MOSAIC MOMENTS

On Saturday, BBC News reported that Parents of children with Autism and Down syndrome were at a greater risk for infection than parents of children without these disabilities.

According to the report, “Researchers at Birmingham University found they had a poorer immune response to a vaccine against pneumonia. It appears that stress causes the immune system to function less efficiently, the team wrote in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity.”

The Research stated that, “A total of 60 parents received the pneumococcal vaccine as part of the study - half of whom had children with developmental disabilities.

Blood tests showed that those caring for a child with developmental disability had lower levels of antibodies to the vaccine than those whose children did not have such difficulties.

After one month, 20% of parents providing long-term care had an ineffective immune response, compared to 4% of the control group. At six months this had risen to 48% while the levels in the control group remained the same.”

Co-author of the report, Dr Anna Phillips, also indicated that sleep patterns may be a factor in this lower immune system.

Without a doubt, sleep and stress can both be factors in the lower immune systems. It is suggested that these parents, who live in the UK, are not receiving adequate assistance and training to help them with their children. Everyone needs a little extra help! And, it doesn’t matter if your child has a disability or not. You have to separate yourself from your child every now and then or you will become completely consumed in their care and will lose sense of yourself. However, when you have a child with a disability, it can sometimes be more stressful if you allow it to be.

I don’t like this article because I feel that it paints a negative picture of these families and is discouraging for new families who have children with these delays.

When Tim was diagnosed with mosaic Down syndrome and ADHD, everyone asked me what I expected for his future. I decided then and there that I would take one day at a time, because no one knows what the future holds for anyone! Later, when it was apparent that he also had Asperger syndrome, others would ask me, “What will you do?” Again, my reply was to take one day at a time!

I used to stress out and worry about things enough to keep me up at night. During that time I got sick easily and always felt run down. Finally, I read a scripture in the Bible that changed my whole way of thinking and allowed me to not stress out and worry about things.

Matthew 6:34 Don’t worry about tomorrow; today has enough trouble of its own.

No amount of worrying will add a moment to your life. I know there are so many who have no outlet to get a break from their children. This is why God created BED TIME! If you need a break, send the kids off to bed in time to give you at least an hour to yourself. When my kids were younger, they all had to be in bed no later than 8:30. Tim was such a handful that he went to bed at 7:30!

I feel as though the most important thing you can ever do for you and your child is to separate yourself from them every now and then. If you become all-consumed with their care, you, too, will lower your immune system!

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