Spilyay Tymoo
Warm Springs, Oregon
January 11,1991 PAGE 7
Johnny and
About 16 percent of children 5 to
12 years old have vision problems
that can lead to reading disabili
ties, says American Optometric
Association (AOA).
Even if a child is of average or
above-average intelligence, the
AOA says, reading comprehension
problems can affect his or her
classroom performance and lead
the youngster to accept being
labeled "slow" or "stupid."
As a result, a child may suffer
from low self-esteem, depression
or other psychological problems
that could interfere with his or her
ability to function effectively in
society.
"Early detection through a pro
fessional eye exam is the best way
to correct any visual deficiencies to
prevent a vision-related learning
problem."
Once diagnosed, some causes of
these problems can be corrected by
prescription eyewear. Vision ther
apy is another treatment program
in which repetive visual exercises
are used to coordinate eye move
ment focusing ability.
Some indications that yourchild
may have trouble seeing:
Dislike and avoidance of close
work;
Short attention span or fre
quent daydreaming;
Tilting the head to one side or
closing one eye;
Trouble finishing timed written
assignments;
Placing the head close to a
book or desk when reading;
Excessive blinking or rubbing
Teamwork creates successful
4-H clubs
Each member, parent, and lead
er contributes to the success of a
4-H club. Everyone in a club bene
fits from assuming some responsi
bilities. Junior (4th-6th grade) 4-H mem
bers can: be a club officer (keeping
duties simple); lead the pledge;
teach a game; assist the leader
during a program; contact a guest
speaker; contact someone about a
community service project; call
members to remind them of a club
meeting and more.
Intermediate and senior(7th-I2th
grade) 4-H members can: be a club
officer (go over agenda before
meeting and let the 4-H'ers take
over); contact guest speakers; or
ganize a community service pro
ject; teach sessions on records,
Counselors Needed for 4-H
4-H Summer Week is the pre
miere 4-H event for Oregon older
youth will be held on June 17-21,
1991, on the Oregon State Univer
sity campus. 4-H Summer Week is
open to 4-H members currently
enrolled in grades 7-12.
Responsibilities:
Supervision of Youth Confer
ence delegates while housed in
OSU residence halls. (Adult dorm
coordinators will be available to
assist.)
Be responsible for one area of a
residence hall and about 25 4-H
delegates. Supervise wake-up and
lights-out time.
See that all 4-H delegates at
tend classes and evening programs.
Hpln vnrith hernme familiar with
the campus, building, and the lo
cation of activities.
Be available as a counselor and
friend to the 4-H delegates.
Attend floor meetings for dele
gates and counselor staff meetings.
Qualifications:
Must have completed one year
of college, with preference given to
older, experienced applicants.
Must have an interest in older
youth and helping them succeed.
Must have the ability to re
spond and relate to older youth.
Must have an ability to be
flexible and assume a variety of
assignments.
Must have strong leadership
skills & the ability to provide
discipline under pressure.
Time Requirement:
Be at OSU the Sunday after
noon before Summer Week through
Friday noon.
Benefits:
Cold and snow
Those sad-lookine landscape
plants homeowners are seeing in
their yards are a direct result of
the recent cold weather and ac
companying snow-fall.
Ray McNeilan, Oregon State
Water protected plants
Don't count on the winter rains
to provide water to all plants in
the home landscape, says Ray
McNeilan. Oregon State Univer
sity (OSU) Extension home gar
dening agent.
Many plants grow in areas pro
tected from the rains. Plants be
neath the wide eaves on many
Oregon homes, for example, may
be drv.
Jane can't read? Maybe they can't see
of eyes;
Losing place while reading;
Complaints of headache, nau
sea and diz.incss; and,
Blurred or double vision.
Since reading disabilities usually
have multiple causes, parents, c
ducators and eyecare specialists
should work together to address a
child's learning needs.
While most schools "screen"
children to detect vision problems,
school eye exams generally test
only a child's visual acuity - the
ability to see objects clearly from
20 feet away. A child may pass such
vision screening, but still have vi
sion disorders that interfere with
learning.
