Children: Elbow Fracture

Fractures about the elbow are very common in children, but the anatomy of the child’s elbow may make the diagnosis less obvious than in a mature skeleton. An understanding of the ossification and fusion of the secondary growth centers about the elbow is essential to avoid overlooking these injuries and to optimize treatment. If plain radiographs are equivocal, an arthrogram of the elbow may clarify the anatomy and diagnosis. Early neurologic and vascular complications are not uncommon and must be recognized before fracture reduction. Many late complications, such as malunion, osteonecrosis, and physeal bridging, are largely preventable by correct early diagnosis and treatment. Anatomic reduction of articular surfaces, restoration of physeal anatomy, and near-anatomic alignment of fracture fragments in the frontal plane are the corner-stones of successful treatment of pediatric elbow fractures.

What is an elbow fracture? An elbow fracture (FRAK-chur) is a break in one or more of the bones in your child’s elbow. It may also be called a broken elbow. The elbow is the joint where the upper arm bone (humerus) meets the two forearm bones (radius and ulna). The elbow joint helps greatly with arm movements.

What causes an elbow fracture? A fall on an outstretched hand, in an attempt to stop a fall, often causes an elbow fracture. This may also happen by falling directly on a bent elbow. Your child’s elbow may be broken while playing sports. A bad twist of the elbow and overuse of the elbow may also lead to fractures. Broken elbows may occur because of a direct blow or if the elbow is hit straight on.

What are the signs and symptoms of an elbow fracture? Your child may have pain, swelling, and bruising in the injured elbow. Your child’s arm may bleed if the skin is broken. The bones may poke through the skin, not look normal, or look bent or out of place. He may have a hard time moving his elbow, arm, or hand, or may refuse to use his elbow or arm. Your child may hold the elbow with his other hand to lessen the pain. Your child’s arm, elbow, or hands may feel weak, numb, or tingly.

How is an elbow fracture diagnosed? Imaging tests may be needed to see if your child has a broken bone. These may also be done to check for other injuries, such as a bone, muscle, or blood vessel problem. Your child may have one or more of the following:

• Bone scan: During this test, pictures are taken of your child’s bones. Your child is given a small, safe amount of radioactive dye in an IV. Caregivers can look at the pictures for broken bones, infection, or cancer in the bones.
• Computerized tomography scan: This test is also called a CT or CAT scan. This is a type of x-ray that uses a computer to take pictures of your child’s arm and elbow. Your child may be given a dye before the pictures are taken to help caregivers see the pictures better. People who are allergic to iodine or shellfish (lobster, crab, or shrimp) may be allergic to some dyes. Tell your child’s caregiver if your child is allergic to shellfish or has other allergies or medical conditions.
• Magnetic resonance imaging scan: This test is also called an MRI. The test uses magnetic waves to take pictures of your child’s arm and elbow.
• X-ray: This is a picture of the bones and tissues in your child’s elbow. X-rays of the elbow and arm may be done to check for broken bones or other problems. Several pictures of your child’s bones may be taken. X-rays of both your child’s injured and uninjured elbows may be needed.

How is an elbow fracture treated? Treatment will depend on how bad your child’s fracture is and whether other parts of his elbow are affected. Your child may need one or more of the following:

• Devices: Keeping the broken elbow from moving is very important. A splint or cast with a sling may be put on your child’s elbow and arm. This may be used to decrease pain and prevent further damage to the broken bones.
• Medicine: Medicines may be given to help with your child’s pain. Your child may need antibiotic medicine or a tetanus shot if he has a break in his skin.
• Supportive therapy: Ice packs may be put on your child’s elbow to decrease swelling, pain, and redness. Physical therapy may be needed once swelling and pain are gone. A physical therapist may assist your child with special exercises. This may help his elbow recover faster and become stronger.
• Surgery: Your child may need surgery with an elbow fracture, especially if his bones are out of place. It may also be needed if your child’s fracture does not heal with other treatments. Surgery helps return bones to their normal position by putting them together with pins, wires or screws. Surgery may also be done if your child has other injuries, such as nerve or blood vessel damage.

