Activities for Special Needs Children - Autism Activities

Special Needs App of the Day: I Hear Ewe
The I Hear Ewe app has 36 pictures of animals and vehicles paired with sounds for your child to click on. Children can use their palm or several fingers to click on an image. When they do, the app verbally describes the animal or vehicle and then...
Dealing with Staring and Special Needs
No doubt about it, when people stare at our children (or us), they make us squirm. Let's face it, people rarely stare at us because they're mesmerized by our great beauty. More likely, they are sizing up our glaring imperfections. For kids with...
When Your Child Grows Up & Out of Special Ed
It is all well and good to be told, as a parent, you must be ready for when your child with a developmental disability is no longer in special ed full time.  Yet, to me that time crept up in 2000. When my son with autism, now 31, was...
App of the Day: Is That Gluten Free?
Many people with special needs benefit from a gluten free diet. For parents who are carefully watching their children’s diets, the Is That Gluten Free? app is an excellent tool. It is the number one gluten free app in the App Store.  Users can...
Successful Transitions: Teachable Moments
Last time we talked about making sure a child has enough information to make good choices and learn responsibility. This week we will focus on taking advantage of teachable moments with your child.Every day, we have a new...
Protecting Marriage When Your Child Has ASD
For years, parents of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have mistakenly passed along the erroneous statistic that 80% of marriages of such parents will end in divorce. This myth also has been perpetuated by professionals and the media....
Bridging the Healthcare Gap
As a parent and a doctor, I have plenty of experience with our fragmented and confusing healthcare system. I have seen firsthand the challenges faced by patients who navigate it. From the first sign of illness to the last medical bill, our...
App of the Day: Motion Math Hungry Fish
Motion Math: Hungry Fish makes learning math a fun game for children and even adults! It is a highly visual app in which a hungry goldfish must be fed with numbers. There are up to 18 levels of increasing difficulty, from matching numbers, to adding...
Activities for Kids: Coffee Filter Fun
Parents who are looking for something fun to do with their kids away from electronic devices this spring may want to consider the things that can be done with a coffee filter. This versatile item that is common to most households can be used to...
A Day in the Life of a Special Ed Teacher
A typical day for a special education teacher is hard to define because the job description varies widely, unlike that of a classroom teacher. What all special education teachers do have in common, though, include a case load of students who have an...
I Was Diagnosed with Diabetes as a Teen
When the doctor came back into the room and told me I was a diabetic, my reaction was similar to being told I had a sinus infection. I expected the doctor to just write me a prescription, and send me on my way, but instead I was on my way to the...
App of the Day: Comprehension TherAppy
Comprehension TherAppy is designed to help people with aphasia and alexia (acquired reading disorder). It comes with three modes: Listen, Read, or Listen and Read. The 500 + photographs of nouns in the Listen section were selected by speech-language...
YogAbility for People with Disabilities
Jerry is a tall, lanky 19-year-old with autism and gastro-intestinal issues. He began coming to YogAbility, a nonprofit organization, 10 years ago. He used to have frequent tantrums, screaming fits, and wore a protective helmet. Since he began yoga...
BPA Contributes to Learning Difficulties
A study reported in Science Daily confirms that the active form of Bisphenol A (BPA) is absorbed more rapidly into the body than previously thought. BPA is a toxic chemical found in paper and plastic used to store food and beverages. As an...
Preparing Your Child for a Hospital Stay
Hospital stays are rarely fun for anyone. But for a child in the hospital, the experience is unfamiliar at best and frightening at worst. However, parents can make a child’s stay easier by implementing three strategies before and during...
Special Needs Advocacy 101
"Is my child getting all the services he/she needs or am I falling behind?" "My son is a year old, but all he does is make noises, I’ve never heard any words come out of his mouth.   I’ve mentioned this to the pediatrician on numerous...
Special Needs App of the Day: ClickySticky
Clicky Sticky is an app that allows children to place animated stickers in different scenes. It is a great tool for learning about things like the ocean, aviation, the arctic, space, and clothing. Clickey Sticky has also been used for building...
3 Anxiety-Busting Solutions for Autism
Here are three practical, simple solutions caregivers can use to help reduce anxiety and deal better every day with a child who has anxiety from autism.  Autism spectrum disorders and anxiety go hand-and-hand like sneezing and a cold. We all...
When Homeschooling Chooses You
I never thought I would be a homeschooling parent.  My husband and I bought a house in a neighborhood that gave us access to the area’s best public elementary school.  When my twin boys were babies, I would cruise by the school,...
App of the Day: A Present for Milo
A Present for Milo is an engaging story book app for young readers and those not yet able to read. Children will get a kick out of over 80 tap-interactive objects within the story. It is a tale of a cat and mouse game, as Milo the cat chases the...
Nick Jonas on Living with Type 1 Diabetes
Actor and singer Nick Jonas spoke to CNN’s Soledad O’Brien recently about what it has been like for him to live with type 1 diabetes. The star of Broadway’s How to Success in Business without Really Trying was diagnosed with diabetes at age 14 and...
New Font Designed for People with Dyslexia
A font has been developed by a Dutch graphic designer, which will make letters easier to read and comprehend for people with dyslexia. Designer Christian Boer is dyslexic himself. He created a font called Dyslexie to keep letters "tied down,"...
Special Needs App of the Day: Tappie Puzzles
Tappie Puzzles is a wonderful app for children ages 4 and up. It comes with 10 interactive puzzles that help children learn to navigate their way around the world. Most of the puzzles have animals that nod along when the child puts a piece in the...
Kate Winslet, a Hat, and Autism Awareness
It all started with a documentary from Iceland called A Mother’s Courage: Talking Back to Autism. The film needed an English-language narrator, and Oscar-winner Kate Winslet was sent a copy to watch. The story of Margret Ericsdottir's journey to...
God Therapy for Autism
“Why me, God?!!”  I screamed tearfully after BOTH of my two sons were diagnosed with autism. That was 100% of my children! I had considered myself a good, Christian person who tried to help others and obey the Scriptures. The irony of this...
Life Not Otherwise Specified (NOS)
Most days lately I have begun to wonder if my life is actually real or am I part of some sort of made-for-television movie game. The last seven years have been interesting to say the least. My middle child, now seven, has accumulated initials after...
Special Needs App of the Day: Gube
Gube is an app that curates child-friendly videos from YouTube onto parents’ phones. All videos are pre-screened and safe to watch for even young children. This app is a lifesaver for those whose kids want to be able to choose videos for themselves...
Roses for Autism
Millions of people are scrambling to order flowers for their sweethearts on Valentine’s Day. This year Roses for Autism is one special flower business that stands out among all the others. Started in 2009 by Jim Lyman, a man with experience in the...
AD/HD: Knowledge Is Power
Since knowledge is power, it’s worth staying informed about some of the latest AD/HD research findings. Here are a few of my favorites, which combine an "oh duh" component with a dash of "what a good idea."  The “oh duh” category of...
Speech-Based Activities for Kids with Apraxia
 Speech-Based Activities to Do with Your Kids with Apraxia at Home and in the Community A lot of parents ask, "How can I help my child with apraxia?"  In fact, it may very well be the number one question I get after "What is apraxia,...
Special Needs App of the Day: Colorific
Colorific is a great coloring app for kids. It includes over 40 templates where they can fill in the colors. There are also blank pages where children can create whatever pictures they like. Template categories are numbers, animals and birds,...
The IEP Process Explained by an Attorney
Christopher Knauf is the founder of Knauf Associates in Santa Monica, CA. His law firm specializes in disability rights and education-related legal disputes. He has also served as an independent hearing officer for Section 504 special education...
New Mental Health Manual Could Be "Dangerous"
Millions of people, including shy or defiant children, may be wrongly labeled mentally ill according to an upcoming revision of the influential Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Many experts are calling new categories in...
App of the Day: Sprout's Good Night Star HD
Sprout’s Good Night Star app teaches your little one about bedtime routines. The goal is to help the adorable Star character get ready for bed by brushing his teeth, washing his face, reading a story, tucking him in and rocking him to sleep. Based...
UCLA Research Study Seeking Participants
 The following is an Interview with Dr. Esther Hess regarding her upcoming research study and understanding the feelings of the neurotypical siblings of children impacted by autism. Editor: Dr. Hess, I understand that you are conducting a...
Review: All About Attention Deficit Disorder
The second edition of Dr. Thomas W. Phelan’s influential guide, All About Attention Deficit Disorder, explains in layman’s terms the symptoms and treatments for this all too common condition. All About Attention Deficit Disorder asks the reader,...
Homeschooling and the Autism Spectrum Child
I began homeschooling my son soon after he was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome,  at 6 years old and in his second year of schooling. I quickly realized that his school knew even less than I did about Asperger’s, and while I soon educated...
App of the Day: iDress for Weather
iDress for Weather is a simple app but oh so useful. It teaches children which clothing goes with different types of weather. Temperature settings are customizable so that personal interpretations of hot, warm, cool, cold, and very cold can be...
