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The
column, Ask Lisa-Anne, first appeared in the weekly Nassau Community
Journal Newspaper. This African-American newspaper is stationed in Nassau County, Long Island, New York and serves the towns
of Hempstead, Uniondale, Freeport, Baldwin, Roosevelt, West Hempstead, Rockville Center, and expanding. The founder
of this paper, Gary Coley, launched this paper over 20 years ago to create positive thinking,
raise issues that affect the African-American community, and to provide mutually beneficial business opportunities.
The current publisher, Larry Montgomery, continues the traditions of
this paper and keeps the African-American readers informed about issues that affect their
lives.
The column 'Ask Lisa-Anne' also appears in the Hempstead-Uniondale News, a local paper launched recently by editor Elseah Chea. This paper really serves its residents with updates
on events, job listings, in the news items, items to sell, entertainment and more. This paper has branches in Freeport,
Uniondale, Hempstead, and Baldwin all towns in Long Island, New York and expanding. Visit the links below
to view this newspaper.
The US
Immigration News is an informative newspaper shared all over New York and was launched recently by
editor Attorney Jospeh Famuyide and is an extension of his law practice.
Joseph is passionate about assisting new immigrants as they assimilate into the USA and has incorporated my column
to better assist his readers. Contact his office for any immigration issues including passports and green cards. www.usimmigrationnewspaper.com.
*
The NY Liberty Star newspaper is stationed in Brooklyn, New York.
The editor in chief Lenecia Hines and managing editor Ivrol Hines
publish informative and up to date news to it's mostly Caribbean audience. This family run newspaper keep it's community
informed about politics, travel, education, health, crime, foods and sports news throughout the Caribbean Islands. Visit
www.nylibertystar.com for more information and subscriptions. The
New England Informer is the most consistently
sought after premier newsmagazine for individuals who need to reach and network with a diverse community. It disseminates
thought-provoking and high-quality information. It prides itself as a constant resource offering up-to-date information and
current articles, which helps all types of businesses to meet the growing demands of diverse consumers through advertising,
marketing and more. It's CEO and Publisher is Doreen
Wade. You may view this high quality newsmagazine at www.neinformer.net. 
Chatafrikarticles.com, a division of ChatAfrik Inc., is a directory of
quality articles from expert authors on a wide range of topics. It is an all inclusive African-focused website where rigorous
and candid Articles are presented for the maximum understanding of our readers. They provide a medium for the distribution
of fresh, reprintable content suitable for use on web sites, ezines, newsletters, and print publications.
Visit www.chatafrikarticles.com for more information.
View Recent Articles Below:
Q.
As a classroom kindergarten teacher, I’m in close contact with my students.
They often hug me, lean on me, sneeze on me and cry on me. I’m concerned about contracting
a serious ailment like HIV/AIDS. How can I protect myself without being dismissive and cruel to my students?
Shouldn’t teachers be told who has AIDS in their classroom? What is the incidence of children who have HIV/AIDS? A.
It’s a heartbreaking thing to see children suffering from the symptoms of AIDS.
This is information that should be reviewed in the beginning of every school year to staff in public schools as a reminder
of the precautions a teacher should take on a daily basis and to weed out myths about HIV/AIDS as well. Let’s
explore this topic! What is HIV/AIDS?According to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention-www.CDC.gov, HIV
stands for human immunodeficiency virus. HIV is the virus
that can lead to acquired immune deficiency syndrome,
or AIDS. The CDC estimates that about 56,000 people in the United States contracted HIV in 2006. HIV damages
a person’s body by destroying specific blood cells, called CD4+ T cells, which are crucial to helping the body fight
diseases. HIV is primarily spread via unprotected sex, sharing of needles, syringes,
rinse water, or other equipment used to prepare illicit drugs for injection and being born to an infected mother—HIV
can be passed from mother to child during pregnancy, birth, or breast-feeding. How Many Children Have HIV/AIDS in America?According to AVERT, an international AIDS charity, an estimated 3,792 children aged under 13 were living with
AIDS at the end of 2007. Most contracted it from their mothers. Visit www.avert.org. The numbers outside of the USA are astounding!Are African-Americans More Likely to Contract HIV/AIDS?Of all racial and ethnic groups in the United States, HIV and AIDS have hit African Americans the hardest.
The reasons are not directly related to race or ethnicity, but rather to some of the barriers faced by many African Americans.
These barriers can include poverty (being poor), sexually transmitted diseases, and stigma (negative attitudes, beliefs, and
actions directed at people living with HIV/AIDS or directed at people who do things that might put them at risk for HIV).When you look at HIV/AIDS by race and ethnicity,
you see that African Americans have - More illness. Even though
blacks (including African Americans) account for about 13% of the US population, they account for about half (49%) of the
people who get HIV and AIDS.
- Shorter survival times. Blacks with AIDS often don’t
live as long as people of other races and ethnic groups with AIDS. This is due to the barriers mentioned above.
