Early Years 2012

Parents can startsigning to their

babies at any ageBy JENNIFER ROUSE

EARLY YEARS

It’s the situation everyparent of a toddler dreads:your child is tugging onyour pant leg and crying.He clearly wants some-thing. And you’d be glad togive it to him ... if only youhad any idea what thatsomething was.

That’s the kind of situa-tion Alyssa White is on a

mission toprevent.

The Cor-vallis moth-er of three isan instruc-tor of infantsign lan-guage class-es throughLinn-Ben-ton Com-munity Col-lege. She’sseen babiesas young as7 or 8months old— sixmonths be-fore theywould beready to

speak verbally — learn sim-ple signs to communicatewith their parents.

“It really lessens frus-tration,” White said. “Withsigning they can actuallytell you what they need.”

In the case of most fam-ilies who use infant signlanguage, both parent andchild have normal hearing.

The goal of signing is notto replace spoken lan-guage, but to provide a toolthat very small childrencan use in the first year ortwo of life. It’s the agewhere children begin towalk, play with toys, andfeed themselves — but be-fore their verbal abilitieshave developed. That’swhere the frustration usu-ally comes in.

“If she wants to playwith a certain thing, andshe’s pointing to a hugeshelf of toys, instead of justpointing and going ‘Eh! Eh!Eh!’ she can give me asign,” said Heidi Darden, ofCorvallis, who tookWhite’s class and still signsfrequently with her 20-month-old daughter.“Then I know exactly what

she wants.”

Any parent who has everput their finger to her lipsand said “Shhh!” can tellyou that signing and ges-turing are an innate part ofinfant communication. Butsigning with babies delib-erately has been growing inpopularity since the 1990s,when books and videos be-gan touting the idea.

White said parents canstart signing to their babiesat any age — the earlier thebetter — but the optimaltime for infants to begin

signing back is between 6-12 months. Most babieswho learn signs will con-tinue to communicate withsigns until about 18 to 24months, when verbal lan-guage takes over.

Some parents may fearthat sign language will de-lay their child’s speech de-velopment. However, along-term study publishedin the Journal of NonverbalBehavior in 2000 showedthe opposite: compared toa control group, toddlerswho had been taught sign

Wednesday, August 22, 20122 Albany Democrat-Herald, Albany, Ore., Corvallis Gazette-Times, Corvallis, Ore.

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SMALL WORLD SCHOOL

DAVID PATTON | EARLY YEARS

Megan McQueen of Albany teaches her daughters Ginger, 2, and Ruby, 5, sign language.

CLASS“Sign With

Your Baby”class, of-fered at theLinn-BentonCommunityCollege Ben-ton Center.Eight weeks,begins Sept.24. 10-11a.m. Mon-days. In-structor:AlyssaWhite.

Call 541-757-8944 formore infor-mation.

Teach the signs of communication

SEE SIGN LANGUAGE | 3

language scored higher intests of speech and com-prehension.

‘Like being bilingual’Megan McQueen of Al-

bany first learned sign lan-guage in college, and thenused it to communicatewith her daughters Ruby,now 5, and Ginger, now 2.She said that studying signlanguage in college taughther that speaking throughsign is not an inferior formof commu-nication,but a lan-guage in itsown right.

“It’s likebeing bilingual,” she said.“It boosts vocabulary inboth languages.”

Parents report that italso eases emotional prob-lems, which seems to bebacked up by research: a2007 study in the Journalof Applied Behavior Analy-sis tracked the episodes ofcrying and whining in tod-dlers. The researchersfound that episodes of cry-ing and whining decreasedsubstantially once the tod-dlers learned to use a signto communicate.

That’s something localparents say they’ve seen inaction.

“It’s always hard to saywhether something is justpersonality or if it’s due tothe signing, but I thoughtmy kids had very few melt-downs compared to theirpeers,” said McQueen. “Iattribute at least part of itto always being able to tell

me what they needed.”

So how do you go aboutteaching a baby too small totalk how to share herthoughts and feelings withher hands? And what if youdon’t speak sign languageyourself?

The key, White said, is tokeep it simple and consis-tent. While some parentsmight take a class and teachtheir children many signs— White’s oldest had a vo-

cabulary of100 at age 1 —other fami-lies reportthat even us-ing a few

signs is helpful. “Do whatyou’re comfortable with,while being consistent,”she said.

To start, pick a simplesign, such as “food” — youpinch the tips of your fin-gers together and then tapthem against your lips —and then use that signevery time you use thatword with your baby. “Doyou want food?” “Time forfood!” “Here is your food!”can all be accompanied bythe sign. You can gentlyguide your child’s hands tomake the correct motion aswell, but White cautionsagainst getting too pushy.

“Don’t do it if they’renot into it,” she said. “Youhave to respect their space,because they’re people too.Just spend a couple of min-utes playing with the sign.It’s not a lesson. It’s justmixed in with normal con-versation.”

You can repeat the

process with as manywords as you want—objectsyou see often around thehouse, or things you do fre-quently. Do your best to geton your child’s level whileyou speak and make thesign at the same time.

Learning curveLisa Forkner of Corval-

lis, who took the LBCCclass and signed with allthree of her children, saidthat baby sign languagewas extremely useful, butnot a 100-percent-effec-tive communication cure.Just like any new skill, signlanguage has a learningcurve.

Forkner recalls a timewith each child when itseemed like they were nev-er going to catch on. Evenwhen they did start sign-ing, it was hard to distin-guish words at first.

“You’re staring at yourbaby, thinking, ’Oh, he’sbanging his hands together.Is he saying ’more?’ Or ishe trying to say ’ball?’ Or ishe just mad about some-thing?” she said.

Eventually, say propo-nents of infant sign lan-guage, most children dolearn to sign clearly enoughto make their needs known.

If they learn enoughsigns, they can actuallybring up topics of conver-sation.

“I could look at mydaughter and see that she ismaking the sign for ’baby,’and realize she’s telling mesomething about her spe-cial baby doll. It’s like get-ting this little window intoyour 1-year-old’s brain,”Forkner said. “It gave usthe opportunity to knowthem a little better, at anearlier age.”

Wednesday, August 22, 2012 3Albany Democrat-Herald, Albany, Ore., Corvallis Gazette-Times, Corvallis, Ore.

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Ashbrook Independent

Here are signs parents reportusing most frequently:

Food/eat: Squish the tip ofyour thumb against the tip ofyour other four fingers, makinga flattened “o” shape, and tapyour hand against your lips.

Milk: Start with an open handand then squeeze it togetherinto a fist. The open-and-closegesture looks like milking a cow.

More: Make the flattened “o”shape with both hands, thentap your hands together.

All done/finished: Hold bothhands up, fingers spread, palmsfacing in, then rotate yourhands so they’re facing out, asif you’re pushing somethingaway from you.

Please: Take an open handand rub it flat against yourchest.

TOP FIVE STARTER SIGNS

www.babysigns.comwww.babysignlanguage.com

ON THE WEB

Sign languageContinued from page 2

By NANCY RASKAUSKASEARLY YEARS

“Young children will al-ways test boundaries.”

It’s a truism that assis-tant professor of human de-velopment and family sci-ence Shannon Lipscomb has

seen both inher researchon youngchildren’s de-velopment ofself-regula-tion andschool readi-ness, and asthe mom to a

4-year-old son.There’s a reason why the

time that infants grow moreand more independent andprogress into toddlerhood isknown as “the terribletwos” after all.

It can be a challengingtime for mom and dad.

“Sometimes parents yellor overreact,” she said in aninterview, but that can havenegative effects down theline in the child’s develop-ment and ability to dealwith negative emotions in ahealthy way.

Lipscomb is part of ateam of researchers thatfound that parents whoanger easily and overreactare more likely to have tod-dlers who act out and be-come upset easily.

The Oregon State Uni-versity-Cascades campusresearcher is the lead authoron the study – publishedthis spring in the journalDevelopment and Psy-chopathology and funded bythe National Institutes ofHealth – that looked at datafrom 361 families linkedthrough adoption (includingbirth parents and adoptivefamilies) in 10 different U.S.states, including Oregon.

Using adoptive families al-lowed researchers to isolatethe effect of parenting.

Parents self-reported onthemselves and on theirspouse’s parenting behaviorduring the study.

“By analyzing data aboutchildren’s genetic risks fornegative emotions in addi-tion to data on parentingand child development wewere able to isolate the ef-fect of parenting, separatefrom shared genetic back-ground,” she wrote. “Genet-ics played a role, but only forchildren that did not haveoverreactive parents. Whilegenetics can be important inthe development of chil-dren’s problem behaviors, itappears the strongest andmost consistent effects onchildren’s behavior comefrom parenting and thehome environment.”