Autism-Friendly Shows Planned for Broadway
After an autism-friendly showing of The Lion King on Broadway last fall, the Theatre Development Fund received interest in other shows from approximately 1,500 people. Now The Fund has bought out the 1,797-seat New Amsterdam Theatre and 1,677-seat...
Integrated Lesson Planning for Special Needs
A few weeks ago, as I was sitting in a professional development meeting with a team of educators at New York City Public School PS79, located in Harlem, I was overcome with unexpected emotion. For several years, I have been a vendor to New York’s...
Parent Age Related to Child’s Odds for Autism
In a new study of more than 9,500 children in Denmark who had been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, researchers found that children born to a parent over the age of 35 had a higher risk of developing autism. Interestingly, the data also...
App of the Day: What Goes Together?
This app focuses on improving receptive language skills but is also good for expressive language skills. It asks the user to select which item out of a group goes with another item, based on use or function. For example, a child who is shown a...
Transitions: Honesty Is the Best Policy
Last time we talked about how to use choices and questions to help children learn responsibility at as early an age as possible. This week, we talk about an important part of asking questions and giving choices: making sure a child has enough...
Ruby Dee Overcomes Brain Injury with Cookbook
Four years ago, Ruby Dee Philippa was riding her scooter down the road in Austin, TX. She was a singer. Her band, Ruby Dee and the Snakehandlers, was just about to release a new album. She was careful on her ride. She wore a motorcycle jacket, hefty...
Special Needs App of the Day: Astrojammies
Astrojammies is a Demibooks app that tells the story of Jimmy and his magical pajamas that turn him into an astronaut. The book is written in rhyming verse by Stacy Williams-Ng and the text can either be narrated aloud on the iPad or the narration...
Blue Shield to Cover Autism Therapy
Blue Shield of California Life & Health Insurance Co. agreed this week to immediately cover the cost of applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy for autism patients. This decision was the result of a settlement with state regulators, stemming...
Book Excerpt: Easy to Love, but Hard to Raise
Easy to Love, but Hard to Raise is a collection of essays from the parents of children with “invisible” but very real disabilities. As these parents share their stories, a sense of empathy and support emerges until the reader comes away feeling that...
4 Paws for Ability Gives Service Dogs to Kids
Karen Shirk is the founder and executive director of 4 Paws for Ability, a nonprofit organization that places service dogs with people rejected from the big service dog agencies. These include children with special needs. When Shirk found out that...
Special Needs Karate: Is Money the Big Factor
Thanks for coming back to my monthly article for children with special needs and karate. I hope to bring you closer to understanding the multitude of benefits the martial arts bring to our children. Over the years I’ve found myself answering the...
Special Needs App of the Day: Marble Mixer
This app offers three games, all modern twists on the classic way to play marbles. Marble Mixer is a fun and effective way to introduce children to game playing and strategy. In the Monster Picnic game, players must flick marbles into the monster’s...
Antidepressants and Pregnancy: Weighing Risks
Women who take antidepressants and learn that they are pregnant must consider not just the potential risks of the drugs but also the impact of untreated depression on a developing fetus. Untreated depression could lead to low birth weight,...
Transitions: Give Some Independence . . .
. . . Gain Some Cooperation Up until now, in this series on transitioning from the pediatric to adult medical systems, we have focused on defining transition and why it matters. Now, we are going to start looking...
7 Things You MUST Know About Fitness & Autism
Frankie did not enjoy fitness activities when we first began our sessions about seven years ago. Prior to this, his most consistent activity was jumping up and down while hitting his chest with his hand and the more-than-occasional all out tantrum...
Special Needs App of the Day: Mixeroo
When a song plays on Mixeroo, children can slide faders up and down to explore the music in different ways. They can isolate the different instruments, such as the piano, bells, violin or bongos. There are four songs to chose from on the app: “...
Changing the Mindset of Youth on the Spectrum
Changing the Mindset of Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders In our therapeutic work with children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), we expanded upon our earlier writings about a resilient mindset, especially given the...
Amazing Race Host Bikes across U.S. for MS
Phil Keoghan has been the impeccably dressed and proper host for 20 seasons of CBS’s The Amazing Race. On February 18, audiences will see him in a different role: as the subject of a new documentary, The Ride, which follows Keoghan as he bikes...
13-Year-Old Singer Has a Special Needs Cause
Not every 13-year-old girl with a powerful singing voice gets the opportunity to record it on an album. It is even less likely that she would have a single written for her by a noted producer. Rarer than that is when that girl wants to give a...
App of the Day: All About You, All About Me
All About You, All About Me is a social skills app with 56 illustrated picture cards that ask questions related to getting to know someone. Questions range from basic ones like, “What is your home address?” to open-ended prompts such as, “Tell me...
Cystic Fibrosis Drug Kalydeco Shows Promise
Cystic Fibrosis affects 30,000 people in the U.S. It causes an imbalance of salt in the body, which affects the pancreas shortly after birth, impedes proper digestion, and causes airways to fill with mucus, leaving patients vulnerable to lung...
More Couples Look to Special Needs Adoption
Couples who plan to adopt often look to other countries with cultures similar to their own. That is why Megan and Keith Nakamoto began the China adoption process in 2005. "My husband is Japanese, so we are familiar with the Asian culture. We thought...
Special Needs App of the Day: Fish School
Fish School by Duck Duck Moose uses beautiful images, bright colors, and music adapted from the classic ABC song to capture your child’s attention and hold it. There are eight different activities for learning, including letters, numbers, and shapes...
Using "Inner Speech" May Help Autism
Psychologists have found that people with autism possess the ability for "inner speech," which is the process of talking things through in their heads--though they do not use it in the same way as typically developing people.  In a study...
Parents as Equal Partners at the IEP Table
As a private consultant I have the pleasure of supporting families as they work to become knowledgeable members of their son’s or daughter’s IEP team. They are often anxious weeks before the scheduled date, worrying if their student will receive the...
Quality Instruction for Someone with Dyslexia
I am an elementary school reading specialist in a large public school system, so I have the opportunity to work with a large range of reading needs on a daily basis. For me, dyslexia is one of the most intriguing reading deficiencies I have studied...
Space Camp Special Needs Programs a Big Hit
The recent airing of the Hallmark Hall of Fame movie A Smile as Big as the Moon created such a surge of interest in attending Space Camp that the camp’s website was unable to handle the flood of traffic. The site crashed last night, but it is now...
Special Needs App of the Day: iBioMed
Developed by the parents of a child with autism and seizures who were looking for a way to make their lives easier, the iBioMed app helps caregivers keep track of their children’s health information--particularly those with complex conditions such...
Underwater Treadmill Gives Paraplegics Hope
In a study by Middle Tennessee State University’s (MTSU) Department of Health and Human Performance, a treadmill at the bottom of a tank filled with 270 gallons of water has been helping paraplegics make great strides. This same technique has also...
Kids with Special Needs Needed in Top Schools
The elite high schools of New York City have been put on notice. Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott has mandated that screened high schools must either admit more students with special needs or the Education Department would place the teens for them...
CDC Offers New Epidemiology Camps for Kids
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) just announced two new summer programs for kids and teens interested in learning more about epidemiology, which is the study of health-related states or events, including diseases and the control of...
Playing Learning Games with Throw-Aways
If you want to play games with your child, you can do it with materials no fancier than yesterday’s newspaper, today’s empty cereal box and a smile. Playing with your child lets her or him know that you enjoy their company and want to spend...
Special Needs App of the Day: Dexteria
Dexteria is a fantastic app for children with apraxia or who are on the spectrum, or even people recovering from injuries. It strengthens fine motor skills and enables pointing, pinching, and writing. There are three sections to the app. The first...
HPV Vaccine Does Not Trigger Autoimmune Issue
Autoimmune reactions have long been a concern connected with Gardisil, the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. It has become common for the vaccine to be recommended to adolescents and young adults to protect against sexually transmitted infections...
One Family’s Journey with Autism
Altering Our Perspective: One Family's Journey with Autism He came to us on a Tuesday, slowly and painfully easing his way into the world just after the new year. When the doctor placed Benjamin on my belly I felt that we had finally done it …...
App of the Day: ConversationBuilder
ConversationBuilder helps elementary-age children who have trouble conversing with peers in social situations. This app gives the user options in choosing who begins the conversation (“student” or “peer”) and which phrase to say to either initiate...
Special Ed Kids Go to Space Camp in New Film
A Smile as Big as the Moon is an inspiring story about a class of special education students who dream of going to Space Camp. What began as a memoir written by real-life special education teacher Mike Kersjes has now been made into a Hallmark Hall...
Ann LeZotte and Julie Jack, a Deaf Heroine
As a young child, Ann LeZotte was diagnosed as autistic because she banged her head. Eventually it was discovered that her head-banging was merely a response to the fact that she could not hear. Born prematurely and deaf, Ann also has trouble with...
