Asthma

Hello kids! Long time to talk! I have a question for you. Have you ever heard about asthma? If you have, you probably already know that asthma makes it hard to breathe. Today I want to talk to you about why asthma makes it hard to breathe, if you can prevent it, and a few things you can do when you see someone having an asthma attack.

~What is asthma.

Asthma is a disease that makes the “air tubes” (also called airways) tighten up. When this happens, it is harder for air to go through and causes the person to have a hard time breathing. The “air tubes” are like straws that let air get in and out of your lungs.

~What causes asthma?

No one really knows what causes asthma, but doctors think it is like a very bad type of allergy. You might know someone who gets allergies during the spring. What symptoms do they have? They might have watery eyes, itchy noses, lots of sneezing, maybe lots of coughing? There are other types of allergies too. For example food allergies. If someone is allergic to peanuts and they eat some on accident, the insides of their mouths and throats swell up; this makes it hard for them to breathe as well. In a similar way, people who have asthma have an allergy to pollen and dust. When these get into their air tubes and lungs, the air tubes swell up and makes it very hard for them to breathe.

Let me try to explain this a little better. Imagine the pool noodle above are your air tubes. The blue pool noodle will represent your air tubes when they are not swollen. Notice how big the hole in its center is? Now move on to the red pool noddle. This pool noodle will represent the beginning of an asthma attack. See how the hole is smaller now? Since there is less space inside the tube for air to go through, it makes it harder for air or water to go from one end of the tube to another. Now for the last one. Let’s have the yellow pool noodle represent the air tubes somewhere in the middle of the asthma attack. See how the hole in the yellow noodle is really small compared to the hole in the blue one? When this happens to your air tubes, your lungs have to work extra hard to get air, and as a result you feel like you are choking or suffocating.

You can sort of test run this at home with some straws. As an adult to give you a regular straw, and a coffee straw. First take a full breath of air how you normally would (without any straws). Now try to take a full breath of air through a regular straw. You might want to pinch your nose closed while doing this. It took you longer to fill your lungs up with air, right? Now do the same thing again using the coffee straw. I bet you struggled on that one! In a similar way, people have a hard time breathing when they have an asthma attack.

~Can you treat or prevent asthma?

Unluckily, the answer to this is no. Asthma can be caused by lots of things (for example dust, pollen, food allergies, pet hair), so knowing exactly what causes it is hard. Often times you might see kids use their inhaler before they go running or playing on the playground or the field. This helps prevent asthma attacks, but does not guarantee 100% that they will not have an attack.

Young boy using an inhaler.

~What can you do if you see someone having an asthma attack?

• Be calm: This step is very important. If you see someone having an asthma attack, you need to stay calm and try to calm the person too. Talk to them and let them know that you are going to help them. The more calm you are, the more safe the other person will feel.
• Get help: Find the nearest adult to you so they can help as well. An adult will know what is best to do in these kinds of situations. Also, now-a-days, almost every adult has a cell phone, so in case of an emergency they can call 9-1-1 for professional help.
• Inhaler: Most people with asthma have inhalers with them. Inhalers are like little rectangular or circular packages that have medicine in them. The reason they are called inhalers is because the medicine comes out like a fine powder, or mist that they need to breathe in through their mouth. As the person having the asthma attack if they have an inhaler with them, and if they do, help them take it out of their purse or pocket and give it to them so they can take the medicine.

Rectangular Inhaler

Circular Inhaler

Unfortunately you can’t 100% treat asthma attacks. However, by knowing about asthma you can help a person recover from an asthma attack a little faster, and maybe even save their life. So if you ever see someone choking or having a very, very hard time breathing remember to stay calm, and get help from an adult as quickly as possible. As small as you are, you can make a HUGE difference in someone’s life. 🙂

That’s all for today! Take care!

Did you know? In 2012 there were more than 18 million adults and 6 million kids with asthma asthma. Now those are some huge numbers!

---

Last Post:

~Racism

---

Resources:

~What is Asthma | NHLBI          ~Causes | NHLBI          ~How to help          ~Fun Facts

 

 

Racism

Hello there! Today we are going to talk about something that not very many adults like to talk about, and that is racism.

You have probably already heard of the word racism before. Racism happens when people believe that certain races or ethnicities have or do things that other races or ethnicities don’t. To give you a quick example of racism, back when America was first made light-skin colored people held dark-skin colored people as slaves because they thought dark-skin colored people were not as “good” as them. This was perhaps one of the biggest problems with racism in the entire history of the United States.