Keeping your coolWhy is it so important

that parents keep their coolwhen children are upset,fussy or difficult to soothe?Prior research has consis-tently shown that childrenwith elevated levels of“negative emotionality”during these early yearshave more difficulties with

emotion regulation andtend to exhibit more prob-lem behavior when they areof school age, Lipscomb ex-plained. They also tend tohave more temper tantrumsor act out more as 2-year-olds than is normal for theirage.

“And those with thebiggest increases in prob-lem behavior also appearedto have parents who overre-acted to their early out-bursts,” Lipscomb added.

Still, “as important asparenting is, it’s not every-thing,” Lipscomb said.Everyone is born with a pre-existing temperamentbased on their genetic pre-disposition. Parenting hasan important effect on chil-dren’s development, buteach child starts in a uniqueplace based on his or her in-herited factors and person-ality.

Genetics played a role,particularly in the case ofchildren who were at genet-ic risk of negative emotion-ality from their birth moth-ers, but were raised in a

low-stress or less-reactiveenvironment.

The study was compre-hensive in that it exploredboth the genetic and envi-ronmental influences sepa-rately and in tandem. “I liketo get away from the men-tality of genetics versusparenting (or environ-ment),” Lipscomb said.

The study focused onnegative actions that par-ents should avoid and noton the effectiveness of spe-cific discipline techniques;however, generally, the lit-erature suggests that par-ents should avoid permis-sive parenting (where kidsare allowed to make theirown rules). Lipscomb sug-gests that parents set clearboundaries and when a lim-it is clearly broken – saywhen one sibling hits an-other – that parents set aconsequence (such as atimeout) and stick to it.

If a parent is consistent,the child will eventually stoptesting that limit as often, ifa parent is inconsistent then


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CORVALLIS IN-DOOR PAR

Study: Yelling makes bad behaviors worseWhen your infant acts up or

tests limits, here’s advicefrom experts, including Ore-gon State University assistantprofessor Shannon Lipscomb:

• Don’t yell or appear angry.• Remain firm, confident

and don’t overreact.• Set an example with your

own emotions and reactions.• Set a consequence and

stick to it.Read the full journal article

at this web address:http://bit.ly/wPs4dT

DON’T OVERREACT!

Lipscomb

SEE BEHAVIOR | 5

By NANCY RASKAUSKASEARLY YEARS

It may be uncanny justhow good your toddler is atoperating your iPhone ortablet, but that doesn’tmean that using it as a wayto keep junior entertainedis always a good idea.

In a recent study, re-searchers at Oregon StateUniversity confirmed thatU.S. children are increas-ingly sedentary, spendingmore time sitting andlooking at electronicscreens. Most disturbing tolead author David Schary isthat children ages 2 to 4,with parents rangingacross the board from “au-thoritative” to “neglect-ful,” were sitting morethan several hours per day.

The research team alsofound that parents are amajor factor in whetheryoung children are on themove.

“I think one of thebiggest surprises that we

found was overall (screentime) was a lot higheracross all parenting stylesthan we had expected; anaverage of about four hoursa day in activities likewatching TV and quiet playsuch as reading or color-ing,” Schary said.

Because kids and adults

tend to become moresedentary over time, it’simportant that toddlersspend the maximumamount of time in activeplay in order to set thestage for a healthy life,Schary explained.

“When we see this trendof even the most support-

ive parents having childrenthat are more sedentary,it’s a little disturbing,” hesaid in an interview. “It’sinteresting on how large ofa role of technology isplaying at such a youngage. Is it a good or a badthing? We’re just not sureyet.”

The findings were pre-sented in two studies pub-lished in a special issue ofthe journal Early Child De-velopment and Care devot-ed to “Parental Influencesof Childhood Obesity” thisspring.

About 200 participantswere in the OSU studiesand 72 percent of the sur-vey respondents came fromOregon, Schary said.

The researchers collect-ed data in online surveysover a three-to-fourmonth period. Parentsself-reported on how muchtime their child was physi-cally active, how often

a child will naturally keeptesting them.

As a mother herself, Lip-scomb has had momentswhere she’s had to heed herown advice to remember tostay calm when her sontests limits over and over. Itcan be hard to stay patient.“It’s important for parentsto take their own timeouts,and be careful not to over-react and take it out on theirkids,” she said.

Data for the study came

from the Early Growth andDevelopment Study, a 10-year longitudinal study ofadopted children and theiradoptive and birth parents.The study is being conduct-ed through the Oregon So-cial Learning Center and thePennsylvania State Univer-sity, under the direction oflead researchers Leslie Leveand Jenae Neiderhiser. Lip-scomb started working onthe project in 2006.


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SOFT STAR SHOES|

BehaviorContinued from page 4

Get your kids off to an active startResearchers worry over increased time young children spend glued to screens

SEE ACTIVE START | 6

their child watched screen-based media (such as TV orcomputer time) as well as anumber of other questions.

The survey results wereconfidential and not tied tospecific parents.

“We hope that this helpsparents be more honest,”Schary said.

Four parental typesBased on their respons-

es, the research teamgrouped parents into fourcommonly used scientificcategories – authoritative(high warmth and control),

authoritarian (controlling,less warm), permissive(warm, low control), andneglectful (low control andwarmth).

Overall, they found thatchildren who had “neglect-ful” parents, or ones whoweren’t home often andself-reported spending lesstime with their kids, weregetting 30 minutes morescreen time on an averageeach weekday, and evenmore on weekends.

Because the surveygroup was heavily weightedto Oregon parents, Schary

is careful not to generalizethe findings into a nationaltrend. “It’s kind of a fineline in balancing the datathat we have, with trying tomake it more universal tohelp all parents,” he said.

“It’s also tricky whenyou set up the surveys, be-cause you don’t want theparents answering the sur-veys the way they thinkthat they should be an-swering them. We reallywant to get a real snapshotof the parents, and obvi-ously try to be as objectiveas we can – not try to passany judgment on themwhile they’re taking thesurvey,” he said.

“And also, when wewrite up the results, we


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BENTON COUN-TY HEALTH

Active startContinued from page 5

Bradley Cardinal sayssedentary behavior goesagainst the natural tenden-cies of most preschool-agechildren.

“Toddlers and preschool-agechildren are spontaneousmovers, so it is natural for themto have bursts of activity manyminutes per hour,”said Cardi-nal, a professor of social psy-chology of physical activity atOregon State University. “Wefind that when kids enterschool, their levels of physicalactivity decrease and overall, itcontinues to decline through-out their life. Early life move-ment is imperative for estab-lishing healthy, active lifestylepatterns, self-awareness, socialacceptance, and even brainand cognitive development.”

“A half an hour each daymay not seem like much, butadd that up over a week, thena month, and then a year andyou have a big impact,”

Cardinal made his com-ments in a previous press re-lease on the topic from OSU.

Added David Schary, a doc-toral student in the College ofPublic Health and Human Sci-ences at OSU: “One child maybe getting up to four hoursmore active play every week,and this sets the stage for therest of their life.”

In a separate study, Scharyand Cardinal looked at thesame group of participantsand asked about ways parentssupport and promote activeplay. They found that parentswho actively played with theirkids had the most impact, butthat any level of encourage-ment, even just watching theirchild play or driving them toan activity, made a difference.

“When children are veryyoung,playing is the main thingthey do during waking hours,soparental support and encour-agement is crucial,”Schary said.“So when we see preschool chil-dren not going outside muchand sitting while playing with acellphone or watching TV,weneed to help parents counteractthat behavior.”

ACTIVE PLAY

SEE ACTIVE START | 7

By MIKE McINALLYEARLY YEARS

Here’s the bad news forparents who may fret aboutthe possibility of mental ill-ness in their children:

Seventy percent of men-tal illness starts before theage of 14, said Dr. CarolineFisher, a child psychiatristwho was raised in Corvallisand recently returned to themid-valley to practice atSamaritan Mental HealthFamily Center.

But here’s the good news,said Fisher: It’s treatable,and the earlier mental illnessis diagnosed, the better thechances are that treatmentwill be successful.

“We have some spectacu-lar successes in child psychi-atry,” she said in a recent in-terview for Early Years.

And her message wasconsistent: Parents are well-suited to assess their ownchildren. If a child is showingextremes of behavior thatparents don’t see in otherchildren, it could be a signalthat some professional con-sultation would be helpful.

“Parents have good guts,”said Fisher. “They knowtheir kids. They really doknow their kids.”

And early interventionoften makes the differencebetween successful treat-ment and bigger issues downthe road.

But yet, parents can bereluctant to have a childevaluated for possible men-tal illness.

