S P O T L I G H T

Out of the shadows

For years, children with Down syndrome have been relegated to the sidelines, but a first-of-its-kind collaboration between Children's Hospital Boston and Boston Ballet is bringing them on stage and into the spotlight.

Taught by renowned Boston Ballet instructors, the Adaptive Dance program helps children with Down syndrome learn important physical and social skills. But, more importantly, it gives them a chance to perform for their families and friends, celebrate each others' accomplishments and express their individuality.

"I am so proud of their accomplishments because they are doing it," says Mickey Cassella, PT, who founded the program. "We've given them the opportunity and they've blossomed."

Click here to read more about the program and watch a video of the kids in action.

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Doctorspeak 101

The field of medicine pretty much has a language all its own.

See if you can match the medical terms below with their more common synonym.

Doctors say...
1) nocturnal enuresis
2) myopia
3) conjunctivitis
4) rhinorrhea
5) atopic dermatitis
6) pulpitis
7) rubeola
8) tibial torsion

They really mean...
a) pink eye
b) runny nose
c) bedwetting
d) eczema
e) nearsightedness
f) measles
g) toothache
h) pigeon-toed

Answers: 1) c, 2) e, 3) a, 4) b, 5) d, 6) g, 7) f, 8) h

    BY THE NUMBERS: Babies and sleep by Richard Ferber, MD

5 to 6: number of times the average 2-year-old wakes up during the night

3 to 5 months:
age at which babies usually give up night-time feedings

About 15% of children sleepwalk

1 to 2
hours a toddler should nap during the day

4 to 6 periods of REM sleep (in which dreaming occurs) that children have per night

Richard Ferber, MD, and his colleagues in the Center for Pediatric Sleep Disorders, help families of children of all ages deal with sleep challenges. For more on the center, including a video of Ferber talking about the typical changes in sleep from early childhood through adolescence, visit: childrenshospital.org/sleep