Along with racism comes stereotyping. Stereotyping means to believe that people or things which have some things in common are all the same. For example, a stereotype would be something like “some balls bounce, so that means that all balls are bouncy”. Although some balls are bouncy (like basketballs or tennis balls), some balls are not bouncy (like golf balls or bowling balls). So saying all balls are bouncy is a stereotype. See what I mean?

People around the world look different because they are adapted to live in different places. If you take a look at the map of the earth below, you will notice that people who are from places closer to the equator (the line that runs through the middle of the earth from side to side) have darker colored skin than people who are from places closer to the north and south pole.

The thin line in the middle shows where the equator is at.

Why do you think is the reason for this? The picture below shows the earth and the sun. Notice how the part that is labeled “Equator” is closer it the sun than the part labeled “north pole”? Also, look at the arrows that are labeled “Sunlight”. It looks like the equator gets more direct sunlight right? Since the parts of the Earth that are along the equator line are closer to the sun AND get more direct sunlight, people’s bodies adapt by making more melanin in the skin. Melanin is like your own natural sunblock, and makes the skin look darker. People who live closer to the equator need more of this “sunblock” that your body makes because they get more direct sunlight compared to someone at the north or south pole. For this reason, people who live along the equator line have darker skin. Pretty cool how your body works, right?

Let’s look at leopards for a minute. There are several types of leopards, and each kind looks a little different because they live in different parts of the world. The Indian Leopard is an orange-brown color with a cream-colored belly and dark spots. This fur color helps it camouflage better with tree trunks, branches, dry grass, and whatever else might be where it lives. The snow leopard has white fur with black spots. This fur color helps it survive in the snowy climates because they are able to camouflage much easier. Why is it important for the leopards to be able to camouflage with its surroundings? Leopards need to be able to hide when they are hunting so they can catch their food to eat and survive. Imagine how hard it must be if a bright yellow leopard with purple spots tried to hunt in a snowy place! They probably would not be able to catch any food and die.

Just like animals such as the leopards look different depending on where they live, so do people. Sure, people don’t need to hunt for food or camouflage with our surroundings, but our skin has adapted itself to protect ourselves from the sun’s burning rays.

Now there might be one big question going through your head right now: How come in the United States there are so many people of all kinds of different skin colors? America is made of millions of people who have migrated (migrate: to come or go to a different place) from different places all over the world. As a result, you are able to learn by experience about lots and lots of different cultures and races. Imagine America as a huge pot, and people from all over the world are like the different ingredients that make one big soup, or in this case, one big diverse country.

Just because a light skin-colored person has lived in a place closer to the equator doesn’t mean that they are going to get dark-colored skin, and if a dark skin-colored person doesn’t get lighter skin by living away from the poles. This is because of your genetics. Genetics are like a recipe that tells your body how it is supposed to look, and once your “recipe” has been written it can’t be changed. That makes you even more unique, don’t you think? 

Racism and stereotyping does not only apply to skin color; it also applies to eye shapes, hair color and texture, height, weight, and lots of other things. Maybe we can talk about some of these another day.

To wrap this up here is the important thing you need to remember: racism and stereotyping are a very mean and offensive form of bullying. It does not matter if you are of European, African, Asian, or Hispanic descent, underneath that layer of skin we are all the same. If you see someone getting made fun of for the color of their skin, stand up for them and be a friend! You now know that all skin color means is how much melatonin (sunblock that your body makes) a person has, and that it is the way our bodies protect themselves from getting hurt by the sun’s rays. If you are the one getting bullied because of your skin color, talk to an adult so they can explain to your bully that there is nothing wrong or different about you. We are very lucky to be living in a time where racism is seen as bad and that there are millions of people who stand up against racism. So stand up for each other and for yourselves, and know that together we can create a world where racism no longer exists.

---

Last Post:

~Missing Limbs

---

Resources:

~Roots of racism          ~Leopards

Missing Limbs

Hello everyone! After that long and confusing post from 2 weeks ago I have decided to talk about something a little easier this week. Today I will be telling you about something more general so that we can put on our thinking caps. Today’s topic will be about missing limbs.

Our limbs are our arms and legs. Have you ever seen anyone who is missing an entire arm or leg, or who is missing a hand or foot? There are lots and lots of reasons for why someone may not have all of their arms or legs, so instead of listing them one by one I’ll tell you some general reasons to make the list shorter.

Congenital: The word congenital (con-geh-nih-tall) means they were born that way. This is kind of like how you were born with the color or your eyes and hair you have now.

