Parents, this book for children ages 2-4 will show you what to look for as your child grows and develops. Whether you read this story to your child online or have a hard copy of the book, ask your child to find the koala bears. Each page with a koala bear also has a star and milestone at the bottom just for you.  See if your 3-year-old is able to do some of the same things as Joey.

Amazing Me- It’s Busy Being 3!

The results of three new studies, published in the journal Nature, suggest mutations in parts of genes that code for proteins – called the exome – play a significant role in autism.

And while these genetic mistakes can occur across the genetic code, and many are harmless, they can cause big problems when they occur in parts of the genome needed for brain development. One of the three teams found these glitches may result in a five to 20 times higher risk of developing autism.  Read Entire Story…

That’s an increase from the one in 110 estimate released by the CDC just two years ago. The newer data, from 2008, also shows that autism is almost five times more common in boys than girls, with one in 54 boys diagnosed with the condition.

Why the steady uptick in cases? That’s not entirely clear, experts said.

About half of the increase is accounted for by better diagnosis, said Mark Roithmayr, president of the national advocacy group Autism Speaks. The reasons for the rest of the increase are not known, he added.  Read Entire Story…

Little Oakes Ortyl has spent most of his life in the hospital. He’s had a double lung transplant, two open heart surgeries and chemo to help him survive.

His parents took the experience and created the Mighty Oakes Heart Foundation to help other parents who spend time in the hospital.

The family has raised $100,000 so far and says Oakes will be headed home next month.

Because they’re not fully developed when born, premature babies have high rates of lung and heart problems (cardiorespiratory events) such as apnea (a pause in breathing that lasts more than 20 seconds) and bradycardia (periods of significantly lower heart rate).

The study, conducted in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) in Boston, included 14 extremely premature infants, born between 26 and 32 weeks gestation. Four times a day throughout their stay in the intensive care unit, each infant heard an audio recording of his or her mother’s voice and heartbeat.  Read Entire Story…

Researchers found that nearly 7 percent of boys aged 6 to 12 were diagnosed with ADHD overall, but the percentage ranged from 5.7 percent for those who were the oldest in their grade levels to 7.4 percent for the youngest. There was a similar gap for girls, although they’re much less likely to be diagnosed.

The findings, which are similar to those from U.S. studies, don’t prove definitively that any kids are being wrongly diagnosed with ADHD or being diagnosed purely because they’re younger than their peers.  Read Entire Story…

Overview of Early Intervention.

“What kids find visually appealing is very different than what appeals to their parents,” said Brian Wansink, professor of Marketing in Cornell’s Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management. “Our study shows how to make the changes so the broccoli and fish look tastier than they otherwise would to little Casey or little Audrey.”  Read Entire Story…