Child Hair Designs

Kids Hair Cut at Home

If your child is afraid of the hairdresser’s, then try to cut their hair at home. They will feel safe and comfortable and you will save time and money

. However if you don’t have any hair cut experience, you might want to seek out a step by step guide on children’s hair cutting.

Hair Care Troubles and Hair Tips for Kids

Trouble washing your child’s hair?
Try to use a mild shampoo in his or her favorite color or scent. Sometimes children are more willing to wash their hair with a fun shampoo, especially if it doesn’t sting their eyes.

If you’re having trouble combing their hair, try to create trust and reassurance by allowing them to comb and brush their own hair on their own terms.

Do not brush your child’s hair 100 strokes before bedtime in the traditional manner. Although combing the hair will promote shine and condition, brushing to this extend will over stimulate the sebaceous glands and make the hair greasy and heavy. Doing a quick brush to get the tangles out should be sufficient. Remember to use a comb on wet hair rather than a brush or you risk creating static electricity, which leads to breakage.

Some signs can show any type of child mistreatment

Aggressive, disruptive, and sometimes illegal behavior; Anger and rage, or feelings of sadness or other symptoms of depression; Anxiety or fears, or flashbacks and nightmares; Broken bones or internal injuries; Burns; Changes in a child’s behavior or school performance; Constant hunger or thirst; Cuts and bruises; Dirty hair or skin, frequent diaper rash; Drug and alcohol abuse; Hard-to-believe stories about how accidents occurred; Lack of interest in surroundings; Lack of supervision; Passive or withdrawn behavior; Poor self-image; Sexual acting out; Self-destructive or self-abusive behavior, suicidal thoughts; School problems or failure; The child seems guarded and startles easily; The child loiters at school or friends’ houses; The child seems reluctant to go home

Physical Signs of Child Abuse
1. Unexplained burns, cuts, bruises, or welts in the shape of an object
2. Bite marks
3. Anti-social behavior
4. Problems in school
5. Fear of adults

Emotional Signs of Child Abuse
1. Apathy
2. Depression
3. Hostility or stress
4. Lack of concentration
5. Eating disorders

Sexual Signs of Child Abuse
1. Inappropriate interest or knowledge of sexual acts
2. Nightmares and bed wetting
3. Drastic changes in appetite
4. Overcompliance or excessive aggression
5. Fear of a particular person or family member

Signs of Neglect
1. Unsuitable clothing for weather
2. Dirty or unbathed
3. Extreme hunger
4. Apparent lack of supervision

Children’s Thought

Muscle Weak Point

What is hypotonia?

Hypotonia is a disorder that causes low muscle tone (the amount of tension or resistance to movement in a muscle), often involving reduced muscle strength. Hypotonia is not a specific medical disorder, but a potential manifestation of many different diseases and disorders that affect motor nerve control by the brain or muscle strength. Recognizing hypotonia, even in early infancy, is usually relatively straightforward, but diagnosing the underlying cause can be difficult and often unsuccessful. The long-term effects of hypotonia on a child’s development and later life depend primarily on the severity of the muscle weakness and the nature of the cause. Some disorders have a specific treatment but the principal treatment for most hypotonia of idiopathic or neurologic cause is physical therapy and/or occupational therapy to help the person compensate for the neuromuscular disabilitySince the muscles that support the bone joints are so soft, there is a tendency for hip, jaw and neck dislocations to occur. Some children with hypotonia may have trouble feeding, if they are unable to suck or chew for long periods. A child with hypotonia may also have problems with speech or exhibit shallow breathing.

What causes hypotonia?

Hypotonia can be caused by a variety of conditions including those that involve the central nervous system, muscle disorders and genetic disorders. Some common causes can include but are not limited to Down syndrome, Muscular dystrophy, Cerebral palsy, Prader-Willi Syndrome, Myotonic dystrophy, Marfan syndrome and Tay-Sachs disease.Some hypotonias are not progressive and are of an unknown origin. Central nervous system function and intelligence in children with this kind of hypotonia, benign congenital hypotonia, is normal. Children with benign congenital hypotonia may not experience developmental delay, although some children acquire gross motor skills (sitting, walking, running, jumping) more slowly than most.

What are the symptoms of hypotonia?

