no.1/december 2010 children’s health and safetydoc.mediaplanet.com/all_projects/6320.pdf · the...
TRANSCRIPT
AN iNdepeNdeNt SUppLeMeNt FrOM MediApLANet tO tHe NAtiONAL pOSt
No.1/December 2010
CHILDReN’s HeALTH AND sAFeTY
THE YUMMY MUMMY CLUB
A breath of fresh airimproving air quality for the chil-dren of baffi n island
cyberbullyingA parent’s guide to keeping kids safe online
treating AdHdA lifelong concern that effects every age
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FOR ENSURING THE SAFE
DEVELOPMENT OF YOUR CHILD
FOR ENSURING
3TIPS
Erica Ehm provides new parents with knowledge and resources
AN iNdepeNdeNt SUppLeMeNt by MediApLANet tO tHe NAtiONAL pOSt2 · deceMber 2010
CHALLeNGes
why childhood injury concerns us all
Childhood injury isn’t just a rite of passage or “part of growing up”. No child, or their families, should have to suffer the emotional and physical stress of serious harm. Fortunately, many precautions can be taken.
The impact of the car sent Michael fl ying off his bicycle on to the pavement. Without a helmet, the 13 year old suff ered severe brain injuries. Even after
months in hospital and more than a year of rehabilitation, Michael may never fully be himself again.
When six-year-old Farah drowned at a family reunion, her parents and relatives were devastated. But the impact of her death was felt by the entire community: her classmates, their parents, the operators of the river-side park and municipal law-makers.
Injuries are not acts of fate or accidents—they do not have to happen. In fact, the majority of injuries are predictable and pre-ventable. Bumps and scrapes may be a part of childhood, but serious injury, resulting in death or life-long disability, is something no child and their family should have to bear. Many of those who survive serious injury are left with dis-abilities, both physical and emo-tional. The stress on the child, their family and community cannot be underestimated.
Consider these facts:■■ Unintentional injury is the leading
cause of death for children from one to 14 years of age.
■■ On average, close to 300 children aged 14 and under are killed and another 21,000 are hospitalized for serious injuries every year in Canada.
■■ Each day, nearly 60 children are admitted to a hospital for an injury and hundreds of thousands are treated each year in emergency departments, clinics and doctors’ offi ces.
■■ Unintentional injuries to children and youth cost Canada $4 billion in direct and indirect health care costs each year.
■■ The three leading causes of injury-related deaths for children are: drowning (pools, bathtubs, bath seats, boats, ponds, lakes and streams); motor vehicle collisions and suff oca-tion, often from choking.
■■ Falls are the major cause of injury-related hospitalizations for children. They can take place at home, at school and at play.
Making Canada a safer place for our childrenCanada currently ranks 18 out of 23 international Organisation for Eco-nomic Co-operation and
Development (OECD) countries in terms of injury mortality for children and youth. Our children deserve so much better!
Safe Kids Canada’s mission is to lead and inspire a culture of safety across the country using a compre-hensive and innovative approach. We work collaboratively to develop partnerships, conduct research, raise awareness and advocate to prevent serious injuries among children, youth and their families. As the national injury prevention program of The Hospital for Sick Children, our vision for the future is: Fewer Injuries. Healthier Chil-dren. A Safer Canada.
At Safe Kids Canada we are look-ing forward to the passage of Bill C-36 to improve consumer product safety for all Canadians. In addi-tion, we are working with partners from across the country to advocate for a national strategy on childhood injury prevention.
At Safe Kids Canada we will con-tinue to use every resource possible to prevent more injuries like those suffered by Michael and Farah and to create a lasting social change that will eliminate the impact of preventable injuries in Canada.
Pamela Fuselliexecutive director, Safe Kids canada
■■ Be sure your kids are in the appropriate, properly installed, car seat or booster seat—every time.
■■ Select age-appropriate toys and gifts.
■■ Place a guard around fire-places and keep candles and matches out of reach.
■■ Buy a helmet to go with that new bike, snowboard or skates.
MY Best tIPs
“We feel ashamed and embarrassed that sometimes we have no idea what we are doing.”
Erica Ehmthe founder of the yummy Mummy club speaks out on the challenges of keeping your children safe.
we recOMMeND
pAGe 6
A safe holiday home p. 7provide a safe atmosphere over winter break
Family road safety p. 7Winter conditions calls for extra precaution
1St editiON, deceMber 2010
Managing Director: Gustav [email protected] Manager: Jackie [email protected] Developer: David [email protected]
responsible for this issue:Publishers:Kelsey [email protected] [email protected]: Penelope [email protected]: Dr. Doron almagor, stewart Foxman, Pamela Fuselli, craig Jobber, rob Lanteigne, andrew seale, asthma society of canada, csa Group, Healthy Indoor Partnership, Media awareness Network, safe Kids canada, trudell Medical
Distributed within:National Post, December 2010this section was created by Mediaplanet and did not involve the National Post or its editorial Departments.
Mediaplanet’s business is to create new cus-tomers for our advertisers by providing read-ers with high-quality editorial contentthat motivates them to act.
When children have difficul-ty with vision or hearing, the problem is often compounded.