Special Needs App of the Day: iWriteWords
iWriteWords teaches your child to write using whimsical sounds and graphics. The way to play is to help Mr. Crab collect all the numbers in sequence on the screen by tracing them with your fingers. As the numbers are traced, a letter appears. Once...
Clues to Treating Cancers Found in Genomes
Two biotech companies recently announced that sequencing the human genome--each person’s individual DNA blueprint--would soon be possible to do within a single day and for approximately $1,000.  The day following this announcement, researchers...
Successful Transitions: Parenting Strategies
This is our fourth article our Transition series. The last three articles discussed what transition is and why it matters. This week, we start looking at parenting strategies for raising children with special healthcare needs who are...
Brain Scans Detect Early Signs of Dyslexia
Dyslexia is typically diagnosed in children when they are around second or third grade in school. A team from Children’s Hospital Boston reports that they have discovered signs of dyslexia in children as young as 4 or 5 years old by studying their...
Special Needs App of the Day: Doodle Buddy
Doodle Buddy Gold is a popular finger painting app that can be great for calming children with anxiety issues. There are tons of colors to choose from and fun stamps that make silly sounds when your child adds them to the picture. Doodle Buddy also...
Keep Medicines Up and Away and Out of Sight
Many parents might not fully realize the dangers of leaving medications within reach of young children. According to a press release from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in every 150 two-year-olds in the U.S. visits an...
Going Gluten, Casein and Chemical Free
A Life Transformed by Going Gluten Free, Casein Free and Chemical Free My son threw things, screamed, had uncontrollable meltdowns, had severe sensory challenges, very poor social skills and never changed his diet from pretty much eating peanut...
Behavioral Problems and Medication in Kids
Behavioral problems in children can range from mild mischievousness to serious misconduct that can interfere with normal development. Children and adolescents with extreme behavioral problems, more than typical childhood misbehavior, should be...
Special Needs App of the Day: Sound Shaker
Labeled a “21st century rattle” by Children’s Technology Review, the Sound Shaker app lets children experiment with sounds by tapping. After the child chooses a sound like a chime, whistle, barnyard animal, or drum from the main menu, each tap of...
Film Raises Dyslexia Awareness at Sundance
A documentary directed by James Redford (son of Robert Redford) uses animation and live interviews to explore the complex world faced by those who have dyslexia. In the film titled The D Word: Understanding Dyslexia, the audience follows Dylan, a...
New Definition of Autism Worries Some
One in 110 children in the U.S. are currently estimated to have autism, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. With the rate of diagnoses skyrocketing in recent years, some newly proposed changes to the definition of autism...
Special Needs App of the Day: Going Shopping
Some children with special needs react with difficult behaviors like tantrums when going into a store. Going Shopping Social Story is an app that focuses on things that can be fun while shopping. Because children with special needs such as Down...
Advice on Transition from Pediatrics to Adult
After beginning our Transition article series, we received a question from a reader telling us about her experience going from a pediatric clinic to an adult clinic. This patient explains to us her common concern that so many others experience...
New Reality Show Follows Life with Disability
Push Girls, a reality show set to debut in April on the Sundance Channel, follows the lives of four women who have been paralyzed by either disease or tragic accidents. While each of these women use wheelchairs in everyday life, the title of the...
Planning for Health Care Decision Making
Planning for health care decision making includes two key components:1. Preparation of a written advance directive, more commonly referred to as a living will, durable health care power of attorney, or health care proxy.2. Appointing someone to be...
Special Needs App of the Day: Story Land
The Story Land app allows children with special needs to build stories by selecting a background and adding in various characters and objects. It is extremely interactive: users can choose from over 320 fully animated characters and create over 300,...
Self-Funded Special Needs Trusts
What is a Self-Funded Special Needs Trust? A trust is a legal document that provides for the control and distribution of assets held by a "trustee" for the benefit of another (the "beneficiary"). The assets in a trust may be money, stocks,...
Lip Reading Study Could Offer Autism Clues
A new study conducted by researchers at Florida Atlantic University is proving that infants use more than their ears to learn how to talk. The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, tested groups of babies ranging...
Medical Professionals Share Transition Advice
Current research shows that an organized, methodical approach to transition is crucial. A. Kennedy et al. states: "Increasing evidence shows that adverse health consequences occur when inadequate transition arrangements are in place. Poor...
Many People with Autism Suited for Jobs
Employers are realizing more and more that there is a group of potential employees in the autism community who can be productive workers if given a chance. Chris Simler is the director of career development services at Turning Pointe Autism...
Special Needs App: Dragon Dictation
Dragon Dictation is a useful tool for people who have difficulty typing or translating their thoughts into written words. This voice recognition app is powered by Dragon Naturally Speaking and allows the user to speak the content of emails, text...
Guardianship and Developmental Disabilities
Surrogate Decision Making for People with Developmental Disabilities Susie is 18 years old. She has been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, which makes it difficult for her to socialize and communicate with others. She attends a school for...
FOX Features Character with Autism on Touch
Soon to join a growing list of television characters on the autism spectrum is Jake Bohm, an 11-year-old boy with an extreme form of autism who is also nonverbal. Portrayed by David Mazouz, Jake’s character is at the center of a new show called...
Special Movie Showings for Special Needs Kids
One theater in Massachusetts recently began hosting sensory-friendly screenings of movies for children with special needs. The families who attend these showings do not typically have a chance to see movies in theaters because some children have...
Morgan's Wonderland to Team up with EMHE
Ultra-accessible family fun park Morgan’s Wonderland is teaming up with Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (EMHE) to build a new home for a wounded warrior and his family in San Antonio, TX. According to a joint press release, the deserving recipient of...
Special Needs App of the Day: Injini
Injini: Child Development Game Suite Lite’s collection of learning games for young children is one of the best apps on the market for toddlers and preschoolers with language, cognitive and fine motor delays. Included are nine games that feature...
Tebow Foundation Helps Those with Disability
Tim Tebow is the most talked about athlete in America right now. With his 80-yard OT touchdown pass in the playoffs against the Pittsburgh Steelers last week and subsequent 9,420 tweets about him on Twitter per second, Tim Tebow makes news wherever...
Respecting Autism: A Talk with Dr. Gil Tippy
Dr. Gil Tippy, co-author of Respecting Autism and a founder of the Rebecca School in New York, talks to SpecialNeeds.com about his book and the philosphies that the school was built upon, many of them Dr. Greenspan's legacies.SN: Dr. Tippy,...
Special Needs App of the Day: My Tale
"The Cloud Boy" is the first in a series of stories in the My Tale collection for iPad. It is about a boy who always has his head in the clouds and often gets distracted or lost. He must learn to pay attention in order to keep his parents from...
Using RtI Data to Get Ready for IEP Season
Now that the holidays are done and even though it is not yet Spring, the time is now to get ready for what is commonly known as "IEP season." While the thought of the next annual review or domains meeting to decide on a round of evaluations may be...
Patients Share the Significance of Transition
Transferring from pediatrics into the adult medical system is a big step for families who have children with special needs. The medical care models are very different. Even prepared parents and young adults express shock at how different the two...
Special Needs App of the Day: Turn Taker
Turn Taker teaches sharing using visual and audio cues to children with Down syndrome, autism, ADHD, and other special needs. Sharing is a key skill for growing and maintaining social relationships, which in turn promote an improved use of language...
Managing Pregnancy When Baby Isn't Perfect
No one wants to talk about it, but sadly bad things happen during pregnancy. Sometimes babies die and sometimes babies are not born perfect with "10 little fingers and 10 little toes." Since no one talks about these things, going through a difficult...
NLP for Parents of Kids with Special Needs
Parents of a special needs child also have special needs. They need more flexibility to deal with the unknown and adapt to situations that are often completely different from what they expected, more time and money to take care of their child, more...
“Scream Rooms” Used on Special Needs Children
Parents are outraged at one elementary school’s use of what have been termed as “scream rooms” on their children with special needs and behavioral problems. Teachers and staff at Farm Hill Elementary School in Middletown, CT, reportedly used the...
Special Needs App of the Day: Tap Tap Baby
 Tap Tap Baby for iPad is a great app for children who experience severe developmental delays and/or fine motor difficulties. It features a total of six games, including a monkey face that goes through a range of emotions, a xylophone game, and...
Hardy Brain Camp Helps Learning Disabilities
The school day was over, but in a classroom tucked away at a far end of Rio Real Elementary School in Oxnard, CA, a group of 10 students were just getting started. Many of them were hovering around two rows of computers being set up with cables...
Maintain a Healthy Body During Antibiotics
Studies continue to show that the use of antibiotics disrupts the delicate balance in the digestive tract and colon of patients with special healthcare needs. This compromises healthy liver, immune and bowel function. Research in the journal ...