The following are common symptoms associated with hypotonia. Each child may experiences symptoms differently. Symptoms vary depending on the underlying cause of the problem: decreased muscle tone, muscles feel soft and doughy ability to extend limb beyond its normal limit failure to acquire motor related developmental milestones (such as holding head up without support from parent, rolling over, sitting up without support, walking) problems with feeding (inability to suck or chew for prolonged periods) shallow breathing mouth hangs open with tongue protruding (under-active gag reflex) The signs and symptoms of hypotonia resemble that of other conditions. Always consult a physician for a diagnosis.

How is hypotonia diagnosed?

Your child’s doctor will obtain a medical history for your family and your child and will perform a physical examination that will likely include a detailed muscle function and neurological examination. The latter, also called a neuro exam, may be performed with instruments, such as lights and reflex hammers, and usually does not cause any pain to the child. The nervous system consists of the brain, the spinal cord, and the nerves from these areas.There are many aspects of this examination, including an assessment of motor and sensory skills, balance and coordination, mental status (the child’s level of awareness and interaction with the environment), reflexes, and functioning of the nerves. The following diagnostic tests may also be used. (Tests will vary depending on the suspected cause of hypotonia): blood tests computerized tomography scan (Also called a CT or CAT scan) – a diagnostic imaging procedure that uses a combination of x-rays and computer technology to produce cross-sectional images (often called magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) – a diagnostic procedure that uses a combination of large magnets, radiofrequencies, and a computer to produce detailed images of organs and structures within the body. EMG (electromyogram) – a test used to evaluate nerve and muscle function. EEG (electroencephalogram) – a test that measures the electrical activity in the brain, called brain waves. An EEG measures brain waves through small button electrodes that are placed on your child’s scalp. spinal tap – also called lumbar puncture, a spinal tap is done to measure the amount of pressure in the spinal canal and/or to remove a small amount of cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) for testing. Cerebral spinal fluid is the fluid that bathes your child’s brain and spinal cord. karyotype – This test, a chromosomal analysis from a blood test, is used to determine whether the problem is the result of a genetic disorder. muscle biopsy – a sample of muscle tissue is removed and examined under a microscope.

Treatment for hypotonia:

Specific treatment for hypotonia will be determined by your child’s physician based on: your child’s age, overall health, and medical history the extent of the condition the underlying cause of the condition your child’s tolerance for specific medications, procedures, or therapies expectations for the course of the condition your opinion or preference No specific therapy is required to treat benign congenital hypotonia, but children with this problem may periodically need treatment for common occurrences associated with hypotonia, such as recurrent joint dislocations. See Dislocations.Treatment programs to help increase muscle strength and sensory stimulation programs are developed once the cause of your child’s hypotonia is established. Such programs usually involves physical therapy through an early intervention or school-based program among other forms of therapy.

Chickenpox on Children

Chickenpox is a common illness among kids, particularly those under age 12. An itchy rash of spots that look like blisters can appear all over the body and may be accompanied by flu-like symptoms. Symptoms usually go away without treatment, but because the infection is very contagious, an infected child should stay home and rest until the symptoms are gone.

Chickenpox is caused by the varicella-zoster virus (VZV). Kids can be protected from VZV by getting the chickenpox (varicella) vaccine, usually between the ages of 12 to 15 months. In 2006, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended a booster shot at 4 to 6 years old for further protection. The CDC also recommends that people 13 years of age and older who have never had chickenpox or received chickenpox vaccine get two doses of the vaccine at least 28 days apart.

A person usually has only one episode of chickenpox, but VZV can lie dormant within the body and cause a different type of skin eruption later in life called shingles (or herpes zoster). Getting the chickenpox vaccine significantly lowers your child’s chances of getting chickenpox, but he or she may still develop shingles later.

Symptoms

Chickenpox causes a red, itchy rash on the skin that usually appears first on the abdomen or back and face, and then spreads to almost everywhere else on the body, including the scalp, mouth, nose, ears, and genitals.

The rash begins as multiple small, red bumps that look like pimples or insect bites. They develop into thin-walled blisters filled with clear fluid, which becomes cloudy. The blister wall breaks, leaving open sores, which finally crust over to become dry, brown scabs.