They may not even be fully aware that something’s wrong, or may accommo-date it without alerting anyone. That’s why parents should be vigilant about the warning signs of, and screenings for, vision and hearing issues.
“Early diagnosis is always prefer-able, because it leads to early inter-vention,” says Dino Sophocleous, President of The Hearing Foundation of Canada.
With timely testing and diagnosis, many problems—and the issues aris-ing from them— in a more eff ective manner. Here’s what parents need to know.
Seeing the signsRoutine vision screening for children is critical. Many abnormalities are treatable if discovered early, but can lead to vision loss and blindness if left untreated.
Eye evaluations should start in infancy, e.g. checking visual develop-
ment milestones like following an object. Later, regular eye exams can identify not only refractive errors (i.e. nearsightedness, farsightedness), but issues like a misalignment of the eyes, reduced vision in one eye, cataracts, retinoblastoma, and more.
Children can have vision problems even they don’t complain or exhibit clear signs, another reason why screening is important. But be on the lookout, says the CNIB, for children who:
■■ Blink, squint and/or rub eyes often.■■ Experience headaches, nausea and
dizziness.■■ Have eyes that itch or burn, or are
red or sore.■■ Have unusually short attention
span.■■ Avoid tasks with small objects.■■ Turn/tilt head to use only one eye.■■ Close/cover one eye.■■ Bump into things or trip.
Hearing loss often missedWithout newborn hearing screening, the average age of identifying hear-
ing loss is two and a half to three. That makes it tough for many children to catch up with communication and social skills, according to The Hearing Foundation of Canada.Not all jurisdictions off er the same new-born hearing screening. But all parents
can be attuned to these warning signs of hearing loss:
■■ “Baby talk” isn’t progressing, or speech/language development is delayed or diffi cult.
■■ Ear(s) hurt, frequent ear infections.■■ Diffi culty locating sounds.■■ Child often speaks too softly or loudly.■■ Turning the TV volume excessively
high.■■ Child is classifi ed as inattentive or
disruptive (especially during listening activities).
■■ Speech sounds diff erent or unclear.■■ Reduced vocabulary, with words
often missing endings.
“Hearing loss is often misdiagnosed as behaviour or cognitive diffi culties,” says Gael Hannan, Manager of Programs at The Hearing Foundation of Canada. “Parents need to be more aware of hear-ing loss, because it’s traditionally not something they’ve thought about.”
Keeping an eye on vision and hearing loss in kids
STUART FOXMAN
Watch for the signsThe average age of identifying hearing loss is two and a half to three.
cLeaN aIr FOr KIDs
Poor indoor air quality within your home can have a detri-mental effect by increasing the development of asthma and contribute to exacerba-tion of asthma symptoms.
To assist you in determining what you should do to improve the health of your home it is advised to have a physical home investigation, includ-ing an IAQ test, conducted from an IAQ professional in the fi eld.
When should I have an IAQ Investigation & Test ?
■■ When you are moving into a new home
■■ Upon bringing home a new baby, as they are most susceptible to poor air quality
■■ If you suspect the home has poor ventilation and air quality
■■ When someone in the house suf-fers from asthma or other chronic respiratory illnesses
■■ If there are senior citizens in the home, whom are particularly sus-ceptible to poor air as their immune systems weaken
What should you test for ?The physical home investigation should look for:
■■ Mold, or the environmental factors leading to it
■■ Signs of higher humidity, moist-laden stored materials, condensation on windows
■■ Stored chemicals, or household cleaners with a high chemical con-tent
■■ Dirty ducts, poor fi ltration, high duct levels in home
■■ Proper ventilationAn eff ective IAQ monitoring test should be conducted to measure for:
■■ Temperature■■ Humidity■■ Carbon Monoxide■■ Carbon dioxide■■ Particulates ( dust)■■ Volatile organic compounds
( air borne chemicals)
PROTECT YOUR ASSETSHelmets greatly decrease the risk of brain injury.PHOTO: SAFE KIDS CANADA
CRAIG JOBBER
chair, Hip (Healthy indoor partnership)
THE FIRST STEP TO PREVENTING
SERIOUS INJURY IS QUALITY
SAFETY GEAR
THE FIRST STEP TO PREVENTING
1TIP/STEPTIP
AN iNdepeNdeNt SUppLeMeNt by MediApLANet tO tHe NAtiONAL pOSt
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common disorder that is commonly first diagnosed in childhood.
Symptoms of ADHD typically include inattention, impulsivity, and for some children, hyperactivity; this is referred to as ADHD, Combined Type. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder that presents without symptoms of hyper-activity used to be called Attention Defi cit Disorder (ADD), but under new guidelines it’s now called ADHD, Pre-dominantly Inattentive Subtype.
Affected for lifeMany people do not realize that ADHD can continue to aff ect a person’s life from childhood through their teen years and into adulthood.
New research has indicated that ADHD is a lifetime disorder that presents diff erently at various stages of life. In preschoolers, ADHD often presents with behavioural distur-bances such as hyperactivity, temper tantrums, insomnia, and oppositional behavior.
