessary fluoride chemicals via the water and food supplies, and why aren't parents informed of the consequences?" asks Beeber.
Up to 48% of school children have fluorosed teeth - 4% severe, reports the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)(3).
Both the CDC and the American Dental Association's web sites advise parents to avoid mixing fluoridated water into concentrated infant formula, but they have never effectively broadcast this information to parents or the media(4,5).
A review of human studies by different researchers published in JADA (July 2009) concluded, "Our systematic review indicated that the consumption of infant formula [concentrated and ready-to-feed] is, on average, associated with an increased risk of developing at least some detectable level of enamel fluorosis."(6)
"Parents, protect your children since dental and government agencies won't. Petition local and state legislators to stop adding unnecessary and harmful fluoride chemicals into public water supplies and, thereby, into our food supply," says Beeber. "Further, demand that the fluoride content of all food products be required on labels."
-----
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Thursday, August 27, 2009
How Long Should Infants Be Left In Car Seats?
(SPM Wire) Car safety seats are one of the most effective ways to protect children from injury and death in the first years of life.
For the best protection in a crash, car seats require infants to be placed in an upright position. However, this posture can partially compress the chest wall and reduce airway size, resulting in lower levels of oxygen and breathing problems, according to new research published in the medical journal, "Pediatrics."
Never use a car seat as a replacement for a crib and only keep infants in these safety devices for protection during travel.
Researchers compared oxygen levels in 200 newborns while in a hospital crib, car bed and car seat. They found that babies seated in car seats for 60 minutes had lower oxygen levels in their blood than those lying on their backs in hospital cribs.
But parents shouldn't use the results of the new research as an excuse not to use car seats when traveling with small children or to position them in the seats in incorrect ways. Car safety seats have been proven to protect babies and small children from injury and death, stress experts.
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For the best protection in a crash, car seats require infants to be placed in an upright position. However, this posture can partially compress the chest wall and reduce airway size, resulting in lower levels of oxygen and breathing problems, according to new research published in the medical journal, "Pediatrics."
Never use a car seat as a replacement for a crib and only keep infants in these safety devices for protection during travel.
Researchers compared oxygen levels in 200 newborns while in a hospital crib, car bed and car seat. They found that babies seated in car seats for 60 minutes had lower oxygen levels in their blood than those lying on their backs in hospital cribs.
But parents shouldn't use the results of the new research as an excuse not to use car seats when traveling with small children or to position them in the seats in incorrect ways. Car safety seats have been proven to protect babies and small children from injury and death, stress experts.
-----
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Monday, March 2, 2009
Parents Building Foundation for Success by Reading Daily to Their Children
/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Eighty-two percent of parents with children 8 years old and younger say they read a book out loud to them daily, according to a study commissioned by Hooked on Phonics(R).
"The research shows that parents understand that their involvement is critical to establishing a love of reading in children early in life so they're ready and willing to learn," said Judy L. Harris, CEO of Smarterville, the company that owns, creates, manufactures and distributes Hooked on Phonics(R).
The telephone survey of 694 parents nationwide was conducted to coincide with the National Education Association's annual Read Across America day. Now in its twelfth year, the program focuses on motivating children to read, in addition to helping them master basic skills. The nationwide reading program is held on or near March 2, the birthday of Dr. Seuss.
The study also found that parents with children 8 years old and younger read more than eight books per week to their children. Fifty-five percent of those respondents said the mother is the primary reader and 24 percent said both parents are the primary readers.
"This is indisputable evidence that parents are the most important and influential people in a child's life, and they are in the best possible position to help children learn to read and love it," Harris said.
Among the parents who have children at least 5 years old, 66 percent say their child knew how to read when she or he started kindergarten; 75 percent of these parents say they or their spouse were the primary influence in helping their child learn to read.
Among all parents, 69 percent rate their level of pride when their oldest child learned to read at 8 or higher on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 means no feelings of pride to 10 means the proudest moment of their life).
"The ability to read well is the foundation for learning and for succeeding later on, whether in the workplace, in the home and in life," said Harris. "We are delighted in the tremendous difference these parents are making in their children's reading and their education."
-----
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"The research shows that parents understand that their involvement is critical to establishing a love of reading in children early in life so they're ready and willing to learn," said Judy L. Harris, CEO of Smarterville, the company that owns, creates, manufactures and distributes Hooked on Phonics(R).
The telephone survey of 694 parents nationwide was conducted to coincide with the National Education Association's annual Read Across America day. Now in its twelfth year, the program focuses on motivating children to read, in addition to helping them master basic skills. The nationwide reading program is held on or near March 2, the birthday of Dr. Seuss.
The study also found that parents with children 8 years old and younger read more than eight books per week to their children. Fifty-five percent of those respondents said the mother is the primary reader and 24 percent said both parents are the primary readers.
"This is indisputable evidence that parents are the most important and influential people in a child's life, and they are in the best possible position to help children learn to read and love it," Harris said.
Among the parents who have children at least 5 years old, 66 percent say their child knew how to read when she or he started kindergarten; 75 percent of these parents say they or their spouse were the primary influence in helping their child learn to read.
