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What Is Muscular Dystrophy?

There are several different types of muscular dystrophy, diseases characterized by progressive muscle weakness and wasting. Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy chiefly affects the muscles used in movement (skeletal muscles) and the heart muscle. The earliest symptoms are joint deformities called contractures that restrict the movement of the elbows, ankles, and neck. Affected individuals also experience muscle weakness and wasting that progresses slowly from the upper arms and lower legs and moving into the shoulders and hips. By adulthood, most people with Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy have heart problems. These come from abnormal heart rhythms and defects with the electrical signals that control … Continue reading →

What is Muscular Dystrophy (MD)?

Muscular Dystrophy is the general term for nine kinds of genetic disorders causing degeneration of the skeletal muscles of the human body. Our bodies require and manufacture specific proteins to support muscle development (like “food” for the muscles). In muscular Dystrophy, an error in genetic information causes the body to manufacture those proteins improperly, or not at all. This causes the muscles to slowly deteriorate. Sometimes this deterioration becomes evident very early in life, and other times it doesn’t appear until well into adulthood. A common form of muscular dystrophy which appears in childhood is called Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). … Continue reading →

Celebrities and Hurricane Gustav

While the major networks were watching Hurricane Gustav unleash its fury on Louisiana entertainment publications were keeping a close eye on celebrities watching what New Orleans mayor described as “the mother of all storms.” (Today Mayor Ray Nagin amended his description calling Gustav “the mother-in-law or the ugly sister of all storms.”) Which just goes to show that the media can spin practically any current events story into one that involves Hollywood’s biggest names. Yesterday I saw video of men working to board up Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s New Orleans home. The couple, which bought a home and lived … Continue reading →

Babies in the News: Robots for Babies

This has to be one of the best stories of 2007 in my opinion. Consider your baby for a moment. He likely explores everything: putting things into his mouth, scooting around the coffee table and pulling things down. Babies learn by exploring and those constant messes, toddles, and everything else that goes with having a toddler is all part of the normal developmental experience. What if your baby couldn’t move? What if his legs or arms were impaired in some way and his ability to explore was hampered? How would that impact his development? If you’re guessing that it would … Continue reading →

5 Red Flags That May Signal a Motor Development Problem

Experts say that it helps to think of motor development problems in terms of two categories: qualitative and quantitative. A qualitative disorder is something that is not normal in and of itself. Extreme stiffness in the limbs for example, is abnormal at any age. A quantitative disorder on the other hand, is when the behavior is appropriate but the timing is all off. For example, if your child is crawling but maybe shows no signs of walking well after one year. With that said, here are 5 red flags that something is not right in terms of motor development. 1. … Continue reading →

What is Your Mantra?

It’s always a good thing to have a vision or over-arching goal for our lives. When we have a child with a disability, that vision may become much clearer. For example, we probably never considered joining the cause to fight muscular dystrophy until we had a child with the condition. Or until we adopted a child who was abused, we may not have considered standing up for the rights of children. Having a child with a disability can make us more sensitive to the plights of others and bolster our resolve to make a difference. Whether we choose to advocate … Continue reading →

Swim, Laugh, and Thrive With Dolphins!

There is something powerful about humans interacting with dolphins. These tranquil, intelligent creatures have been shown to be gentle with children, almost sensing their vulnerability. The amazing impact that dolphins have on special needs children and adults has been documented and described frequently. Dolphin Assisted Therapy (DAT) has become an accepted and recognized form of treatment for children with disabilities of all kinds. Parents have reported that after their children had the experience of swimming with dolphins their ability to communicate increased, and they “opened up.” Children with pervasive development disorder and particularly those on the autism spectrum have often … Continue reading →