Friday, March 13, 2020

Majority of Mississippi Children Need Developmental Health Care

UMC issued the following press release authored by Annie Oeth. 


More than half of Mississippi’s youngest children may need developmental health care services, research by Mississippi Thrive! shows.
 

The Mississippi Thrive! Child Health Development Project, an innovative partnership between Mississippi State University’s Social Science Research Center and the University of Mississippi Medical Center, has been working with families, child care centers and health clinics across the state to gauge the health and development of children ages 5 and younger and to link those in need to services.
About 52 percent of the 322 children whose families participated in developmental questionnaires through the Mississippi Thrive! pilot project required follow-up developmental care or monitoring, the project found. 
Now entering its third year, Mississippi Thrive! is funded through a $10.5 million grant from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration.
Dr. Susan Buttross, professor of child development and principal investigator of the project at UMMC, said the skills young children learn are called developmental milestones, and they usually happen around certain ages. Tracking the progress of children and linking them to needed services are the major goals of this project, she said.
“We like to think of screenings as marking milestones that children pass as they grow up,” Buttross said. “As we mark those milestones, sometimes we find that a child is developing differently than expected.”
Making these discoveries early in a child’s life and getting that child and family the help needed can make a big difference in a child’s future relationships and performance in school, Buttross said.
“The sooner we identify and begin addressing a developmental or behavioral need, the better,” she said. “Early support can mean children start school ready to learn, play and share with others and can reach their full potential.”
Early childhood is key to later success, Buttross said. She explained that the brain’s weight triples in the first three years of life, and by age four, a child’s brain is almost the size of an adult’s. The architecture of the brain is then refined through learning and life experiences.
For that reason, boosting a child’s brain development during these early years is key.
“Talking and singing to your baby are the best things a parent can do to boost development,” Buttross said, “and it doesn’t cost a thing.”
Research has shown that children who have access to early learning opportunities—such as being read and sung to by their families—are better prepared for school, have increased vocabularies and have more positive relationships with classmates.
“No two children are the same,” said Lauren Elliott, a nurse practitioner with the Mississippi Thrive! team. “Each child develops at their own rate, but there are milestones that if not reached, could indicate a concern.”
While there is a clear need for marking the developmental milestones of the state’s young children, often those screenings do not occur.
In Mississippi, seven out of 10 young children have not received a professional assessment on their development, according to the 2018 Mississippi Child Health and Development Survey, conducted by Mississippi Thrive!
Nationally, one child out of five is diagnosed with some type of developmental delay, whereas the rate in Mississippi is one out of every 20.
“This lower number of children diagnosed doesn’t mean that we have lower numbers of children with developmental problems but likely that the developmental progress of many of our young children is not being regularly checked,” Buttross said.
To check for progress toward developmental milestones, professionals with expertise in child development, such as pediatricians, nurses or child care providers, can have discussions with families about their children’s development. This works best when professionals ask parents a structured set of questions focused on children’s developmental milestones, such as when a 1-year-old has said his first word or when a 2-year-old has said her first two-word phrases. Mississippi Thrive! project members are working to provide early childhood professionals with the tools and materials needed to mark children's milestones as a routine part of their practices — and to communicate the importance of developmental milestones to families.
“Mississippi Thrive! focuses on community outreach by sharing information directly with individuals and professionals,” said Callie Poole, an SSRC research associate. “We also look at the sustainability of who in the state is already sharing our message and how can we support them and share our resources.”
“By increasing the health literacy of families and early childhood professionals around the state, Mississippi Thrive! is working to ensure all children develop to their fullest potential,” said Dr. Heather Hanna, assistant research professor and principal investigator of the project at the SSRC.
Resources to check your child’s progress are available on the Mississippi Thrive! website, which includes brain-building tips from Vroom; specialized information for parents, teachers and caregivers; and developmental milestones checklists.
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Please forward this message to colleagues who might be interested. If you wish to be removed from this list or know of a colleague to add, send an e-mail message to mrolph@umc.edu.
For more information, visit www.umc.edu and click here to view news and features stories produced by UMMC Communications and Marketing.
About Children’s of Mississippi
Children’s of Mississippi, part of the University of Mississippi Medical Center, encompasses all of the pediatric services available at UMMC and at clinical sites throughout Mississippi. At the heart of these services is Batson Children’s Hospital, the state’s only hospital devoted exclusively to the care and treatment of sick and injured children. The Children’s of Mississippi network brings specialized clinical care for children to communities across the state, making it easier for families to get the treatment they need closer to home.
About the University of Mississippi Medical Center
UMMC is the state’s only academic medical center. Its education, research and health care missions share the objectives of improving the health of the state’s population and eliminating health disparities.
 Located in Jackson, UMMC encompasses seven health science schools, including medicine, nursing, health related professions, dentistry, pharmacy, graduate studies and population health. The Medical Center’s health care enterprise includes the state’s only Level I trauma center, only children’s hospital, and only organ and bone marrow transplant program. The Medical Center also is home to a Telehealth Center of Excellence, one of two in the nation.
About the Social Science Research Center
The Social Science Research Center (SSRC) was established at Mississippi State University in 1950 to promote, enhance and facilitate social science research and related scholarly activities. The center offers a superior research environment with an impressive array of research opportunities and options, state-of-the-art facilities, laboratories and support units that enhance and expand both the scope and quality of social science research. The center is online at www.ssrc.msstate.edu. MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Is there a breakdown by locations, socioeconomic background, race, parental status, etc,? If so, I overlooked it.