Academic problems tend to begin
in the early school grades and are often accompanied by social diffi cul-ties and low self-esteem. As the child enters adolescence, ADHD places them at high risk for substance use, truancy, automobile and other acci-dents and legal trouble. Today’s com-plex society and many competing demands often make the transition into college-age and early adulthood a diffi cult task even for the child with-out ADHD. However, for the child with ADHD, this phase is as an especially diffi cult. Many critical decisions are made at this time that may signifi -cantly impact their success or failure as an adult. Studies have shown that untreated ADHD is associated with high levels of educational under-achievement, unemployment, and social and marital diffi culties.
Effective when caught earlyFor these reasons, accurate early diagnosis and treatment is impor-tant for promoting successful out-comes. Children with the hyperactive symptoms of ADHD are often most easily diagnosed. They are the kids that are quickly identifi ed in school
because of their hyperactivity and frequently disruptive behaviours. But children who are not hyperac-tive, and only have symptoms of inattention, are often overlooked in the classroom setting as they don’t disturb the class and their difficulties are not readily observ-able. However, their inattention and lack of focus makes it difficult for them to concentrate on what they are being taught in school and they frequently fall behind academically. Often they are able to maintain average grades, with-out teachers or parents realizing that they are actually working far below their potential.
It is not uncommon for stu-dents to do relatively well in grade school and into high school, but to begin experiencing severe aca-demic difficulties when they enter college or university. Due to the heavy demands on their attention, concentration and organization skills, many students with undiag-nosed ADHD begin failing for the first time when they enter post-secondary level education.
The good news is that ADHD can be successfully treated. Psy-chotherapy has been shown to be effective for both the symptoms of ADHD itself and accompany-ing conditions such as depression, anxiety, low self-esteem and other psychological issues. A number of medications have been approved by Health Canada for use in child-hood, adolescent, and adult ADHD.
Various treatments are availableRecently introduced medications use new delivery technologies to reduce side effects and to help the positive effects of treatment last longer through the day. Other treatment strategies for ADHD include psychosocial interven-tions in the home and school envi-ronment, behavioural strategies and educational accommodations.
An integrated, balanced, and individualized approach to treat-ment should be used to help maxi-mize the child’s potential, and help with a successful transition into adolescence and early adulthood.
CHALLeNGes
An easy way to get a group of parents arguing passionately is to ask them about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, ADHD.
As a practicing psychiatrist specializing in child and adolescent psychiatry, I hear many who doubt whether it’s a real problem at all. On the other hand, every day in my practice I see the impact of this very real disorder on children and their families. There is no doubt about it—ADHD is not only real, if it’s not recognized and treated, it can cause immense diffi culties for children and their families, and long-lasting consequences.
As a society, we have problems coming to grips with mental disorders. We never deny physical illnesses, and in fact are universally sympathetic. Fear and misunderstanding often stand in the way of recognizing the realities of illnesses such as ADHD.
And even among some of those who recognize the reality of the symptoms of ADHD, there is an attitude that they are the result of inadequate parenting or something the child could fi x simply by making an “extra eff ort” or “concentrating more.” Would we tell a child with pneumonia to simply “cough less” instead of prescribing antibiotics?
The danger, as I see in my practice every day, is that these prejudices prevent or delay
children seeking the real help they need to fi ght this very real disorder. A proper assess-ment can diff erentiate real ADHD from other developmental or social issues. And once we have made our diagnosis, we can institute a comprehensive treatment plan, including one of the eff ective medications available—Vyvanse being the latest—to make a real diff erence in these children’s lives.
ADHD treatment has come a long way. As with many other illnesses, research has taken major steps in recent years to produce new treatments that promise fewer side eff ects and greater convenience by lasting long enough to not require taking medications while away from home at school and even having extended benefi ts that can last 13 or 14 hours—long enough to make a signifi cant diff erence for children and their families through the evening on school nights.
By not requiring the stigma of taking medi-cation at school, and providing benefi ts that last throughout a child’s waking hours, these treatments can break the cycle of ADHD and produce real and lasting benefi ts—to treat a very real problem.
Dr. Kenny Handelman is a child and adolescent psychiatrist in Oakville, Ontario.
DON’t MIss!
“there is no doubt about it–
AdHd is not only real, if it’s not
recognized and treated, it can
cause immense diffi culties for
children and their families, and
long-lasting consequences.”
Dr. Kenny Handelmanchild and adolescent psychiatrist
pAid FOr by SHire cANAdA iNc.
ADHD should not stand for‘At Doubt of Having a Disorder’
Treating ADHD: A lifelong concern
ADHD is a common disorder, yet it is often unrecognized. A� ected children who are not treated early can be e� ected throughout every stage of their lives.
“Most people do not realize that AdHd can con-tinue to affect a person’s life from childhood...”
Dr. Doron Almagorpresident, Ontario psychiatric Association, psychiatrist and Medical director, the AdHd clinic, toronto, Ontario
AN iNdepeNdeNt SUppLeMeNt by MediApLANet tO tHe NAtiONAL pOSt4 · deceMber 2010
When Dr. Tom Koveski realized that about one quarter of all babies born on Ba� n Island will develop respiratory illness, he knew he needed to take action.
