My Diabetes Journey: Part 2

By: Lindsay Dawson, Choosy Kids Social Media Account Manager

In the first part of my journey with Type 1 Diabetes, “Did You Know: Only 5% of People with this Disease Have it in This Form,” I discussed a lot of personal components to my story. I shared with each of you the fear I felt on the day I was diagnosed; I confessed the frustrations I endure now and again; and I expressed how imperative it is to channel negative energy into positive energy.

And this is what I’d like to discuss today. My life with Diabetes will always have victories and struggles - peaks and valleys. And learning (and actively choosing!) to see the positive side of struggle has helped me overcome nearly every valley that I have experienced. This is not just a practice I use with Diabetes; I try to do this every day of my life.

I certainly do not have as much to complain about as some, for I always say that my situation could be far worse than it is. Still, I am only human, and I get stressed out, anxious, frustrated, and discouraged like everyone else. When I have bad days – especially bad Diabetes days – it is so easy to slip into a negative mindset and stay there. Wallow. Exhaust myself in the frustration. But I have learned to take those moments for what they are, and allow them to motivate me into an even greater sense of positivity. How many people actually enjoy feeling discouraged? Not many! But how many people would feel a huge wave of accomplishment in overcoming discouragement? A lot!

Obviously, this is easier said than done. There are many times when I struggle with chaotic blood sugar readings - fluctuating for no reason at all, cutting a workout short at the gym, limiting my ability to enjoy a meal, exhausting my energy, and stealing my joy.  Since my diagnosis in 2001, I have made 4 trips to the ER for high blood sugar. The longevity of my diagnosis (despite my consistently diligent care) has left me with nerve damage within my digestive system, known as Gastroparesis. The anxiety that I deal with also causes unexpected spikes in my blood sugar.  When you’ve been a Type 1 Diabetic for 13 years, the negatives add up. And that is EXACTLY why I have to focus on the positive!  There are a lot of little things that could bog me down. But that would be silly!

There is so much in life to love. And I tackle my difficult times by doing the things that I love! As long as my blood sugar allows, I will go for a run or walk outside, hike at a local park, bike, or even go outside and take photos. I love being outdoors, and find my greatest reassurance from a pretty sunset or a good run. I also love to cook and try new healthy foods or recipes! I have a mental list of all the foods I want to explore. These include raw artichokes, raw beets, and poaching an egg.  Finally, I spend time with the wonderful people in my life (Diabetes is not something I could ever deal with on my own!), sing, listen to new music, play a new instrument, and blog!

So, thank you to each of you for letting me do something I love, and helping me cope with my Diabetes in the process!

I know many of you are parents and overcome obstacles every day! Whether big or small, we all have to take a deep breath and move forward. What do you do to overcome the obstacles in your life? Do you or someone in your family have a health issue that you’ve made better with a positive attitude? I’d love to hear your stories! Share with us your blog if you have one!

About the Author: Lindsay Dawson earned her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Studies and a minor in vocal performance from West Virginia University in 2012. In May of 2014, she graduated from WVU with a Master’s of Science in Integrated Marketing Communications. She has enjoyed working for several non-profits, and in addition to her position with Choosy Kids, Lindsay is currently employed as the Outreach Coordinator for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Morgantown, WV. Her ultimate career ambitions inspire her to combine her love of the arts with her passion for marketing, leadership, and civic engagement.

Autism Spectrum Disorder Social Stories

By: Rita Massullo & Caroline Ensor

What is Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)? That is a term you hear a lot in today’s world. And as much as you hear, there are many and varied perceptions. ASD is a developmental disability significantly affecting verbal and non-verbal social communication and social interaction. Other characteristics often associated with ASD are:

• Engagement in repetitive activities and stereotyped movements
• Resistance to environmental changes or changes in daily routines
• Unusual responses to sensory experiences.

As autism classroom teachers, we are presented frequently with questions from parents on how to introduce new activities, go through routines of the day and how to decrease anxieties which can cause behaviors.