Medical: There are lots of medical conditions and sicknesses that can cause someone to lose an arm or a leg. There are so many out there, that I could write a dozen pages just listing them! (Maybe we can talk about a few of these on another post.) For now, all you really need to know is that some of those diseases can only be cured with an amputation (am-pew-tay-shun). Do you know what an amputation is? An amputation is a type of surgery where a doctor cuts off part of the body; in this case it can be a finger, toe, hand, foot, arm, or leg. There are even times when a doctor needs to cut off both arms or legs, but it depends on how bad the disease is or how in danger the person’s life will be if the amputation is not done.

Accident: Have you ever seen movies about wars? If you have, then you have most likely seen a soldier who got hurt by a bomb and lost their leg or arm. In a similar way other types of accidents can cause someone to lose a limb; for example car or train accidents. It is very important for you to wear your seat belts when you’re in a moving vehicle because if an accident happens the seat belt can help keep you safe.

~Can you cure someone with missing limbs?

Well, the answer to this is no because there is nothing to cure. Once someone loses an arm or a leg it is normally gone forever. However, there are some special cases where a doctor might try to put part of a limb back where it should be. For example, lets imagine someone is chopping wood and accidentally chops a foot off (Ouch! Must be painful!). If they are able to get to the hospital very quickly a doctor might be able to “save” the foot and kind of sew it back onto the ankle with a surgery. But, there is a chance that the foot might not work 100% like how it used to.

Most of the time when someone is missing a limb or part of a limb you’ll see them using prosthetics. Prosthetics (pross-theh-tics) are fake hands, arms, feet, or legs that work almost like a real hand, arm, foot, or leg would work. They are basically robotic body parts. People who don’t have their full limbs are able to hold stuff, walk, run, and do things like everyone else if they use a prosthetic limb. Pretty cool right?

When a person gets their first set of prosthetic limbs they need to learn how to use them. Using these robotic arms and legs is not as easy as it looks, so they need to practice how to pick things up and how to walk using them. Have you ever tried using sticks or crutches to walk before? If you have, you know it is a little hard to get used to them at first. Thankfully, practice makes perfect, so the more you use them the easier it becomes!

Charlie Egan and his new prosthetic arm.

Ellie Challis playing soccer. GOOOOLLLLL!!

~So then, what could you do to help someone with missing limbs?

• Be kind: Everyone likes having people be nice to them. This means don’t make fun of them, don’t call them names, and don’t go out of your way to avoid them. You wouldn’t like it if people made fun of you because of the type of shoes you’re wearing or the color of your hair, right? It’s the same way for kids who don’t have their full limbs and/or use prosthetic limbs. If you are kind and friendly to the world, the world will be kind and friendly to you as well. 🙂
• Be respectful: This one is probably one of the hardest ones, especially since we all get curious. Would you feel comfortable if someone kept staring at your shirt for a long, long time? Probably not. Same thing goes for people who have missing limbs, or any kind of physical difference. It is not polite to just stare at someone, or anyone for that matter. Lots of times people with physical disabilities or differences don’t get offended if you were to politely ask about their condition. Although in the end, it doesn’t matter what they have or don’t have. We are all capable of being great friends either way!
• Be helpful: This one should be simple enough. Offer help if you see someone who needs it, and especially if someone asks for it. Kind of like the story of the lion and the mouse. The lion helped the mouse by not eating it even though he thought the mouse would never be able to help him in return. But then one day when the lion got caught in a net, the mouse saved the lion’s life by cutting the ropes of the net with his sharp teeth! So it doesn’t matter how big or strong or how small and weak you are, you can always help each other out in more ways than one!

~What other things could you do to be a kind friend to these kids?

It is important to know that just because someone doesn’t have their full arms and/or legs it does not mean that they strange, weird, silly, or that they have some kind of dangerous sickness that you can catch. It doesn’t matter if they were born like that or if they lost their limbs later in life, they are just like you and me. Sure, maybe they look a bit different, but aren’t we all different? Maybe you have a special talent in art or a sport that someone else doesn’t have? Or maybe someone else is really good at dancing but you have a hard time with it. Perhaps your best friend has different colored hair than you, or your eyes look a bit different than those of the rest of your class. These differences do not make someone better or worse than anyone else. We are all unique. There is only one you, and that is you! If these differences didn’t exist it would be like if we lived in a world with a bunch of robots that all did the same things and all looked the same way. Now wouldn’t that be boring! So accept each other the way you are, and love each other no matter how different you may be. It only takes a smile to make someone’s day better, so even your smile can make a huge difference in this world!

