Monday, January 26, 2009

Littlesteps Physician and Clinic Blog

Web sites to visit this month:


http://www.rain.org/pdcventura/ - Pediatric Diagnostic Center Web

http://www.rain.org/littlesteps/easqq.pdf - Ages & Stages Questionnaire set and Scoring Sheets

http://www.rain.org/video-magazine - Telemedicine and Family Health Video Web

http://www.rain.org/dlt/health.html - RAIN Telemedicine Network Community Wellness Web.

http://www.rain.org/dlt/wellness/ - Rural Community Wellness Web

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Family Support Services Referral

Family Support Specialists are available to provide support to parents and families with children birth to five
Years of age who do not qualify for early intervention services.

In addition, family support specialists are available to help support and assist parents in advocating for their child's developmental needs and accessing Community resources that can help improve their child's development. Please see the Referral form on the Littlesteps website at http://www.rain.org/littlesteps.

Call Delfina Zermeno in East County 6547632 and Shar Busch in West County 6547601 for information and referrals.
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Ventura County Medical Center Workshop on Autism - December 2008

Because services for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are scarce, when children fail a broadband screening measure, providers need to carefully discern which children need ASD evaluations and which do not. This research considers how well a broadband screening test sorts those with and without probable ASD. The subjects were 427 children between 18 and 59 months of age with elevated risk scores on broadband screening, i.e., Parents' Evaluation of Developmental Status (PEDS), a 10-item measure eliciting parents' concerns.

Parents also completed the Modified Checklist of Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT), an autism specific screen.
The results showed that of the 427 children at risk on PEDS, 34% (N = 144) passed the M-CHAT. To determine whether these potential overreferrals could be reduced, parents' concerns on PEDS were used to predict M-CHAT results. Three or more discrete types of concerns, varying by age, characterized children who failed the M-CHAT while fewer than 3 were associated with passing.
This reduced overreferrals by 70% while maintaining high levels of sensitivity (81%).

Although compliance with the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations for both broadband and autism-specific screening at 18 and 24 months is still recommended, viewing performance patterns on a broadband screening test can substantially reduce over referrals to autism specialty services.

Go to the Littlesteps web site at http://rain.org/littlesteps/VCMC_autism_presentation_2008.html for all the Workshop information and materials.

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VCBH Interagency Screening Forms -

You can access the forms from the Littlesteps home page at http://www.rain.org/littlesteps or

Go straight to the forms at:

http://www.rain.org/littlesteps/VCBH_interagency_forms.html

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There is a Pre-Implementation Survey to review and fill out.

It is worth a $25 Starbuck's or your choice of gift card to fill out the survey. It will help focus your efforts and help us to
Think globally, act locally!

You can fill out the survey online, print and mail in or send by email.

Go to: http://www.rain.org/littlesteps/Pre-Imp-Survey.pdf to review and fill out the survey.

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A new DSS Algorithm - with valuable information to use as a handout for your practitioners and assistants is available on the
Littlesteps web site. Go to: http://www.rain.org/littlesteps/DSSalgorithm.pdf

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The Born Learning Web, from First 5 Ventura County and United Way of America.

Award-winning Born Learning tools were created by United Way of America, Civitas, Families and Work Institute and the Ad Council. Locally, United Way of Ventura County and First 5 Ventura County are partnering to help provide the tools to as many parents as possible.

You can get to the Born Learning web from the Littlesteps homepage at http://www.rain.org/littlesteps or go straight to http://www.vcbornlearning.org/doctors.asp


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Videos are online from the FASD workshop in September. Visit the web site and hear the valuable discussions by:


* Dr. Edward Riley, (Prenatal Alcohol Exposure & Brain Development)

* Dr. Leslie Lynn Pawson, (Prenatal Screening, Assessment, Referral, and Treatment (SART)

* Dr. Paul Russell, (Prenatal Screening, Assessment, Referral, and Treatment (SART) and

* The Dependency Drug Court Team, (Systems and Supports in Ventura County)

(Susan Feldman, Carol Hughes, Susana Jegle, and Diane Emerick).

Go to : http://www.rain.org/video-magazine/FASD-september-2008.html to view the new videos.

To explore all our online Telemedicine Video resources go to: http://www.rain.org/video-magazine/

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Brief video units from the September FASD workshop have been prepared to allow you to check out highlights from the workshop.

Click on the links below:

Dr. Edward Riley -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QifXEHD6pFs

Dr. Leslie Lynn Pawson -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vz3xIJF2TSM

Dr Paul Russell -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZY7pwDzf9Z4

The Dependency Drug Court Team -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVCPH1cPupk

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Visit the Little Steps web site to test out the new Synagis Referral Form.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the #1 cause of hospitalization in babies under a year. Our babies at developmental risk can be the most severely affected. We anticipate the need to protect high risk infants beginning with injections of Synagis in November to achieve protective levels by the start of the season and continue monthly through March.

The new Synagis Referral Forms allow you to prepare the forms online and submit them directly to the Pediatric Diagnostic Center or to print copies for use at your Office.

Go to: http://www.rain.org/Littlesteps/synagis-forms-2008.HTML to review the forms and try them out.

Be sure to check out the links on the Littlesteps web for valuable information on Synagis for Parents and Health Professionals.

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http://www.rain.org/littlesteps - Ventura Littlesteps Web

The Little Steps web site, sponsored by a Ventura First 5 grant, provides quick access to the Ages & Stages Parents Workbook, in Spanish and English, to the Health Steps User Manual, the Physicians and Nurses Healthy Steps Workbook and the PEDS Workbook and Scoring Guide.

Materials are also available in Spanish at http://www.rain.org/los-pasitos/

Visit this web site often to check on new resources that will be of value to you throughout the year

http://www.rain.org/video-magazine/CME-videos.html

The Continuing Medical Education Video Center is a growing web site with new video units added regularly. Current videos include materials on Autism Treatment, Dental Varnish Information, Hansen Developmental Screening, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Developmental Screening, and TCRC Developmental Screening.

New materials are added all the time so check into the CME Video web often.

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http://www.rain.org/littlesteps/peds-menu.html

PEDS Materials (Parents Evaluation of Developmental Status).

Includes an Introduction to PEDS along with the complete PEDS Response Form, Scoring Form and Supplemental Measures.

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http://www.rain.org/video-magazine/

The MedMall Video Magazine is a Telemedicine Video web site from the Landon Pediatric Foundation with a wide variety of video units. Visit this month to see the full Ventura First Five Developmental Screening and Autism Seminar on Internet Video.

The MedMall Telemedicine Video Magazine provides access to Internet Video units on many other topics and is updated on a regular basis. Visit often.

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Timothy Tyndall
List Manager
timothy@rain.org