Renewed air quality a breath of fresh air for kids
PrOFILe
Dr. Tom Kovesi
■■ Position: Pediatric respirologist, children’s Hospi-tal of eastern On-tario in Ottawa
■■ associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Univesity of Ottawa
■■ Author: canadian Pediatric asthma consensus Guidelines
■■ Chair: Pediatric assembly of the canadian thoracic society.
As winter sets in and slips through the cracks in the weather-strip-ping, Canadians fire up their heat-ers and gather the kids on the couch for mid-evening Christmas specials.
But as houses get tightly-shut for the cold winter season, air quality inside houses can worsen, which can be detrimental to your child’s health.
“Very young children tend to breath more quickly and take in more,” says Dr. Tom Kovesi, a pediatric respirologist at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa (CHEO).
Kovesi has done a series of research involving the eff ects of air quality on developing lungs.
“Partly what got me interested was 12 years ago my hospital took over Baffi n Island pediatric patients,” he says. Patients were fl own to CHEO to be looked after by Kovesi and his colleagues. The number of cases of respiratory illness shocked him.
“Out of every thousand babies born down south, 10 will have a respiratory ill-ness. Up in Baffi n Island, out of every thou-sand, 250 will - that’s about one quarter of children born there,” says Kovesi.
So he decided to conduct a study in the North.
“I thought to myself, why are they get-ting so sick? And that led to this.” Kovesi, with a team of Canadian scientists, then headed to the polar region of Qikiqtaaluk, (Baffi n Island), Nunavut, which has the highest reported rate of hospitalization for severe respiratory viral infections in infants in the world.
Why this area?“The stock answer is poverty, overcrowd-ing, smoking… but there are a lot of places like that—Nairobi is like that,” Kovesi says. “The obvious diff erence between Iqaluit and Nairobi is that it’s a heck of a lot colder in Iqaluit.”
And with the cold comes better insulation.
“Houses (in Nunavut) are tightly sealed and it makes measuring air quality accu-rately a lot easier,” notes the repirologist. “You can then apply the research to other regions—eff ects may be less extreme but the same issues apply.”
The homes seemed too well-sealed, so Kowesi and his team installed heat recov-ery ventilators (HRVs) in some and followed carbon dioxide levels.
“The mean indoor CO2 level in homes with active HRVs was 33 percent lower than in homes with (disconnected) ventilators,” wrote Kovesi in his study. “(And) increased indoor CO2 (and thus reduced ventilation) is associated with higher risk of lower
respiratory tract infections in children.”
On the home-frontBut despite the wealth of knowledge Kovesi incurred from the study, the pediatric lung specialist is quick to point out common sense when it comes to air quality and its eff ect on your child’s health.
“Cigarette smoke is bad no matter who you are,” he says.
He also notes that large groups of sniffl ing people in your house during the holidays,
combined with poor ventilation, is a recipe for disaster.
“The more people who are sick and spread-ing (viral infections) in a room, the more bad ventilation keeps that air in,” says Kovesi.
At young ages, lung growth is important.“Asthma and allergies tend to run in the
family but environmental infl uences also really matter.”
HOw we MaDe It
INsPIRATION
ANDREW SEALE
BREATHING EASY By installing heat recovery ventilators in Baffin Island homes, Dr. Tom Kovesi is improving the air quality for many of the families who live there. PHOTO: PRIVATE
BE AWARE OF HOUSEHOLD ITEMS THAT POSE SILENT
HAZARDS
quarter 2TIP
AN iNdepeNdeNt SUppLeMeNt by MediApLANet tO tHe NAtiONAL pOStAN iNdepeNdeNt SUppLeMeNt by MediApLANet tO tHe NAtiONAL pOSt deceMber 2010 · 5
News
For Canadians with respirato-ry conditions such as asthma, winter can be a challenging season. Colder temperatures and less day-light force people indoors more frequently, with the average per-son spending 20-21 hours per day indoors—two hours more than in the summer. And while awareness is heightened around outdoor pollution with measures such as smog alerts and the Air Quality Health Index, indoor air quality does not receive nearly as much attention.
Quality controlWhen so much time is spent indoors, your lungs fill with indoor air. Improving construction standards and energy conservation have led to airtight buildings with fewer leaks, cracks, and outdoor air exchanges. This can help you maintain a healthy indoor environment, but it can also lead to the recirculation of poor air when contaminants and chemi-cals build up inside a home, office or school.
Good air quality can generally be maintained by removing contami-nants, regular cleaning, and proper ventilation. Many people with asthma are familiar with removing certain triggers such as pets, smoke and dust. You can also use avoidance strategies for other pollutants affect-ing the air you breathe.
Chemical gases known as vola-tile organic compounds (VOCs) are released from a number of products frequently used indoors. Common sources include cleaning and dis-infecting products, paints, varnish, wax, cosmetics, and office equip-ment such as printers and copiers.
When tested individually, these com-pounds are usually considered safe for the home at low exposure levels, and regulated by safety standards in the workplace. Less is known about the long-term effects of storing and using multiple products daily.