Part of the issue there,she said, is that “a lot of peo-ple see mild mental illness asa character flaw” and thenask “Why should we investin (treating) this, when it’sjust a character flaw?”

“But it’s not a characterflaw,” she said. “It’s an ill-ness. It’s treatable.”

She offers a couple of ex-amples from her experience:

• A 10th grade girl —beautiful and outgoing and“adorable,” Fisher said —was underperforming atschools to the point whereshe had been bounced out offour different privateschools. Finally, doctors rana full appraisal of the girl andreviewed her history. The di-agnosis: mild retardation. “Itbroke my heart,” Fisher said.“Had that been caught whenshe was 5,” she would havereceived a variety of tutoringservices.

• A 2½-year old child

don’t want to be conde-scending or judgmental inany way. We just try topresent the facts … not tosay this particular parent isa bad parent, just that par-ents in this category mightwant to consider a fewthings, if they want theirchildren to be active.”

“Being an exercise andsports science department,we think it’s important(that children stay active),but every family has theirown priorities and some-times physical activity is,unfortunately, not a priori-ty,” Schary said.

“We don’t want tonegate the importance ofquiet play, such as readingor coloring, because bothare important,” he added.

How much is too much?As a general guideline,young kids should spendtwo hours or less on seden-tary activities daily, Scharysaid. Nap times and mealtimes don’t count towardthe total.

It’s especially importantfor parents to put the focuson activity at home, asshifting academic priori-ties and tight budgets re-strict school systems’ abil-ity to provide an active dayfor students.

“The education envi-ronment right now is notreally promoting activity ina healthy way, whether it isovercrowded classrooms,not enough resources tohave a P.E. teacher or haveto have recess,” Scharysaid.

Schary is a doctoral stu-dent in the College of Pub-lic Health and Human Sci-ences at OSU. Bradley Car-dinal, a professor of socialpsychology of physical ac-tivity at OSU, co-authoredboth papers with Schary.Paul Loprinzi, who com-pleted his doctorate at OSUand is now at BellarmineUniversity in Kentucky,also contributed to thestudy.


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GOOD SHEPHERDLUTHER

Active startContinued from page 6

SEE MENTAL ILLNESS | 8

Early diagnosishelps in treatingmental illnesses

Here is general advice toparents from Dr. CarolineFisher, who specializes inchild and adolescent psychia-try.

1. Listen to your gut. If youhave a sense that something’swrong with your child, don’tignore it.

2. Look for extremes of be-havior that aren’t like the be-havior you see in other chil-dren.

3. Don’t be afraid to seekprofessional help.

ADVICE

whom, as Fisher recalled, “spoke only tomy shoelaces,” was unable to point toobjects and in general had no sense ofsocially appropriate behavior. The diag-nosis was autism, and the child startedon a regimen of intensive behavioraltreatment. Today, the boy is doing wellin kindergarten, an example of how earlyintervention can make a big difference.

An initial step for parents who are

consulting with mental health profes-sionals is a session at which parents canexpect plenty of questions. “The firstthing we do is ask way too many ques-tions,” Fisher said.

But the whole idea is to gather asmuch information as possible, to seewhich parts of the puzzle fit where.

“Our first job is to get as much in-formation as possible from the family,”she said. “Once we can figure out thepattern, it’s not so hard.”

And once a diagnosis is made, theillness typically can be treated. “It’s re-markable how treatable they really are,”she said.

And that, she said, is what has kepther in the field. Fisher majored in eco-nomics at Dartmouth — “it’s an easysubject, but you never have to be right,”she joked — but found that the experi-ence she really enjoyed in college wasvolunteering to help with activitiestherapy. That fueled an urge to becomea psychiatrist, and the specialized fieldof child psychiatry proved attractive aswell.

“I’ve never wavered” from thatearly decision, she said.

Why not?“The kids get better.”


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ALBANY CHRISTIAN SCH

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LINN BENTON COMMUNIT

AMANDA COWAN | CORVALLIS GAZETTE-TIMES

Dr. Caroline Fisher is pictured at Samaritan Mental Health Family Center on Aug. 3 with some of thebooks and toys she uses while working with small children.

Mental illnessContinued from page 7

By MARIA L. KIRKPATRICKEARLY YEARS

Good Samaritan RegionalMedical Center is setting it-self up as a breast milk depot.

Using $5,000 in grantmoney, Samaritan purchaseda high-quality freezer for itsCenter for Women and Fami-lies to help collect breast milkdonations, which will beshipped to a milk bank forprocessing.

Debbie Heim, nursingmanager for the Center forWomen and Families at GoodSam, said it has been a long-time Samaritan goal to be-come a breast milk donorsite.

“Because we have a highbreast feeding rate here inCorvallis and at the hospital,”Heim said. “It is one of thecore measures nationally forhospitals to initiate breastfeeding in the hospital withno supplementation of for-mula. That’s always our goal.Unless it is medically indi-cated, we strongly encouragemoms to breast-feed.”

The benefits of breastmilk are numerous andSamaritan has trained staff inbreast feeding to supportmothers as they nurse theirnewborns. Many mothers areable to produce enough tohelp babies in need, Heimsaid.

Most milk recipients areinfants in neonatal intensivecare units. Heim saidSamaritan uses lots ofbanked milk in its NICU forits antibodies.

There always is a need forbreast milk donors and, Heimsaid, many moms have askedhow they can donate. Thefirst step is contacting theMother’s Milk Bank in Col-orado. Samaritan’s locationnow makes the process easier

and drop-off more accessi-ble. Samaritan can providepaperwork, testing services,draw blood and ship milk.Before, those chores had tohandled by donors, who arenot compensated.

Until now, donors havehad to get their breast milk toNewberg, where it would bescreened and shipped to amilk bank.

There are only two milkbanks west of the Mississip-pi: San Jose, Calif., and Den-ver. Heim said a third loca-tion in Portland is in theworks.

Milk banks collect,

screen, process and dispensehuman milk to meet babyneeds. All donor human milkhas been pasteurized andfrozen.

Donors must be healthy,nonsmokers who aren’t onany medications and must bewilling to donate a minimumof 150 ounces.

“Most moms, if they arepumping, are able to easilycollect six ounces,” Heimsaid.

Samaritan has enteredinto a contract with the milkbanks agreeing to follow cri-teria to ensure the milk meets

all requirements.To qualify, donors must

not consume more than 24ounces of caffeinated drinksper day and cannot regular-ly consume alcohol (there isa 12 hour waiting period af-ter consuming alcohol be-fore pumping for the bank).Other health requirementsand restrictions may apply.Potential donors shouldspeak with their doctor be-fore proceeding.

For information on do-nating or purchasing donat-ed breast milk, visitwww.milkbankcolorado.org.


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NOAH'S ARK PRESCHOOL

Samaritan becomes breast milk depotON THE

WEBFor information

on donating orpurchasing donat-ed breast milk,visit www.milkbankcolorado.org.

The freezer where donatedbreast milk will be stored atGood SamaritanRegional Medical Center in Corvallis.

ANDY CRIPE | EARLY YEARS

Donated breast milk will bestored at -21 degrees C at GoodSamaritan Regional MedicalCenter in Corvallis.

SAMARITAN HEALTH SERVICES

With September justaround the corner, gettingchildren prepared for schoolis on the minds of all par-ents. And there’s one simplething parents can do eachday to help young childrenbe successful in school andin life – reading.

In fact, reading has somany positive benefits forchildren, pediatricians aredoing more than prescrib-ing traditional health andwellness to families; theyare also prescribing books.

Pediatricians in the mid-valley are helping familiesprepare children aged 6months through 5 years tosucceed in school by pro-viding books to children totake home and keep at theirwell-child check ups.

According to Dr. CarrieColmenares, with SamaritanMid-Valley Internal Medicine& Pediatric Specialists inNorth Albany, the initiative ispart of a nationwide literacyprogram called Reach Out andRead, an evidence-based, re-search tested program modelthat was developed by pedia-tricians in 1998.

“The emphasis of ReachOut and Read is to encour-age parents to read aloud toand with their children,”said Colmenares.

“Reading aloud to chil-dren not only enhancestheir neurocognitive devel-opment but also helps chil-dren develop languageskills, supports schoolreadiness and helps chil-dren succeed in kinder-garten and throughout theirschooling,” she said.

In addition to providingbooks, pediatricians talkwith parents about the im-

portance of reading to theiryoung children every day,and offer age-appropriatetips and encouragement.

The program got underway at Samaritan Mid-Val-ley Internal Medicine & Pe-diatric Specialists thisspring, and Colmenares hasalready seen some positivechanges.