Well that’s it for today everyone! I hope you have learned a little bit about missing limbs and that there is really nothing wrong about it. So go out and make some new friends!

Did you know? Sometimes even animals are born without a leg or an arm. Animal doctors called vets often make some prostheses so that the animals can live more comfortably.

Fitted kitty prosthetic legs.

Doggy running with his prosthetic front legs.

Piggy with prosthetic legs. Isn’t it cute? Like a tiny wheelchair!

Dolphin with prosthetic tail.

---

Last Post: 

Spina Bifida

---

Resources:

~Charlie Egan          ~ Ellie Challis          ~Handicapped Animals

Spina Bifida

Hi everyone! Today I have decided to switch things up a little bit. The past couple of weeks we have learned about mental illnesses, or problems that kids may have with learning or with their brains. Today we are going to learn about a very interesting physical condition. Physical conditions are problems with the body that you can see. For example, it might be a missing leg, or perhaps not being able to walk. The physical condition we are going to learn about today is called Spina Bifida (spy-nah beh-feh-dah). Can anyone guess what part of the body it affects? If you guessed the back or backbones, then you are right!

~The Spine and Spinal Cord

Before we talk about spina bifida, I am going to tell you a little bit about the backbones so you can understand what this condition is. Doctors call the backbones the spine. The spine has 33 different bones called vertebrae (ver-teh-bray) that look like hollow disks with pointy sticks coming out of them. When all of these hollow bones are stacked up they form a long hollow tube called the spine.

PICTURE A: The left picture is a backbone (vertebrae), and the right picture is how they look from the side when they are stacked up.

PICTURE B: This is how the spine looks. The left is how it looks from the side, and the right is how it looks from the front.

Why do you think these bones are hollow inside? The spine is hollow in the middle because the spinal cord goes inside. Have you heard about the spinal cord? If not, it is a like a long rope of nerves that go from your brain out to all of the different parts of your body. And just in case you are wondering what nerves are, they are like long strings that your brain uses to tell your body what to do, and that your body uses to tell your brain what is happening. Kind of like when you play telephone with two cups tied together by a long string! Pretty cool right? Going back to the backbones, do you see in PICTURE A in the drawing on the left how the hole in the middle is completely closed? This is because the backbones protect the spinal cord. When the bones are stacked up together they make a strong tunnel that protects the rope of nerves from being hurt (PICTURE B).

I hope you were able to understand all of that. All you really need to know is: The backbone is supposed to be a long, strong tunnel that protects your spinal cord from getting hurt. Imagine a bead necklace; the beads are the back bones and the special fancy string is the spinal cord.

~What is Spina Bifida?

Now that we know some cool facts about the spine, I am going to tell you about spina bifida. Spina bifida is a problem that happens when those backbones are not completely closed. This makes the long tunnel have holes in it. So imagine the bead necklace again, but this time some of the beads are cracked on one side. If a bead is cracked, the special fancy string might be able to slip out and get ripped, right? This is what spina bifida is. The spinal cord is not protected 100% by the bones that surround it, so it can get hurt easily.

~Can you see Spina Bifida?

Sometimes, you can see the spina bifida, but it depends on what kind of spina bifida the child has. Spina bifida can be seen on the backs of kids who have it.

~What are the types of Spina Bifida and how do they look?

There are three types of spina bifida.

• The first type happens when a bone of the spine is not fully closed, but the spinal cord stays inside where it should be. With this type you might be able to see a little dimple on the back (kind of like the cute dimples on your cheeks) and maybe a little patch of hair.
  • Necklace example: Even though some of the beads might be cracked, the special fancy string stays inside.

First type: You can see the missing bone (the missing pink circle) and the patch of hair directly over it. The patch of hair is on the child’s back.

• The second kind happens when a bone of the spine is not 100% closed and you can see a type of bubble on the back. This bubble is filled with a liquid called spinal fluid. Everyone has this liquid in their backbone to protect the spinal cord, but since it has a hole in it, it forms a bubble outside on the back.
  • Necklace example: A bead from the necklace is cracked, but the special fancy string stays inside the bead. However, the water that is inside the bead comes out and fills a balloon. You would be able to see this balloon on the person’s back.

Second type: The “balloon” or “bubble” can be seen on the child’s back, but the spinal cord (the yellowish-brown part) is not in the bubble.

