I would like to thank Dan Kater, president of Video Placement Worldwide and Ed Swanson, executive vice president, for giving me this opportunity to increase awareness of ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig's disease) among teachers, students and their families.

Perhaps there is a student in your school who has a relative with ALS, Parkinson's disease or other neuromuscular disorder. There might even be one or two students in wheelchairs in your school. My reason for writing about ALS is to help students understand that just because a person is in a wheelchair and may look or act "different," having a physical challenge does not mean that he or she is not normal in every other way. Even with limited physical abilities, many people who are physically challenged are still productive members of their families and communities. It is also my hope that raising awareness of ALS will lead to more money for research into finding a treatment and cure.

A discussion about ALS can also be the springboard to lessons in science, health, social studies, and volunteerism. The web sites shown below will bring you to information about the central nervous system, including the brain, spinal cord, neurons, and muscles. Even though these web sites are designed for younger children, you'll find that the simple explanation works just as well for older children and even adults.

What is ALS?

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is a rapidly progressive, usually fatal neuromuscular disease. It attacks motor neurons in the spinal cord and lower brain which transmit signals from the brain to the voluntary muscles throughout the body. When motor neurons die as a result of ALS, the ability of the brain to control muscle movement is lost. When muscles fail to receive messages, they weaken, atrophy, and die. There is no known cure. ALS is also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, named for the famous New York Yankees baseball player, who was diagnosed with ALS in 1939 and died two years later.

Web sites for kids and adults

http://www.march-of-faces.org/KIDS/moe1.html (animated explanation for kids. Click on the icon of the body on page 4 to get to “Neuroscience for Kids”.)

http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/neurok.html (goes directly to “Neuroscience for Kids” without having to go through the animated explanation. The "Neuroscience for Kids" includes diagrams, lessons, experiments and activities).

http://kidshealth.org/kid/grownup/conditions/als.html (takes you to a web site called "Kids Health" with an explanation of ALS, as well as other materials for children's activities.)

For secondary school students and adults, please go to the National ALSA web site, www.ALSA.org. Click on any of the subheads to learn what the ALS Association does and how it helps our communities.

http://www.alsindependence.com/What_is_the_best_way_to_discuss_ALS-MND_With_Children.htm

http://www.alsindependence.com/Teacher_Views_Her_ALS_As_A_Lesson.htm

http://www.alsa.org/donate/article.cfm?id=372&CFID=52604&CFTOKEN=48578968 this web site tells the story of how an 11-year-old year-old boy raised money for ALS research.

There are several books about Lou Gehrig designed for both young children and teenagers. They are:

"Lou Gehrig: The Luckiest Man"
by David A. Adler and Terry Widener
(Paperback – April 1, 2001)

"Iron Horse: Lou Gehrig in His Time"
by Ray Robinson
(Paperback – June 19, 1991

Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig
by Jonathan Eig
(Paperback – Mar 28, 2006) High-school-age readers.

Volunteer Activity

Students may organize a Walk to raise money for ALS research. Students design their own sign-up sheets and ask for donations to sponsor their walk. Feel free to contact your local ALS Association for help in putting this together. The walk can be done as a class or school project or your students can be part of an ALS-sponsored Walk in their city.

For information about the Walk to D’Feet ALS click here.