Premature Infants: Life at the Edge of Survival
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MERRILL PALMER mpsi for Child & Family Development SKILLMAN INSTITUTE MPSI IS PART OF THE DImIVISION OF RESEARCH AT WAYPNE STATE UNIrVERSITY, DintsETROIT, MI FALL 2010 Premature Infants: INSIDE THIS ISSUE Life at the Edge of Survival Alums revel in tea and history of Merrill Palmer pg.3 WSU alum Nancy Kaufman educates professionals on her breakthrough protocol to help children speak pg.5 Sarah Raz studies babies born before their time with a variety of WSU President Dr . complications, including intrauterine growth restriction and chronic Allan Gilmour lung disease. Known as extremely preterm infants, some of these babies come visits MPSI to thank all into the world at 22 to 26 weeks of gestation, falling far short of the 40 weeks involved in new Freer required to be full-term. Twenty years ago, many of these babies would not roof and have survived. Medical advances since then, like surfactant treatment to keep historical designation the lungs from filling with fluid and gentler ventilators, have greatly increased pg.4 their odds. Today babies born from 23 to 26 weeks gestation have about a 30 to 85% chance of survival, depending on gestational age. But, as some devel- opmental researchers caution, there can be a cost. The rates of moderate to severe disabil- significant advantage in neuropsychological ity for these infants can be about 30%. Dr. functioning,” Dr. Raz said of their study pub- Raz’s research looked closely at children born lished in the 2010 Journal of the International preterm to learn what a two-week differ- Neuropsychological Society. Children born ence in gestation meant to their intelligence, two weeks earlier had lower scores in global perceptual and language skills, and motor intelligence and motor skills and higher rates performance. In a recent project, her team of placement in special education programs. Students mix from across compared 20 babies born at 23 to 24 weeks Two more weeks in the womb and the long- the lifespan to explain new research projects pg.6 gestation with 20 babies born at 25 to 26 term outlook for these infants is improved. weeks. Dr. Raz’ chosen line of research has “We found that the addition of two special challenges. Her hypothesis was that Editor/Writer - CHERYL DEEP weeks’ gestation was accompanied by a CONT. ON P. 2 Graphic Designer - CATHERINE BLASIO mpsi Outreach AWARDS & HONORS PNC’s Grow Director Bob Steeh contacted Sue because of her depth of ex- Up Great program perience as a preschool and kindergarten teacher and expertise awarded $18,500 in play-centered education. Feedback from parents and teach- to the Early Child- ers was overwhelmingly positive. As might be expected from a hood Center to play advocate, Sue said, “It was fun.” help close the fund- ing gap in the Child Assistant Professor Valerie Simon, Ph.D., won Care Access Means a five-year grant of $755,121 from the National Parents in School Institutes of Health to study the relationship be- (CCAMPIS) grant. tween childhood sexual abuse in females and the CCAMPIS helps to increased risk of sexual health problems later in life. pay the tuition of “Little is known about the early sexual development the children of eli- of female victims of child sexual abuse,” Dr. Simon said. Increased gible Wayne State understanding of these behaviors should aid in developing more students so they effective risk reduction programs for these adolescents. can complete their John Hannigan, Ph.D., deputy director of university degree. MPSI, co-authored a study on the under-reporting Extra funding is required to fill the difference between actual edu- of drug use among teens and their parents. Just Say cation costs and the CCAMPIS reimbursement. The Early Child- “I Don’t”: Lack of Concordance between Teen Report hood Center also received a Great Start Readiness Program and Biological Measures of Drug Use appeared in the grant of $61,200 to offset the tuition costs of four-year-old chil- November issue of the journal Pediatrics and met dren of low income families who are at risk of school failure. with widespread media attention. In the analysis of more than 400 Early Childhood Center Director Sue Madro, high-risk urban teens and their parents, both groups substantially Ed.S., was invited to speak to 75 parents of pre- under-reported the teens’ recent cocaine and opiate use, despite schoolers in the Novi School District about the their knowledge that teens would be drug tested as confirmation. importance of play in the healthy development of young children. Novi Community Education motor skills; cognitive skills needed for goal studies were pointing to problems early in directed behavior; expressive and receptive development, even before birth,” she said. Premature Infants Cont. from p.1 language; and memory and attention. Dr. “So eventually I thought why not just study Raz has assessed