Our friends, Radical Face of Electric President, Astronautalis, Rickolus, Davey Rocket and others provided tracks for a collection of children’s songs called Do Fun Stuff! It’s a collection curated by Ryan Marshall who writes the blog Pacing the Panic Room whose step-son was diagnosed with Smith Magenis Syndrome in late 2009.
100% of the proceeds from the sale of Do Fun Stuff will go into a grant fund established by PRISMS and the money made available to grad students who select Smith Magenis Syndrome as their field of choice. This is in the hopes of generating more intense case studies to provide parents, and researchers with new and important information about the mysteries of Smith Magenis Syndrome.
Common features include: characteristic, yet subtle, facial appearance, infant feeding problems, low muscle tone, developmental delay, variable levels of mental retardation, early speech/language delay, middle ear problems, skeletal anomalies and decreased sensitivity to pain. The syndrome also includes a distinct pattern of neurobehavioral features characterized by chronic sleep disturbances, arm hugging/hand squeezing, hyperactivity and attention problems, prolonged tantrums, sudden mood changes and/or explosive outbursts and self-injurious behaviors.
Ann C.M. Smith, M.A., D.Sc. (hon) a genetic counselor, and Dr. R. Ellen Magenis, a physician and chromosome expert, described the first group of children with this deletion in the 1980’s. Most people with the diagnosis have been identified since 1995 as a result of improved laboratory techniques that allow the accurate detection of this chromosomal deletion. Although the exact incidence is not known, it is estimated that SMS occurs in 1 out of 25,000 births. SMS is under-diagnosed, but as awareness of it increases, the number of people identified grows every year.
We hope you’ll support this fantastic album knowing it’s going to a rightful cause.
