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

Interviewing High Schools

Please take look at the list of questions for the elementary and middle school interviews as many questions will be the same. 
http://smartercaliforniakids.blogspot.com/2011/09/questions-for-deciding-between.html
There are unique aspects to interviewing high schools listed here.

Things to do:

• Review materials from high schools: website, articles, informational CDs, catalogs.
• Make an appointment for your student to shadow in the classroom, some allow 7^th graders to shadow.
• Have your student develop a list: ‘most important things a high school has for me’.
• Prioritize this list.
• Develop a parental list of most important aspects of a high school.
• Interview current and past students.

Questions:

Location

Commute time

Mass transit possibilities

Setting of the school, conducive to studying

Number of students: whole school/grade

Number of students per classroom

What are the extra-curriculars?

What are the clubs?

What are the sports?

How competitive are the sports programs?

Are there individual and team sports?

How are those not on a team encouraged in athletics?

What are the required courses?

What are the elective courses?

What are the AP courses?

What are the entrance criteria for AP or honors classes?

What are the AP tracks?

How academically competitive is the atmosphere?

What is the social environment: competitive, supportive, etc?

What do you know about the current student body?

What are the rituals of the school?

How are students encouraged to be active parts of the school community?

Do students feel heard?

What do the school newspapers tell you about the school?

What are the expectations of behavior?

How many college counselors?

What percentage of the student body goes to four year colleges?

What percentage are accepted into their first choice college?

What is the testing philosophy?

How is security handled?

How are drugs on campus handled?

Are there ways in which the school deals with student stress?

Questions for Selecting Elementary or Middle Schools

As you consider which  elementary school or middle school is best for your child these questions may help you think of others that are also important to you, how your child learns, and finding the best environment possible.  I used these as the basis of my phone interviews with schools before I went on site to visit the classrooms.  I chose five schools, filled in the questionnaires on the phone, rated the top six most important questions for me, compared the results and then went to see the school in person if they had met my criteria.

Questions                                                                          Responses: Yes, No, #, or comment

• Tuition                                                                                                 $
• How is tuition paid? Upfront? Monthly?
• 100% giving/donation program                                                          
• One time capital charge/initiation fee                                                     $
• Supply Fee                                                                                          $
• Tuition includes:
• Tuition does not include:
• After school care fee                                                                           $
• Before school care fee                                                                         $
• Parochial or Non-      
• Public: charter, neighborhood, IB, immersion                                                                       
• Financial sustainability plan                                                              
• Grades of instruction                                                                                      
• School days/hours of instruction                                                             /                               
•  Start & end time                     
• Number of students                                                                             
• Teacher/Student ratios
• Average number of students in each classroom                                                          
• Stated policy on number of students per class                        
• Standardized tests used for assessment                                                                                  
• Average test results                                                    
• Accreditation                                                                                   
• Memberships                                                                                      
• Parent Handbook                                                                                
• Student Handbook                                                                              
• Foreign Language
• Days per week                                                                       
• French, Spanish, Mandarin
• Latin                                       
• Laptops issued to each child?                                    
• Core curriculum evaluation frequency
• By subject                                                                              
• Mapping                                                                                 
• Evaluation/adjustments                                                          
• Liberal Arts (computer, art, drama, music)
• Frequency of technology class                                                      
• Schedule of software applications taught per grade               
• Music class                                                                            
• Art                                                                              
• Performing Arts
• Choir
• Clubs
• Science
• Science competitions
• Mathematics
• How many levels per grade                                          
• English
• Athletics
• Team sports available to girls and boys
• Facilities
• School is on school property
• Library on site
• Gymnasium on site
• Grass playing field onsite
• Summer Programs
•  
•  
•  
• After school Enrichment Programs
•  
•  
•  
• Parent/Family Participation                                                               
• Encouraged to share talents & skills w/ classes?
• Cultural Diversity                                                                                          
• Economic Diversity
• How is character taught
• Is the school known for anything in particular, what are they most proud of, specialty 
• Culture Described                                                                              
•  
• Teaching Methodology                                                                       
• Emotional Learning                                                                            
• Small group advisory
• Emphasis on emotional IQ                                         
• Parent Communication
• Report Cards Online                                                              
• Homework Online                                                                  
• Newsletters                                                                            
• Electronic summaries of class outings                       
• Lunch onsite provider                                                                                                
• International Travel Experiences
• Other trips (fees included or excluded)
• Student Government                                                                           
• Written Evacuation Plan for Earthquakes, 911 Scenarios                  
• Texting plan to contact parents in emergency             
• Emergency Committee                                                
• Parent Education                                                                                
• STAR speaker series onsite                                                   
• Common Ground series with other schools    
• Other              
• Classroom Facilities
• White boards                                                                          
• Electronic white boards                                                         
• Overhead projector                                                                
• Slide projector                                                                                   
• Computer projector                                                                
• Age of textbooks                                                                                
• Access to teachers before school, after school, email, phone, in person
• Study groups available
• Discipline and accountability process outlined, understandable
• How does the school handle bullying: social, physical, cyber
• Parental dispute management, how does the school resolve parental concerns
• Increase in  applications from 20__ to 20__  
• Number of applications for number of openings in 20__                                            /                  
• Acceptance rate to High Schools of interest
• # applied, # wait-listed, # accepted, # w/ honors, # Scholars

10 Ways to Improve Studying

After 26 years of education and four degrees these are the 10 study principles that supported me through some long years.

 

1. Study with next year in mind, not the next test.  Long term memory builds the conceptual foundation for future understanding and creativity.  Time lapses between studying such as summer leads to memory loss and reduced access to known material; as with every muscle, entropy starts within 3 days of non-use.

2. Quiz yourself while you read.  Within the sections of the chapters, ask yourself questions while/during the initial reading.  This leads to creativity and curiosity.  Time yourself.

3. When pressed for time, study in 10 minute increments.

4. When tired, change subjects every 20 minutes to keep the brain actively engaged.

5. Study using different media, use a specialized electronic study aids such as JogNog.

6. Use integrated studying which addresses kinesthetic, auditory and visual techniques.  Briefly draw/sketch your topic within 5 minutes.  Record your voice with 10 minute notes.  Use Google images to find pictures of your topic.

7.  Immediately after class, in the hallway, write down one interesting idea from the lecture to keep yourself stimulated with the topic.

8.  Alternate study locations.  Study in the gymnasium, hallway, bathroom, car, dinning room, in front of the fireplace.  The brain responds with flexibility when studying occurs in different locations.

9.  Remember the chapter title while/during reading.

10.  Review, review, review - even the topics from the year before and never wait to the last minute if you want long term foundation memory.

 

Be as dynamic and as creative as you can when you approach studying.  The more challenging and variable the study methodology will result in faster long term learning and less stress when studying for exams.

 

Irene A. Smith, BS, MA, JD, PhD