“The program works,”she said. “The children whoI see that are part of thisprogram have larger vocab-ularies, stronger languageskills, and a six-month de-velopmental edge over theirpeers,” she said.

Reach Out and Read firstbecame available locally inLebanon at Mid-Valley Pe-diatrics in 2008, followedby Samaritan Pediatrics inCorvallis in 2010. The earlyliteracy programs are fund-ed by local hospital founda-tions and donors who givespecifically to Reach Outand Read.

“Children and their par-ents are loving the program.I see the child’s face light upwhen they receive a book attheir pediatric checkupsand it really helps solidifythe patient-physician rela-tionship,” said Colmenares.“It also helps the pediatri-cian observe the child’s de-velopment during thecheckup to see how thechild handles the book,looks through it, and howthe child interacts withtheir parent while readingthe book.”


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CORVALLIS WALDORF SC

WWW.SXC.HU

ON THE WEBFor more information about

the Reach Out and Read pro-gram, visit www.reachoutandread.org/.

A prescription for literacy

New parents and parents-to-behave all sorts of choices when itcomes to finding reference materi-als to help them through the chal-lenges and joys of raising children.

But with so many choices, par-ents also could use a little guid-ance to help find the most usefulbooks and other materials.

So we consulted with experts atThe Corvallis Clinic for their choic-es. Here are some of the responses:

• Dr. Patrick Allender, a pediatri-cian, said: “I frequently recom-mend ‘Children: The Challenge,’ byRudolf Dreikurs. It is easy to readand engaging and gives parents in-sights into children’s sometimesfrustrating behaviors.

• Dr. Eunju Metzler, a pediatri-cian, said: “For preteens, I recom-mend ‘Rollercoaster Years,’ byCharlene Giannetti and MargaretSagarese and ‘In The Shelter ofEach Other,’ by Mary Pipher.

• Kelly Ward, a registered nurseand a lactation consultant, said:“We often recommend ‘The Happi-est Baby on the Block,’by Dr. Har-vey Karp. It discusses colic and the5 Ss to soothe a crying baby.”

And here are some recommen-dations from the clinic’s list ofsuggested titles:

First year• “Caring for Your Baby and

Young Child, Birth to Age 5,” byThe American Academy of Pedi-atrics, 2009. An excellent homereference, even for the most expe-rienced parents. Clinic patients re-ceive the book as a gift at their 2-week “well-baby visit.”

• “Your Child’s Health,” by Bar-ton Schmitt, 2005. Another excel-lent, easy-to-use guide to thehealth and development of chil-dren from birth through the pre-school years.

• “What to Expect: The FirstYear,” by Eisenberg, Murkoff &Hathaway, 2008. A very popularand comprehensive reference forparents of newborns.

• “Solve Your Child’s SleepProblems,” by Richard Ferber,2006. An excellent and compre-hensive guide to sleep problemsin childhood. A must if your childcan’t sleep and you can’t either.

• “Best Baby Products,” from Con-sumer Report Books.Updated everyone to two years.This is an excellentsource for safety and reliability infor-

mation on all kinds of baby careequipment,both large and small.Available as an in-library reference atthe Corvallis-Benton County PublicLibrary and online for a small fee forone month of use.

Second year• “What to Expect: The Toddler

Years,” by Eisenberg, Murkoff andHathaway, 2007.

• “Toddlers and Parents,” by T.Berry Brazelton, 1989. An accu-rate discussion of early child de-velopment and sensible approachto common problems.

• “Touchpoints: Your Child’sEmotional and Behavioral Devel-opment,” by T. Berry Brazelton,2006. More about developmentby one of the nation’s leading au-thorities.

• “Beyond Discipline,” by Ed-ward R. Christophersen, 1998. Awonderful little book that helpsyou help your child to become acaring, responsible adult.

WebsitesHere are some websites recom-

mended by experts at The Corval-lis Clinic:

• kidshealth.org: One of themost comprehensive resource forall topics related to child healthand development.

• healthychildren.org: AmericanAcademy of Pediatrics Web sitewith a wealth of information andextensive links to other sources.

• familyvoices.org: An extensiveresource and heavily linked sitefor parents of children with spe-cial health care needs.

• parentsaction.org: Parent’sAction for children is an excellentsource of information in DVD andpamphlet format on topics relatedto child development, nutrition,school readiness, special needsand much more.

• pathwaysawareness.org; A re-source for parents of children withdelays in early motor (movement)development.

• mchlibrary.info: The Maternaland Child Health Library atGeorgetown University features acomprehensive portal to all infor-mation on child health and devel-opment.

• mayoclinic.com: A reliable andextensive resource for health in-formation.


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READING LIST FOR PARENTS

By MARIA KIRKPATRICKEARLY YEARS

Heart health is impor-tant at Samaritan HealthServices and catching heartdefects early can make alife-or-death difference.

That’s why Samaritan’sCenter for Women andFamilies now checks allnewborns for life-threaten-ing congenital heart de-fects.

Using pulse oximetryscreening, doctors can readthe oxygen level in a baby’sblood to detect congenitalheart defects.

Dr. Julia Paz, medical di-rector of Samaritan’s pedi-atric hospital program, be-gan a year ago to encouragestaff to look into this heartscreening. As of June 1, allbabies are screened 24hours after birth or beforethey go home to rule out thepossibility of heart defects.

The process is easy, saidDebbie Heim, nursing man-ager for the Center forWomen and Families atGood Samaritan RegionalMedical Center. There wasno reason not to include thetest in standardized testingon newborns.

Testing involves a nonin-vasive probe on a hand andthe opposite foot to meas-ure oxygen circulation lev-els.

About 12 out of every10,000 babies born in theUnited States are born withcritical congenital heart de-fects, reports the Centersfor Disease Control andPrevention. Heart defectsaccount for 24 percent ofinfant deaths.

There are seven classi-fied critical congenital heartdefects. Visible problems


The heart monitor in action at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Corvallis.


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Oxygen sensor helps check for heart defects

SEE OXYGEN SENSOR | 13

may not be present at birthand babies can appearhealthy and may be senthome before a defect is de-tected. There is significantrisk for death or disability ifthe heart defect is not diag-nosed and treated soon afterbirth.

Samaritan handles about1,100 births each year andwhile the test hasn’t yetcaught any defects, Heimsaid it is important forSamaritan to offer this aspart of newborn screening

because it’s a simple testthat can make a big differ-ence.

Previously, prenatal ul-trasounds or physical examswere how doctors looked forheart defects. Adding pulseoximetry increases thechance of finding a defect.

“Nothing is 100 percentbut between all three checkswe can pick up more,” Pazsaid. “If we detect it earlier,babies have a better out-come.”


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Oxygen sensorContinued from page 12


Eric Culver plays with his 26-hour-old daughter Arainna Culverwhile perinatal nurse Cindy Lefton monitors her blood oxygen satu-ration at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Corvallis.

EARLYYEARS

A baby changes every-thing, including your bankaccount balance. Whilemany expenses are un-avoidable, new parents cancut significant costs withsome planning and creativi-ty.

“Take time to evaluateyour baby needs versuswants,” said Mike Sullivan,director of education forTake Charge America, a na-tional nonprofit creditcounseling agency based inPhoenix. “Many productsand services are marketedas essential, but they’re re-ally not. Be cautious of gim-micks and stick to purchas-es you know are crucial toraising a healthy and happybaby.”

Before reaching into yourwallet for the latest andgreatest baby “essentials,”review Sullivan’s money-saving tips for new parents,as reported in a news releasefrom Take Charge America:

1. Baby budget: Revise(or create) a new householdbudget, adding up the coststhat will arrive the momentyour baby does. Among thecategories to consider:health care, child care, dailybaby needs, mom gear andtransportation.

2. Maternity leave:Many working moms get sixweeks or more of maternityleave. Is your leave unpaid?Do you have a savings bufferto cover your family’s livingexpenses? Can you use ac-crued sick and vacationdays during your leave? Ifmoney is a concern, beginsetting aside extra cash asearly as possible to ease thefinancial burden of mater-nity leave.

3. Brands: Be careful

not to stock up on too manyitems of the same brand –like bottles, binkies and for-mula – until you’re sureyour baby likes them. And,if an “essential” item isavailable in a dependable,lower-priced brand, con-sider trying that one out in-stead.

4. Luxury baby items:Many parents feel pressuredto buy luxury gear, but re-member that your babywon’t know the differencebetween a no-name swingand the top-of-the-linemodel.

5. Newborn gear:Don’t buy many “newborn”outfits or onesies. Yourbaby will outgrow them in afew weeks.

6. Choose “convert-ibles”: Seek out baby fur-niture and other necessitiesthat have multiple uses. Forinstance, buy a playpenwith an optional bassinet or

a crib that converts to a tod-dler bed.