Social stories are a great tool used to describe and/or teach a situation, skill or concept. The purpose of a social story is to improve the child’s understanding of the situation, skill or concept. They can share accurate information using a process, format, voice and content that is meaningful and physically, socially and emotionally safe for the child. For example:

1. I am starting a new school
2. I can eat new foods
3. I can go to the park
4. I can play with my friends

As we share this information with families on how to write social stories, we remind them to keep their child’s developmental level in mind, as they create a goal focused social story. Other factors to consider are length of the story, real vs. cartoon pictures, using “I” language and maintaining a positive and patient tone.

A good time to introduce and read the stories are before the activity or routine and while the child is in a calm and receptive state.  It is important to give the child opportunities to review the story frequently. You may also use the story as a visual aide to remind your child of expectations, steps of the routines and positive social behaviors.

There are a lot of resources out there, including free templates and examples. Here are a couple links that we have found helpful for our families.

1) Social Stories and Resources
2) Educate Autism - Social Stories
3) Challenging Behavior - Social Story Tips

Can you think of a social story to share with us about Choosy? We would love to start a social story collection!

In addition, join us in celebration for 2015 National Autism Awareness Month! #AutismUniquelyYou is a month-long social media campaign in April celebrating uniqueness and acceptance. It’s a simple concept – hand painting for a cause and raising awareness for the Autism Society. The campaign encourages people to paint their hands, make a video or take a picture of a unique product, share it on social media, and urge others to do the same! Share this how-to video with others.

Nearly a quarter century ago, the Autism Society launched a nationwide effort to promote autism awareness, inclusion and self-determination for all, and assure that each person with ASD is provided the opportunity to achieve the highest possible quality of life.  A popular way to promote autism awareness is to wear the Autism Awareness Puzzle Ribbon.

About the Authors: 

Rita Massullo, M.A., in Early Childhood Special Education and M.S., in Physical Education with a specialization in Motor Development, both from West Virginia University, has been working in education for over 30 years. She began to use her field of early childhood motor development with students after they were dismissed from physical therapy, and began to coach other teachers the importance of stability and balance on a child’s performance during other activities.  She held the lead position in helping to design a playground to include designs for special needs children at the school she worked in.  She went on to become a certified early child special education teacher and worked in West Virginia school systems, pairing general education and special education instruction within the universal classroom for 3-5 year olds. Rita had an opportunity to teach overseas, developing a nursery (3-4 year old) program in one of the United Arabic Emerites’ International Baccalaureate schools. Rita currently resides in Denver, Colorado, and works in Aurora Public School as an Early Childhood Special Educator.  She continues to teach in her “love area:” Autism.

Caroline Ensor, B.S. in Early Childhood Special Education, Elementary Education and a certification in Autism Spectrum Disorder from University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, has been working with children with autism for over six years.  Caroline was a line therapist for the Wisconsin Early Autism Project for three years where she did in-home Applied Behavior Analysis therapy as a part of a therapy team partnering with families.  She collaborated to teach children pre-academic, academic, daily living, communication, motor, play and social skills, while also breaking down behavior barriers. Caroline currently resides in Denver, Colorado and works for Aurora Public Schools as an Early Childhood Special Educator focusing on children with autism.

First Comes Brushing, Then Comes Flossing!

By: Amy Requa, MSN, CRNP

We have all heard about the key elements to excellent oral health and hygiene for young children: brushing their teeth twice a day, before bed and after breakfast, with a smear of fluoride toothpaste on a soft child-sized toothbrush; providing tooth-healthy drinks, such as water, instead of sugary beverages; flossing between teeth as soon as you see that they are touching each other; and taking your child for regular check-ups starting when the first tooth erupts. We’ve discussed creating good brushing habits with your children and starting regular check-ups when their first tooth appears, but what happens after they have been seen by the dentist and are on the way to mastering daily dental routines? 

On one of our recent posts, a mom mentioned that her little one likes to dip his/her toothbrush into a cup of mouthwash and rinse with that. It got me thinking, as I am sure many children would love to do that. What does it do to their teeth/mouth? Is it safe? 

The instructions on the label of mouthwashes is that children under six should not use the product. This is likely due to the fact that many, but not all, mouthwashes have a form of alcohol in their liquid and it is not safe to be swallowed in large amounts. This is something you will want to discuss with your child’s dentist. There’s no need to wait for your child’s next dental visit, just pick up the phone and call your dentist and ask for current recommendations! 

