The unexpected head injury — birth As we explore head injuries this month it is easy to overlook events from our very entry into this world. There are so many ways that a baby’s head gets stressed at birth. Yes, there is supposed to be lots of stress at birth. However, in a number of…
“My daughter fell on the playground at school. The ER says there is no concussion. She took a pretty good hit in the face. Should we come in?” Each year, nearly 200,000 children, ages 14 and under, require emergency room treatment due to playground falls. The most severe playground-related injuries are due to falls. More…
Shoulder and head strength, hand-eye coordination, hand function, and more — so many essential postural and motor skills emanate from tummy time! What may not be so apparent? The same fundamental laddered skills related to tummy time support our visual-motor function and are needed at every age. If these skills are so important, how do…
Do you or your child need better focus and/or fine motor skills? In his 2008 book, Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell introduced us to the concept of 10,000 hours for mastery. Motor skill development is no different, yet we find so many reasons why infants and young children have missed out on the hours and hours necessary to…
Early life events are a big deal! Motor skills are actually an essential aspect for all that we hope our children will be — thriving socially and emotionally. Every sensory-motor skill developed as an infant is essential for building another skill somewhere down the road. This concept is called laddering — the skills ladder on…
Beyond the Scar A recent newsletter discussed the considerations of pre- and post-surgical considerations which often leave a lasting imprint of pain, discomfort, and insomnia. When procedures are for a child there is more to consider. The impact of medical procedures upon a child’s development is personal — my son had 38 lumbar punctures and…
Medical Miracles! This year I have been writing about birth characteristics and the related long-term effects we observe. Medical miracles at birth allow most babies born from 24-36 weeks to survive. For many of the families we meet, it is also the beginning of a journey of unknowns. Nine-year-old Megan, born at 27 weeks (left),…
Transitions The single most important, yet most complex transition for any of us occurs at birth. Luckily, for most of us things went reasonably ok. For more than a third of us, there was more involved than you can imagine, even if it was planned. Over the past year, we’ve come to realize how integral…
Baby Development and Play Play is a vital and interactive process of babies learning to excite, engage, and calm in every changing way. Play is also the foundation of communication and self-help. Play is essential for integrated sensory, motor, and cognitive development beginning with rattles and progressing to block building and books. Note from…
Headaches with An Unusual Cause For years, 11-year-old Zoey experienced daily headaches. For as long as she could remember, Zoey’s mother said her daughter would comment about her head pain, particularly toward the end of each day. “As the day would go on, the pain would worsen,” she described. Unwilling to take any medicine to…