7. Buy used: Whilethere are a handful of itemsyou should always buy new,such as car seats and breastpumps, consider browsing

consignment stores andgarage sales for toys, swingsand strollers.

8. Choose your reg-istry wisely: You will likelyreceive gifts of clothing andblankets from friends andfamily. When planning yourgift registry, select necessi-ties your loved ones may notthink to buy. Sites likebabycenter.com can helpyou choose items.

9. Stock up: Buy thejumbo box of diapers andthe largest-available canis-ter of formula. And whenit’s on sale, stock up. Thisapplies to clothes, too, butkeep in mind your baby’sage and be sure to buy sea-sonally appropriate cloth-ing.

10. Sign up for sam-ples and coupons: Ware-house stores as well asbrands like P&G, Huggies,Pampers, Enfamil and Simi-lac give generous samplesand coupons to new par-ents. Get on their email andmailing lists. Newspaperscan be good sources forcoupons as well.


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Take steps to raise your child on a budget

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By MIKE McINALLYEARLY YEARS

Linn-Benton Communi-ty College has been offeringeducation for parents forjust about 40 years. Now,working with a long list ofcollaborators in both Linnand Benton counties, it’staken a leap into cyberspacewith a site that offers awealth of information andresources for parents.

The website ParentingSuccess Network (online atparentingsuccessnetwork.org) has been up now forabout a year, and the word isgetting out: Cyrel Gable, anLBCC faculty member whocoordinates the site, saystraffic is steadily growing.

The project has beenfunded by a grant —$90,000 a year over threeyears – from the OregonParenting Education Col-lective, a group of founda-tions with a keen interest inparenting and collaborationbetween agencies.

“A big part of what theywanted to see happen wascollaboration,” Gable said.

As it happened, Linn andBenton counties were aheadof the curve.

“In our case, we actuallyhad a lot going on in Linnand Benton counties,” Gablesaid. “And we actually werealready working togetherquite a bit.”

So the site lists as part-ners not just Linn-BentonCommunity College, butBenton and Linn countygovernments, the Albanyand Corvallis school dis-tricts, Casa Latinos Unidos,the Corvallis WaldorfSchool, Family Tree ReliefNursery, the H.A.R.T. Fam-ily Resource Center, Kidco

Head Start, the Parent En-hancement Program,Samaritan Health Servicesand Strengthening RuralFamilies.

The common goal, Gablesaid: “We want to make iteasier for people to accessparenting education.”

So the website includeslists of area parenting class-es and calendars of events.It features blogs from par-enting experts with tips forsuccessful child-rearing. Ithas lists of resources avail-able to help parents cope

with stressful situations. Itincludes information aboutchild care options and evenincludes suggestions forplaces where families can goto have fun together.

There’s still some stigmaattached to parenting edu-cation in some circles,Gable noted, a sense amongsome people that parentsshould already know how toraise children.

“But you don’t,” Gablesaid – no parent, no matterhow experienced or wise,can possibly have all the an-swers.

So the site, she said, of-fers parents a stigma-freeoption to find answers.

Gable and her colleaguesare working to add new in-formation to the site. Ideal-ly, she said, she’d like to in-

crease the amount of con-tent contributed by thesite’s partners. “It would begreat to have some differentvoices to showcase otherorganizations.”

This screenshot shows Toddler Parenting Programs on the Parenting Success Network website.


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PRESBY-TERIANCHILD C

Website a portal for parents

ON THE WEBCheck out the Parenting

Success Network at this website: parentingsuccessnetwork.org.

EARLY YEARS

Young children who areable to pay attention andpersist with a task have a 50percent greater chance ofcompleting college, accord-ing to a new study at OregonState University.

Tracking a group of 430preschool-age children, thestudy offers evidence thatsocial and behavioral skills,such as paying attention,following directions andcompleting a task may beeven more crucial than aca-demic abilities.

The good news for par-ents and educators, the re-searchers said, is that atten-tion and persistence skillsare malleable and can betaught.

The results were pub-lished online in Early Child-hood Research Quarterly,according to a press releasefrom OSU.

“There is a big push nowto teach children early aca-demic skills at the preschoollevel,” said Megan McClel-land, an OSU early child de-velopment researcher andlead author of the study.“Our study shows that thebiggest predictor of collegecompletion wasn’t math orreading skills, but whetheror not they were able to payattention and finish tasks atage 4.”

Parents of preschoolchildren were asked to ratetheir children on items suchas “plays with a single toyfor long periods of time” or

“child gives up easily whendifficulties are encoun-tered.” Reading and mathskills were assessed at age 7using standardized assess-ments. At age 21, the samegroup was tested again forreading and math skills.

Surprisingly, achieve-ment in reading and mathdid not significantly predictwhether or not the studentscompleted college. Instead,researchers found that chil-dren who were rated higherby their parents on atten-tion span and persistence atage 4 had nearly 50 percentgreater odds of getting abachelor’s degree by age 25.

McClelland, a child-de-velopment expert, said col-lege completion has beenshown in numerous studiesto lead to higher wages and

better job stability. She saidthe earlier that educatorsand parents can intervene,the more likely a child cansucceed academically.

“We didn’t look at howwell they did in college or atgrade point average,” Mc-Clelland said. “The impor-tant factor was being able tofocus and persist. Someonecan be brilliant, but thatdoesn’t necessarily meanthey can focus when theyneed to and finish a task orjob.”

McClelland, who is also acore director in OSU’s Hal-

lie E. Ford Center forHealthy Children and Fami-lies, said interventionsaimed at increasing youngchildren’s self-control abil-ities have repeatedly shownto help boost “self-regula-tion,” or a child’s ability tolisten, pay attention, followthrough on a task and re-member instructions.

In a past study, McClel-land found that simple, ac-tive classroom games suchas Simon Says and RedLight/Green Light havebeen effective tools for in-creasing both literacy andself-regulation skills.

“Academic ability carriesyou a long way, but theseother skills are also impor-tant,” McClelland said. “In-creasingly, we see that theability to listen, pay atten-tion, and complete impor-tant tasks is crucial for suc-cess later in life.”

OSU’s Alan Acock, alongwith Andrea Piccinin of theUniversity of Victoria andSally Ann Rhea and MichaelStallings of the Universityof Colorado, contributed tothis study, which was fund-ed by the National Instituteof Child Health and HumanDevelopment and a Col-orado Adoption Projectgrant.


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Paying attention key for preschoolers

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Recent research suggests that being able to pay attention is moreimportant for preschoolers than knowing specific skills.

EARLY YEARS

Health officials in Linnand Benton counties, bol-stered by federal grant mon-ey, have high hopes for theirLinn-Benton Breast FeedingCoalition, designed to sup-port the health and well-be-ing of breast-feeding moth-ers and their children.

The counties, respondingto a call to action in 2011from the U.S. surgeon gen-eral, applied for and receivedgrant money from the U.S.Department of Agriculturethrough Oregon’s Women,Infants and Children sup-plemental nutrition pro-gram.

WIC staff and newlyhired project coordinators ineach county created a workplan to find ways to supportbreast-feeding mothers andtheir children.

The funding to get theproject going in Linn andBenton counties expires atthe end of September, butCindy Cole, the Linn Coun-ty WIC coordinator, said inan email that momentum isbuilding to continue thework after after the federalmoney runs out.

In particular, Cole said,organizers are focusing onthese four goals this sum-mer:

• Strengthening the

Linn-Benton Breast FeedingCoalition. “You will see us atlocal events such as fairs andcommunity gatherings (wehad a ‘family rest area’ tentat da Vinci Days to facilitatea quiet private space formoms to breastfeed),” Colewrote. “We expect moreprojects for our coalition insupport of breast-feedingfamilies as we grow.”

• Offering a trainingworkshop for health careprofessionals regarding bestpractice guidelines for man-aging early breast-feedingchallenges. The workshop,Cole said, is scheduled formid-August, and the hope isthat “parents may see theirproviders become moreknowledgeable regardingbreast-feeding challenges.”

• Creating policy andadvocacy recommendationsfor increasing breast-feed-ing support in the workplace. Cole said that coali-tion members are meetingwith businesses in the two

counties this summer togather data on current busi-ness practices on breast-feeding and working moth-ers. A policy training work-shop is planned for eitherthis fall or next spring. “Par-ents may see their employ-ers make it easier for momsto continue breast-feedingwhen returning from mater-nity leave,” she said.

• Developing con-

sumer-friendly resourcesand materials for breast-feeding mothers andproviders. Cole said workwith focus groups is sched-uled to begin in Septemberto help pinpoint needs. “Wethen hope to translate mate-rials and create new learningtools in Spanish, Russianand Farsi that will be usefulto parents,” she wrote.