A child's reading comprehen
sion can suffer if any of the
following vision skills are im
paired. Visual acuity - The ability to
clearly see letters of a certain size at
a certain distance.
Visual fixation - The process
by which the brain directs the eyes
toward an object.
Accommodation The pro
cess that adjusts eye focus as the
distance from an object changes.
Binocular fusion -The brain's
ability to form a single, unified
image from information received
from each eye. If the eyes are not
properly aligned, double vision
may result as the brain, to compen
sate for this condition, will often
suppress the vision of one eye. This
eye will then weaken with disuse,
resulting in amblyopia, or "lazy
eye."
Convergence -The brain's abi
presentations, or subject matter;
organize and run a club activity
such as a judging contest; organize
and run a game such as the 4-H
bowl games; be a junior leader (7th
-1 2th grade); be a teen leader (10th
12th grade); and more.
Parents can participate by: pro
viding transportation for tours,
assisting leader with project activi
ties, organizing a club party, pro
viding meeting space and more.
4-H leaders in a club can divide
responsibilities for club activities
such as: project work, records pre
sentation, paper work, and more.
A successful 4-H club is a team
effort. It takes lots of planning and
time, but it's worth it. Each person
has a lot to give and receive in a
4-H group.
Counselors will receive $75
compensation for their work dur
ing Summer Week and the $120
Youth Conference registration fee
will be waived. (Registration in
cludes meals, lodging in residence
hall, program costs, and insurance,
and T-shirt.)
Counselors will gain experi
ence in leadership and working
with youth.
Counselors will receive training
that will be valuable in working and
living with others.
How to apply:
Call or write for application by
January 9: The Department of 4-H
and Youth Development, Oregon
State University, Ballard Exten
sion Hall 105, Corvallis, OR 97331
3608. Phone (503) 737-2421 or
737-1322.
New Years
The start of a new year is
traditionally the time to promise
yourself you'll do a better job of
some particular task than you've
done in the past.
Home gardeners looking for a
good new year's resolution may
want to resolve to use pesticides
as safely and effectively as possi
ble, says Ray McNeilan, Oregon
State University (OSU) Exten
sion home gardening agent.
"Safe pesticide use is usually
synonymous with following label
instructions for all garden chemi
cals employed in the home garden
or landscape," says McNeilan.
Always read the pesticide label
before each use of the chemical
University (OSU) bxtension
home gardening agent, divides
cold damage to plants into three
major categories: I) burst cells
and ruptured bark; 2) desiccation
(scorched leaves); and 3) ice and
"Rain water doesn't fall into
sheltered areas, so you may need
to hook up the garden hose and
give sheltered plants a watering,"
says McNeilan.
Although most landscape
plants are dormant in the winter,
they still use some water. In very
cold winter weather, a well-watered
plant has greater protection
against freezing than a dry one.
lity to direct the eyes to move
together or, when looking at a near
object, to turn inward toward the
nose.
Stcreopsis A function of
proper binocular fusion, allowing
a critical judgment of the relative
distance between two ohiects.
Field of vision-The area over f any 0f these visual skills is I ssss-e?
which vision is possible. It includes abnormal, it can hinder a child's '
central and peripheral vision, reading ability.
Don't let your diet let you down
Athletics is becoming increasing- snacks that contain more man just development of special high-pro- they are not a good substin
ly competitive. More and more calorics. When you eat out with tcin meals and drinks for athletes, solid foods,
stress is being placed on how well friends, choose something nutri- Nutritionists now agree, however, Question. Is glycogen or
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you perform. 1 o reach your high
est potential, all body systems must
be perfectly tuned. Nothing is more
closely interlocked with your well
being and ability to perform than
good nutrition.
Eating the right foods helps you
maintain desirable body weight,
stay physically fit, and establish
optimum nervc-musele reflexes.
Without proper nourishment, ac
complishments achieved by physi
cal conditioning and expert coach
ing can be limited. Good nutrition
should be an integral part of your
training program.
"Miracle foods" do exist. All
individual foods lack some of the
nutrients needed for good health.