• The third type is like the second kind, but instead of only having liquid in the bubble there are also parts of the spinal cord inside. This kind of spina bifida can be very dangerous for the person who has it, and many kids with this condition may not be able to move at all.
  • Necklace example: A bead is cracked so the water inside the bead fills a balloon on the child’s back, but the special fancy string also slips into the balloon.

Third type: The “balloon” or “bubble” can be seen on the child’s back, and the spinal cord (the yellowish-brown part) is also in the bubble.

This is what type 2 and type 3 look like from the outside. That bump is the bubble that forms with the liquid and sometimes the spinal cord.

~What problems does spina bifida cause?

There are lots of disabilities that spina bifida can cause. Disabilities are problems.

• Some problems a kid with spina bifida might have is that they may not be able to walk or move at all.
• If they have the third type of spina bifida, they might also have problems learning, speaking, or having a conversation with others.
• Sometimes a kid with spina bifida might not be able to go to the bathroom by themselves. This means they either:
  • can’t pee and/or poo when they want to (kind of like when you eat too much and get a tummy ache and you can’t poo, or maybe it’s really hot outside but you didn’t drink any water so you can’t pee)
  • or can’t hold in their pee and/or poo (like when you get diarrhea or when you drink too much water and can’t make it to the bathroom)

Even though spina bifida can cause all of this, most of the people that have it may not have any of these problems. They may live normal lives just like you and me!

~What causes spina bifida?

No one knows what causes spina bifida, not even doctors. Some scientists have done experiments and think it may be caused because the mom of the child with spina bidida did not get enough Vitamin B when she was pregnant. However, this does NOT mean it was the mom’s fault that a kid has this condition. Remember, scientists “think” this might be a reason, but do not “know” for sure.

~Can it be cured?

This is hard to answer. Spina bifida can be treated, but it can’t be fixed. What I mean is that a kid with spina bifida can get surgery done to put the spinal cord inside the backbone and fix the opened backbone (put the fancy special string back inside the cracked bead and fix the bead so it is not cracked anymore), but they cannot fix any damage done to the spinal cord (if the special fancy string was torn a little bit or completely ripped, it cannot be fixed even if it is put inside the bead again). So in easier words, you can protect the special fancy string from getting more hurt, but if it already got hurt you can’t fix it.

~How can you help a kid with spina bifida?

• Be friendly: I think this is the most important. If they have a hard time going to the bathroom or if they can’t hold their pee or poo in, don’t make fun of them. Wouldn’t you get embarrassed if someone made fun of you if you accidentally peed your pants? They get embarrassed too, and every time it happens to them it’s on accident. Remember, they might not be able to hold it in or let it out as easily as you can.
• Be Kind:  If they have a hard time walking or are in a wheelchair, you shouldn’t make fun of them for that either. Have you ever played in the snow? If you have, you know your legs get really really cold so you have a hard time moving them or feeling your legs. When this happens you have a hard time walking and end up wobbling like a cute little penguin or maybe you trip. That is how it is for a kid with spina bifida all the time. If they are walking slow, be friendly and wait for them or walk at their speed. Also, if they have a patch of hair on their backs, be respectful and don’t make fun of it. That is where their spina bifida is at.
• Be helpful: As we have learned, spina bifida is a physical disability. This means that they may have a hard time walking, picking up heavy things or things from the ground, or reaching things if they are in a wheelchair. If they ask for help, or if you see them struggling a lot, lend a hand! Everyone loves a helping hand, even you! You’ll make them feel happy because someone helped them, and you’ll feel happy too because you did something good for someone!
• Be careful: When you are playing with your friend with spina bifida, be careful not to hurt their backs. Remember, this is where they have their spina bifida. Most likely your friend already had surgery as a baby to put the spinal cord inside their backbone or fix the spina bifida, but you should still be very careful so that they do not get hurt more. You can play, laugh, and have fun, but try to stay away from rough housing.

Spina bifida is not contagious or dangerous. Kids with spina bifida are like strong warriors, and are amazing friends! There is nothing scary or nasty or funny about spina bifida. Kids who have it are just like you a me, and are great people to hang out with! So, what are some other things you could do to help a friend with spina bifida?

Did you know? The body uses hair to protect itself. Depending on where it is, it can be used as a filter to prevent dirt and bacteria from betting inside the body (for example the nose, the tongue, and ears), or as a cushion to prevent the skin from getting a rash (for example the butt cheeks. Yes, everyone has hairy butt cheeks to prevent the skin from hurting since we spend a lot of time sitting). There is even hair inside the body! The hair inside your body is very small and different from the kind on your head, but it is used to prevent dirt and bacteria from getting into your lungs or your stomach.