Stay toxin-freeMany people have found a boost in energy levels and easier breathing after removing household chemi-cals, even if they considered them-selves healthy already. For cleaning, use baking soda, detergent, soap and water instead of bleach and ammo-nia. Choosing natural, biodegradable products for personal care and cos-metics will also significantly reduce the number of chemicals you contact directly. Always avoid scented prod-ucts, aerosol sprays, air fresheners, and perfumed fabric softeners which only introduce more chemicals into your home. Instead of masking poor smells, treat the cause of odours by eliminating mould, cleaning more
frequently, and storing food waste outdoors.
Some people have found house-plants can clean the air from some indoor pollutants, but balance indoor vegetation against the risks of aller-gies, humidity and mould. Bath-rooms, kitchens, basements and garages can be the source of mould outbreaks, which can trigger breath-ing problems. Clean all wet surfaces after use, and check regularly for spills, leaks and cracks. To prevent mould development, keep humidity levels between 35 percent and 50 per-cent at all times.
The garage will often have the worst air quality in your home due to vehicle exhaust. If it is properly sealed with insulation and weather stripping, it can offer you the oppor-tunity to move items out of other living spaces. Paints, solvents, chemi-cals and gasoline-based tools such as a lawnmower or chainsaw should be kept in the garage instead of the basement. To prevent deadly carbon monoxide buildup, never idle the car or barbeque inside the garage.
A few minor changes can make a huge difference to your indoor air quality. To find tip sheets about other changes you can make, visit www.4seasonsofasthma.ca.
Facts
Investments to improve the air quality in your home
■■ Have a home assessment con-ducted by certified professionals
■■ test for radon exposure and seal all foundation cracks
■■ clean your ducts, but decline chemical treatments
■■ Have your insulation inspected
for asbestos and formaldehyde■■ Install a high efficiency air filter ■■ Build a shed for storage of
paints, solvents and tools■■ Vent your dryer, bathroom fan
and stove hood directly outdoors■■ Vent your central vacuum into
the garage instead of the basement
Rob Lanteignecoordinator, National Asthma patient Alliance,Asthma Society of canada
Clean air means a healthy home
News IN BrIeF
Asthma is the most common respiratory disease in Canadian children. According to the Canadian Lung Association and Asthma Society of Canada, Asthma is responsible for one-quarter of school absenteeism and is the leading cause of hospitalizations for children up to the age of 14.
This can place a heavy burden on families dealing with the stress, uncertainty and lost work time from a child’s uncontrolled asthma.Metered Dose Inhalers or “puffers” are the most prescribed asthma medication to children. To be effective, the puffer needs to be pressed at the same time that you breathe in. However, this can be hard to co-ordinate because many inhalers deliver a dose at up to 8.4 meters per second.
Care for kidsA puffer alone is not suitable for use on very young children. Using a chamber with facemask along with a puffer allows children to simply breathe normally through the chamber to inhale their medication.
Doctors recommend chambers with masks for young children. However, children should move to
a chamber with a mouthpiece as soon as they are able to—usually around five years of age .
C h a m b e r s a r e n o t interchangeable. It is important to select a chamber that is small and portable and can be used with all puffers. You should also choose a chamber that has a flow indicator which will help provide assurance to parents that the child has inhaled their medication.
Preventable tragedyEight out of 10 asthma deaths are preventable. Don’t be caught in a situation where you child is in need of asthma medication and does not have it available. Ask your doctor to prescribe an extra rescue inhaler and chamber to keep at school or daycare along with an asthma action plan so that caregivers know exactly what to do in case of an emergency.
An inhaler sleeve and asthma car-rying case may help children keep their medication close at hand and organized while on-the-go.
For more information about asthma medication and chambers, speak to your doctor or pharmacist.
courtesy of trudell Medical
Managing children’s asthma
AN iNdepeNdeNt SUppLeMeNt by MediApLANet tO tHe NAtiONAL pOSt6 · deceMber 2010
INsPIRATION
It’s an epidemic for Canada’s young people—not a childhood disease, but car crashes.
According to Transport Canada, each year about 400 children and teens are killed and another 35,000 are injured in motor vehicle colli-sions. That makes it the top cause of injury-related deaths for Canadian children, and a leading reason for hospitalizations.
Mix in snow and ice, and we all know that driving becomes more hazardous. Reduce the risk for chil-dren (and all other occupants) by following these winter driving tips from Canada’s safety experts.
The holidays are around the corner. With endless celebrat-ing, shopping and decorating, Canadians often overlook sim-ple safety precautions.
Children spend more time at home dur-ing the winter break so it’s important to provide a safe atmosphere. Install-ing tamper-resistant receptacles with built-in shutter systems is very impor-tant. These receptacles are designed to prevent single-pronged, foreign objects like keys and nails from touching live electrical wires. CSA commissioned a survey about holiday safety habits. The results reveal some that are potentially dangerous. One in four Canadians leave their holiday lights up for months at a time. Even more alarming, one in 10 Canadians never check their holiday lights for safety haz-ards before hanging.
To enjoy the holiday festivities with fam-ily and loved ones in a safely decorated home, CSA encourages Canadians to review the following safety tips:
■■ Out with the old: Carefully inspect holiday light strings
Online safety tips from club penguin
As advice columnist and editor of the Club Penguin Times, the weekly newspaper in the popular virtual world of Club Penguin (clubpenguin.com), Aunt Arctic is accustomed to giving words of wisdom.
