Early Skin Care

Dear parents and friends,

I have written often about the different types of sunblocks and how the FDA has not regulated SPF and that we should be looking for the percentage of zinc as a measurement of effectiveness rather than SPF.  And now after numerous skin cancer surgeries I continue to lather-up.  This was from sun I received as child between the ages of 10 and 20 and I should mention I was not a sunbather as I learned early on my two color choices were really red or really white.

However, my personal struggle has been to find a daily sunblock (not the surf-all-day type) with sufficient zinc that doesn't make me look incredibly pale and make the application of make-up a disfiguring nightmare.  I am delighted to report that I can now recommend a product which is also on the EWG recommended list getting a 1 out of 10 where 0 is the best.  I will actually get my daughter to wear this sunblock on her face!!!

DeVita
http://www.ewg.org/2010sunscreen/finding-the-best-sunscreens/116119/Devita-International-Daily-Solar-Protective-Moisturizer/

Found at Amazon for $15 plus shipping or at Whole Foods for $25 and immediate gratification ...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000Q8R7KW?ie=UTF8&tag=ewgsunscreen2010-20

Here are some of the EWG websites:

Sunblock ratings
http://www.ewg.org/2010sunscreen/
Best sunblocks
http://www.ewg.org/2010sunscreen/best-beach-sport-sunscreens/

Cosmetic Safety database (skin, makeup, hair, nails, etc)
Skin
http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/browse.php?maincat=skincare

I highly recommend getting the free newsletter.  They ask for a donation but it is not required.  They work only off donations.

I hope all this is helpful to you and that our children can avoid some of my struggles.  

Anti-Bully Cartoon for kids

October is anti-bully month!

http://www.stopbullying.gov/kids/webisodes/index.html

http://www.youngzine.com/article/october-anti-bullying-month

One moms journey with autism - Guest writer

As a parent it is hard to take the first step to get your child evaluated for autism.  It’s easy to fall into hoping your child will outgrow symptoms.  Whether your child is not speaking and/or obsessing with a toy or with a texture, we as parents hope that eventually this too will pass.  

Starting the evaluation process forces you to admit that there may be something wrong with your child.  This may seem a difficult step to take until you try to actually set up an appointment and facility after facility have over a six month wait.  As you begin reading about autism you find out that the earlier your child gets help the better chance your child has to be mainstreamed.  But taking the first step of getting an evaluation and then waiting for an appointment dashes your hope for a quick intervention.  The wait can seem eternal and you may feel hopeless but there are important steps you can take while you wait. 

Start working with:

National Program called Early Intervention in (California Early Start)

Applied Behavioral Analysis – therapy

Pediatric Occupational Therapy

Your insurance company

Apply for gap insurance

After you do go through the autism evaluation process you are faced with not only grieving for dreams that you had for your child but you begin realizing how daunting it is to navigate the insurance process.  In the end, all you want to do is help your child but getting help, especially subsidized help either from public organizations or your insurance, can be a maze that you will need to master and navigate.

My story is about Hunter.  Hunter at 12 months said his first words '1,2,3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8'.  Yes his first words were numbers.  At the time I thought 'my son is going to be mathematician' and the pride in me oozed as I shared my son’s ability to count with others.  Hunter did everything the same as other children; he crawled at six months, walked 12 months, and had a very healthy appetite.   Hunter did not seem different to me until 18 months when he continued learning to count and added the alphabet to his repertoire but refused to call me “mommy” or respond to his name when we called him.   Hunter also became enthralled in books and musical toys; we were not able to distract him from these items.  By the age of two, Hunter still had a very limited vocabulary and he then regressed to experiencing the world through his mouth.  It was at 2 when we thought Hunter might have a version of autism.  Our doctors reassured us that boys learn to speak slowly and that he would likely grow out of it.  We even went to a speech and language pathologist who also reassured us that Hunter was just a stubborn kid and that he was not autistic.  Relieved my husband and I carried on but at two and half Hunter became even more closed in.  He refused to make eye contact and Hunter was simply in his own world.  

We did not know that there is a National Program called Early Intervention in California (Early Start).  Early Start serviced through SARC should have been the place we started when Hunter was 18 months.  It’s a very affordable program that sends a therapist to your home or child’s school to get them “up to speed” with their peers.  Early Start helps your child until the age of 3.  We found this out when Hunter was 2.9 years of age too late to really benefit the program.  We also found out that the wait list for an appointment to get an official diagnoses was 8 months long.  We were only able to get Hunter diagnosed with autism when he was 3, about one year and quarter after our first suspicions.  Once we received the diagnoses we found the one therapy our child needed, and from which all children with autism benefit called ABA (Applied Behavioral Analysis), is not covered by most insurers in California.  We were told by our doctor that Hunter needed 40 hours of therapy a week and the cheapest service we could find was for $30 per hour or $1,200 per week.  Additionally we found out that Hunter needed Pediatric Occupational Therapy and yet our insurance company did not have any pediatric OTs in our area.  How is it possible? The California Bay Area has the highest cluster of autism in the USA and no pediatric OT with our insurance?  We found that we needed to apply for gap insurance with our insurance company which delayed again the services we could obtain for our son.  This same story continues and continues for many families battling the Autism Maze.

Hunter’s story did not have to be this way but it was only because there is so little information out there on how to manage the system.  We are on the other side now, and I can tell you there are ways to avoid paying out thousands of dollars to get the therapy your child needs.  They are neither easy nor fast but they do exist.  There are people, genuinely good people, who are willing to help you in the process.  You just need to sift through them until you find the diamond.  

If you are about to embark on this journey, know that it is a journey and stay positive and relentless, never settle and bring people along your journey.  If there is anything I can do to help don’t hesitate to contact me through this blog.

Marianne

Middle School - a place of fear?

Quotes from kids:
I'm judged constantly.
I don't fit in.
They call me a girl because I have friends who are girls.
You have no idea how awful I feel.
I thought it was me.  That I brought this on myself.
I hate my life.  No one likes me.  No one cares about me.
I was nothing.
What would it be like if I weren't here? You just think those things.
I don't think it's ever going to stop.

One school does a bully survey and anonymous reporting of incidents.

Parents of bullycide victims speak out -
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7381364n&tag=mncol;lst;1
more information -
http://www.cbsnews.com/2718-18559_162-1249.html