In 1963, a group of parents met at a Chicago, Illinois conference called “Exploration into the Problems of the Perceptually Handicapped Child.” This was before the term “learning disabilities” had been incorporated into common lexicon. It had been used in the title of a paper by Dr. Samuel Kirk, who presented at this conference, and...
The Birth Injury Blog
USA today recently released the results of an investigation into some pretty questionable hiring practices by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital system. The VA has knowingly hired multiple clinicians with extremely problematic employment histories. One example is neurosurgeon John Harry Schneider, who was hired despite over a dozen malpractice suits against him –...
Many people with cerebral palsy have a difficult time writing due to limitations in muscular function, fine motor control, joint function, and range of motion. Fortunately, there are many types of assistive tools and technologies that can help people with cerebral palsy to write with greater ease. These can be broken down into a few...
New research finds that most babies who get bacterial meningitis within the first 90 days of life get it from E. Coli or Group B Strep. Each of these two bacteria accounts for roughly one-third of bacterial meningitis cases. Why is this important? There are two considerations that need to be taken into account: the...
With the first day of summer right around the corner, Michiganders begin to flock from all over to their state’s famous beaches, state parks, and cities. But traveling with a child or a loved on in a wheelchair can make planning a summer adventure a bit more complex. Here are some of Michigan’s most popular vacation...
New Artificial Womb May Help Preemies Develop More Safely In a world where many babies are born prematurely resulting in health problems for some, a method is in the works to create a sustainable, temporary living environment until they are ready for the world. These “super-preemies” are often very fragile, with underdeveloped lungs, brains, and...
A Patient’s Bill of Rights is a document that provides patients with information on how they can reasonably expect to be treated during the course of their hospital stay. These documents are, in almost all cases, not legally-binding. They simply provide goals and expectations for patient treatment. The Patient’s Bills of Rights was recently renamed the Patient...
Some babies with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) may have other health issues relating to the failure or dysfunction of other organs, such as the kidneys, liver or intestines. Why is this? Babies who have been impacted by birth asphyxia sometimes demonstrate a reflex called the “mammalian diving reflex.” When oxygen supply is limited around the time...