Also, it is important to understand that any ingredient that limits our normal production of saliva will actually be counterproductive and can even lead to more decay of our teeth. Saliva is very beneficial because it has a buffering effect on the “acid attack,” composed of acid waste products that are created when the bacteria in our mouths digest sugars and carbohydrates.

If your children are anxious to start copying your mouth washing techniques, my suggestion is to teach them how to floss instead. Flossing between two teeth that are touching is helpful because it breaks down the build-up of plaque between the teeth, which is essential to do because the toothbrush bristles cannot get in-between the teeth that are tightly spaced. It is important to help children with flossing because they do not have the manual dexterity to floss by themselves until they can write cursive. Be sure to move the floss gently under the gum line, where the germs causing decay are more likely to grow because that is where it’s dark and warm. The gum line is also where there are leftover food particles hanging out (which the germs love to eat). Flossing between our own teeth and our child’s teeth on a daily basis will disrupt the plaque traps and prevent the germs from building up. By demonstrating flossing between our own teeth on a daily basis, our children will want to copy us. 

The manufactured “flossers” for children are very helpful because they are easier to grasp for small fingers and they fit into small mouths more easily, plus they are colorful and animated looking! 

Have your children tried flossing? What age did they start? Remember to check out Choosy Kids CD and DVD collection for brushing songs and videos!

About the Author: Amy Requa, MSN, CRNP, CPNP-PC, is a board certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. She has 20 years of experience in public health nursing, maternal and child health, family and community health promotion and has extensive health expertise in oral health, childhood obesity prevention and child nutrition. Click here to learn more about Amy.

Diabesity: Prevention Is Possible

By: Dr. Linda Carson

We recently posted a blog by Lindsay Dawson who shared a very personal account of learning that she had a diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes when she was young. That blog made me reflect on my own experience with diabetes. My sister was diagnosed later in life with Type 2 diabetes, and since then she has lost much of her vision and one of her legs to this dreaded disease. In the past 15 years she has managed her diabetes with lifestyle changes and much healthier eating.

Type 2 diabetes used to be called adult onset diabetes but in recent years, the age of onset has moved younger and younger. Children as young as six have been shown to have elevated blood pressure and cholesterol. Childhood obesity has steadily increased over the past three decades. An interesting book written by Francine Kauffman, a pediatric endocrinologist, describes the consequences of our lifestyles of convenience. She says that we have designed comfy environments and foods (non-foods) that are going to do us in.

Dr. Kauffman also warns that diabetes and obesity are so linked together that soon physicians will be diagnosing them as a single syndrome known as diabesity. In fact, Diabesity is the name of her book. It is written for parents to help them understand ways to prevent both obesity and diabetes in children. The CDC has published trend maps that show how the prevalence of both obesity and diabetes has revealed a similar progression in recent years.

http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/data/center/slides.html

Experts agree that many cases of Type 2 diabetes and obesity can be prevented or minimized with healthy nutrition and physical activity. To be sure that your family is getting the preventive benefits from your food, try to eat more leafy green veggies, beans, and fruits. The fiber, vitamins, and minerals in plant-based food are what we should have everyday to nourish body and mind. Eating natural, unprocessed foods that are nutrient dense rather than calorie dense, will contribute to healthy metabolism and blood sugar levels.

For many, a daily diet of fresh fruits and veggies will also result in healthy weight loss! Wondering how to know if a food is nutrient dense? Think of it this way, if it is grown as a plant, try to eat more of that. If it is manufactured or processed in a “plant”, try to eat less of that. The processing takes away nutrition. And when selecting or preparing food for your family, remember the caution from Dr. Kauffman: We’ve designed environments and diets out of convenience that one day soon will do us in. Everyone is busy and convenience is wonderful, but lets all try to make healthier choices for our children and families.

So feed them well and move them more. Listen to a song by the same title and let us know what strategies you do to promote plant flavors, plant protein, and plant fiber?

About the Author: Linda Carson, Ed. D, is the founder and CEO of Choosy Kids, LLC, and the Ware Distinguished Professor Emerita at West Virginia University. An award winning, nationally recognized expert, Dr. Carson has devoted her career to promoting healthy preferences for young children and the adults who make decisions on their behalf. Click here to learn more about Linda.