So when it came to putting together information on online safety for kids and families, we asked her to provide some tips.
Aunt Arctic says…
Parents:■■ Keep the computer in
an area where it’s easy to supervise internet use.
■■ Teach your kids how to stay safe online.
■■ Research and visit appropriate children’s websites.
■■ Ask lots of questions about what your child is doing online.
■■ Use parental controls and software.
Kids:■■ Never give out personal information, such as your
name, age, location, phone number or school. ■■ Don’t share your password with anyone
except a trusted grown-up.■■ Choose a username that’s diff erent from your real name.
■■ Tell a trusted adult if someone asks you for personal information online, or does anything
that makes you uncomfortable.
For more information on safety at Club Penguin, visit: support.clubpenguin.com/help/help/safety.htm
Cut out these online safety tips and post them near your home computer for the whole family to see!
winter driving requires extra vigilance
Question: How does Erica Ehm address the fears commonly associated with parenting?Answer: Through her Yummy Mummy community, she empowers young parents with the provision of resources.
ehm is for “mom” As MuchMusic’s first female VJ during the eighties, Erica Ehm spoke to, and witnessed, the growth of an entire gener-ation. Now that generation has entered into a daunting and, at times, downright scary phase of its life— parenthood.
“Kids are spontaneous and that terrifies me,” says the 49-year-old mother of two and founder of the online community for a new generation of mother—Yummy Mummy Club.
She says she used to break into a sweat every time her kids crossed the street.
“I teach them that they have to look into the driver’s eyes and make sure they see you,” says Ehm. “If they don’t see you, don’t go.”
But with a rapidly changing society, self-doubt is a reality of parenthood.
“We feel ashamed and embar-rassed that sometimes we have no idea what we’re doing.”
After hosting the parenting show Yummy Mummy on The Life Network and concerned with the lack of resources for new parents, Ehm decided she had more work to do.
“When the show ended it was very important for me to continue the empowerment of women,” says Ehm.
So she started www.Yummy-MummyClub.ca— “a safe and sexy place to commemorate the reali-ties of being a modern mother.”
“I wanted to create a place that was written by women for women— and it worked,” says the celebrity “momprenure”.
“It’s not just a blog, we’re rede-signing the way women are work-ing because the entire magazine staff works from home—It allows all of us to have a life and a career.”
The website lets parents share
insight with the Yummy Mummy community.
And that support, Ehm notes, makes the learning curve a little less steep.
Keeping them safeThere’s a lot of information online, something Ehm – whose 30 years in the “biz” includes: radio, tele-vision, film, theatre, journalism and an award winning music
career—notes closely.“My kids are just tiptoeing into
that world,” says Ehm whose son, Josh, is 10 and daughter, Jessie, is six.
The celebrity mom notes the importance of teaching her kids how to self-discipline.
“If I’m there looming over him at the computer, he can’t make his own decisions,” says Ehm. “He’s a smart kid and he wants to be safe.”
Her children also discuss the stuff they do online with her. Ehm says her son and husband share an email address and Facebook, which also helps them to keep tabs.
“Discipline is teaching a child to make the right choices when you’re not there,” say Ehm.
LeaDer tO LeaDer
ANDREW SEALE
MATERNAL MAVEN Ehm launched the Yummy Mummy Club to counter a lack of resources for new parents. PHOTO: RACHEALMCCAIGPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
Learning disabilities are a prevalent reality facing today’s generation, according to Clau-dette Larocque, Director of Public Policy and Programs for the Learning Disabilities Association of Canada.
“One in ten individuals are aff ected across Canada—and that’s individu-als,” says Larocque. “People with aver-age and above average intelligence who learn diff erently.”
Learning Disabilities (LDs) are neuro-logically-based processing problems that aff ect the brain’s ability to store, process, retrieve or communicate information.
But Larocque points out that often LDs are brushed off as disin-terest in school.
“Children want to please their parents and teachers, they want to learn and to succeed,” says Larocque.
LDs can occur with other dis-
orders such as ADHD and can be hereditary.
So what do you do if you think your child has a learning dis-ability?Larocque says it’s helpful to ask your-self a few things:
Does your child exhibit a patter of uneven activities? Do they have difficulty remembering famil-iar words by sight or sounding out words? Do they struggle with
remedial math skills and calcu-lations? Do they have problems organizing materials (notebook, binder, papers)? Do they lose or forget materials regularly or to do their homework? Do they struggle to express themselves verbally or follow oral instructions?
“If parents are aware of the checklist, they start to be aware of their child and start noticing things,” says Larocque.
The next thing to do, Laroucque
says, is to talk to the principal and explain your concerns. You can find your local Learning Dis-abilities Association chapter for resources and support at: http://www.ldac-acta.ca/chapters/on-e.asp.
ANDREW SEALE
Is it a learning disability? Know the signs
AN iNdepeNdeNt SUppLeMeNt by MediApLANet tO tHe NAtiONAL pOStAN iNdepeNdeNt SUppLeMeNt by MediApLANet tO tHe NAtiONAL pOSt deceMber 2010 · 7
INsPIRATION
It’s an epidemic for Canada’s young people—not a childhood disease, but car crashes.