Anonymous said...

So, to steal from Garrison Keillor, most of the children are below average.

Anonymous said...

@9:08
No. That would be racist. Race is just a colonialist social construct. We are all one race, the human race.

Anonymous said...

That sounds pretty racist @9:08 AM. Maybe you should think of them as fellow humans and not some label or statistic. I don't remember Jesus Christ ever asking those questions before he helped someone.

Anonymous said...

None of it matters unless the state is determined to do something about it. Mississippi will not because obviously the children of the people who count in this state don't have these issues. It's the children of people who don't count that have always been at risk, so who cares? The study shows that unless there is a change their environment determines their future. So who will change their environment? Tell us something else we already know.

Anonymous said...

The people who can make a difference is the parents. People need to think before they decide to have a child. Some people think their check will go up if they have another child. Those are the children who need the help. It is very hard for the government to take over when parents do not care for the child.

Anonymous said...

Does this program AT ANY POINT address the REASON(S) for increased developmental delays? Will our society EVER hold parents responsible for their selfishness? I GUARANTEE YOU there are particular demographics where this issue is prevalent. These men/women need to stop laying down with all these men/women and focus on raising the children they’ve already selfishly created. I know of an unwed mother who recently stated she hoped she didn’t get pregnant again because she didn’t know who was going to “be the mother.” This woman already has children suffering. And, no joke, she’s now pregnant! And, the system will congratulate her with more money and benefits. And, guess whose existing children have developmental delays? When will her family, pastor, and community begin to hold her accountable?

Then, of course, there are the issues with foods we consume, side-effects from medications, and electronics. I have no doubt that almost every single developmental delay is man-made... yet, it’s some crisis that requires government intervention?! How about PARENTS intervene and act like PARENTS should act! If parents were truly invested in their children’s health, well-being, and learning during the formidable years, these stats would be minimal or virtually non-existent.

Aisle B Bach said...

@10:09 I take it you've never filled out a questionnaire in a Doctor's office? and if you have perhaps you didn't question what those questions have to do with the purpose of your visit? and once you turned it in did they refuse to help you?...it helps to understand the bigger picture when you want to address the smaller one...sort of like recognizing the beam in your eye before you start trying to dig imagined splinters out of @9:08's eye...if we can't even discuss the problem without our faith being questioned or being tagged a racist...how do we ever find a solution?

Anonymous said...

This is another of those many situations where we could have fashioned remedies years ago when the problems first became apparent but because of the toxic political situation especially in Mississippi back then we didn't care. Now that the leak has become a flood we want to criticize everybody else. If our hearts were in the right place we could have put this state on the right path but we CHOSE not to work together on solutions. We CHOSE to maintain inequities and ignorance as our status quo. Now we are faced with the consequences. Pay now or pay later. We are now paying. Get used to it.

Anonymous said...

An organization gets a $10.5 million grant. You'd better believe they're going to find that plenty of those children surveyed need "services" - paid for through insurance and Medicaid, no doubt. Most of the children don't need anything more than discipline and a functional family.

Anonymous said...

All we need to know about this bull shit suggestion is to consider the multi million dollar ripoff associated recently with Welfare funds fraud. Fund this bullshit and watch the money scatter off in the various directions of fraudulent responders to RFPs. Will we be bricking up the entire entrance to USM now?

Anonymous said...

@11:31 My husband and I thought very long and hard before we had a child. We graduated college, got jobs, and bought a house. Then we had a child. BUT how were we to know that our child would be born premature and the hospital bill would be over $700,000? After insurance we still owed over $200,000, and we had years of doctors' visits to ahead of us. When we finally thought the worse was over, our child was diagnosed with autism. There is no way to prepare for having a child, and I get tired of people with healthy children acting as if people like my husband and I did something wrong. And just for the record, our incomes were just lower middle income enough to not qualify for help. Stop putting everybody into a pile.