Project aims to help breast-feeding mothersWednesday, August 22, 2012 17Albany Democrat-Herald, Albany, Ore., Corvallis Gazette-Times, Corvallis, Ore.

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SPORTSPAR

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LINN BENTON COMMUNIT

For more information aboutthe Linn-Benton Breast Feed-ing Coalition, call Cindy Coleat the Linn County Health De-partment at 541-967-3888,Ext. 2583 or email her at [email protected].

F.Y.I.

BENTON COUNTY HEALTHDEPARTMENT

On a sunny Sunday af-ternoon this spring at anorthwest Corvallis park,local children enjoyed thewarmth, chattering andlaughing as they frolickedon the playground equip-ment. Lisa and Dan Leven-thal emerged from a nearbycluster of houses pushing astroller with their 7-month-old son, Samuel.

The Leventhals, just likeany young family, are expe-riencing the newfound joyof parenthood. In manyways, Samuel is a healthyand active baby but he doesface some challenges thatnot all 7-month-olds face.

Samuel was born eightweeks premature at SacredHeart Medical Center atRiverbend. This presentschallenges for his parentsand puts him at risk for se-rious health issues and de-velopmental delays. As withany premature infant, thehospital referred to a spe-cialized home visiting pub-lic health nursing programfor infants, children andyouth who have seriousmedical issues or are at riskof developing them.

This program, NurseCare Coordination (Ca-Coon), is designed to pro-vide high-level nursing andcare coordination servicesto families in the comfort oftheir own homes. BentonCounty Public Health NurseJan Liebeskind, who worksin CaCoon, received the re-ferral and started serviceswith the family in conjunc-tion with the pediatrician.

Once the family was


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ZION LUTHERAN SCHOOL

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Dan and Lisa Leventhal with their son, Samuel.

Helping parents in the home

SEE CACOON | 19

home from the hospital,Liebeskind, a registerednurse and certified asthmaeducator, initiated contactand made her first of manyhome visits. Her visits pro-vided physical assessments,medical guidance and sup-port for the Leventhals.Liebeskind worked to sup-port and empower the fami-ly, while being a resource forconcerns or medical ques-tions about Samuel.

“Families of babies whohave spent time in the neo-natal intensive care unit of-ten experience anxiety afterthe initial discharge,” Liebe-skind said. “While in theNICU babies are closelymonitored and everything ismeasured, all of which giveparents piece of mind. Whenthey transition to the home,they lose that perceivedsafety net. Having a pedi-atric nurse making homevisits, assessing the baby’sphysical status, reviewingthe discharge information,ensuring they understandwhat needs to be done andallowing them time to ask forhelp give parents the confi-dence they need to care fortheir baby at home.”

All the while, Liebeskindcoordinates with the pedia-tricians and specialists toensure all parties are in-formed of Samuel’s progressand his parents’ concerns.

“It is very reassuring toknow that Jan and our pedi-atrician are in frequentcommunications,” said Dan,who works as a graphic de-signer. “We know that weare getting correct and ac-curate information from allof our providers.”

Coordinating careOne important aspect of

the nurse home visitingprogram is care coordina-tion which facilitates com-munication, when needed,between various health carepartners. Liebeskind plays akey role in this effort.

“Children with specialhealth care needs typicallyhave complicated medicalneeds,” she said. “Oftenfamilies are seeing multiplespecialists and are given in-structions and suggestionsfrom each of those special-ists, which can make com-ing home quite confusing.As a CaCoon nurse, I havethe opportunity to explainthe information in a morerelaxed setting and parentshave the opportunity to askquestions or clarify infor-mation. Many of our spe-cialty clinics are in Portlandor Eugene, thus families of-ten need assistance gettingconnected to appropriatelocal support systems suchas mental health providers,occupational therapists andother local services.”

Dr. Shawn Hathaway,Samuel’s pediatrician atSamaritan Pediatrics,knows firsthand the value ofthe CaCoon nurse in thehome. He said the programis essential to the most at-risk families in the commu-nity, and he is an active par-ticipant in helping to con-nect those families with theservice.

“If I have a family that Ifeel is at risk for any reason Iquickly contact the peopleat the CaCoon program toassist the family,” Hathawaysaid. “The children withmultiple medical problems

are at the highest risk forserious medical issues. Ihave had several childrenwith genetic disorders,physical disabilities and se-vere prematurity at birth gothrough the program.”

Liebeskind currentlyserves 35 families — eachwith varying degrees ofhealth care needs — duringher allotted time of 32 hoursweekly in the program. Ca-Coon is designed to serve allchildren and families, re-gardless of income level,from birth to 21 years of agewith special health careneeds or those at risk of de-veloping special health careneeds. The program allowsLiebeskind to see patientswith a wide variety of diag-noses, including cerebralpalsy, cardiac issues, respi-ratory issues, prematurityrelated concerns and seizuredisorders, to name only afew.

“The beauty of the pro-gram is that we span frombirth to 21 years of age andany medical diagnoses en-sure eligibility,” Liebeskindsaid. “The home visitingapproach is especially suc-cessful for those withchronic illnesses such asasthma. More recently, I

have seen a large increase inthe number of children withnewly diagnosed asthma ora history of poorly con-trolled asthma. Seeing pa-tients in their home envi-ronment helps give me anopportunity to work withkids and parents in under-standing how to controltheir environment, how tomanage varying symptomsand generally provide com-prehensive information toensure best outcomes. It isquite common to discoverproblems with self-man-agement that may not beapparent just by virtue ofbeing in the home.”

The Leventhals can tellyou how important it is tohave the CaCoon nursecoming into the home. Ulti-mately, the goal is to ensurethat families of babies andchildren with involvedmedical issues are well pre-pared to manage their con-ditions in the home settingarmed with the knowledgeof how to appropriately usetheir medical resources.

“It cuts down on thestress that parents experi-ence,” Lisa said. “You can bea better parent when you’renot stressed out.”


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CaCoonContinued from page 18

Here is a partial list of childbirthand new parents classes offeredby Samaritan Health Services.The Corvallis Clinic also offersclasses; for a partial listing of theclinic’s classes, see the listing onpage 21. Call the phone numberlisted with each class for dates,times and other information.

All about breastfeedingLearn how to optimize suc-

cessful breast-feeding. Husbandsand partners welcome. Free.

Offered at Samaritan LebanonCommunity Hospital, 525 N. San-tiam Highway in Lebanon. Call541-451-7872 for details.

Offered at Good Samaritan Re-gional Medical Center in Corval-lis, 3600 N.W. Samaritan Drive.Call 541-768-5244.

Also offered at Samaritan Al-bany General Hospital, 1046Sixth Ave. S.W., Albany; Call for in-formation: 541-812-4301

Anesthesia and pain relief options

An anesthesiologist will explainpain control options during laborand delivery, and discuss thebenefits and risks of each.

Offered at Good Samaritan Re-gional Medical Center, 3600 N.W.Samaritan Drive, Corvallis. Free.Call 541-768-4752.

Babysitting training Learn how to supervise chil-

dren, handle emergencies, pre-vent accidents, how to diaper,dress and feed babies and chil-dren. An American Red Crosscertificate is awarded upon suc-cessful completion of the course.Participants must be at least 11years old. Prerequisites: advanceregistration and payment.

Call for information: 541-926-1543

Becoming a newsister or brother

Children will learn about babycare and see a film on pregnancy,delivery and adjusting to the newbaby. Recommended for children30 months or older, this classhelps begin the process of siblingpreparation and familiarizes chil-

dren with the hospital.Offered at Samaritan Albany

General Hospital, 1046 Sixth Ave.S.W., Albany; call 541-812-4301.

Also offered at Good Samari-tan Regional Medical Center,3600 N.W. Samaritan Drive, Cor-vallis; call 541-768-4752.

Also offered at SamaritanLebanon Community Hospital,525 N. Santiam Highway,Lebanon; call 541-451-7872.

Boot camp for new dadsExpectant “rookie” fathers

learn from “veterans” who bringtheir young babies to class. Cost:$20, includes book.

Offered at Good Samaritan Re-gional Medical Center, 3600 N.W.Samaritan Drive, Corvallis. Call541-768-4752.

Breast pump rentalBreast pump rental and other

breastfeeding supplies are avail-able from Samaritan MedicalEquipment

Albany, 541-812-5460Corvallis, 541-768-7500Lebanon, 541-451-6364

Breastfeeding lifestyleLearn how to provide optimum

nutrition for your baby, even afterreturning to work.

Offered at Samaritan AlbanyGeneral Hospital, 1046 Sixth Ave.S.W., Albany. Call 541-812-4301.