- More
deaths. For African Americans and other blacks, HIV/AIDS is a leading cause of death. www.CDC.gov
There are several challenges
facing the African American community that impact HIV prevention efforts and how well African Americans with HIV/AIDS cope
with the disease. Some of these challenges are: poverty, denial, STDs and drug use. Having
sexually transmitted diseases increases one’s chances of contracting HIV/AIDS. This also means that
more African-American children will have HIV/AIDS because more African-American mothers have it as compared to other races.Do parents or guardians have to disclose to the school that their child has
HIV/AIDS? Parents have to disclose to healthcare professionals, (doctors, nurses, physician assistants, dentists)
that their child has HIV/AIDS so they can treat the child accordingly. The law does not require parents
and guardians to share HIV-related information with a child's school. However, it may be in the child's best interest for
some school employees to know about the child's HIV infection (for example, if the child needs help taking medicines).
Parents and guardians of children with HIV should also think about whether to share their child's HIV status with people
directly involved in the child's life, such as babysitters, friends, and relatives. They do not have to tell anyone. However,
it may be overwhelming to care for a young person with HIV/AIDS without telling others and getting support. Visit www.health.state.ny.us/diseases/aids/facts/questions/child_adolescents.htm Can I get HIV from casual contact? No. HIV is not transmitted by day to day contact in the home, the workplace, schools, or social settings.
HIV is not transmitted through shaking hands, hugging or a casual kiss. You cannot become infected from a toilet seat, a drinking
fountain, a doorknob, dishes, drinking glasses, food, or pets. HIV is a fragile virus that does not live
long outside the body. HIV is not an airborne or food borne virus. HIV is present in the blood, semen or vaginal secretions
of an infected person and can be transmitted through unprotected vaginal, oral or anal sex or through sharing injection drug
needles. Children who bite will not transmit HIV. Although the virus sometimes can be detected in the saliva of an infected
person, experts say the concentration is too weak to cause infection in others.www.Aids.org
Can the
Department of Education bar students infected with HIV from attending classes? Can HIV-infected employees be removed from
their jobs?No.
Section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 protect the right of
persons with HIV/AIDS (which are considered disabling conditions under these laws) to continue working as long as they are
able to perform the essential functions of their jobs. Under the same laws, students with HIV/AIDS have the right to attend
school and cannot be denied access to any educational opportunity for which they would otherwise be qualified.
As we have seen, there is no reason to exclude students or
personnel with HIV/AIDS because they do not pose a danger to others in a school setting. How can teachers protect themselves?First, you have probably hugged and held the hand
of a child who has AIDS already in your career. You should practice the same precautions you would use
to avoid catching pink eye and the swine flu. Most parents don’t disclose this information because they do not want
their children isolated, rejected and mistreated. The United Federation of Teachers-www.UFT.org, which
is the teachers’ union across America, offers the
following information when teaching children who have HIV/AIDS:Some school employees, such as school nurses and health aides, have job duties that
involve routine exposure to blood. Just like health care personnel working in hospitals, these school employees face some
risk of contracting the HIV virus if they sustain direct contact with infected blood. Examples of direct contact
include being pierced with a needle or other sharp object contaminated with the virus or being splashed with infected blood
on the eyes, nose, mouth or an open wound. Other school employees with some risk of exposure to HIV may
include any physical education teachers and school safety officers who frequently deal with injured students and custodial
staff who are responsible for cleaning up blood spills. Every school
employee should follow the safety procedures called “universal precautions” by avoiding contact with the blood
of others. What steps should the Department of Education take to protect school
employees against exposure to HIV?
The Bloodborne Pathogen Standard adopted by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration in December 1991,
requires that every employer develop a plan to prevent or reduce workers’ exposure to bloodborne pathogens (germs) including
HIV and the hepatitis B and C viruses. For Department of Education employees, the Bloodborne Pathogen Standard
is enforced by the New York State Department of Labor through PESH, the Public Employee Safety and Health Program. The OSHA/PESH
Bloodborne Pathogen Standard was adopted after strong pressure by the UFT, the American Federation of Teachers and many other
unions throughout the country. Shouldn’t teachers who do NOT
have HIV/AIDS, be told if other teachers have it?Such a disclosure policy would be illegal. It also is unnecessary.
It would be illegal
because the New York State Public Health Law explicitly bars the disclosure of such confidential medical information in most
circumstances. Department of Education policy reinforces the legal mandate by explicitly prohibiting school employees from
disclosing information about a student’s HIV status without the consent of the student or his/her parents/legal guardians.
In some cases information about HIV status may not even be disclosed to the student’s parents. (See Chancellor’
Special Circular #37 of May 19, 1993.)For more information about ‘universal precautions,’ visit www.UFT.org. Vaccines
cause Autism? Question:
I am a 2nd grade special education teacher. Three of my students have
been diagnosed with autism. With autism on the rise, what can teachers
do to meet the students’
needs? My district has provided no training.