Certain foods supply mainly pro
teins, others vitamins and miner
als, and so on. The key to balan
cing the diet is combining different
foods so that nutrient deficiencies
in some foods are made up by
nutrient surpluses in others. Eating
the proper variety at each meal is
the secret.
The nutrients the proteins, car
bohydrates, fats, vitamins, miner
als, and water are teammates
that work together to provide good
nutrition. Just as each team mem
ber carries out different tasks dur
ing a game, each nutrient performs
specific functions in your body. A
lack of just one nutrient is a
disadvantage to your body just as
losing a player to the penalty box is
to a hockey team. Studies suggest
that these nutrients should be
supplied by each meal in correct
amounts and proportions for peak
body condition.
Just because your apetite has
been satisfied does not necessarily
mean that your body has all the
nutrients it needs. You can fill up
on foods that contain mostly car
bohydrates and fats, but your body .
still has basic needs for proteins,
minerals, and vitamins.
Eating practice everyday!
The training period offers you
an excellent opportunity to estab
lish sound eating practices that not
only will benefit you on the playing
field but also will give you a
measure of well-being throughout
life.
Additional aids to good nutri
tion Eat regularly. Breakfast is espe
cially important because you need
food to start the day. Your body
begins the day in a low-energy,
fasted condition. Teens who eat
breakfast score higher on physical
fitness tests. Breakfasts can be
made up of any combination of
foods from the four food groups.
Spaghetti and meatballs, together
with an orange and a glass of milk,
is a nutritionally adequate meal for
any time of the day even
breakfast!
Make snacks count. Choose
gardening
and follow the directions given. If
still in doubt after reading the
label, contact a person qualified
to give out information on safe
pesticide use. County offices of
the OSU Extension Service are
good sources of information.
Most pesticides used around
the home do not require the user
to wear special protective cloth
ing while applying the chemical.
However, McNeilan recommends
that homeowners using pesticides
at least wear clothing that com
pletely covers arms and legs.
Gloves will keep any spray resi
dues off hands.
After the application, wash the
clothes separately from other
laundry. Care must also be taken
damage
snow breakage.
Burst cells or ruptured bark is
the type of damage that occurs
when the plant cell fluids freeze
and rupture the cell wall, or ten
der bark is repeatedly frozen and
thawed, says McNeilan. This may
result in eventual splitting of the
bark, which usually occurs when
a plant is hit by extreme drops in
temperature before it achieves
full dormancy.
Another cause is long periods
of cold, clear weather with wide
variations in day and night temp
eratures. Warming during the
day on the south and west sides of
the plant followed at night by
extreme cold can cause bark to
which are necessary for optimal
reading skills.
Form perception - The ability
to process visual stimuli, which is
crucial in the development of
reading skills. Children use from
perception to recognize and recall
visual images as specific shapes.
tionally sound, like a cheeseburger
with a slice of tomato and lettuce
leaf. How many food groups are
present in this sandwich?
Check your diet frequently. Spot
check your daily diet at least once a
week. Is your diet giving you an
even break? Are you eating at least
the minimum number of servings
from each food group each day?
Look for extra food energy. The
teenage athlete burns up more ca
lories than nonathletic friends do.
You can fill this requirement by
eating more food from all four
food groups. Carbohydrates are
the most efficient fuel for your
body during strenuous exercise.
Get most of your extra energy from
foods like starchy vegetables and
enriched breads and cereals instead
of from fatty foods. For example,
on an athlete's plate, a baked
potato should get the nod over
french fries.
Questions frequently asked by
young athletes
Question. Do athletes have spe
cial nutrient needs?
Answer. Increased physical acti
vity increases some of your food
needs. You require more energy,
water, and salt (sodium chloride).
An athletic teenage boy may need
5,000 calories a day compared with
the 3,000 calories required daily by
his nonathletic friends. By taking
extra servings of food from all four
food groups (particularly starchy
foods), you can fill this increased
energy need.