Chickenpox blisters are usually less than a quarter of an inch wide, have a reddish base, and appear in bouts over 2 to 4 days. The rash may be more extensive or severe in kids who have skin disorders such as eczema.

25 Signs That You Are Pregnant

Pregnancy (latin graviditas) is the carrying of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, inside the uterus of a female. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations, as in the case of twins or triplets. Human pregnancy is the most studied of all mammalian pregnancies. Obstetrics is the surgical field that studies and cares for high risk pregnancy. Midwifery is the non-surgical field that cares for pregnancy and pregnant women.

On the chart below are 25 of the most common signs of pregnancy and what they mean. You can also click the sign to get more information on each sign of pregnancy. The three categories of pregnancy signs are: possible, probable and positive.

When does Guidance become Manipulation?

Many homeschooling parents have puzzled over the distinction between “guidance” and “manipulation”. As a parent strongly committed to “unschooling” (learner-directed homeschooling) with my son Jason, now 17, I have sometimes wondered if I should encourage certain activities in spite of a lack of interest on his part, or at least remind him of areas he has ignored for a while. I was most likely to wonder about these things after reading about an unusually dedicated child who has excelled in a particular field of activity, such as music. It was at those times that John Holt, through his inspiring books, reminded me that trust is the most essential ingredient of a homeschooling program.

While it is indeed important to make a variety of subjects available to the child, I think that is almost impossible to avoid. This is the age of information. Children are surrounded by information of all kinds, through conversations, books, television, films, the Internet, stores, and nature. One day when Jason was five, he asked me about opera. This surprised me, as we had never discussed this topic. I asked what had led to his question, and learned it had been a Disney cartoon! He asked me several questions about types of operas, and we had a brief discussion. In spite of my own lack of interest in this subject, I trusted him to know if and when he would want more information. He knew that our encyclopedia had articles on opera, and that he could find additional information at the library, or from knowledgeable people. (These days, of course, virtually every topic is also covered on the Internet.) While modeling by the parent can be helpful, if the interest the parent shows is not sincere, it will have little value; I would never feign an interest in opera or anything else. Over the years I have often seen him study subjects at great depth despite my own lack of interest, and I trust him to set his own “curriculum” in this way.

A subject either “clicks” with Jason, or it does not – who knows why? Initially, art, astronomy, math, and physics “clicked” strongly; and over the years he has studied other areas as well. What would have been gained by requiring him to study those other areas sooner? The most likely result would have been resentment, frustration, and less interest in that particular area. If I can trust him to know what he needs to learn, and when he needs to learn it, he may some day become interested in the areas he has “missed” so far, and with that kind of inner motivation, he can learn them quickly. Even if he “misses” a subject all his life, there should be little reason for concern. After all, no one is interested in everything, nor is every field of study essential to living a good life.

In some circumstances, we should direct and model important concepts that children may not be ready to learn all by themselves – avoidance of danger, constructive handling of anger, peaceful conflict resolution, compassion for others, and so on. But does Shakespeare really fit into this category? I think not, and besides, what is the rush? There seems to be an unspoken assumption in our society that if a child has not mastered each and every subject by the age of ten, we have failed in our homeschooling. But a child has a lifetime to learn whatever interests him as an adult; homeschooling advocate John Holt demonstrated this beautifully, when he learned to play the cello in his 50’s.

Children are very adept at hearing our hidden messages. Regardless of how carefully we phrase it, when we tell a child that a certain activity is required, we imply that it must be so unpleasant or difficult that he would never want to do it on his own; otherwise, why are we going to the trouble of requiring it? No one has ever required a child to eat ice cream!

Another problem with requiring a child to do something is that it implies potential punishment. If the child refuses, then what happens? If we require a certain activity, and the child is unable or unwilling to comply, then we are forced into the position of either rescinding the requirement or punishing the child (if we do nothing, we weren’t really requiring the activity after all). If we punish, then we give many harmful messages to the child. As Susannah Sheffer, Editor of the homeschooling newsletter Growing Without Schooling once suggested, using force to further learning is a mistake because “it is discourteous and probably won’t work anyway, and the risks of doing it are so great.” 1 Perhaps one answer to the question, “When does guidance become manipulation?” is “when it becomes threatening”.