Among all parents, 69 percent rate their level of pride when their oldest child learned to read at 8 or higher on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 means no feelings of pride to 10 means the proudest moment of their life).
"The ability to read well is the foundation for learning and for succeeding later on, whether in the workplace, in the home and in life," said Harris. "We are delighted in the tremendous difference these parents are making in their children's reading and their education."
-----
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Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Medtronic and Scoliosis Research Society Provide Free Scoliosis Screening Kits to More Than 13,000 School Nurses
(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, Medtronic and the Scoliosis Research Society launched Spine Check – a new program designed to help promote scoliosis screenings for middle school and junior high school students.
The Scoliosis Research Society (SRS), one of the world’s premier spine societies, and Medtronic are supporting the Spine Check program to help improve the overall spinal health of students. Because of a commitment to research and education in the field of spinal deformities, the organizations are working together to generate awareness of the condition, while offering resources to empower school nurses to perform screenings. Related content is also available to surgeons and other practitioners for use in facilitating community education.
“In the United States, less than half of the 50 states currently legislate school screening. The purpose of school screening is to detect scoliosis at an early stage when the curve is mild and may even go unnoticed,” said Lawrence Lenke, MD, Jerome J. Gilden Endowed Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and professor of neurosurgery at Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, and vice president of the SRS. “As a child matures and becomes more modest, parents may have fewer opportunities to view the child’s back to notice a change.”
Scoliosis is a condition that occurs when the spine curves from side-to-side – often twisting the body. Of every 1,000 children in the population, three to five will develop some degree of scoliosis.1 While most cases are minor, some 27,000 cases each year are so severe that surgery may be required to treat the condition.2-3 Yet experts say school screening is key to detecting scoliosis at an early stage when the deformity is mild and likely to otherwise go unnoticed. It is at this early stage that bracing programs may be effective at halting progression of the deformity and, in turn, at preventing the need for surgical treatment.
“Girls achieve skeletal maturity about two years before boys do and are afflicted with scoliosis that requires treatment three to four times more frequently than boys. Ideally, spinal screening should be conducted annually during the adolescent growth spurt (ages nine to 15 years), but time and personnel constraints may prohibit yearly screenings. So, if scoliosis screening is undertaken, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Scoliosis Research Society, Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America, and American Academy of Pediatrics all agree that girls should be screened twice, at ages 10 and 12 years (grades five and seven), and boys once, at age 13 or 14 years (grades eight or nine),” said Kathy Blanke, registered nurse, Spinal Deformity Service, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine.
“Parents and children are often scared when facing a scoliosis diagnosis. iScoliosis.com is a family-friendly Web site designed to provide parents and children with information about scoliosis in a warm, non-threatening format. The SRS also makes additional educational information and the latest research on scoliosis available at SRS.org,” said Dr. Lenke.
To learn more about the Spine Check program, or for nurses to request a kit for their schools, visit www.iscoliosis.com/nurses.
-----
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The Scoliosis Research Society (SRS), one of the world’s premier spine societies, and Medtronic are supporting the Spine Check program to help improve the overall spinal health of students. Because of a commitment to research and education in the field of spinal deformities, the organizations are working together to generate awareness of the condition, while offering resources to empower school nurses to perform screenings. Related content is also available to surgeons and other practitioners for use in facilitating community education.
“In the United States, less than half of the 50 states currently legislate school screening. The purpose of school screening is to detect scoliosis at an early stage when the curve is mild and may even go unnoticed,” said Lawrence Lenke, MD, Jerome J. Gilden Endowed Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and professor of neurosurgery at Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, and vice president of the SRS. “As a child matures and becomes more modest, parents may have fewer opportunities to view the child’s back to notice a change.”
Scoliosis is a condition that occurs when the spine curves from side-to-side – often twisting the body. Of every 1,000 children in the population, three to five will develop some degree of scoliosis.1 While most cases are minor, some 27,000 cases each year are so severe that surgery may be required to treat the condition.2-3 Yet experts say school screening is key to detecting scoliosis at an early stage when the deformity is mild and likely to otherwise go unnoticed. It is at this early stage that bracing programs may be effective at halting progression of the deformity and, in turn, at preventing the need for surgical treatment.
“Girls achieve skeletal maturity about two years before boys do and are afflicted with scoliosis that requires treatment three to four times more frequently than boys. Ideally, spinal screening should be conducted annually during the adolescent growth spurt (ages nine to 15 years), but time and personnel constraints may prohibit yearly screenings. So, if scoliosis screening is undertaken, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Scoliosis Research Society, Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America, and American Academy of Pediatrics all agree that girls should be screened twice, at ages 10 and 12 years (grades five and seven), and boys once, at age 13 or 14 years (grades eight or nine),” said Kathy Blanke, registered nurse, Spinal Deformity Service, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine.
“Parents and children are often scared when facing a scoliosis diagnosis. iScoliosis.com is a family-friendly Web site designed to provide parents and children with information about scoliosis in a warm, non-threatening format. The SRS also makes additional educational information and the latest research on scoliosis available at SRS.org,” said Dr. Lenke.
To learn more about the Spine Check program, or for nurses to request a kit for their schools, visit www.iscoliosis.com/nurses.
-----
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Fayette Front Page
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