Definitions of mesothelioma on the Web:

• A benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous) tumor affecting the lining of the chest or abdomen. Exposure to asbestos particles in the air increases the risk of developing malignant mesothelioma.
  www.stjude.org/glossary
• Malignant tumor of the mesothelium caused by exposure to asbestos fibers.
  www.mesotheliomahelp.net/mesothelioma_glossary.html
• A tumor of the mesothelium, that can be benign (localized) or malignant (diffusely spread), and that is most commonly caused by the ingestion of asbestos particles.
  www.mesothelioma-legal-resource.com/mesothelioma-medical-glossary.htm
• A rare form of lung cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. Mesothelioma affects the pleura of the lungs, often over a period of many years.
  www.lungcancerfyi.com/lung_cancer_glossary.html
• A rare cancer, usually found in those exposed to asbestos, in the form of a malignant tumor in the mesothelium of the lungs and or abdomen. Symptoms of this incurable disease are persistent coughing or coughing of blood, chest or abdomen pain, fatigue, and weight loss.
  www.mesotheliomafyi.com/glossary.html

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Introduction
Even the best-behaved children can be difficult and challenging at times. Teens are often moody and argumentative. But if your child or teen has a persistent pattern of tantrums, arguing and angry or disruptive behaviors toward you and other authority figures, he or she may have oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). Emotionally draining for the parents and distressing for the child, oppositional defiant disorder can add fuel to what may already be a turbulent and stressful family life.

You may walk on eggshells around your child with oppositional defiant disorder, not knowing what may trigger a tantrum or argument. While this is one of the most difficult of behavioral disorders, setting firm boundaries with consistent consequences plus a commitment to improving your relationship with your child can help your family overcome the dominating grip that oppositional defiant disorder may have on your household.

The foundation of treatment of ODD is behavioral management. Parents don’t have to go it alone in trying to manage a child with oppositional defiant disorder. Doctors, counselors and child development experts can help you learn specific parenting strategies and use proven techniques to help build a foundation of trust between you and your child and improve the underlying basis for these disruptive behaviors.

Signs and symptoms
It may be tough at times to recognize the difference between a strong-willed or emotional child and a child who has oppositional defiant disorder. And certainly there is a range between the normal independence-seeking behavior of children and oppositional defiant disorder. It’s normal for children to exhibit oppositional behaviors at certain stages of their development. However, if your child’s oppositional behaviors are persistent, have lasted at least six months and are clearly disruptive to the family and home or school environment, the issue may be oppositional defiant disorder.

The following are behaviors associated with ODD:

• Negativity
• Defiance
• Disobedience
• Hostility directed toward authority figures

These behaviors might cause your child to regularly and consistently show these symptoms:

• Frequent temper tantrums
• Argumentativeness with adults
• Refusal to comply with adult requests or rules
• Deliberate annoyance of other people
• Blaming others for mistakes or misbehavior
• Acting touchy and easily annoyed
• Anger and resentment
• Spiteful or vindictive behavior
• Aggressiveness toward peers

Oppositional defiant disorder often occurs along with other behavioral or mental health problems such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety or depression. The symptoms of ODD may be hard to distinguish from those of other behavioral or mental health problems.

Causes
There’s no clear cause underpinning oppositional defiant disorder. Contributing causes may include:

• The child’s inherent temperament
• The family’s response to the child’s style
• A genetic component that when coupled with certain environmental conditions, such as lack of supervision, poor quality daycare or family instability, increases the risk for ODD
• A biochemical or neurological factor
• The child’s perception that he or she isn’t getting enough of the parent’s time and attention

Risk factors
A number of factors play a role in the development of oppositional defiant disorder. ODD is a complex problem involving a variety of influences, circumstances and genetic components. No single factor alone causes ODD; however, the more risk factors a child has for ODD, the greater the risk for developing the disorder. Possible risk factors include:

• Having a parent with a mood or substance abuse disorder
• Being abused or neglected
• Harsh or inconsistent discipline
• Lack of supervision
• Poor relationship with one or both parents
• Family instability such as multiple moves, changing schools frequently
• Parents with a history of ADHD, oppositional defiant disorder or conduct problems
• Financial problems in the family
• Peer rejection
• Exposure to violence
• Frequent changes in daycare providers
• Parents who have a troubled marriage or are divorced

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Child nutrition — or lack thereof — is worrisome if your child’s a picky eater.

Is your child’s nutrition — or lack thereof — about to drive you to distraction? Children’s nutrition creates worry for many parents. Fortunately, picky eaters can get the nutrition they need.

Consider this scenario: Your preschooler has refused to eat anything other than peanut butter sandwiches for every meal and snack for the past two days. Your toddler, on the other hand, wants nothing at all during meals. You can barely drag her away from her toys to sit at the dinner table.

Young children become picky eaters for a variety of reasons. Understanding what may be behind this behavior can make it less frustrating for parents. It can also provide clues to what strategies might help you cope with the behavior. If your child’s picky eating is actually compromising his or her growth and development, the same understanding can suggest tips for better child nutrition.

