Signs of autism
Children ages 18 to 24 months old who don’t respond when you say their name and who don’t make eye contact to communicate with you could be exhibiting early signs of autism, says a report in the April 1 Woman’s Day.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all babies be screened for subtle indicators of autism at their 18-month and 2-year checkups.
That way, those suspected of having autism can get early intervention, says Dr. Scott M. Myers, co-author of the recent academy guidelines.
Besides the early-intervention program, the doctor should provide referrals to an audiologist to test for hearing problems and to an expert such as a developmental pediatrician, a child neurologist or a child psychiatrist who specializes in diagnosing autism- spectrum disorders.
Besides the first two signs of autism listed above, watch for the following:
* A child who doesn’t point at objects or look when you point at them.
* A child who doesn’t use words spontaneously.
* A child who doesn’t pretend in playing with toys, such as feeding a doll.
* A child who doesn’t imitate you.
Watch your contacts
Don’t get lazy about caring for your contact lenses or you could end up with an eye infection, redness, pain or even vision loss.
A story in the April 1 issue of Family Circle offers these guidelines for good lens “eye-Q”:
* Every night, sanitize lenses by rubbing each side with solution for 30 seconds.
* Put the lenses in a case and then fill it with solution to prevent floating lenses that may not get fully cleansed.
* Mark your calendar if you wear disposables so you change the monthly lenses the first of every month and two-week lenses on the 1st and 15th of the month.
* Remove your lenses before showering or swimming to avoid potential infection.
* Don’t sleep in your lenses. At worst, it can cause a corneal infection. At the least, the lenses could dry out and stick to your eyes.
* Clean and air-dry your lens case daily, and replace it every three months (because bacteria can get into the plastic).
Food-poisoning detection
If you think you’ve got food poisoning, it’s critical that your health department know so they can alert others before the problem spreads.
Common symptoms are abdominal cramping, vomiting and nausea, which can develop in less than an hour or over several days. But perhaps you aren’t sure what you ate and where you ate the offending food.
For help in finding the source and getting the message out, go to reportfoodpoisoning.com, a free Web site run by researchers and epidemiologists at the National Food Safety & Toxicology Center at Michigan State University. The site is part of a project being conducted as a way to help increase the reporting of food-borne disease. Currently, just one to two percent of food borne illnesses is reported.
The site helps you to recall what you ate as far back as four days before the symptoms started. After the questionnaire is filled in, the information is forwarded to your local health department, which will attempt to determine if the tainted food can be traced to particular producers or stores and to help control a potential community outbreak.
Test your brain
If you think your brain and memory are dulling down, head to the Web site sharpbrains.com/teasters and challenge yourself.
The free site offers fun ways to give your brain an entertaining workout. Bonus: You can read all about what actually makes your brain work too.