Improve Your Special Needs Financial Planning
The Hidden Financial Costs of Having a Child with Special Needs: Part Two It costs around $15,000 a year to raise the average child in the United States. You can expect this number to nearly double if you have a child with complex medical needs...
The Meaningful Life for a Child with Autism
There are approximately one million people living with autism in the United States today. By the year 2050, it is predicted that this number will increase fivefold, with 1.7 million of these people being adults. In her book, Autism Solutions: How to...
Special Needs App of the Day: Grace
Winner of the 2010 Irish Web Awards and United Nations World Summit Award Mobile, the Grace App features a picture database for nonverbal people to use to create sentences. Both adults and children with autism will find this app useful for...
Successfully Transitioning Special Needs Kids
Successful Transitions: Moving from Childhood into Adulthood and from Pediatrics into Adult Care Whether your child is a toddler or a teenager, transition is a word you need to know. As the parent of a teenager with asthma, allergies...
Hidden Financial Costs of Special Needs
The Hidden Financial Costs of Having a Child with Special Needs: Part OneLast year my daughter's out-of-pocket medical costs were more than $200,000. Yes, you read that right. Fortunately, supplemental Medicaid picked up a good chunk of that, but we...
How Weighted Blankets Help Special Needs Kids
 Who May Benefit from a Weighted Blanket and Why My daughter with Rett syndrome and Mitochondrial disease suffers greatly from sensory integration dysfunction. She has trouble sleeping through the night, cries when her hair is brushed, suffers...
Autism: A Different Way of Being
"I don’t want a boy like that in my class," writes Ms. Linden upon hearing that she is to be my son Neal’s teacher.  A boy like that!  My mind goes to lyrics from West Side Story, "A boy like that " he kill your brother... forget that boy...
Artists with Disabilities Gain "Momentum"
Out of more than 120 submissions from high schools and colleges across the country, 15 emerging artists with disabilities were selected to showcase their works at the Ripley Center, part of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. The chosen...
Keeping Hope Alive When a Child Has Special
Keeping Hope Alive When Your Child Has Special Needs I pull into the carpool lane to pick my kids up from school and am yet again touched by the sight of a service dog with a bright pink lunch pail hanging from her mouth as she trots alongside...
How Digital Devices Affect Your Child's Eyes
These days, there are more children and teenagers, including those with special needs, using digital devices to learn, play and be entertained than any generation before. From smartphones to e-readers, and computers to digital tablets, young people...
The Impact of OCD on Kids in a School Setting
Oh, man. There goes the bell for the end of 4th period. I hate this bell. It means I have to go to my locker and unload all my stuff from the first four periods and pick up everything else I need through the end of the day. I only go to my locker...
Interactive Metronome Hits the Right Beat
Three and a half years ago, Diane Solomon was at the end of her rope. Her son Adam was in second grade and nobody knew what was wrong with him. When Adam was 18 months old, he had been diagnosed with a rare childhood inflammatory disease called...
Helping Kids Learn about Autism
When signing up my child for baseball one cold Saturday morning I asked the chairperson, "Is there a coach familiar with autism?" He responded kindly enough, "Yeah we have one that is ADHD." Wow, I thought. Autism has been around for many years, and...
Special Needs App of the Day: ASL Dictionary
The ASL Dictionary includes 4,800 signed words accompanied by easy-to-follow videos to teach users Sign Language. It features common English phrases, the entire numerical system, dates, symbols, and 765 multiple meaning words, as well as 55...
How to Find a Special Needs Day Care
According to the Children’s Defense Fund, 19 million children in kindergarten through eighth grade are regularly in nonparental care before and after school. One of the many benefits of sending your child to a licensed child care center is the...
Who Are Student Rights Advocates?
Student Rights Advocates (SRA) works to protect student rights and ensure excellence in public education, particularly for those children who have special needs. Co-founder Debbie Papaj talks about her work and who might benefit from having an...
Navigating Types of Special Needs Trusts
Special needs trusts generally fall into one of two categories, and the treatment and effect of any given trust varies depending on which kind of trust is involved. This has led to a tremendous amount of confusion and, in some cases, a significant...
New TSA Helpline for Special Needs Travelers
Families with special needs may now have an easier time navigating airport security screenings. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently rolled out a new toll free hotline called TSA Cares. Travelers with special medical conditions...
Finding a Way to Live with Pediatric MS
On the first day of fifth grade, Bryan Yglesias woke up feeling weaker on his left side. He walked with a limp, and over the course of the day he felt worse and his speech began to slur. His parents, Nick and Kathy, took him to the hospital, but the...
Avoiding Obesity in Kids with Special Needs
Childhood obesity is a rising problem in the United States, both for typically developing children and children with special needs. According to a Fact Sheet released by the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Department of Disability and Human...
Are Meds Making Your Child Sick?
Americans--including children--are taking more prescription drugs than ever before. Things can go wrong when these drugs are mixed with other prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, herbal remedies, and even caffeine. Many patients and...
How to Organize the Chaos
What bigger crisis does one face than learning their child has been diagnosed with a chronic condition? It’s virtually impossible to collect your thoughts, let alone organize them. For me, organizing the many aspects of my life after receiving that...
Children's Medical Records: 5 Things to Watch
Many of us are clueless about the valuable information contained in our children’s medical records. Knowing what’s there can help us make smart decisions; not knowing can leave us navigating in the dark. Getting ahold of your child’s records has...
Wild Onion Press Stars Kids with Disabilities
NPR Commentator and novelist Shelley Fraser Mickle takes on a new title, Publisher, with the startup company Wild Onion Press, Books Starring Kids with Physical Differences.I fell in love with stories when I was five. My grandmother from Tennessee,...
Autism Movement Therapy "Wakes Up the Brain"
"Programs like Joanne's Autism Movement Therapy offer opportunities for our kids to develop the necessary and fundamental skills that benefit all our kids.  Art saved my life!"   - Temple Grandin, PhD   The...
Keep Children with Autism from Wandering
It’s every parent’s worst nightmare: They turn their attention away from a child for just a moment to answer the phone or check dinner in the oven, and when they look again, the child is gone, and a frantic search begins.  This scenario...
Favorite Technology Tools for Dyslexia
Susan Barton, founder of Bright Solutions for Dyslexia, recommends five favorite technology tools for people with dyslexia. These tools allow students to work around their weak areas while they build up their strengths through tutoring or classroom...
My Child Has Dyslexia: Now What?
“When do I tell my child he or she has dyslexia?” Many parents agonize over this question. Susan Barton, creator of the Barton Reading & Spelling System and founder of Bright Solutions for Dyslexia, says that children with dyslexia know by the...
New Treatment Guidelines for ADHD
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) created some controversy with their recently released updated guidelines for diagnosing and treating ADHD. The guidelines recommend medication treatment for children as young as four years who have academic...
Why Martial Arts Are Best for Special Needs
It’s no secret that a traditional martial arts program is one of the best extracurricular activities a child can participate in.  For children with special needs the benefits are invaluable because of the inherit structure and discipline the...
Merrill Lynch Debuts Special Needs Calculator
Merrill Lynch has developed a financial calculator exclusively designed for families of children with special needs. This tool helps families structure their finances by factoring the costs of assistive equipment for homes, such as wheelchair ramps...
Autism: Beyond the Nonverbal Label
The common misperception that nonverbal children, particularly those diagnosed with autism, are not aware of what goes on around them or are devoid of feeling is completely destroyed in the book, Seven Keys to Unlock Autism: Making Miracles in the...
Choosing Gifts for Kids with Disabilities
Shopping for the perfect gift can be a challenge, but finding a gift for a child with special needs doesn’t have to be.According to Julie Brinkhoff, assistant director of the Great Plains ADA Center at the University of Missouri School of Health...
Facial Differences Found in Boys with Autism
COLUMBIA, Mo.  " The face develops from the same set of cells that are responsible for brain development, beginning with an embryo and continuing through the first 10-12 years of life. Now, University of Missouri researchers have...
Spina Bifida: From Patient to Parent
Spina Bifida is one of the most common birth defects, occurring in 1 out of 2,500 babies. Also termed a “cleft spine” or “open spine,” it affects the lower back and in more severe cases, the spinal cord. Carla Lohr was born with Spina Bifida...
Excerpt from "Life Before Birth"
On Prenatal Life: The evidence is increasing--traumas while being carried in the womb have a lifelong effect and can change brain function and structure permanently. One study is critical in all this. Lancet reported a study of blood...
Communicating with Your Special Needs Child
Every child is a special needs child.  Most of those special needs fall within our expectations, and that's the reason why we don't really consider them “special.”  But other needs are completely unexpected and require a lot of effort on...
The Problem of MD Chronic Joint Pain
Is there a long-lasting, little risk, minimal side-effect solution to chronic joint pain for the Muscular Dystrophy (MD) patient? The answer is yes, and the main "medicine" in this treatment is sugar. Muscular Dystrophy, sports related injuries, and...