The goal of homeschooling is to help a child learn how to learn. At the same time, we should not dictate what that learning must be, or when it must take place. As John Holt so often reminded us, the simple truth is that we can and should trust children.

by Jan Hunt, M.Sc.

Child Psychology Studies

Child psychology – or, more broadly, developmental psychology – is not just the study of children, it is the study of you and me and how we came to be this way. Just as discovering your history can teach you about the future, so child psychology shows us what we once were and even what we will become.

Just because a study is old doesn’t mean it’s irrelevant. Indeed, the effects of many older studies are still being felt in psychology today. Generations of psychology students have wandered out of lectures, seeing themselves and other people in a new light. So, in this series of posts I look at ten studies that have changed psychology and the way we see humanity.

Have a read and vote for the one that most captures your imagination below.

1. What Are Babies Watching?

“What do babies understand about the world and how can you possibly find out, given that babies are not so hot on answering complex questions about their perceptual abilities?”

2. The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two.

“It’s not just Miller who was persecuted by this number though, it’s all of us. What this magical number represents – 7 plus or minus 2 – is the number of items we can hold in our short-term memory.”

3. Revolutionary Treatment of Depression

“It seems incredible that a successful form of psychological therapy could be based on telling people their thoughts are mistaken. And yet that is partly how cognitive therapy works.”

4. Euphoria Induced by Experimental Trickery

“Imagine it’s the 1960s and you’re a first year psychology student at the University of Minnesota. Being a brave soul, along with wanting a better final grade, you’ve agreed to take part in a psychology experiment. You’ve heard that it involves testing a new vitamin injection but that hasn’t put you off.”

5. Even 24,576 Measurements Couldn’t Prove Plants Have Souls

“It was Fechner who, with the publication of his masterwork Elements of Psychophysics in 1860, is often credited with helping to found experimental psychology (Fechner, 1860). Strange, really, for a man who set out to prove plants have souls.”

6. Stanley Milgram: Obedience to Authority Or Just Conformity?

“What psychological experiment could so be so powerful that simply taking part might change your view of yourself and human nature? What experimental procedure could provoke some people to profuse sweating and trembling, leaving 10% extremely upset, while others broke into unexplained hysterical laughter?”

7. Memory Manipulated After The Event

“…we examine the quality of our memories, in particular the ways in which memory can be changed after the event we are remembering. The work of Elizabeth Loftus has been extremely influential in this area as one of her early studies demonstrates.”

8. Personality or Situation? The Psychology of Individual Differences

“…what can psychologists tell us about the systematic differences between people? To answer this question I have to break the pattern just this once and include two studies, from two apparently warring factions of personality psychology.”

9. Nobel Prize-Winning Research on Risky Decision Making

“Would you bet £10 on the flip of a coin if you stood to win £20? So you’ve got a 50% chance of losing £10 and a 50% chance of winning £20. This seems like a good bet to take and yet studies show that people tend not to take it. Why?”

10. Sigmund Freud and Unconscious Mental Processes

“To really understand the revolutionary nature of Freud’s work you need to do something for me: to forget you’ve every heard of him or his ideas. Just lie back…relax….”

Child Employment

Child employment,Child labour, or child labor, refers to the employment of children at regular and sustained labour.

Not all work is bad for children. Some social scientists point out that some kinds of work may be completely unobjectionable — except for one thing about the work that makes it exploitative. For instance, a child who delivers newspapers before school might actually benefit from learning how to work, gaining responsibility, and a bit of money. But what if the child is not paid? Then he or she is being exploited. As Unicef’s 1997 State of the World’s Children Report puts it, “Children’s work needs to be seen as happening along a continuum, with destructive or exploitative work at one end and beneficial work – promoting or enhancing children’s development without interfering with their schooling, recreation and rest – at the other. And between these two poles are vast areas of work that need not negatively affect a child’s development.” Other social scientists have slightly different ways of drawing the line between acceptable and unacceptable work.

International conventions also define “child labor” as activities such as soldiering and prostitution. Not everyone agrees with this definition. Some child workers themselves think that illegal work (such as prostitution) should not be considered in the definition of “child labor.” The reason: These child workers would like to be respected for their legal work, because they feel they have no other choice but to work.