Also offered at Good Samari-tan Regional Medical Center,3600 N.W. Samaritan Drive, Cor-vallis. Call 541-768-4752.

Caring for your new babyLearn about newborn care, in-

cluding how to hold, burp and di-aper your baby. Free.


Childbirthpreparation/Lamaze

Lamaze is a series of sessionspreparing the expectant motherand her support person for laborand delivery.

Offered at Samaritan AlbanyGeneral Hospital, 1046 Sixth Ave.S.W., Albany. Cost: $60. Call 541-812-4301.

Offered at Good Samaritan Re-gional Medical Center, 3600 N.W.Samaritan Drive, Corvallis. Cost:$65 a couple. Call 541-768-4752.

Also offered at SamaritanLebanon Community Hospital,525 N. Santiam Highway,Lebanon. Cost: $50, scholarshipsavailable. Call 541-451-7872.

Childbirth preparation/Lamaze in a weekend

Learn about labor and birth,possible complications, breath-ing and relaxation.

Offered at Samaritan AlbanyGeneral Hospital, 1046 Sixth Ave.S.W. Albany. Cost: $70. Call 541-812-4301.

Also offered at Good SamaritanRegional Medical Center, 3600N.W. Samaritan Drive, Corvallis.Cost: $75. Call 541-768-4752.

Childbirth preparation/Lamaze refresher

This class is open to coupleswho have attended a Lamazeclass within the last four years.

Offered at Samaritan AlbanyGeneral Hospital, 1046 Sixth Ave.S.W., Albany. Cost: $30. Call 541-812-4301.

Child safety seatinspection

Make sure that your baby’s firstride home is a safe one. Learnabout the proper use and instal-lation of child/infant safetyseats. Safety recall informationwill also be available.

Available in Albany. Call for in-formation: 541-917-7727. Avail-able in Corvallis. Call for informa-

tion: 541-766-6961

CPR for family andfriends: Infant only

Covers infant CPR and chok-ing. Cost: $10, Advance registra-tion required. Call: 541-768-6629.

Offered at Samaritan AlbanyGeneral Hospital, 1046 Sixth Ave.S.W. Albany

Offered at Good Samaritan Re-gional Medical Center, 3600 N.W.Samaritan Drive, Corvallis

Offered at Samaritan LebanonCommunity Hospital, 525 N. San-tiam Highway, Lebanon.

Expectant parent classLearn about newborn care and

talk with a pediatrician.Offered at Samaritan Pedi-

atrics, 3517 N.W. Samaritan Dri-ve, Corvallis. Free. Call 541-768-4900.

‘Hey! Look Us Over’maternity program

Expectant parents will tour thebirthing wing and meet the deliv-ery staff.

Offered at Good Samaritan Re-gional Medical Center, 3600 N.W.Samaritan Drive, Corvallis. Callfor information: (541) 768-4752.

Offered at Samaritan LebanonCommunity Hospital, 525 N. San-tiam Highway, Lebanon. Call forappointment: 541- 258-2101, askfor the Girod Birth Center

Infant massageLearn how you can use touch to

SAMARITAN CLASSES


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SEE SAMARITAN CLASSES | 21

help your baby release accumulat-ed tension and relax her or his body.

Offered at Good Samaritan Re-gional Medical Center, 3600 N.W.Samaritan Drive, Corvallis. Cost:$20. Call 541-768-4752.

Lactation clinicNursing moms have the oppor-

tunity to consult with a lactationnurse during a breastfeedingclinic. You’ll get answers to anybreastfeeding questions, discussdifferent techniques and posi-tioning, and help with problemsolving. Call for an appointment.

Albany, 541-812-5116Corvallis, 541-768-4900Lebanon, 541-451-7177

Lactation lineCall for breastfeeding support

over the phone.Albany, 541-812-5116Corvallis, 541-768-5244Lebanon, 541-451-7588Lincoln City, 541-996-7179

Mommy connections Explore the unique challenges

women face during the days,weeks and months after deliveryof a new baby. We will discusshealing after birth, activity andexercise, emotional changes, sex-uality, sleeping issues, returningto work, feeding issues, adjustingto life as a mother, baby bluesand postpartum depression.

Available in Albany. Call for in-formation and to register: 541-812-4301

Postpartum classExplore the unique challenges

women face during the days,weeks and months after deliveryof a new baby. We will discusshealing after birth, activity andexercise, emotional changes, sex-uality, sleeping issues, baby bluesand postpartum depression.

Available in Albany. Call for in-formation and to register: 541-812-4301

Preparing for twinsThis session will educate and

prepare parents expecting a mul-tiple delivery. A nurse will answerquestions and discuss deliveringtwins or triplets.

Available in Corvallis. Prerequi-site: attend when you are be-tween 20 and 26 weeks along.Call to register: 541-768-6908

Safe sitterLearn all you need to know to

babysit in this one-day course.Each participant who completesthe course will receive a “SafeSitter” completion card. Cost:$45 Participants must be at least11 to 13 years old and registrationis required.

Offered at Samaritan LebanonCommunity Hospital, 525 N. San-tiam Highway, Lebanon. Call 541-451-7047.

Your incredible newbornJoin a pediatrician or nurse

practitioner to learn about yourbaby´s characteristics and be-haviors. Free.


HospitalsIf your baby is born at the hos-

pital, begin there. Check into themany support services and con-tinuing education classes offeredby Good Samaritan RegionalMedical Center, Samaritan Al-bany General Hospital andSamaritan Lebanon CommunityHospital. All provide early preg-nancy and childbirth preparationclasses for parents-to-be andparental classes for after baby’sarrival. (A partial list of classesbegins on page 20.)

• Good Samaritan RegionalMedical Center, 541-768-4752

• Samaritan Albany GeneralHospital, 541-812-4301

• Samaritan Lebanon Com-munity Hospital, 541-451-7872

The hospitals also offer a widerange of support groups, cover-ing topics such as child-bearingloss, grief and sudden infantdeath syndrome. For a brochureor more information, call one ofthe numbers listed above or visitwww.samhealth.org.

Make your MaternityConnection

You just found out you arepregnant. Congratulations! It isvery exciting, but what do you donow?

Samaritan Health Services de-veloped Maternity Connectionsto help you organize these deci-sions, prepare early for yourpregnancy, and help to create apleasant and satisfying hospitalstay. Your maternity care coordi-nator will help you design a planfor the best care possible before,

during and after the birthing ex-perience. All services are free. Formore information, call the mater-nity care coordinator in yourarea:

• Albany: 541-812-4301• Corvallis: 541-768-6908 • Lebanon: 541-451-7872Información en español:• Albany: 541-812-4303• Corvallis: 541-768-5772 • Lebanon: 541-451-7872

The Corvallis ClinicThe Corvallis Clinic offers many

resources for new parents, includ-ing medical experts on newborns,child development, lactation, im-munizations, pregnancy, child-birth, child behavior and women’shealth. To learn more about pedi-atric, family medicine andwomen’s health physicians ac-cepting new patients, call theClinic’s Find-a-Physician special-ist at 541-757-3757. You can alsobrowse the clinic’s provider andservice directories online atwww.corvallisclinic.com.

Here are some of the classesoffered by The Corvallis Clinic forexpecting parents:

• “Baby Bundle” prenatal talkObstetricians present a 90-

minute talk covering the most im-portant topics for moms and dads-to-be. Call 541-738-2075 or go towww.corvallisclinic.com/classesfor details.

• “Healthy Baby”prenatal talkLearn the essentials of caring for

your new baby. Call 541-738-2075or go to www.corvallisclinic.com/classes for details.


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Family ConnectionsAnother source of information

for new parents is the FamilyConnections program at Linn-Benton Community College.

By calling 541-917-4899 or800-845-1363, you can accessinformation about child care, par-ent education, a parent adviceline and children’s activities. Orsend an e-mail [email protected] orcheck out the websitewww.linnbenton.edu/familyresources/familyconnections.

Benton CountyHealth Department

Locations:• Benton Health Center, 530

N.W. 27th St., Corvallis, 97330.Phone: 541-766-6835. Hours:Monday and Tuesday, 8 a.m.-5p.m.; Wednesday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.;Thursday and Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

• Lincoln Health Center,121 S.E.Viewmont Ave., Corvallis, 97333.Phone: 541-766-3546. Hours: Mon-day through Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.;Wednesday, noon-7 p.m.

• East Linn Health Center, 100Mullins Drive, Suite A-1, Lebanon,97355. Phone: 541-451-6920.Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thurs-day and Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.(Closed from noon to 1 p.m.);Wednesday, 1-5 p.m.