---

Last Post:

~ADD and ADHD

---

Resources:

~Spina Bifida Association

~National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke | Spina Bifida Fact Sheet

~Continence in Spina Bifida

ADD and ADHD

Hi again! Today I want to teach you about two disorders that you might see often in your classes and that are very similar. Those disorders are called Attention Deficit Disorder (ah-ten-shun deh-fi-sit diss-or-der) and Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ah-ten-shun deh-fi-sit hi-per-ak-tiv diss-or-der). Whew! Those are some big words aren’t they! Don’t worry though, there is nothing to be afraid of, and by the time you are done reading this you will know so much about them!

~Attention Deficit Disorder~

Let us start with Attention Deficit Disorder (I’m going to call it ADD to make it shorter for you). Let’s find out what those big words mean!

Attention: to carefully think about, listen to, or watch someone/something

Deficit: to have less of something

Disorder: a problem with the body that is not normal or healthy

So using these definitions what do you think Attention Deficit Disorder means all together? ADD basically means a person has a hard time focusing on something for a long time. This is kind of like when you are super bored and you have to watch the news with an adult. Since you are so bored you cannot pay attention to the news people because you are not interested in it or you find something more interesting to focus on.

A symptom is a sign that something is wrong with your body. For example when you have a cold your symptoms may be a runny nose or lots of coughing or maybe a headache or a fever.

In a similar way, having a hard time focusing on things lots of times in a day is a symptom for ADD. Kids with ADD usually get distracted very easily from what they are doing or have a hard time finishing what they are doing. Doctors usually call these symptoms. Do you know why these symptoms can be a problem in class? If you said “Because they can’t pay attention to the teacher for a long time” or “because they can’t finish their work because they get distracted easily” then you are right!

Let me try to explain ADD a little better. Imagine you are sitting in a group with 3 of your best friends. One of your friends tells you to color with her, so you start coloring together. Before you finish another friend asks you to go play kick ball with him, so you stop coloring and go play kick ball. Then in the middle of the game your 3^rd friend invites you to eat some pizza so you leave the game and go eat pizza. Just as you are about to take your first bite of yummy pizza your first friend tells you to finish coloring with her so you set the pizza down to go color with your friend. See how you became distracted and didn’t get to finish coloring or playing kickball or eating pizza? That is kind of like how kids with ADD live every day with everything they do.

~Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder~

The other disorder is Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, but I’m going to shorten it up for you and call it ADHD. Notice how this one has an extra word? That is because this disorder has an extra symptom

Let’s find out what Hyperactive means!

Hyperactive: to be very active or have a lot of energy

This means that kids with ADHD get distracted very easily AND also have a lot of energy in them! If a kid has ADHD they will usually be moving a lot (for example moving a lot in their chairs, walking from one place to another a lot, or just be very active). Another symptom that kids with ADHD may have is impulsiveness. Impulsiveness means that they do something or say something out of nowhere and without thinking twice.

So going back to our example of your 3 friends not letting you finish coloring, playing kickball, or eating pizza, imagine that you are super-duper energetic and that you have to be moving a lot or else you feel like you will explode like a confetti bomb! And on top of that, you also run and jump off the highest place on a playground because you thought it was a cool idea out of nowhere! —Okay, let’s stop imagining now, it’s making me tired! But I hope this helps you understand what ADHD is like!

~What Causes them?

To this day no one knows exactly what causes ADD or ADHD. So I guess we can say it is a mystery waiting to be solved!

~Can ADD and ADHD be cured?

Luckily both ADD and ADHD can be treated enough so that they can focus better and be more calm. The two most common ways to help cure ADD and ADHD are with medicine and with a special type of therapy called Psychotherapy (sai-ko-theh-ra-pee). Doctors and scientists have also discovered that some kids “grow out of it”, so basically as they get older the ADD and ADHD goes away.

Oftentimes kids with either ADD or ADHD have to take medicine to help their brains pay better attention to what they are doing, to help them think twice about what they are going to do, and to be more calm instead of really energetic. This is just like when you have to take medicine because your tummy hurts or because you have a cold.

Then we have Psychotherapy. Psychotherapy is a form of treatment that helps change the way people act. For example, with psychotherapy a kid with ADD or ADHD is taught how to focus more and how to make better choices about what they are going to do. This is done by rewarding the things they do right and help correct the things they do wrong. Your teachers also use this for you! If you do super great on a math quiz you might get a sticker on your paper, but if you do bad on your math quiz you might be told to study more so you can do better next time. See how it works?