about 350 preterm children preterm birth.” She has been investigating some of the differences in outcome were in her lab over the years with an extra bene- outcomes of children born prematurely ever attributable to gestational age – not only to fit to parents. “We provide parents with a full since. In 2001, she came to Wayne State risk factors occurring before or after birth, report of our findings,” Dr. Raz said. “Often where she is jointly appointed in the Merrill or resultant physical handicaps. So subject this helps them get their children referred Palmer Skillman Institute and the Depart- recruitment of the 3 to 5-year-olds had to on to speech and language therapy or other ment of Psychology. control for situations like prenatal alcohol early interventions to correct deficiencies.” Dr. Raz’ lifelong hope is to add substan- exposure, head injury with loss of conscious- Born in Israel, Dr. Raz received her tive information to the body of knowledge ness, or a severe sensory, perceptual or mo- undergraduate degree in education and so- about premature birth, especially how vari- tor handicap. “It is a difficult task to recruit ciology from Hebrew University. She worked ous risk factors contribute to the long-term the right populations,” Dr. Raz said. “The as a special education teacher in Jerusalem in development of these children. “I’m humble rarer the complication we wish to study, the the late 70s before enrolling in the University enough to accept that all knowledge grows longer it takes to obtain a sufficient number of Texas graduate program. She studied clini- through the contributions of many research of children for an investigation.” cal neuropsychology, specializing in brain groups,” she said. “I just want to contribute Dr. Raz tests preschoolers because they abnormalities associated with schizophrenia. my share.” are old enough to be tested reliably on intel- “I was trying to understand what is hap- ligence, verbal, visual-spatial, fine and gross pening in the brains of schizophrenics. The 2 www.mpsi.wayne.edu. 3 Outreach mpsi New Steering Committee Affirms MPSI’s Road Map According to baseball great Yogi Berra, “If you don’t know where you are going, you will wind up somewhere else.” Good for a chuckle but also a reminder that reaching a destination – without getting lost in the woods -- requires a clear road map. This year MPSI created two important guides to help it reach its destination: a five-year strategic plan and a seven-person steering committee. The strategic planning process began with a committee comprised of MPSI faculty and key staff. They met regularly for a full year to determine the following strategic directions Tea Tradition Reborn along with steps and timelines to move toward them: • Sustaining Research Excellence for Merrill Palmer Alumni • Strengthening Graduate Research Training One of the most vivid, lasting memories for college students at • Enhancing the Early Childhood Center Merrill Palmer was the quaint English tradition of afternoon tea. Every • Leading Superior Community Outreach and Professional weekday at 3:00 p.m., tea and bisquits were served at the Freer House. Development Students and faculty alike attended, creating a special camaraderie. • Facilitating Administrative Function and Research Mary Lafter, a current board member who taught in the preschool Infrastructure in the late 50s and was a student in the Enhancing Human Potential • Restoring and Enhancing the Freer House Program in the late 70s, remembered details of the ceremony, right • Promoting Financial Sustainability down to the gold, green and red stripes circling the ivory china. “I Deputy Director John Hannigan, Ph.D., who organized the even bought a demitasse cup,” she said, “as a memento.” planning, said the creation of an achievable strategic plan is So it was only fitting that Merrill crucial to the future of MPSI. All oars are now rowing in the Palmer’s second alumni event was After- same direction. noon Tea, with Kerry Moustakas, Ph.D., as Even the best-run institutes with foolproof strategic plans guest speaker. Kerry herself was a student require outside experts to review their progress. Dr. Hannigan in the preschool and later a student in the and Director Peter Lichtenberg assembled a steering commit- adult program, encouraged no doubt by tee of leaders in family and child development from Michigan her father Clarke Moustakas who created and around the country to provide oversight. Laura Pittman, the Enhancing Human Potential certifica- Ph.D., an associate professor of psychology at Northern Il- tion program while a faculty member at linois University, chaired the committee. Merrill Palmer. Kerry is now president of Their report noted that “MPSI is in the midst of a resur- the Michigan School of Professional Psy- gence and has the capability to regain preeminence as a chology which offers graduate degrees in national leader in interdisciplinary research .