The Boy Who Ran Away: In-Depth Look at Life and Death of Avonte Oquendo

The doctor told the mother not to worry, that the baby was only a little developmentally delayed. Some kids just do it on their own time, he said. So she brought him home and waited.

Vanessa Fontaine had the background, as a nurse and an experienced mother, to understand that something was different about Avonte. He was one year old and still not making eye contact. He’d started talking, saying “Mommy” and “Daddy,” but then just as suddenly he’d stopped saying anything at all. There were other symptoms, too. “He’d watch TV, but he wouldn’t play with toys,” she remembers. “He didn’t like any toy that I would buy him, no toy at all.”

Childhood Obesity Tied to Medical and Developmental Conditions, Researchers Find

While a great deal of research on childhood obesity has spotlighted the long-term health problems that emerge in adulthood, a new UCLA study focuses on the condition’s immediate consequences and shows that obese youngsters are at far greater risk than had been supposed.
Compared to kids who are not overweight, obese children are at nearly twice the risk of having three or more reported medical, mental or developmental conditions, the UCLA researchers found. Overweight children had a 1.3 times higher risk.

Study Finds Early Intervention Effective for Premature Infants' Development

Premature infants are born into a world their tiny bodies often are not ready for. Developmental differences between those babies and full-term infants often are apparent prior to a preemie’s discharge from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have documented.

Their study points to opportunities for therapeutic interventions — even in the first few weeks of life — to improve premature babies’ long-term outcomes.
The research, which focused on infants born at least 10 weeks early, is available online and will appear in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Pediatrics.

Poor Sleep Among Preschoolers Linked to Delays

New research suggests that sleep problems early in life may boost the risk of developmental disabilities by the age of 8.
Researchers found that kids who suffered from problems like sleep apnea and snoring in their infant, toddler and preschool years were more likely to need special education services for conditions such as speech and behavioral problems a few years later.

Study: Large Percentage of Hispanic Children with Autism Remain Undiagnosed

Maribel Hernandez is a mother of two young sons with autism, Max, 12, and Chris, 10, and she agrees with the importance of early intervention.
“Sometimes, as parents, we want to justify the behavior of our children, but we have to admit the behavior is not right,” she says. “For example, when I noticed my son stopped talking, I justified it saying that he was just looking for attention.”
UC Davis MIND Institute released this week the largest study to date comparing the development of Hispanic and non-Hispanic children and found a higher percentage of Hispanic children often have undiagnosed developmental delays, or autism.

Mom Demands a Voice in Daughter's Education

TAMPA -- For months, Veleria Fabiszak has pleaded with the Hillsborough County School Board to help her daughter, Chelsea.

The 20-year-old high school student has Rett syndrome, a neurological disorder that causes seizures and developmental delays.

Sometimes, Fabiszak shares a heart-wrenching story about how Chelsea's disease has stolen her ability to walk and talk, but not her desire to learn. Lately, the discussion has dissolved into a showdown between Fabiszak and district administrators.

Study Finds Quick Tests Help Spot Development Delays

A new study out of Canada can help parents and doctors ask the right questions to identify developmental delays in children.

BRITISH COLUMBIA -- Researchers with BC Children's Hospital and the University of British Columbia say two quick, low-cost questionnaires can help family doctors better identify developmental delays in children.
Parents can complete the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) or the Parents’ Evaluation of Developmental Status (PEDS) at home or in the family physician’s office, with the physician scoring the tests and providing results in a matter of minutes.

"It really asks them, 'Do you have concerns about your child's development in a number of areas?' so that's not too difficult for most parents to answer anyway," said family doctor and study co-author Dr. David Joyce.

"And just asking those simple questions about concerns is better than asking none of those questions at all."

Many Pediatricians Fail toTest Toddlers for Developmental Delays, Study Finds

Although there's been some improvement in the number of pediatricians checking toddlers for developmental delays, more than half still don't routinely do so, a new study finds.
In 2002, just 23 percent of pediatricians reported always or almost always using one or more standardized developmental screening tools for infants and toddlers up to 35 months of age. By 2009, that number had risen to just under 48 percent, reported the study.
Early detection of developmental issues such as autism or impaired hearing is key to initiating early and effective treatment, experts said.
"There's more and more evidence that starting early intervention can make a big difference in developmental outcomes than if we wait," explained study co-author Dr. Nina Sand-Loud, an assistant professor of pediatrics and a developmental-behavioral pediatrician at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and Dartmouth Medical School in Hanover, N.H.

Father, son stay connected through photography

Henrietta, N.Y. —

For Steven Tryon, photography is more than just a passion for capturing the world around him — it’s a chance to connect with his son, Robert.
For the past five and 1/2 years, Robert, 33, has lived in a group home in Webster through Heritage Christian Services, a human services agency supporting children and adults with developmental disabilities. Robert is what Steven, of Brighton, said is termed “developmentally delayed,” and he is non-verbal.
But by sharing with Robert his interest in photography, Steven said he has been able to stay close with his son.

Developmental delays surge in Oregon kids, and educators say that should mean increased services for them

The number of young children identified as having developmental delays has risen in Oregon, led mainly by a huge one-year surge in Multnomah County, the state reported Wednesday.
That's cause for celebration among special education leaders, who say many toddlers and preschoolers in need of help were missed in the past. Reaching those children and their families earlier with specialized help will pay off with big gains in their communication, social and motor skills, educators say.
An effort is underway, launched at the request of state budget co-chair Rep. Peter Buckley, D-Ashland, to update the way Oregon funds early special education services and to spend more money on it. The federal government mandates that Oregon serve students with disabilities from birth to age 5, but pays only about 20 percent of the $70 million annual cost.