According to Transport Canada, each year about 400 children and teens are killed and another 35,000 are injured in motor vehicle colli-sions. That makes it the top cause of injury-related deaths for Canadian children, and a leading reason for hospitalizations.
Mix in snow and ice, and we all know that driving becomes more hazardous. Reduce the risk for chil-dren (and all other occupants) by following these winter driving tips from Canada’s safety experts.
■■ Prepare your tires for the season. Properly infl ated tires give you ideal traction. Check your pressure when the tires are cold. A tire that has good pressure in a warm garage will be under-infl ated when the tempera-tures plunge outside, as tire pressure decreases in the cold. Another option is winter tires, designed for use in snow (better traction, control and stability) and required in some jurisdictions.
■■ Maximize your visibility. Before hitting the road, make sure that your windows and mirrors are free of snow or frost, and clear the top of your vehicle too. Turn your lights on full.
■■ Leave enough space and time. Stopping takes much longer on snowy and icy roads than on dry pave-ment. So slow down, leave extra room between your vehicle and the one in front of you, and build in extra time so you’re not in a rush (especially if the weather is bad).
■■ Consider your clothing.
Your winter apparel can affect your safety not just when you’re out in the elements but when you’re in the car. For children using a car seat, ensure that the harness system is tight, compressing a bulky snowsuit or jacket so that everything is snug. Your tendency might be to loosen the harness to accommodate the thick mate-rial, but that makes the straps less effective. For older children and adults, try to place the seat belt below the bottom edge or fold of a winter jacket, so that it sits closer to the lap than to the belly button.
■■ Understand the “danger zones”. Bridges and highway over-passes freeze quickly and remain frozen longer than other sec-tions of the road, so be alert.
■■ Kill the cruise control. Avoid cruise control in snowy, icy, or wet conditions; if you hydro-plane, your car will try to acceler-ate and you may lose control. Dis-
abling the cruise control also al-lows you to react more quickly to dangerous conditions.
■■ Check the temperature. Did you know that snow and ice are more slippery at 0°C than at -20°C or below? Or that you should watch for black ice (where the road ahead looks dark and shiny) when tem-peratures are from +4°C to -4°C?
■■ Think ahead. Every move you make is harder when it’s snowy or slippery. So anticipate your next turns, lane changes and stops, and give your-self ample room to do them.
For more tips, visit the Trans-port Canada website, www.tc.gc.ca, and search for “win-ter driving”.
CAPTURE HEADLINELorem ipsum dolor sit am-et, consectetuer adipi-scing elit, sed diam non-ummy nibh euismod tin.PHOTO: NAME SURNAME
■■ Question: What epidemic, that kills as many as 400 children and teens a year, can be avoided with added safety precaution?
■■ Answer: Car crashes present unnecessary tragedy and risk, the chances of which can be decreased with added vigilence on the road.
What should I do if my child is targeted?
Report the cyberbullying to your local police. The abuser is
probably breaking other laws, too. You can also call the tip line at the Canadian Crime Stoppers
Association: 1-800-222-TIPS (8477)Meet with school offi cials if your child is being bullied by a
peer at school.
File a complaint:For bullying using e-mail or instant messaging (IM), contact
the Internet Service Provider (ISP) of the perpetrator at <contact@ispname> or <abuse@ispname>. Forward off ending e-mails or IM message logs to the ISP with your complaint.
For bullying material posted on a Web site, use the Contact Us
section of the site and ask to have the material removed.
For bullying through a cell phone, have your service pro-
vider trace the call and contact the perpetrator’s service provider.
How can I prevent cyberbullying?
As a large portion of cyberbul-lying occurs in the home, you
must get better informed about your children’s online activities. Get involved and talk to your child about behaving ethically online. Establish rules regarding appro-priate Internet use. Urge your chil-dren to come to you as soon as they feel uncomfortable or threatened online.
What should I avoid doing if my child is a target of cyberbullying?
It can be diffi cult for a young person to come forward when
being bullied, even to mum or dad. To foster a climate of trust, do not overreact. Do not forbid your child to use the Internet in the hope of eliminating the source of the problem: for your child, this is the equivalent of social death and will leave her or him feeling even more victimized (not to mention the fact that an extreme reaction such as this will probably cause your child to avoid confi ding in you again when feeling threatened).
How can I learn more?As much as possible, show an interest in your child’s online
life: where does he or she go online? What does he or she do? What is it about these online experiences that are so absorbing? If you’re in the habit of sharing your own online experiences with your child, she or he will be more likely to talk to you when having a negative experience.
If you want to better understand your child’s online experience, go to MNet’s BeWebAware site at http://www.bewebaware.ca.
DON’t MIss!DON’t MIss!
The holidays are around the corner. With endless celebrat-ing, shopping and decorating, Canadians often overlook sim-ple safety precautions.
Children spend more time at home dur-ing the winter break so it’s important to provide a safe atmosphere. Install-ing tamper-resistant receptacles with built-in shutter systems is very impor-tant. These receptacles are designed to prevent single-pronged, foreign objects like keys and nails from touching live electrical wires. CSA commissioned a survey about holiday safety habits. The results reveal some that are potentially dangerous. One in four Canadians leave their holiday lights up for months at a time. Even more alarming, one in 10 Canadians never check their holiday lights for safety haz-ards before hanging.
