Archive for category Alexander
Early Childhood Development
Posted by Moishe Alexander
The Big Picture
Few things in life inspire more awe or hope than the miracle of a newborn child. When well nurtured and cared for in their earliest years, children are more likely to survive, to grow in a healthy way, to have less disease and fewer illnesses, and to fully develop thinking, language, emotional and social skills. In just one generation, these human gains can help break the cycles of poverty, disease and violence that affect so many countries.
Out of 100 children born in a year, 30 will most likely suffer from malnutrition in their first five years of life, 26 will not be immunized against the basic childhood diseases, 19 will lack access to safe drinking water and 40 to adequate sanitation, and 17 will never go to school. In developing countries, every fourth child lives in abject poverty, in families with an income of less than $1 a day.
The most egregious consequence is that nearly 11 million children each year – about 30,000 children a day – die before reaching their fifth birthday, mostly from preventable causes. Of these children, 4 million die in their first month of life.
Even when children do survive, they too often do not thrive, suffering from diminished learning capabilities and other disadvantages that limit their overall prospects for reaching their full potential.
The process of giving children the best start in life begins even before birth. Poor nutrition and ill health on the part of a mother can lead to low birth weight in her children, putting them at much greater risk of developmental delay, malnutrition and death.
The Foundation Fighting Blindness
Posted by admin in Alexander, Disabilities, Health on December 13th, 2009
Posted by Moishe Alexander
Purpose of the Patient Registry:
Foundation Fighting Blindness-Canada and CIBC have awarded Dr. Héon a grant to develop a National (Canada) Children’s Vision Research Registry, which is a medical information database that will capture patients affected with retinal dystrophies.
The purpose of capturing these patients is to better understand the natural history of retinal dystrophies, standardize clinical assessment, and most importantly identify patients that could be eligible for clinical trials and/or other therapeutic opportunities that may become available in the near future.
This registry has the potential of expanding into a multi-centered project, but for now it will only involve patients at the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids).
Description of the Research:
The FFB/CIBC Children’s Vision Research Registry is an internet-based medical registry for retinal dystrophies. Retinal dystrophies are a group of genetic eye disorders that affect the retina of the eye. The retina is an important layer at the back of the eye, which picks up light and sends images to the brain. People who have a retinal dystrophy cannot see as well as other people because their retina is not working properly.
You are asked to be part of The FFB/CIBC Children’s Vision Research Registry. This medical database will allow scientists/physicians access to large amount of medical information that will allow them to better understand the natural history of retinal eye disorders such as the one in your family. This project will ultimately provide you and other patients, with retinal eye disorders, the opportunity to be studied by other doctors, which will allow them to determine you eligibility for clinical trials and/or new treatments that may become available in the near future.
No immediate benefit from participating in this study is expected. However, when clinical trials and other therapies become available in the future, your eligibility for treatment will be determined and you will be managed following the standard of care protocols in place at SickKids. If we also find that you are eligible for any new Foundation Fighting Blindness and SickKids Research Ethics Board approved research projects that develop from the FFB/CIBC Children’s Vision Research Registry you will be notified.
You will be informed of any changes made to the study or new information that might affect your willingness to continue to participate in the research.
Yeshivas Nefesh Dovid
Posted by Moishe Alexander
The first Jewish high school of its kind in the world, Yeshivas Nefesh Dovid (YND), founded in 2001, channels the knowledge of Torah into the hearts, minds and lives of deaf and hard-of-hearing young men. YND, with its sterling secular educational program, is a valuable support system for this population throughout the global Jewish community. YND accepts young men in their teens from yeshivos, Jewish Day Schools, and public schools and addresses all the emotional and academic challenges that those with hearing loss typically deal with on a daily basis regardless of mode of communication.
A unique aspect of the program is the presence of role models who are deaf or hard-of-hearing themselves, including Rabbi Chaim Tzvi Kakon, the Dean and Rosh Yeshiva, and co-founder Dr. Hart Bressler, MD. In addition to trained and qualified rebbeim and teachers, sign language interpreting services, speech pathology, audiology services and an array of recreational activities all complement the program. Upon graduation, the students receive an internationally recognized Ontario Secondary Diploma. Since its inception, YND’s current home base at the Yeshiva Gedolah of Toronto only serves to further integrate the students with hearing peers and the community at large.
Rabbi Kakon earned his Master’s Degree in Talmudical Law and s’micha (rabbinical ordination) from Ner Israel Rabbinical College of Baltimore, Maryland. He also holds a Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Maryland. As a licensed therapist, Rabbi Kakon provided clinical therapy services for several years.
While in Baltimore, he also founded and directed the only overnight camp for deaf and hard-of-hearing Jewish adolescent boys at Ner Israel Campus for seven summers. The success of the program and the necessity for a year-around education for this population resulted in Rabbi Kakon and his family’s relocation to Toronto to co-found YND.
Rabbi Kakon, a descendant of the Ropshitzer Rebbe and a ninth generation descendant of the Baal Shem Tov, is a charismatic teacher whose unique experiences and achievements inspire people from all backgrounds and walks of life.