Salt and water lost through
sweating are not as easily replaced,
especially if water intake is re
stricted during meets and practice
sessions. Low water intake during
strenuous exercise leads to dehy
dration, which causes fatigue and
heat stroke. So replacement water
should never be restricted during
training sessions. If during in
creased physical activity you drink
too much water too quickly, you
may become "water logged," an
unpleasant condition that you may
have already experienced. Smaller
amounts of water taken frequently
during the activity avoid this
problem.
Frequent use of isotonic sport
drinks during periods of heavy
sweating is a good way to maintain
your body's supply of salt as well as
water. Scientific studies show that
water is absorbed more rapidly
into your body when salt is present.
Salt needs can also be met by
increased use of seasonings on
foods. This method is preferred
over the use of salt tablets.
Question. Are high-protein diets
necessary for the high school
athlete?
Answer. At one time it was be
lieved that muscle-building exer
cise greatly increased dietary pro
tein needs. This idea led to the
resolution
when disposing of pesticides and
pesticide containers. Never pour
pesticide into a storm drain on a
city street, or down a kitchen or
bathroom sink in the house. Pes
ticide containers have disposal
instructions on the container
label for your convenience.
Remember that chemical an
swers to pest insect and weed
problems aren't always the best
answers. First identify the pest
insect or weed and then evaluate
how widespread the problem is,
says McNeilan. A few pest insects
can be ignored at no great risk to
your garden plot, and a few weeds
are better removed with a garden
hoe than with a healthy dose of
herbicide.
landscape plants
split and foliage to become
scorched.
This scorching is called "frost
burning." You can protect a
gainst this type of injury by
mulching plants with 3 to 6 inches
of a material that is coarse e
nough to drain well. Ruptured
bark can often be avoided by
draping the plant with burlap or
shading the plant in some way
during the day to prevent the
alternate freezing and thawing.
Once plants get cold, it is less
harmful to keep them cold rather
than allow them to thaw during
the day and freeze at night,
McNeilan says.
Scorched leaf tips and margins
(desiccation) are a common pro
that your protein needs are not
significantly greater than the needs
of your nonathletic friends. These
slightly increased protein needs
can be met quite easily without
using protein supplements or con
suming high-protein diets. Increas
ing basic foods to meet your in
creased energy needs will supply
more than enough protein.
Eating high protein diets may
prove harmful. It may lead to loss
of appetite, diarrhea, dehydration,
and undue stress on the kidneys.
Extra protein is also expensive.
Question. Docs the athlete need
vitamin or mineral supplements?
Answer. Opinions vary. Most
nutriiiuiiisis say that increased
physical activity docs not increase
the body's needs for any vitamins.
All agree that the basis of good
nutrition is a well-balanced diet
and that vitamin supplements are
no substitute for it. Excessive
amounts of some vitamins (espe
cially vitamins A and D) taken as
supplements over a prolonged
period of time have proved harm
ful, so depend on a well-balanced
diet to supply all your vitamin
needs.
Some think that the mineral
potassium should be added to the
athlete's diet. However, including
potassium-rich foods such as
oranges, bananas, and baked po
tatoes will supply adequate potas
sium. Potassium supplements are
not necessary.
Iron deficiency can be a pro
blem with some teenage women
athletes, particularly during men
struation and for those athletes on
diets. However, the female athlete
should not self-prescribe iron sup
plements. She should question her
family doctor about this potential
problem and her individual need
for iron. The doctor may prescribe
an iron supplement after a clinical
examination.
Question. What foods should
the athlete eat before a game?
Answer.Before a game your di
gestive processes may be slowed
down by your keyed-up emotional
state. To combat this condition,
you should eat an easily digestible
meal no later than 3 hours before
the contest. Avoid foods that con
tain substantial amounts of fats or
oils. Fats are more slowly digested
than other nutrients. Meals high in
easily digestible carbohydrates are
preferred.
Some athletes like poached eggs,
toast, and juice as a light pre game
meal. Others drink liquid meals
(from a can) before games. These
meals are convenient, particularly
if you have to travel to a meet. Also
the nutrients in these meals pass
through the stomach rapidly and
are quickly digested. However, li
quid meals should be limited to
pregame use. When used regularly.