To enjoy the holiday festivities with fam-ily and loved ones in a safely decorated home, CSA encourages Canadians to review the following safety tips:
■■ Out with the old: Carefully inspect holiday light strings
each year and discard any with frayed cords, cracked lamp holders or loose connections.
■■ Size ‘em up: Unplug light strings before replacing bulbs and check to ensure replace-ment bulbs match the voltage and wattage of the original. Make certain that bulb refl ectors are the correct size for the light string.
■■ Spot the mark:
When purchasing light strings, exten-sion cords and electrical decorations, look for a certifi cation mark such as one from CSA International that pro-vides assurance that the products are tested and certifi ed to the applicable standards for safety and performance.
■■ Safe storage: After the holidays, wrap and store lights and decorations in their origi-nal packaging, as they likely contain manufacturer’s instructions on
replacement bulbs and details for proper product use.
■■ Watch the flicker of candles: Do not use open fl ames or candles on or near fl ammable materials such as wreaths, trees or paper decorations.
■■ Designate those decorations: When decorating the tree, place breakable ornaments on the higher limbs to protect children and pets. Remember to always use fl ame-resis-tant decorations.
■■ Fresh or fake, be safe: If you buy a real tree, make sure it’s fresh. Fresh trees will be less likely to dry out and become a fi re hazard. Artifi cial trees with electrical lights should have a certifi cation mark on them and should be made of fi re-resis-tant material.
■■ Carbon-monoxide alarms: When purchasing a CO alarm, check for the mark of an accredited certifi ca-tion organization such as the certifi -cation Flame and CSA.
For holiday safety tips visit www.csaholidays.com and for general safety tips visit www.csasafetytips.com.
A safe and merry home for the holidays
courtesy of cSA Group
sHOwcase
SPARKLE SAFELYCheck all holiday lights for damage prior to decorating. PHOTO: CSA GROUP
Online safety tips from club penguin
winter driving requires extra vigilance
News
ENSURE YOUR CAR IS IN TOP
WORKING ORDER BEFORE
WINTER DRIVING
ENSURE YOUR
3TIP/STEP
ehm is for “mom” A parent’s guide to cyberbullying
courtesy of MNet
© 2010 Media Awareness Network,
www.media-awareness.ca,
adapted with permission
STUART FOXMAN
Is it a learning disability? Know the signs
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For children, the right balance of whole grains, fiber and vita-mins is vital for overall nutri-tion and healthy eating habits.
How can you incorporate all three into their diets?
The whole truthGrain products are one of the four groups in Canada’s Food Guide. Half of those servings should be whole grains, e.g. barley, brown or wild rice, oats, whole grain breads, oatmeal, or whole wheat pasta.
Whole grains provide important vitamins and minerals, and high
levels of antioxidants and other plant-based nutrients. Studies show that whole grains may help in weight management, and lower the risk of heart disease, cancer and diabetes.
Kids sometimes complain about whole grains, so consider how to introduce them, e.g. slice fruit into whole grain cereal for sweetness, make a fun whole wheat wrap, or mix whole wheat and regular pasta at first.
Fit with fiber “High-fiber diet” may not sound
appetizing to kids. Fortunately, many everyday foods are great sources, including fruits (apples, oranges, bananas, berries, pears), vegetables (broccoli, carrots), legumes (beans, split peas, lentils), breads, and cereals.
For the right amount, add 5 grams a day to the child’s age, e.g. 10g of fiber daily for a 5-year-old. After 15, teens should get 20-25g of fiber per day.
Foods with fiber protect against constipation, may lower LDL cho-lesterol, help prevent diabetes and heart disease, and (because they’re filling) discourage overeating.
ABCs of vitamins
Which foods are rich with the vita-mins needed for development?
■■ Vitamin A: Vision, growth, healthy skin. Good sources: milk fortifi ed with vitamin A, orange fruits and vegeta-bles (cantaloupe, carrots, sweet pota-toes), dark green leafy vegetables, liver.
■■ Vitamin B: Helps make protein, energy, red blood cells. Good sources: whole grains (wheat/oats), fi sh/sea-food, poultry/meats, eggs, dairy, leafy green vegetables, beans and peas.
■■ Vitamin C: Tissues, healing (cut/wound), helps resist infection. Good sources: citrus fruits, cantaloupe, strawberries, tomatoes, broccoli, cabbage, kiwi, sweet red peppers.
■■ Vitamin D: Strong bones and teeth. Good sources: milk forti-fied with vitamin D, fish, egg yolks, liver, fortified cereal.
■■ Vitamin E: Maintains tissues, protects lungs, red blood cells. Good
sources: whole grains, wheat germ, leafy green vegetables, sardines, egg yolks, nuts and seeds.
■■ Vitamin K: Clotting. Good
sources: leafy green vegetables, dairy, broccoli, soybean oil.
Some decisions in life should be simple.
Look for School Safe snacks in the bakery department.
• Healthy• Fresh• Wholesome • 5 great flavours •1 unique shape
www.treasuremills.com
STUART FOXMAN
Three keys for childhood nutrition