Slower growth reduces appetite
After the age of 2, your child’s growth rate slows dramatically. Babies typically quadruple their birth weight by the time they turn 2. But between the ages of 2 and 5, children gain only 4 to 5 pounds each year.

Young children tend to eat only when they’re hungry. A parent’s job is to provide several different types of nutritious food at every meal and snack. Your child will make decisions on whether to eat, what to eat and how much to eat, though you can help guide this process.

Tiny tummies hold less food
A young child’s stomach is only about the size of his or her fist. That’s why small but frequent feedings work best. Prohibit snacking for one hour before meals so that your child can come to the table hungry and motivated to eat.

Toddlers and preschoolers often can fill up on milk or juice, and simply have no room for a wider variety of foods. Some juice products — even those containing 100 percent juice — provide more sugar and calories than sugared sodas do.

Doctors recommend that juice be limited to less than 6 ounces a day. The United States Department of Agriculture’s new dietary guidelines, issued in 2005, recommend that children ages 2 to 8 consume 2 cups of low-fat milk products a day.

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Menengok bayi baru lahir memang sangat baik. Namun, tak jarang malah berefek buruk buat si bayi. Itu lantaran para tamu tak paham etika mengunjungi bayi baru lahir.

Jika masih di rumah sakit, tamu yang datang menengok memang relatif lebih bisa diatur dengan adanya jam kunjungan yang sudah ditetapkan. Selain itu, bayi pun lebih banyak dirawat di kamar bayi oleh perawat. Dengan demikian, efek buruk relatif kecil. Namun bila sudah pulang ke rumah, otomatis perawatan bayi sepenuhnya ada di tangan orang tuanya. Di sisi lain, yang datang menengok pun tak bisa diatur dengan jam kunjungan, kan?

Nah, berikut ini 3 kebiasaan buruk para tamu yang mesti diwaspadai:

1. MENCIUM BAYI
Kebiasaan ini jelas tak menguntungkan si kecil. Masalahnya, bayi baru lahir memiliki imunitas atau daya tahan yang sangat lemah, karena memang pembentukan sistem kekebalannya belum selesai. Sedangkan kita tahu, banyak sekali penularan penyakit yang terjadi melalui perantaraan butiran ludah halus (droplet) yang terisap dan masuk ke saluran napas.

Hingga, bila diantara para tamu ada yang kurang sehat, semisal agak pilek sedikit, tentu si kecil bisa ikut tertular dan akhirnya sakit. Padahal kalau bayi baru lahir sakit, mudah sekali merembet ke organ lainnya.

Namun untuk melarang tamu agar tak menyentuh si kecil, tak mudah dilakukan. Salah – salah malah dianggap sombong dan tak menghargai tamu. Apa boleh buat, kita harus pintar – pintar menghadapinya. Katakan dengan sopan, sebaiknya ia tidak terlalu dekat dengan si bayi. Atau, bisa juga si ibu menyediakan masker penutup mulut dan hidung, sehingga bila si tamu tetap berkeinginan untuk berdekatan dengan si kecil, mintalah ia untuk menggunakan masker tersebut.

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Perkembangan berbicara bayi dan anak

• Sekitar umur 7 – 8 bulan bayi mulai bisa bersuara satu suku kata, misalnya: ma atau pa atau ta, atau da
• Sekitar umur 8 – 10 bulan bisa bersuara bersambung, misalnya: ma-ma-ma-ma, pa-pa-pa-pa, da-da-da-da-, ta-ta-ta-ta
• Sekitar umur 11 – 13 bulan mulai bisa memanggil : mama !, papa !
• Sekitar umur 13 – 15 bulan mulai bisa mengucapkan 1 kata, misal: mimik, minum, pipis
• Sekitar umur 15 – 17 bulan mulai bisa mengucapkan 2 kata
• Sekitar umur 16 – 18 bulan mulai bisa mengucapkan 3 kata
• Sekitar umur 19 – 22 bulan mulai bisa mengucapkan 6 kata
• Sekitar umur 23 – 26 bulan mulai bisa menggabungkan beberapa kata misal: mimik cucu
• Sekitar umur 24 – 28 bulan mulai bisa menyebutkan nama benda, gambar
• Sekitar umur 26 – 35 bulan, bicaranya 50 % dapat dimengerti orang lain

(Sumber : Denver II, Frankenburg WK dkk, 1990)

Supaya tidak terlambat berbicara, latihlah sejak bayi

Bayi sejak lahir sudah bisa mendengar dan mengerti suara manusia, terutama suara ibunya. Walaupun bayi belum bisa menjawab dengan kata-kata tetapi bayi bisa menyatakan perasaannya dengan : senyuman, gerakan bibir, bersuara, berteriak, menggerakkan tangan kaki, kepala atau dengan menangis. Dengan latihan setiap hari sejak bayi, lama kelamaan bayi dan anak dapat menjawab dengan kata-kata dan kalimat. Latihan ini sekaligus merangsang perkembangan emosi, sosial, dan perkembangan kecerdasannya. Supaya bayi atau anak anda tidak terlambat berbicara, lakukan metode ini setiap hari, ketika anda berada tidak jauh dari bayi anda.

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