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Trollfest '07 was such a success that Jackson Jambalaya will once again host Trollfest '09. Catch this great event which will leave NE Jackson & Fondren in flames. Othor Cain and his band, The Black Power Structure headline the night while Sonjay Poontang returns for an encore performance. Former Frank Melton bodyguard Marcus Wright makes his premier appearance at Trollfest singing "I'm a Sweet Transvestite" from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." Kamikaze will sing his new hit, “How I sold out to da Man.” Robbie Bell again performs: “Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be Bells” and “Any friend of Ed Peters is a friend of mine”. After the show, Ms. Bell will autograph copies of her mug shot photos. In a salute to “Dancing with the Stars”, Ms. Bell and Hinds County District Attorney Robert Smith will dance the Wango Tango.

Wrestling returns, except this time it will be a Battle Royal with Othor Cain, Ben Allen, Kim Wade, Haley Fisackerly, Alan Lange, and “Big Cat” Donna Ladd all in the ring at the same time. The Battle Royal will be in a steel cage, no time limit, no referee, and the losers must leave town. Marshand Crisler will be the honorary referee (as it gives him a title without actually having to do anything).


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Donna Ladd of The Jackson Free Press will give several classes on learning how to write. Smearing, writing without factchecking, and reporting only one side of a story will be covered. A donation to pay their taxes will be accepted and she will be signing copies of their former federal tax liens. Ms. Ladd will give a dramatic reading of her two award-winning essays (They received The Jackson Free Press "Best Of" awards.) "Why everything is always about me" and "Why I cover murders better than anyone else in Jackson".

In the spirit of helping those who are less fortunate, Trollfest '09 adopts a cause for which a portion of the proceeds and donations will be donated: Keeping Frank Melton in his home. The “Keep Frank Melton From Being Homeless” booth will sell chances for five dollars to pin the tail on the jackass. John Reeves has graciously volunteered to be the jackass for this honorable excursion into saving Frank's ass. What's an ass between two friends after all? If Mr. Reeves is unable to um, perform, Speaker Billy McCoy has also volunteered as when the word “jackass” was mentioned he immediately ran as fast as he could to sign up.


In order to help clean up the legal profession, Adam Kilgore of the Mississippi Bar will be giving away free, round-trip plane tickets to the North Pole where they keep their bar complaint forms (which are NOT available online). If you don't want to go to the North Pole, you can enjoy Brant Brantley's (of the Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance) free guided tours of the quicksand field over by High Street where all complaints against judges disappear. If for some reason you are unable to control yourself, never fear; Judge Houston Patton will operate his jail where no lawyers are needed or allowed as you just sit there for minutes... hours.... months...years until he decides he is tired of you sitting in his jail. Do not think Judge Patton is a bad judge however as he plans to serve free Mad Dog 20/20 to all inmates.

Trollfest '09 is a pet-friendly event as well. Feel free to bring your dog with you and do not worry if your pet gets hungry, as employees of the Jackson Zoo will be on hand to provide some of their animals as food when it gets to be feeding time for your little loved one.

Relax at the Fox News Tent. Since there are only three blonde reporters in Jackson (being blonde is a requirement for working at Fox News), Megan and Kathryn from WAPT and Wendy from WLBT will be on loan to Fox. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both and a torn-up Obama yard sign will entitle you to free drinks served by Megan, Wendy, and Kathryn. Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required. Just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '09 is for EVERYONE!!!

This is definitely a Beaver production.


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Trollfest '07

Jackson Jambalaya is the home of Trollfest '07. Catch this great event which promises to leave NE Jackson & Fondren in flames. Sonjay Poontang and his band headline the night with a special steel cage, no time limit "loser must leave town" bout between Alan Lange and "Big Cat"Donna Ladd following afterwards. Kamikaze will perform his new song F*** Bush, he's still a _____. Did I mention there was no referee? Dr. Heddy Matthias and Lori Gregory will face off in the undercard dueling with dangling participles and other um, devices. Robbie Bell will perform Her two latest songs: My Best Friends are in the Media and Mama's, Don't Let Your Babies Grow up to be George Bell. Sid Salter of The Clarion-Ledger will host "Pin the Tail on the Trial Lawyer", sponsored by State Farm.

There will be a hugging booth where in exchange for your young son, Frank Melton will give you a loooong hug. Trollfest will have a dunking booth where Muhammed the terrorist will curse you to Allah as you try to hit a target that will drop him into a vat of pig grease. However, in the true spirit of Separate But Equal, Don Imus and someone from NE Jackson will also sit in the dunking booth for an equal amount of time. Tom Head will give a reading for two hours on why he can't figure out who the hell he is. Cliff Cargill will give lessons with his .80 caliber desert eagle, using Frank Melton photos as targets. Tackleberry will be on hand for an autograph session. KIM Waaaaaade will be passing out free titles and deeds to crackhouses formerly owned by The Wood Street Players.

If you get tired come relax at the Fox News Tent. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both will entitle you to free drinks.Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required, just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '07 is for EVERYONE!!!

This is definitely a Beaver production.

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