Study Says Autism Missed in Cases of Epilepsy
 In a study presented at the American Epilepsy Society’s (AES) 65th Annual Meeting, children under five years old who were seen at an epilepsy monitoring unit and a ketogenic diet clinic were tracked for six months. Seventy-seven percent of the...
AT&T and Exmovere Partner to Fight SIDS
There are almost 2,300 incidents of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) each year. Now, by wirelessly enabling Exmovere’s patented biosensor pajamas for infants, AT&T makes it possible to monitor your baby’s critical vital signs, such as heart...
Benefits of Yoga for Special Needs Children
What are the benefits of yoga for children with special needs? What is a special needs yoga class like? Is your child expected to lie still on a mat? These are questions that Alex Newell, voted LAFamily.com’s Yoga Teacher of 2010, is happy to answer...
Holiday Meals and Families with Special Needs
Parents of children with special needs often find themselves feeling pressured to explain or apologize for their child’s behavior around the holiday dinner table. Maybe your child is a picky eater or prone to outbursts. This may cause tension if...
Holiday Relationship Repair for Families
When holiday season rolls around, we all want to be able to sit around the dinner table and experience something reminiscent of a Norman Rockwell painting. Unfortunately, the holidays tend to bring out the worst in some families. Dr. Travis...
Canine Companions Provide Four-Legged Friends
Canine Companions for Independence is a national nonprofit organization that provides assistance dogs for people with disabilities completely free of charge. Canine Companions serves adults and children with a wide range of physical and...
ACT Today! Grants iPads to Kids with Autism
In the past year, ACT Today! has given 88 iPads to children with autism around the country. As part of the autism care and treatment nonprofit’s new Assisted Technology Program, tools like the iPad ensure that children on the autism spectrum will...
Diagnosing Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease that attacks the central nervous system, including the spinal chord, optic nerves, and brain. MS most frequently occurs in adults, but it can also be diagnosed in children and teens. It is...
Nutritional Assessment for Special Needs
Nutrition therapy for children with special needs varies greatly and must be individualized for each issue.  Swallowing difficulties, positioning and nutrient deficiencies are just a few of the variables that can have an impact on your child’s...
Kids with Autism Take Lead at Pretend City
Children on the autism spectrum need to be provided with innovative strategies that enable them to learn to negotiate effectively in the real world. This is so they will feel accepted and have the proper skills to become productive adults. Pretend...
Bullying and Children with Special Needs
Bullying is a serious problem affecting many children and teens, but it is not likely that most children, especially those with special needs, will walk up to their parents and tell them, “I’m being bullied.” Bullying can involve name-calling,...
Susie Bean Helps Families with Special Needs
Dr. R. Layla Salek knows firsthand the financial strain that families experience when struggling to help a loved one with mental illness or autism. As the daughter of a mother diagnosed with bipolar disorder, Dr. Salek ‘s passion for working with...
Special Needs Theme Park First of Its Kind
On 25 acres in Northeast San Antonio lies the world’s first theme park designed with individuals with special needs in mind. Morgan’s Wonderland, inspired by the daughter of philanthropist Gordon Hartman, has welcomed more than 200,000 guests from...
Girl with Down Syndrome Signed as Model
Urban Angels, an elite UK child modeling agency, opens their books only twice a year in search of new talent. Little Taya Kennedy was one of 50 children chosen out of 2,000 applicants. The fact that she has Down syndrome “did not enter the equation...
Ice Hockey Meets Special Needs
Since it began five years ago, the Special Needs Ice Hockey program in Panorama City, California, has provided an opportunity for kids and adults with developmental disabilities to learn and play hockey. Until just six months ago, it was the only...
Special Needs at Sea
When Andrew Garnett founded Special Needs at Sea four years ago, he was making equipment deliveries in his own car. “I would get up at three in the morning and drive to Port Canaveral, make my deliveries there, and then I’d drive across the state...
Chess Helps Students with Special Needs
Bridgepoint Academy, located just outside of Chicago, Illinois, is a unique place that helps young adults with special needs (ages 16-21) transition from school to adulthood. By focusing on fostering each student’s life goals, Bridgepoint Academy...
Muscular Dystrophy Drug Success
Researchers at Ohio State University Medical Center have recently made great strides in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) research. DMD is one of the most severe forms of muscular dystrophy, resulting in the eventual degeneration of all voluntary...
Vista Inspires Autism Community
For children and families living with Autism Spectrum Disorders in West Los Angeles, Vista Del Mar Child and Family Services has a whole lot of answers to the the question, "What can we do?" As CEO Dr. Elias Lefferman says, "You do everything you...
Conference: Vista Del Mar Autism Conferences
PRESENTS ACROSS THE SPECTRUM THE THIRD ANNUAL AUTISM CONFERENCE FOR PROFESSIONALS AND FAMILIES NOVEMBER 3, 2011 Special Guest back by popular demand: Eustacia Cutler Speakers: Ricki Robinson, M.D., M.P.H. and Sue Rubin, Nonverbal Woman with Autism...
Autism: How to Discern the Symptoms . . . and What to Do Next
Have I been living in a cave? This was the thought that went through my head when I first learned that both of my children exhibited “poor social skills and autistic-like behavior.” I had them tested at the local public school and that was their...
To Worry or Not to Worry: Your Child's Development
Mother’s intuition is priceless but unfortunately not always an accurate gauge about whether a child is developing normally or not. Thankfully, there are several excellent checklists available to evaluate social interaction, speech, and hearing and...
Educational Remediation From the Brain Stem Up: An Interview With Anna Buck
Paula: Anna, I’m excited to interview you. It gives me a chance to publicly thank you for the help you gave my children and to let others know there’s healing available for kids who struggle! Could you tell us a little about Anna’s House?  ...
Leading Pediatric Expert Offers Eight Step Technique for Managing Children's Behavioral Problems
As parents know, a child’s misbehavior can create chaos, disorder and discontent within a family that often leads to guilt, disappointment and frustration that can cloud even the very best intentions. Parents and caregivers may have found themselves...
Gluten-free? Why Me?
‘What? Gluten intolerance? Wheat allergy? Not me!’ Gluten-Free has become a fad. Many doctors, dieticians, and nutritionists today may suspect and diagnose Celiac Disease, (CD), yet are mystified about what diet to recommend. Some doctors don’t know...
Gracie Gets An Everlasting Smile
August is kind of a tough month for me. Two years ago this month, I had my stroke and first brain surgery.  Last August, I had my facial nerve reconstruction.  The past two summers I have had to recover. After my stroke, besides having...
Using Technology to Keep Autistic Children Safe
  When an autistic child wanders away from parents or a caregiver into unfamiliar surroundings, they can have a difficult time finding their way back. Their sense of time and distance might be altered, and they can travel long distances before...
Teaming Up with Your Child's Teachers
“My child has special needs.” That phrase can be uttered with either a sigh or confidence. Which one depends upon the spirit with which the parent greets the teacher.  As an educator and administrator, I love to tell our parents that “every...
Helping Child with Special Needs Through Yoga
My son, Miguelangel, is 3 months old. He has Down syndrome and was born prematurely. I started him on a daily yoga practice when he was a month old, and I am pleased with the results.Many families with special children are embracing alternative...
Tips to Support your Child with Selective Mutism Transition Back to School
Selective Mutism is a psychiatric disorder that affects 7 out of every 1,000 children (making it almost as common as autism), yet it is seldom dealt with within the confines of a psychotherapist’s office. It is an extreme form of social anxiety...
Conference Watch: International Dyslexia Association Reading and Learning Conference in Chicago, November 9-12
Every year, the International Dyslexia Association (IDA) holds a four-day conference to bring people together and to spread knowledge about dyslexia and other learning difficulties. The conference, which is one of the largest conferences in the...
Enrichment Programs Make a Real Difference
Parents of children with special needs often face a great challenge in finding after-school, camp, and weekend recreational programs for their children. Most community based programs are not designed to accommodate children with special needs. Yet...
What is Autism Movement Therapy?
The brain is an information processing wonder. We process and store information in either long or short term areas of the brain. When we need the information, we retrieve it via a pathway (white brain matter) in the mapping area (gray matter) of the...
Learning and Playing with Dramatic Arts
“I HATE the cold! Why didn’t I buy that condo in Florida!” blurts out the diminutive 4-year-old. She looks adorable with her contagious smile and beautiful curly blonde hair poking out from underneath the squirrel costume she’s wearing. She seems...
Emotion, Community...Miracles
Developmental delays, communication difficulties and/or motor planning and sensory processing challenges can impede a child’s ability to express himself. Traditional therapies focus on helping the child to overcome these deficits. We may, however,...
Expressive Arts Therapy
All problem solving is essentially creativity. When I was a behavioral therapist, I was continually challenged to solve the problems of toilet training, introducing letters and animals, giving sounds and words to wants and needs, developing social...
