Clinical Tip: 'Spaghetti arms'-a relaxing concept
It is often difficult to get a child to relax enough so that you can test for reflexes or muscle tone. Young children do not seem to know what to do when asked directly to relax. I have found that asking the child to "make your arms and legs like spaghetti" works very well. Not only does the request sound funny-often eliciting a smile or laugh from an otherwise reserved child-but, for some reason, it seems to communicate clearly to children that you want their limbs to be loose and floppy.
Jennifer Madan, MDBronx, N.Y.
Comparison of teen- and parent-reported estimates of social and emotional support, 2021 to 2022
July 23rd 2024The investigative team noted that teenagers with emotional and social support are better off to handle stressors such as biological and social transition, and are less likely to experience a variety of adverse physical and mental health outcomes.