It is important to remember that not every kid that has a hard time focusing on things or is super energetic has ADD or ADHD. To find out if someone has one of these disorders they need to go to a doctor to have special medical tests done, kind of like when you go to the doctor’s office and they check your weight, height, heart and lungs.

So if you know someone who has ADD or ADHD, what can you do to help them and to be a better friend to them?

• Be friendly: I think this is the most important one. If you see your friend who has ADD or ADHD daydreaming in class or tapping their feet loudly on the floor, don’t make fun of them. This means don’t call them annoying, or dumb, or any kinds of names. They simply can’t help it. For them, not paying attention or moving around a lot or doing things out of nowhere is not in their control, kind of like how you can’t control when you hiccup or sneeze.
• Make things interesting: Everyone goes off into la-la-land when something is boring, right? So find ways to make what you’re doing fun! If you’re taking notes of what the teacher is teaching you, draw some pictures together to help you remember the information in a fun way. But make sure to ask your teacher for permission before!
• Be patient: Sometimes your friend may just get all energetic and may start to run around playing with things here and there. Give them some time to let their energy out! Just make sure they are not doing anything dangerous or that they do not hurt themselves!

Well, that’s all for today! Hope you learned a lot about what ADD and ADHD are, and somethings you can do to help your classmates that have them! I’ll leave you with one more question to think about: What other things can you do to help a friend with ADD or ADHD?

Did you know? Even though sugar is known to give you lots of energy and make you hyper it does not cause for ADD or ADHD.

---

Last Post:

~Dyslexia

---

Resources:

~PsychCentral | ADHD          ~Treatments

Dyslexia

Hello! I have a simple question for you: Are you a good reader? Maybe you are, and maybe you even like to read a lot (High five! So do I!). Reading can be very easy for you so you can read fast, but did you know that for lots of people reading can be hard? There are lots of different disorders that make it hard for people to read. A disorder is a problem that normally needs a doctor to be fixed. Disorders are usually happen when something in your body is not working right.

One of the most common reading disorders is dyslexia. Dyslexia is a reading problem that is caused when kids cannot remember what letters make what sounds. For example, you know that the letters “sh” together make a shh sound like in “sheep” and “flash”, but someone with dyslexia cannot remember that right away.

That sounds confusing, doesn’t it? Let me try to explain it a little better.

When you learn to read you learn what sounds make up different words, and then what letters make those sounds. To do this, your brain works extra hard to put the sounds and words and letters together, kind of like a jigsaw puzzle. When your brain puts these together you can see the whole picture the puzzle makes, or in this case, it tells you what word you are reading. Pretty cool, right? Kids with dyslexia have a hard time doing this. For them, putting the letters of the words to sounds becomes very hard because they cannot remember what letters make what sounds so easily or fast. Because of this kids with dyslexia often read words wrong. For example, they might read the word “pot” as “top” or “was” as “saw”.

This is an example of how kids with dyslexia write. Notice how some words are written wrong? This happens because they write words based on how they hear them and the letters they remember make those sounds.

Luckily, dyslexia can be cured by practicing to read and write a lot. Kids with dyslexia normally get help from a special teacher who only teaches these two things to them. After lots of practice kids with dyslexia can read and write just as good as their classmates. You know the saying “Practice makes perfect”, right?

~What can you do to help a kid with dyslexia?

• Help Teach: You can help teach a friend with dyslexia how to read or write too! If you see them having a hard time with a word help them practice how to read, spell and pronounce the word.
  • For example, if they have a hard time reading the word “candy” you can:
    • read the word to them,
    • break it up into syllables: can-dy,
    • and help them remember how to pronounce the syllables.
  • If they are having a hard time spelling the word you could maybe come up with a song or a drawing to help them remember in what order the letters go.

• Be Patient: Kids with dyslexia can’t remember how to pronounce some words as fast as other kids can, so give them some time to think and figure it out before you help them.
• Be Supportive: You like it when you get a “good job!” or a “high five!” when you do something right, don’t you? Well so do kids with dyslexia (and the whole world actually!). If your friend with dyslexia learns how to read a little quicker or spell better, tell them how they are doing a great job and to keep up the good work!

• Motivate: Sometimes you get scared of doing something you are not good at. Lots of times kids with dyslexia don’t want to read because they are shy about messing up. Maybe you can hang out with your friend with dyslexia after school to do homework together. During this time, you can both take turns reading out loud so that your friend practices reading and so that you can help them if they mess up.