The Voice of Success For Your Child
Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) leads many children to success in school and life. It is generally associated with electronic speech-generating devices resembling laptop or hand-held computers, which young people may adopt as a...
Building Social Skills in Group Settings
Children with special needs can have a variety of issues with social relatedness, such as recognizing facial cues, regulating emotions and performing social reciprocation. For example, children with Asperger’s Disorder often have difficulty with...
Physical Therapy
Physical therapy builds on a patient’s strengths and abilities. A therapy program will focus on improving the patient’s functional or educational skills. Therapy sessions may include: initial testing to learn about the patient’s needs, regularly...
Improving Social Interactions For Youth With Autism Spectrum Disorders
Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) face significant challenges with social interaction. This stems from difficulty in reading social cues such as tone of voice and body language. Due to a tendency to commit “social errors,” children with...
Occupational Therapy
Occupational Therapy’s purpose is to assist clients so they can participate in activities of daily life. Pediatric occupational therapists work in a variety of set- tings and within various systems. Some examples include: pediatric intensive care...
Chiropractic Treatment
The child who is labeled as having ADHD, Aspergers, Autism, Dyslexia and other learning difficulties will generally present with an imbalance of hemispheric function called a "functional disconnection syndrome." Usually, diminished sensory input to...
DIR/FLoor Time: Play Therapy For Children with Autism
Often children who have been derailed by devel-opmental delays like autism present for treatment with very poor or no apparent play skills. There is an equally low level of interest in engaging with play partners. This has led to a pessimistic view...
Speech and Language Pathology
Speech/Language Pathologists serve special needs children and their parents in a myriad of ways. The earlier the intervention the better the outcome, and the less likely non-verbal habits will develop which will later have to be unlearned. The...
Special Education Advocates
When a parent of a special needs child becomes increasingly frustrated, experiencing roadblocks in their efforts to intercede with their child’s school to access educational supports and services for their child, a consultation with a Special...
Special Education Advocacy and Charter Schools
Operating pursuant to a charter granted either by a local educational or the State Board of Education, charter schools are primary or secondary schools created by interested agencies and individuals and receive public money for the students who...
The Importance of Independent Educational Evaluations
Evaluations, also called assessments in some states, provide valuable information regarding the nature and extent of your child’s disability as well as the impact the condition may have on his or her education. Strengths and weaknesses identified...
The IEP Process: What You Need to Know
Beginning at age 3 and throughout your child’s education, if you suspect that your child has special needs, he/she may be eligible for support from the local school district. To determine such, assessments must be conducted, which can be requested...
Three Steps To Better IEP Goals
Clear and measurable goals are the key to a successful IEP. Here are three steps to assure better goals in your child’s IEP. Understand Your Child’s Current Functioning Review your child’s homework and tests to compare his work with grade level...
IEP or 504 Plan: Which is Right For Your Child?
When a student qualifies for special education, the school district is required to develop an individual education program or “IEP” for the student. The IEP must include the basis for special education eligibility, measurable goals and objectives,...
Transition Plans Matter
Transition plans are a vital part of an IEP document for any student over the age of sixteen. In California, the state law requires that no later than age sixteen, a student’s IEP must include appropriate, measurable post-secondary goals and...
Why and When to Choose a Non Public School
The “Three R’s” are a well-worn cliché of education, and often the traditional neighborhood school will meet your child’s needs. But if you think your special needs child needs more help than their district school is providing, or the district is...
The Benefits of an Inclusive Classroom
In the educational field, “inclusion” means that children with and without identified disabilities are taught together in the same classroom to the greatest extent possible. Services such as speech, physical therapy, or assistive technology are...
Learn the Early Signs of Dyslexia
One out of every three children entering first- grade lacks the basic skills for success in school. The National Center for Educational Statistics shows that as many as 20% of our nation’s children have substantial difficulties learning to read, and...
Do You Need A Developmental Pediatrician?
Developmental pediatricians are doctors who specialize in children with developmental or behavioral concerns, or specific developmental disabilities. Developmental pediatricians may provide a “developmental assessment” to help parents understand...
Visual Processing and the Special Need Child
“My son has been diagnosed ADHD and OCD, might be bipolar, and he is having the hardest time socially and academically. His school said to have his eyes examined, even though our pediatrician reported 20/20 and healthy eyes. The pediatric...
The Role of Medication in Treating Special Needs Children
Medications and nutritional supplements have an important role in the treatment of special needs children and adults. Medications are one component of a multimodal treatment approach. The psychiatrist is an integral part of an interdisciplinary team...
Diagnosing and Treating ADD
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is one of the most common neuro-biologic health conditions seen in school-age children through the adult years. ADHD is not lazy, spoiled kids; it is identified brain chemistry and neurologic pathway that...
Early Diagnosis and Independent Assessments: Paving the Way for Your Child's Success
• Autism topped President Obama’s 24-point medical agenda, calling for increased funding, and screenings for all infants. • The American Academy of Pe- diatrics has called for all children to be screened for Autism twice before the age of two. • The...
Support For the Transition to Adulthood
For young adults with special needs, the transition from high school to adult life brings a new set of opportunities and chal- lenges. Your child must have a transition plan by age 16. Begin- ning to plan early will increase his opportunity to...
Family Coaching Improves Well-Being of the Whole Family
Everyone is affected when a child has significant developmental, social or emotional challenges. Whatever the diagnosis " or even if you don’t yet have a diagnosis " if you’re parenting a child with special needs, your entire family feels the impact...
Support For The Journey
A woman’s daughter has just been diagnosed with autism. A couple struggles to deal with their brain injured baby, still in the NICU. These courageous parents face an unknown journey with no preparation and no road map. What do they need? They need...
11 More Good Old Books about Learning Disabilities, ADHD and Dyslexia: 3 in a Series
Everyone has their favorite sources of information, and often that means a favorite book. New books are continually coming out. Sometimes new ideas come along. Sometimes they really change the game. Often, they don't.I think, and many others agree,...
Suffering in Silence: Do Food Allergies Play a Role in Selective Mutism?
My nine-year-old son was diagnosed at age four with selective mutism, a psychological anxiety disorder that is characterized by the sufferer's inability to speak in certain situations. My son speaks normally at home and some familiar situations, but...
9 Good Old Books on Learning Disability, ADHD and Dyslexia: 2 in a Series
Everyone has their favorite sources of information, and often that means a favorite book. New books are continually coming out. Sometimes new ideas come along. Sometimes they really change the game. Often, they don't.I think, and many others...
Agency Spotlight: Leaning on CHADD
A mother's desperate call regarding her son who was given detention every single day of the week. A frazzled email from young parents about their daughter's recent diagnosis. A skeptical father who doesn't even know if ADHD is real. --These are just...
The Individual Education Plan
Federal and state law mandate a free appropriate public education tailored to the unique needs of the student. Many parents have come to know this free appropriate public education as the painfully traumatic Individual Educational Plan, or IEP. The...
Teen and Preteen Girls Are at Risk For Developing Eating Disorders: Adolescent Eating Disorders
In the past five years, I have noticed an alarming trend in my private practice. Eating-disordered thoughts and behaviors are striking girls at increasingly younger ages. It is not uncommon for me to hear an eight-year-old girl tell me that she...
Calm in Crisis
I walked into a fifth-grade classroom and saw a student with autism sprawled out on the floor. The classroom paraprofessional was standing over the boy, warning him,"Get up now or you won’t get computer time." The boy began crying and then biting...
Suffering in Silence: Could Your Child Have Selective Mutism?
Chances are you know someone who has a child that's been diagnosed as autistic, or you may have that child yourself. What exactly is autism, what is the autism spectrum, and why have diagnoses exploded so recently? Approximately one out of every one...
The Right to Read
"The sadness experienced in school stays with you forever. Early wounds may heal, but the scars are a constant reminder of a painful experience with the traditional method of learning."So says Joan Esposito, president and founder of Santa Barbara's...
10 Good Books and Videos on Learning Disability, ADHD and Dyslexia: 1 of a Series
Everyone has their favorite sources of information, and often that means a favorite book. New books are continually coming out. Sometimes new ideas come along. Sometimes they really change the game. Often, they don't.I think, and many others agree,...
Title: Summertime Recommendations for Children with ADHD
Summertime marks the end of the school year, a time to relax. But a summer without structure can be a problem for children with ADHD and their unique minds. For parents, it's the perfect time for reflection, a time to evaluate your child's behavior...
The Puzzle of Autism
It was just a few weeks ago that I was standing in the waiting room of the EEG Institute when a six-year-old autistic child entered with his mother. He rushed to hug the neurofeedback practitioner.While such a connection would be pleasant under...
Taming the Stigma of Autism
This year, more children will be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) than with childhood cancer, diabetes, and pediatric AIDS combined. There is good news, however, according to Dr. Barbara Firestone, President & CEO of The Help Group...
