Dr. Robin Krause Blitz This is Me

Education

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1. 1. FAS Resources in Arizona

   www.fasarizona.com/fazresource - [Cached]

   Published on: 11/29/2007   Last Visited: 1/29/2008

   Dr. Robin Krause Blitz, a developmental and behavioral pediatrician at the Arizona Child Study Center in Phoenix (The Children's Health Center at St. Joseph's Hospital) can be contacted for a diagnostic evaluation. Phone 602-406-3543. FAX 602-406-6135. Email rblitz@chw.edu
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   Dr. Robin Krause Blitz, a developmental and behavioral pediatrician at the Arizona Child Study Center in Phoenix (The Children's Health Center at St. Joseph's Hospital) can assist in the management of developmental disabilities and behavioral problems. Phone 602-406-3543. FAX 602-406-6135. Email rblitz@chw.edu

2. 2. AZAAP.ORG View topic - PEDS Training

   www.azaap.org/forum/viewtopic. - [Cached]

   Last Visited: 12/25/2006

   Speaker: Robin Blitz, M.D., FAAP, Associate Director, Arizona Child Study Center, Children's Health Center of St. Joseph's Hospital
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   Speaker: Robin Blitz, M.D., FAAP, Associate Director, Arizona Child Study Center, Children's Health Center of St. Joseph's Hospital

3. 3. Infant Brain Development - Mesa United Way

   www.mesaunitedway.org/learn/in - [Cached]

   Published on: 11/11/2004   Last Visited: 12/15/2006

   Babies are born with 100 billion neurons (nerve cells) in the brain, according to pediatrician Robin Blitz, M.D., of the Children's Health Center at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix. A newborn has 500 trillion synapses-the parts of the brain that make it possible for nerve cells to communicate with one another-and 1,000 trillion by age one.
   
   The numbers are staggering and have startling implications for parenting. The newborn brain is not yet completely organized or functional, observes Blitz. "It is the experiences after birth that strengthen the synapses and determine how the brain is wired." Blitz and other experts agree that children's experiences during the first three years of life will impact them-for better or worse-for a lifetime.
   
   Prenatal brain development. For parents eager to boost their child's brain power, starting at birth can be too late. "Research shows that a lot of brain development happens before birth," according to Blitz. "Good prenatal care is essential." Blitz cautions against smoking, drinking alcohol or using drugs during pregnancy, noting that substance abuse affects women of all socio-economic levels. Blitz insists that both the pregnant woman who uses cocaine and the one who has a nightly cocktail with her husband are putting their baby's brain development at risk. Fetal alcohol syndrome is the number one preventable cause of mental retardation.
   
   Cigarette smoke can actually inhibit prenatal brain growth, according to Blitz.
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   Blitz cites studies showing that newborns exposed to greater maternal stress have poorer coordination and slower response times and distract more easily than other newborns. Marital stress, substance abuse and domestic violence all can put a baby at greater risk for problems with prenatal brain development.
   
   Babies and brain power. A baby's brain is hard at work from the moment of birth. The greatest number of synapses are formed during the first six months, according to Blitz, who adds that 62 percent of a newborn's caloric intake is consumed by the brain. (For a toddler, the figure is 30 percent; by adulthood the number drops to just 16 to 18 percent.) Too little stimulation means fewer synapses will be formed.
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   Our job as parents is to organize our homes and communities to be safe and nurturing places for children, Blitz says. To today's too busy parents, she offers the following advice: "Don't expect your child to adapt to fit your life.