Answer:
This topic has been heating up talk shows, radio programs,
and topics
in education venues
for many years now. There has been no long term, intensive research to prove or disprove whether vaccines have caused the rise in autism in this country or abroad. A few years ago the
incidence of autism was 1 in every
600 births. Today it’s 1 in every 150 births. Autism is a developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life and affects a person’s ability to communicate and interact with
others. Medical experts don’t
have a comprehensive understanding of what causes
autism, but they do know there is a strong hereditary component. An
article in the Associated Press, May 13, 2008, reports that lawyers at a hearing in federal court argued that parents’ claiming that childhood vaccines cause autism, should not be rewarded by the courts when the scientific community has
already rejected any link.
Nearly 4,900 families have filed claims with the
U.S. Court of Claims alleging that vaccines caused autism and other neurological problems in their children. Lawyers for the families are presenting three different theories of how vaccines caused autism. The theory at issue recently was whether vaccines containing the preservative thimerosal caused autism. A Justice
Department lawyer, Lynn Ricciardella,
said that theory has not moved
beyond the realm of speculation. She said the Institute of Medicine and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have rejected any link between thimerosal and autism. Thimerosal has been removed in recent years from standard childhood vaccines, except flu vaccines that are not packaged in single doses. The CDC says single-dose flu shots currently are
available only in limited
quantities. My opinion on the subject is
that children have been receiving vaccines for decades and there was no rise in autism. This is a recent phenomenon. If it is indeed caused by vaccines, then researchers need to explore
what changes if any, have occurred
in vaccines recently. This is the
scientific argument as well. There have been no changes to these vaccines besides the removal of Thimerosal. Even with it’s removal, the incidence of autism continues to rise. If I
was a parent of a young
toddler, I wouldn’t refuse vaccines but I would ask my pediatrician to administer them in smaller intervals than usual so that any changes in my child could be seen immediately.
Symptoms of Autism:
There are no absolutes in diagnosing autism. Like
many disorders or
illnesses, other
difficulties or concerns have to be explored and ruled out. However, there are some signs that parents should take seriously and pursue evaluations for as soon as possible if they exist.
If your pediatrician won’t
listen and acts like you’re just an over zealous, panicing parent, find another doctor. The experts at autism. If your child
exhibits any of the following indicators, you should visit
your doctor so monitoring can begin.
Impairment
in Social Interaction:
- Lack of and avoidance of appropriate eye gaze patterns
- Lack of warm, joyful expressions
- Lack of sharing interest or enjoyment
- Lack of response to name
- Doesn’t identify or respond to parents/siblings any better than a stranger
- May avoid or cry at physical contact/touch
- Does not engage in games that require interaction with adults/peers
- May rock back and forth for hours
- Appears to have no need for social interactions
- May tantrum at changes in routine, food, decorations etc.
Impairment in Communication: - Lack of using gestures
- Lack of coordination of nonverbal communication
- Unusual prosody (little variation in pitch, odd intonation, irregular
rhythm,
unusual voice quality) - Had
speech and then stopped talking
- Echolalic-Talks
but only repeats what he/she hears
- Has
difficulty with meaning of words
- Doesn’t
speak at all
- May talk a lot
however utterances have no meaning or off topic
- Appears to have comprehension difficulties
- Doesn’t follow commands
- No words by 12 months like (mommy, dada, bottle, ball etc.
- No two-word phrases by 18 months
Repetitive Behaviors & Restricted Interests: - Repetitive movements with objects
- Repetitive movements or posturing of body, arms, hands, or fingers
- Puts toys/blocks in a line or shape
- Keeps everything in specific places
- May flail arms and legs
- May have hypersensitivity to textures, light, sounds, taste, smells, activities,
touch and new objects.
What
can parents do to help?
Parents must ask questions when visiting the pediatrician for regular check ups. They must know what is normal development at each stage of childhood. The
earlier
intervention is provided the greater progress will be seen. There is no one approach
to treating autism, however, most children attend special preschool programs or receive special services at home. Most
children with autism
respond best to highly structured behavioral programs. The National
Institute of Child Health and Human Development lists Applied Behavior
Analysis among the recommended treatment
methods for autism spectrum disorders. Some of the most common interventions
are Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), Floortime Therapy, Gluten Free, Casein
Free Diet (GFCF). Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, PECS, SCERTS,
Sensory Integration Therapy, Relationship Development
Intervention, Verbal Behavior Intervention,
and the school-based TEAACH method. Parents must be active partners and reinforce any strategies
implemented by the professionals who
treat their children. Having
a child with autism can be stressful. Parents should join support groups and
develop a good support base with family and friends when they need a break. Visit
www.autismspeaks.org, www.autism.org, www.autism.com,
www.firstsigns.org, www.nationalautismassociation.org for more information.
Did you know
that the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
is urging early screening for autism spectrum disorders
(ASD) for all children?
 
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