Is Your Child Hiding a Learning Disorder
Who is that bright child sitting in the back of the classroom? The one who always has such amazing, creative ideas and strengths? The one who is highly intuitive and will probably excel in art, music, or possibly become a professional athlete. This...
Children Coping with Learning Disabilities: Recognizing and Getting Help For Your Child with a Learning Disability or Speech Disorder
Children, unfortunately, do not come with a manual that tells us exactly how they will evolve as they grow up. Most of this process is extremely personal. Sometimes families appear to have a predisposition for areas of excellence. Children of...
A Growing Epidemic for Kids: Help Your Child Stop Cutting
One of the most insidious and disturbing behaviors teens engage in is cutting. Cutting is a form of self-punishment by people afflicted with ongoing feelings of guilt, confusion, anger, or overwhelming pain. In many cases, cutting is correlated with...
The Individual Education Plan
Federal and state law mandate a free appropriate public education tailored to the unique needs of the student. Many parents have come to know this free appropriate public education as the painfully traumatic Individual Educational Plan, or IEP. The...
Leaning on CHADD - San Fernando Valley
A mother's desperate call regarding her son who was given detention every single day of the week. A frazzled email from young parents about their daughter's recent diagnosis. A skeptical father who doesn't even know if ADHD is real. These are just...
Social Skills Groups for Children and Teens with Autism
When a child has autism, parents have many questions. I am often asked what is the difference between DIR/Floor Time and ABA (Applied Behavioral Analysis). I had the opportunity to address this question at length with Dr. Mitchell Taubman, Ph.D.,...
Reaching Out to Families Dealing With Autism
Every 20 minutes, a child is diagnosed with autism. It is an epidemic currently affecting 1 in every 166 children. Unfortunately, while the number of families impacted by autism continues to increase, the funding for school support, education and...
Neurofeedback: The Cure for ADHD?
Is there still something to be said about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) that has not already been said? Absolutely. After all, the real source of the problem has never been identified, although we know that stimulant medication can...
Agency Spotlight: Special Needs Network--Reaching Out to Families Dealing With Autism
Every 20 minutes, a child is diagnosed with autism. It is an epidemic currently affecting 1 in every 166 children. Unfortunately, while the number of families impacted by autism continues to increase, the funding for school support, education and...
Taming a Monster Child
Ever seen a family under the control of one of the children? It's a troubling sight. Sometimes the role reversal is due to the inability of a parent to effectively discipline the child, while, at other times, a recalcitrant child has forcibly...
Unlocking Your Child's Potential with Neurofeedback
The number of options to help your special needs child has grown exponentially in the last decade. Through new understandings of developmental delays, therapists have discovered a variety of behavioral, nutritional, and medical offerings to improve...
Now, Some More...Quotes from People with Dyslexia
My teachers say I'm addled...my father thought I was stupid, and I almost decided I must be a dunce.--Thomas Edison (the famous inventor pictured when he was a lad) He told me that his teachers reported that...he was mentally slow, unsociable, and...
Short Takes on the Disabilities: What is Dyslexia?
Dyslexia is an invisible disability. It is caused by a difference in brain structure which is present at birth and is often hereditary. As a result, incoming or outgoing information gets scrambled as it travels between the senses and the brain....
Physical Therapy
Physical therapy builds on a patient’s strengths and abilities. A therapy program will focus on improving the patient’s functional or educational skills. Therapy sessions may include: initial testing to learn about the patient’s needs, regularly...
Agency Spotlight: Dyslexia Awareness and Resource Center (DARC)
[Editor's Note: When I returned to Santa Barbara for good in 1990, I was fortunate to make the acquaintance of Joan Esposito and her remarkable organization.  Although Ms. Esposito is a past president of LDA-CA (California's state-level...
Building Social Skills in Group Settings
Children with special needs can have a variety of issues with social relatedness, such as recognizing facial cues, regulating emotions and performing social reciprocation. For example, children with Asperger’s disorder often have difficulty with...
Expressive Arts Therapy
All problem-solving is essentially creativity. When I was a behavioral therapist, I was continually challenged to solve the problems of toilet training, introducing letters and animals, giving sounds and words to wants and needs, developing social...
Emotion, Community...MIRACLE!
Developmental delays, communication difficulties and/or motor planning and sensory processing challenges can impede a child’s ability to express himself. Traditional therapies focus on helping the child to overcome these deficits. We may, however,...
Augmentative and Alternative Communication: The Voice of Success for Your Child
Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) leads many children to success in school and life. It is generally associated with electronic speech-generating devices resembling laptop or hand-held computers, which young people may adopt as a...
Conference Watch: Jed Baker Speaks Thursday, October 25th in West Nyack, NY
Because SpecialNeeds.com is based in California, some people think we tend to ignore the O.C. (That's Other Coast, of course, not Orange County.) But that's not so.  Here's an event we think is of interest, and it's certainly not in California...
Learning and Playing with Dramatic Arts
"I HATE the cold! Why didn’t I buy that condo in Florida!" blurts out the diminutive four-year-old. She looks adorable with her contagious smile and beautiful curly blonde hair poking out from underneath the squirrel costume she’s wearing. She seems...
Enrichment Programs Make a Real Difference for Young People with Autism and Other Special Needs
Parents of children with special needs often face a great challenge in finding afterschool, camp, and weekend recreational programs for their children. Most community-based programs are not designed to accommodate children with special needs. Yet...
Short Takes on the Disabilities: What Students Must Know If They Have Dyslexia or ADD To Get The Help They Need
A person is not dyslexia and is not attention deficit disorder. We can have dyslexia or ADD, just as you may have blue eyes or brown hair or asthma. They are conditions that are parts of us, but none define us. Dyslexia and ADD are...
Agency Spotlight: The International Dyslexia Association
Watching a child struggle with reading, writing, and other academic areas can be heartbreaking for parents and other family members. The International Dyslexia Association (IDA) strives to help parents of dyslexic children, as well as, others with...
And Now for Some...Quotes from Famous People with Dyxlexia
I was one of the "puzzle children" myself--a dyslexic.... And I still have a hard time reading today. Accept the fact that you have a problem. Refuse to feel sorry for yourself. You have a challenge; never quit!--Nelson Rockefeller, former...
Short Takes on the Disabilities: What Profess
The term learning disability describes a neurobiological disorder in which a person's brain works or is structured differently. These differences interfere with a person's ability to think and remember. Learning disabilities can affect a person...
Improving Social Interactions for Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) face significant challenges with social interaction. This stems from difficulty in reading social cues such as tone of voice and body language. Due to a tendency to commit "social errors," children with...
Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapy’s purpose is to assist clients so they can participate in activities of daily life. Pediatric occupational therapists work in a variety of settings and within various systems. Some examples include: pediatric intensive care...
Chiropractic Treatment and Special Needs
The child who is labeled as having ADHD, Aspergers, autism, dyslexia and other learning difficulties will generally present with an imbalance of hemispheric function called a "functional disconnection syndrome." Usually, diminished sensory input to...
DIR/FLOORTIME: A Developmental Approach to Play Therapy for Children Impacted by Autism Treatment
Often children who have been derailed by developmental delays like autism present for treatment with very poor or no apparent play skills. There is an equally low level of interest in engaging with play partners. This has led to a pessimistic view...
Special Education Advocates
When a parent of a special needs child becomes increasingly frustrated, experiencing roadblocks in their efforts to intercede with their child’s school to access educational supports and services for their child, a consultation with a special...
Special Education Advocacy and Charter Schools
Operating pursuant to a charter granted either by a local educational or the State Board of Education, charter schools are primary or secondary schools created by interested agencies and individuals and receive public money for the students who...
The Importance of Independent Educational Evaluations
Evaluations, also called "assessments" in some states, provide valuable information regarding the nature and extent of your child’s disability as well as the impact the condition may have on his or her education. Strengths and weaknesses identified...
The IEP Process: What You Need to Know
Beginning at age 3 and throughout your child’s education, if you suspect that your child has special needs, he/she may be eligible for support from the local school district. To determine this, assessments must be conducted, which can be requested...
Three Steps to Better IEP Goals
Clear and measurable goals are the key to a successful IEP. Here are three steps to assure better goals in your child’s IEP. 1.   Understand Your Child’s Current Functioning  Review your child’s homework and tests to compare his...
IEP or 504 Plan: Which is Right for Your Child?
When a student qualifies for special education, the school district is required to develop an individual education program or “IEP” for the student. The IEP must include the basis for special education eligibility, measurable goals and objectives,...
Transition Plans Matter
Transition plans are a vital part of an IEP document for any student over the age of sixteen. In California, the state law requires that no later than age sixteen, a student’s IEP must include appropriate, measurable post-secondary goals and...
Why and When to Choose a Non-Public School
The “Three R’s” are a well-worn cliché of education, and often the traditional neighborhood school will meet your child’s needs. But if you think your special needs child needs more help than their district school is providing, or the district is...