Services include:• Medical care: The Health

Centers provide affordable, highquality medical care for people ofall ages. Staff includes familypractitioners and pediatricians.Mental health and addiction serv-ices plus pharmacy services areavailable. Services are culturallyand linguistically appropriate.While services are not free, theyare offered on a sliding fee scale.Private insurance, Medicaid,Medicare and self-pay are ac-cepted. For appointments or in-formation, call 541-766-6835.

• Immunizations: All infantand childhood vaccines. Adultvaccines such as tetanus-diph-theria, influenza, and pneumo-coccal pneumonia. Travel vac-cines. All immunization servicesare by appointment. Call 541-766-6835.

• WIC: Women, Infants andChildren Supplemental NutritionProgram (WIC) is a health andnutrition program for pregnantwomen, women up to six monthsafter delivery, nursing mothersup to 12 months after delivery,and children from birth to age 5.WIC also provides checks forfresh fruits and vegetables atsummer farmers markets andfarm stands, breast-feeding edu-cation and consultations and hassome breast pumps for thosewho qualify. For WIC appoint-ments or information, call 541-766-6835.

• Maternal and child health:Maternal Child Health Programprovides services to pregnantwomen, young children and theirfamilies through three home visitprograms: Maternity Case Man-agement, Babies First!, and Ca-Coon. All families enrolled inhome-visit programs receivehome visits from a public healthnurse, culturally sensitive careand help in accessing other com-munity resources. For more infor-mation about maternal and childhealth programs, call 541-766-6835.

Linn County Departmentof Health Services

SERVICES FOR CHILDREN 0-18 YEARS OF AGE

Office sites:• Albany: 315 Fourth Ave. S.W.,

Albany, 97321. Phone: 541-967-3888 or 1-800-304-7468. Hoursare Monday through Friday, 8:30a.m. to 5 p.m., closed from noonto 1 p.m.

• Lebanon: 1600 S. Main,Lebanon, 97355. Phone: 541-451-5932 or 1-888-451-2631. Hours:Monday through Friday, 8:30a.m. to 5 p.m., closed from noonto 1 p.m.

• Sweet Home: 799 Long St.,Sweet Home. 97386. Phone: 541-367-3888 or 1-800-920-7571.Hours typically are 8:30 a.m. to 5p.m., but call for times and days.Closed from noon to 1 p.m.

Services include:• Immunizations: Immuniza-

tions are available for children 0-18 years. Payment is based on a

sliding scale from $7.50-$15 pershot. Various grants are occa-sionally available to provide freeimmunizations at special clinicsor under special qualifying condi-tions. Shots are given at officesites listed above.

• WIC: Nutrition program forlow-income pregnant and breast-feeding or postpartum women,infants, and children to age 5.Supplemental food vouchersplus nutrition information andeducation, diet screening, andmonitoring of child growth anddevelopment plus referrals tohealth care and social servicesprovided. Offered at the officesites listed above.

Maternal-child health pro-grams include:

• Healthy Start: Healthy Starthome visitors work with LinnCounty families having their firstbaby to provide information, par-enting tips and referral servicesfor families prenatally or shortlyafter the baby is born. New par-ents receive a call from a HealthyStart home visitor offering assis-tance and a “Welcome Baby” giftfrom the community. Eligiblefamilies may receive home visitswith parenting information andsupport to help their new babyand family get off to a healthystart. Healthy Start serves all ofLinn County. Call to sign up forHealthy Start, 541-924-6910.

• Babies First Program: Publichealth nurses provide home visitsto Linn County parents with in-fants and young children up to 5years of age who are at risk forhealth and developmental de-lays. The nurse provides special-ized developmental screens, casemanagement, and referral to lo-cal community and regional serv-ices. Health information is pro-vided on the child’s development,feeding and child safety. BabiesFirst serves all of Linn County.Call 541-967-3888, Ext. 2676

• CaCoon Care CoordinationProgram: Public health nursesprovide home visits to Linn Coun-ty parents with infants and chil-dren birth to 21 years with specialhealth care needs. The goal ofthis program is to work with theparent to provide care coordina-tion for their children with special

health care needs. Case man-agement and advocacy are pro-vided as well as referrals to earlyintervention and other neededspecial health care services. Ca-Coon serves all of Linn County.Call 541-967-3888, Ext. 2676

Other services include:• Vital statistics: Birth certifi-

cates for 0-6 months of age.• Reproductive health services:

Family planning, birth control, lowor no-cost vasectomy program.

Parent EnhancementProgram

Parent Enhancement Program isa nonprofit agency offering out-reach services free of charge toparents, pregnant and/or parent-ing, male or female, living in Ben-ton County, age 13 through 25, andtheir children. Current services, of-fered by staff and volunteers toparticipating families, includeBUDDYs (mentors), parent andadult life skills classes, social activ-ities, in-home visits, transporta-tion, child safety equipment, edu-cational assistance, supervisedplayroom, opportunities for parentvolunteerism, clothing and foodcloset, parent newsletters, Latinofamily outreach, fathers outreachand referrals to other agencies. Formore information, visit the websitewww.pep.peak.org or call 541-758-8292.


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Parenting is a learned skill foreveryone, so Linn-Benton Com-munity College’s Parenting Edu-cation Program offers programsto fit every family at every stage.

For these classes,“parent”means anyone who fills the roleof parent in a child’s life.

Classes are available through-out the year in many locations inLinn and Benton counties.Trained parenting educatorsteach all programs. Many classesare free; some have a fee, butmost of those have scholarshipsavailable.

Class offerings change eachquarter and are posted a coupleof months in advance at bothwww.linnbenton.edu/go/parenting-education andwww.parentingsuccessnetwork.

org . Information also is availableby calling Family Connections at541-917-4899.

Here’s a guide to some of theclasses offered:

Live and Learn ProgramsEnjoy new songs, games and

activities with your child. Meetother parents and children inyour community and learn howto support your child’s amazingdevelopment. In Live and Learnclasses, parents and their youngchildren (birth-5) learn and growtogether. Classes include Liveand Learn with your Baby, Liveand Learn with your Wobbler, Liveand Learn with your Toddler, Liveand Learn with your Two-Year-Oldand Creative Development.

Parent CooperativePreschools

In a co-op preschool, parentsjoin the teacher in providing a posi-tive learning environment for chil-dren 3-5. Children attend pre-school for 2½ hours a session,2-3 days a week. Parents taketurns assisting the teacher in theclassroom.At parent meetings,class activities are planned and

parenting topics are discussed. Of-fered in Albany, Corvallis, Halsey,Lebanon, Philomath and Scio.

The Incredible YearsBuild a more cooperative rela-

tionship with your child and learnhow to make clear family rules.Prevent behavior problems andhelp your child get along withfriends and do better in school.For parents of children ages 2through 10. Offered as 10 ses-sions over 10 weeks.

Make Parenting a PleasureIdentify your strengths as a par-

ent, take better care of yourselfand discover new ways to makeparenting easier. Develop a betterunderstanding of your child’s de-velopment and ways to make dis-cipline fit your child’s age. For par-ents of children ages 2 through 8.Offered as 10 sessions over 10weeks.Available in Spanish as:Haga de la Paternidad un Placer.

Nurturing ParentingBuild skills to nurture your

child better through empathyand positive communication.Know why your child behaves theway she does and explore whatdiscipline works best at differentages, including alternatives tospanking. Ten sessions can bedelivered as a series or as indi-vidual workshops. Available inSpanish as Crianza con Cariño.

Nurturing Skills for Families

The class starts with a ques-tionnaire to assess your parent-

ing beliefs and strengths. The in-structor chooses lessons to fitthe group’s needs. Topics includedeveloping expectations basedon your child’s age, building em-pathy and positive communica-tion, understanding discipline,rewards and punishments, alter-natives to spanking, decidingwhen parents should be incharge and when to support yourchild’s growing independence,and more. Classes are usually 10sessions. Classes sometimes areoffered just for parents, but othertimes can include a group inwhich children learn the sameideas through guided activities.Available in Spanish as El Progra-ma de Crianza con Cariño paraPadres y Sus Niños.

Living With Your Middle Schooler

What makes middle schoolerstick? Learn how you can help yourchild develop responsibility, stayengaged in school and weatherthe social turmoil of these years.For parents of children ages 11through 15. Usually offered as sixsessions over six weeks.

A number of parenting pro-grams are available by request.These programs include:

• Make Parenting a Pleasurewith Your Special Needs Child

• Parenting Your Autism Spec-trum Disorder Child

• Talking to Your Kids AboutSexuality

• Strengthening Families — forparents and youth ages 10 — 14

• Stepparenting• Talking to Your Teen


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Early Years 2012

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Transcript of Early Years 2012