Did you know? 1 out of 5 people (including adults) in the United States has Dyslexia.

Well that’s all for today! I hope you remember that even though kids with dyslexia have a hard time reading and writing they are still awesome kids to be friends with! Just like how you might not be good at doing something, they are not good at reading. But also just like how you are great at many things, so are they!

---

Last Post:

~Autism

---

Resources: 

~Understanding Dyslexia | KidsHealth

Autism

Hello! Let us begin today with a simple question: What is Autism? Autism is a problem with the brain that does not let kids act or talk like how people without Autism do. There is nothing dangerous, contagious, or scary about Autism. Even to this day scientists are not completely sure of what causes Autism or why some kids have it. So we can say that makes them special and one-of-a-kind, just like how you are special and one-of-a-kind with your talents!

Kids who have Autism have a hard time making friends and having a normal conversation because they are very shy and scared. It is kind of like when you get scared to talk in front of lots and lots of people, or get shy when you have to talk someone you just met. Sometimes, kids who have Autism may act like if they were ignoring you, but they are not. They may just not know how to answer to your question or may not have been paying attention because they are giving their 100% attention to whatever they are doing. You may also notice that kids with Autism do things over and over again. For example they might roll a toy car back and forth or hit something many times. This is similar to how you tap your foot when you are bored or focused on something. The only difference is that they are very interested and focused on what they are doing. Another thing that kids with Autism have a hard time with is understanding people’s body language. Body language is the way people act. For example if you are happy you may smile a lot or laugh, or if you are mad you may yell and throw things. Because of the way Autism affects their brains, they have a hard time understanding that smiles mean happy and crying means sad. This does not mean that they do not care about you. It just means that they do not know how you are feeling and why you are doing certain things. Even with all of these problems lots kids who have Autism are known to be super smart! They can memorize a lot of things, they do very good in school, and are very caring.

Luckly, kids with Autism can get treatments to help them get better, but it is very hard to get 100% cured. Scientists and doctors have found out that with therapy children with Autism can grow up to live a normal life just as if they did not have Autism. What is therapy? Think of therapy like if it was practice for your favorite sport (ex: football practice, dance practice, karate practice). For kids with Autism they practice how to start and carry out conversations with other people, how to show their feelings better with words, and how to understand other people’s body language.

Kids with Autism also practice how to control their feelings. For example, maybe when you were little you were scared of the dark and it would make you start trembling or crying. Then your parents or older siblings would tell you to calm down, breathe slowly, and relax because there was nothing to be scared of. This is an example of how you learned to control your feelings of fear. In a very similar way kids with Autism are taught how to control their feelings of fear, anger, nervousness, and any other feelings they have a hard time expressing

Another type of therapy teaches kids with Autism how to act when they are around other people and/or when they are given a problem to solve. Did you know that even you have been taught this special kind of therapy? Try to think of a time when your parents or an adult asked to you behave. For example, maybe you mom has taught you to sit quietly at the doctor’s office, or a teacher has taught to raise your hand before speaking in class. This works in 3 easy steps. 1) You are told what to do or how to behave, 2) You act on what you were told to do, and 3) If you did good you might get a “good job” or a prize or good grades, and if you did bad you might get time out or punished or get told what you did wrong. For kids with Autism, they are taught in the same way about things they need to learn to be able to live a normal life like everyone else.

Sometimes kids with Autism have to take medicine to help them feel better. This is kind of like when you get a cold and need to take medicine for your cough and runny nose.

~So what can you do to help someone with Autism?

• Be patient: Sometimes it may take them a little bit of time to be able to say what they want or what they are feeling.
• Be friendly: The more nice and friendly you are to them, the more comfortable they will feel around you. This is very important to be good friends.
• Be a good listener: Pay close attention to their words and actions. This can be a little bit hard at times. Sometimes some kids with Autism may have a hard time showing their feelings and thoughts with words. Other times they may say lots of things they have memorized that they know will describe what they are thinking. So you need to pay attention to what they say and how they act do to be able to understand them.
• Be straight forward: If you say “It’s raining cats and dogs” they may become confused and say “I don’t see any animals falling from the sky”. Instead you need to say exactly what you mean, “It’s raining a lot”.

Did you know? 1 out of 88 kids have Autism.

Well, that’s all for today! Hope you learned something new, and that it will help you become a better friend!

---

Resources:

http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/autism/detail_autism.htm

https://www.autismspeaks.org/family-services/tool-kits/asperger-syndrome-and-high-functioning-autism-tool-kit/interventions-and-t