What about
Children who spend a lot of time
watching television don't have
much time left over for playing
actively and doing homework.
Find out just how much time your
child actually spends watching
television. It may be much more
than you thought. Ask yourself
what you consider a reasonable
amount of television watching.
Then take steps to limit television
viewing to this amount of time.
Your child will complain in the
beginning but this is to be expec
ted. Help your child use newly
found "free" time to get involved in
some of the activities mentioned
earlier.
Don't make the mistake of eat
ing meals in front of the television
blem, particularly in broad-leaf
evergreens. Dry cold winds are
often the cause. The injured
leaves will eventually drop. In
most cases the plant will recover
in the spring.
You can prevent ice and snow
breakage bv removing ice and
What kinds of toys would help my
child become more active?
Toys that encourage activity are
jump ropes, roller skates, hula
hoops, bicycles, baseballs, mitts
and bats, basketball hoops, fris
bces, kites, and all other toys that
get children to run. jump, and play
actively. Records or cassettes of
Information Provided By:
OSU Warm Springs Extension
1134 Palute Street
PO Box 430
Warm Springs, OR 97761
(503) 553-32383239
they are not a good substitute for
Question. Is glycogen or carbo
hydrate loading recommended for
the high school athlete?
Answer. Carbohydrate loading
is practiced by mature athletes who
participate in endurance events
such as long-distance running and
swimming of long duration. A
high-protein, high-fat, low-carbohydrate
diet is eaten for a few days
followed by a very high carbo
hydrate diet (for example pan
cakes, breads, rice, and noodles)
two days before the event. This
eating routine increases the body's
stores of glycogen, a carbohydrate,
in liver and muscle tissue. Thus,
more carbohydrate is available for
muscle energy during endurance
events. The practice of carbohy
drate loading should not be con
fused with a diet high in carbo
hydrate, which is recommended
for all athletes, including the teen
ager. Carbohydrate loading routines
have not been thoroughly tested
for the rapidly growing high school
athlete. The disadvantages may
outweigh the advantages. The ef
fects on immature muscles are un
known. The practice may not in
crease endurance as it docs with
adult athletes. Most events that
high school athletes participate in
are not of sufficient duration to
exhaust the normal levels of
muscle glycogen. During the high
protein, high-fat phase of carbo
hydrate loading, performance is
decreased and the athlete may feel
exhausted. During the final phase,
water is retained and weight is
increased.
So glycogen or carbohydrate
loading is probably not in the best
interest of the young athlete.
Question. Should teen athletes
try to reduce their weight to make
special weight categories?
Answer. Moderate weight re
duction over an extended period of
time, together with a balanced diet
to insure sufficient protein, vita
mins, and minerals, may be ne
cessary for some athletes to lose
excess fat, which has been shown
to limit performance. However,
severe weight reduction or restric
tion of normal weight gain is not
recommended. Starvation and de
hydration during growth retards
muscle development. Scientific stu
dies show that performance is re
duced when athletes who are in
shape lose more than 3 percent of
their body weight within a short
period of time. Muscle is lost and
strength is reduced.
Even more important, weight
reduction may permanently stunt
growth and muscle development.
Lost muscle growth will not be
restored later. So losing weight
rapidly or restricting normal
weight is not for you.
television?
set. Soon watching television and
eating will become simultaneous
activities. You don't want your
child to get into the habit of eating
every time he watches television.
Stick with
bulge battle
Keep your swimsuit out all
winter. Getting into it at least once
a month and really looking at
yourself front and rear in a full
length mirror will help you stick
with your bulge battle. Another
good motivational device: Move
your bathroom scale to the kitch
en. snow trom a plant before it builds
up. Bent limbs may straighten out
once the weight of snow and ice is
removed. Give the plant a chance
to recover before pruning out
limbs and foliage.
dancing and marching music can
help children enjoy the many
movements they can do. None of
these need to cost a lot. A large
rubber ball may not look like a
very exciting toy, but buy one and
be pleasantly surprised it how
much yourchild plays with it.
i