CONFERENCE WATCH: Little People of America National Conference, Anaheim, CA.  July 1 - 8, 2001
With 70 chapters, Little People of America is an organization for persons and families involved with the condition of dwarfism. It is involved in peer and parent support, medical resources and referrals, scholarships, and programs that benefit...
Introducing: CONFERENCE WATCH
During the last twenty-five years I’ve been part, as a parent and/or a bookseller, of more than a thousand conferences on disabilities. They have been pretty much all over the map, both geographically and in terms of their subjects. I can remember...
The Benefits of an Inclusive Classroom
In the educational field, “inclusion” means that children with and without identified disabilities are taught together in the same classroom to the greatest extent possible. Services such as speech, physical therapy, or assistive technology are...
Learn the Early Signs of Dyslexia
One out of every three children entering first-grade lacks the basic skills for success in school. The National Center for Educational Statistics shows that as many as 20% of our nation’s children have substantial difficulties learning to read, and...
Do You Need a Developmental Pediatrician?
Developmental pediatricians are doctors who specialize in children with developmental or behavioral concerns, or specific developmental disabilities. Developmental pediatricians may provide a “developmental assessment” to help parents understand...
Early Diagnosis and Independent Assessments: Paving the Path for Your Child's Success
• Autism topped President Obama’s 24-point medical agenda, calling for increased funding, and screenings for all infants.• The American Academy of Pediatrics has called for all children to be screened for autism twice before the age of two.• The...
Diagnosing and Treating ADHD
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is one of the most common neuro-biologic health conditions seen in school-age children through the adult years.ADHD does not mean not lazy, spoiled kids. It is an identified brain chemistry and neurologic...
The Role of Medication in Treating Special Needs Children
Medications and nutritional supplements have an important role in the treatment of special needs children and adults. Medications are one component of a multimodal treatment approach. The psychiatrist is an integral part of an interdisciplinary team...
Visual Processing and the Special Needs Child
“My son has been diagnosed ADHD and OCD, might be bipolar, and he is having the hardest time socially and academically. His school said to have his eyes examined, even though our pediatrician reported 20/20 and healthy eyes. The pediatric...
Support for the Transition to Adulthood
For young adults with special needs, the transition from high school to adult life brings a new set of opportunities and challenges. Your child must have a transition plan by age 16. Beginning to plan early will increase his opportunity to achieve...
Family Coaching Improves the Well-Being of the Whole Family
Everyone is affected when a child has significant developmental, social or emotional challenges. Whatever the diagnosis"or even if you don’t yet have a diagnosis"if you’re parenting a child with special needs, your entire family feels the impact....
Support for the Journey
A woman’s daughter has just been diagnosed with autism. A couple struggles to deal with their brain-injured baby, still in the NICU. These courageous parents face an unknown journey with no preparation and no road map. What do they need? They need...
News: The Make-Your-Own Kind
Editor@SpecialNeeds.com      Don’t care for the news?  Well then, make some of your own!  You there, reading this, not only have experience, you have opinions. Perhaps you know something no one else knows about...
Lives of the Therapies: Autism Movement Therapy®--Aut-erobics® Movement & Music Sensory Integration to “Wake Up the Brain”
The brain is an information processing wonder. We process and store information in either long term or short term areas of the brain. When we need that information again, we retrieve it via a pathway (white brain matter) in the mapping area (gray...
Learning Disabilties and the Juvenile Justice System: Some Food for Thought
Imagine what it must be like for a young person with learning disabilities to be apprehended and questioned by the police. Immediately, your fear and nervousness makes your impairment more acute, and you do a poor job in answering questions. Already...
Where Is the Compassion in an IEP?
When an assessment team convenes to evaluate and report the results of testing a child for learning disabilities, the experience can be overwhelmingly stressful and negative for the parents hearing the news. I just witnessed a 3-hour IEP during...
First Five Steps in Special Needs Planning
What is special needs planning? The focus of special needs planning is to protect and secure the future of our loved ones with disabilities.Through special needs planning, we work to preserve and maximize needs-based public benefits, such as...
Articulation Speech Therapy: How Long Should It Take?
In general, if a child had not corrected an “r” sound distortion after six months in therapy the therapy should stop. In articulation therapy a speech/language pathologist identifies the sounds a child needs to correct and teaches the child how to...
Summer Fun for Families with Special Needs Kids
As the long, lazy days of summer approach, most of us look forward to the refuge from the mad rush of school mornings, homework evenings and extracurricular bedlam. But our kids still need some kind of framework for summer days. This is a deeper...
Why can’t my kid get organized!?: ADHD and Executive Functioning
Dear Developmental Doc:I cannot believe I am so frustrated with my son this early into the school year. J is almost eleven and because he has ADHD (attention deficit hyperactive disorder), he continues to struggle with basics like making sure his...
When a Child with Selective Mutism Goes Back to School
Dear Developmental Doc,My daughter is 5 years old and I think she has Selective Mutism. She is incredibly verbal at home but shy around strangers. Her camp counselor expressed concern that although she was friendly, she never spoke to anyone at camp...
Special Needs Children have Brothers and Sisters
The siblings of special needs kids are considered “typical” and are helpful to the family in more ways than we account for. They support their special needs brother or sister by mentoring them through play, encouraging them to push towards their...
Saluting Moms of Special Needs Kids
In my practice as a speech/language therapist, I see toddlers, children and young adults with a variety of special needs labels and a myriad of challenges. Each child is special, each experience as humbling as the day I graduated more than 35 years...
Limited Communicators: How to Open the Door to your Child’s Potential
Have you ever said anything to someone close and been completely misunderstood? Have you ever tried to use another language in a foreign city and been frustrated when you could not access your wants or needs? If you needed the bathroom urgently or...
Making IEP goals that support Language and Communication: Tweaking the plan in the New Year
As our kids spend many hours per day in the classroom, their teachers and specialists track their progress (or lack thereof) by following the goals in their Individual Educational Plan (IEP). Supporting your child’s daily opportunities to attend to...
Giving Thanks for Special Needs Children
Each child brings something into a family when he or she arrives. Each individual is directly affected by the other members of the family and impacts the unit as a whole. A child with special needs adds a special dimension and provides a unique...
Communication Aides & Devices: Therapy Tool or Communication Substitute?
Children with difficulty developing verbal speech are often in need of aides or devices to help them understand and use language. For these children, schools often use programs like PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) to help grow language...
From Fear to Empowerment: A Special Needs Journey
Most parents can vividly recall the day they were told that their child’s development was not typical. Many already had a suspicion that something was different, but being told by the physician that their child indeed had special needs validated...
Cutting: A Growing Epidemic for Kids
One of the most insidious and disturbing behaviors teens engage in is cutting. Cutting is a form of self-punishment by people afflicted with ongoing feelings of guilt, confusion, anger, or overwhelming pain. In many cases, cutting is correlated with...
Verbal Speech or Alternative Communication
When verbal speech is challenging for a child, alternative systems can sometimes help children transition to eventually using verbal communication. It is a process, in which alternative methods and support systems help build receptive language ports...
The Weather is Colder, but My Kid Won’t Wear a Sweater: Dealing with Tactile Defensiveness
Dear Developmental Doc:I live in Apple Valley, a part of Southern California that actually experiences a change in seasons. In October the leaves are changing and the weather gets colder, but my four-year-old son refuses to wear anything other than...
What I Want for Christmas Are Parents That Don’t Fight
Dear Developmental Doc:I’m not sure if it’s weird for you to get a letter from a kid instead of a grown-up, but my Mom always reads your column, so I figured maybe you could help. I’m 14 years old and I’m fine. I mean, I have an older brother and a...
New Year’s Resolution: Plan for My Child’s Future
Dear Developmental Doc,I am the father of a 6 year old boy who is severely handicapped by autism. My wife and I are doing everything we can in regards to getting him the best interventions available. But I have a nagging feeling that it’s not enough...
Would A Dog Help My Child’s ADHD?
Dear Developmental Doc:I recently read an article describing the benefits of therapy dogs for kids with issues that ranged from autism to ADHD. My daughter has ADHD. She has a terrible time staying on task and maintaining sustained focus. But she...
Children Cancer Survivors: A Different Kind of Need
Dear Developmental Doc:When our daughter was 10 months old, she contracted a rare form of cancer. Her doctors advised us that her only chance at survival was intensive chemotherapy. We were also advised as to the risks, including the possibility of...
The Challenges of Having Asperger's Disorder around the Holidays
Dear Developmental Doc: Our 9-year-old daughter was diagnosed with Asperger’s Disorder last year. She’s extremely bright when it comes to school, but basically clueless in social situations. Can you suggest ideas to help prepare her for my in-law’s...
Social Skills Groups for Children and Teens with Autism
y Dr. Esther Hess, Ph.D. (aka “The Developmental Doc”). When a child has autism, parents have many questions. I am often asked what is the difference between DIR/Floor Time and ABA (Applied Behavioral Analysis). I had the opportunity to address this...