- Children and Parents
- Activities
- Products and Services
- Legal
- Resource Directory
- Advocates
- Attorneys & Legal Councel
- Books & Learning Supplies
- Camps
- Child Care
- Clothing
- Consulting, Evaluation & Educational Services
- Financial Planning
- Holistic Remedies
- Medical, Therapy & Hospitals
- Nutrition
- Pharmaceuticals
- Recreation & Travel
- Schools
- Supplies & Adaptive Equipment
- Support Groups, Classes & Networking
- Tutoring & Brain Training
- Store
Activities for Special Needs Children - Autism Activities
Many parents of nonverbal children are familiar with the
term AAC, or augmentive and alternative communication. AAC devices can cost hundreds of
dollars, which is why many parents are turning to iPad apps as a reasonable
alternative. ...
The Social Security Administration, or SSA, offers some
benefits for children with disabilities.
SSI, or Social Security Income, is typically paid to adults who are 65
and older and who meet low income and limited resources requirements;...
Most of us have played the classic game of tag at some point
in our lives, and we continue to pass on this activity to our kids. Make this classic chase game more fun
with a few variations.
Balloon Tag
Activities for kids that involve...
If it wasn’t bad enough being a teenager, it’s
a real bummer if you are developing symptoms of Bipolar. As parents, if we’re
honest, we want a bit of rebellion in our children. It’s healthy for them to be
reprobates -- within reason of course -- and...
Anyone who has taken a guitar lesson or picked up the
instrument knows it’s not necessarily an easy one to play. Many people have dreams of being a rock
star, and with two chords, you can be a rock star for children.
Two chords?
Yes,...
Attention deficit disorder, commonly called ADD amongst the
general public, is a disorder characterized by distractibility, impulsivity,
and hyperactivity. Attention
deficit disorder is the same as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or...
Feeding disorders occur in anywhere from 6 to 40 percent of
typically developing children; the percentage of those children with special
needs rises to 18 to 80 percent. Children with feeding
disorders are often viewed as picky eaters, but...
Full
disclosure: I don’t have
kids. But this is such an
important topic that I decided to read up on it and summarize the highlights. And, I consulted with a good friend in
South Carolina, Dr. Dale Dingledine, a psychotherapist,...
Many parents for special needs children know the term “activities
of daily living,” also referred to as ADL. These activities are the basic tasks of everyday life, and
they include tasks such as eating, bathing, clothing, and toileting. ...
If you’re looking for a music app that extends beyond the
realm of what is typical of iPad and iPhone apps, look no further. Bloom is a “music box for the 21st
century.”
Developed by ambient music pioneer Brian Eno and software
designer Peter...
Bright Minds InstituteA frequent question from both parents and teachers is how do you discipline children that behave badly -- and by that I mean become physically aggressive or start having tantrums and throwing things around physically.The first...
Bright Minds InstituteAs the diagnosis of Autistic Syndrome (ASD) grows, there are many therapies utilized in this field that had not been scientifically assesse d and may potentially have negative effects on the patient.One of these is ...
Bright Minds InstituteINTRODUCTION:The purpose of this paper is to present an objective view, governed by rigor and clarity, of so-called Neurofeedback, EEG Biofeedback, and/or Neurotherapy.This method of treatment has been used extensively to try...
While there are staggering reports that adults with special
needs are not participating in daily recreational activities, the College of
Adaptive Arts is changing the lives of many of these individuals.
The College of Adaptive Arts offers arts and...
Sensory processing disorders cause children to have a
distorted sense of their surroundings, which often interrupts their learning
and exploration of their world. Sensory
integration is our brain’s ability to interpret and respond to sensory...
For those individuals with a language delay or limited
verbal skills, verbal expression of basic needs is a difficult task. QuickChoice gives them a way to express
themselves and make choices.
Use the existing photo library from QuickChoice...
While there is no single tool for testing for ADHD,
psychologists and physicians do use a standard set of guidelines for testing
for ADHD. These healthcare
professionals will use subjective and objective information from parents,
caregivers,...
On an unusually cold
day in Hong Kong, China my husband and I walked into an orphanage to meet a
four year old child who would soon become our son. Hours later we walked out of the orphanage not only with a new
family member in our presence,...
Developed by a speech and language pathologist, Fun with
Directions is an iPad app designed to practice listening and following
directions.
In addition to teaching directions, Fun with Directions
enhances learning of colors, spatial...
Now that we’ve seen Starabella at home (Mystery Girl of Music) and in the community (New Adventures and Mixed Emotions), it’s time to travel with her to
school in book three of the Starabella series, Welcome to a Bright New World.
Starabella is a...
Bravery, down to earth nature, and love of Mixed Martial
Arts (MMA) -- well, that’s a start for describing Tyler Ransom, but it’s not
all-inclusive.
Tyler has Nephrotic Syndrome, a kidney disease in which valuable
protein in the blood leaks into...
Being an Equine Specialist for the Papillion Center for FASD has changed my life in the best way. I got certified through EAGALA in 2010. However, it wasn't until 2011 that we got a horse. In one trip we actually ended up...
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, also commonly
called ADHD, is a condition that affects children and adults and is
characterized by hyperactive, overactive, or impulsive behavior. Individuals with attention deficit
hyperactivity...
urTalker Lite is a communication device that gives a voice
to non-verbal individuals or those who struggle with speaking.
The app comes with 7 categories and over 150 images, and it
also includes the ability for customization, so you can...
Naxos is one of the most well known and respected names in
classical music, and their app My First Classical Music App is a demonstration of
their high quality and perseverance to get classical music into the hands of
children.
Music appreciation...
Almost every school activity, including listening to teachers, interacting with classmates, singing along in music class, following instructions in physical education, etc, depends on the ability for students to process sounds and have a strong...
In neuroscientist John T. Caccioppo’s book “Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection”, brain scans, blood pressure, and immune functions are studied to show how social interaction is powerful enough to change DNA...
The American Youth Symphony performed their first of three
concerts in the Elfman Project, a series that features the work of beloved film
composer Danny Elfman. The
audience was a varied group of AYS members, the player’s families, UCLA alum...
One of the biggest challenges that parents of children on
the autism spectrum must cope with is their own stress. How you manage your
stress can be a huge factor in both the quality of your own life and in the
life of your child. If you are overrun...
From his voice, you wouldn’t know Shannon Rose has a
life-threatening disorder called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. And after speaking with him, you’d know
that he doesn’t let this diagnosis get in his way.
Rose says, “Since the age of birth, I’ve...
Lee R. Chasen’s book Social
Skills, Emotional Growth and Drama Therapy is the resource for the clinically proven approach to enhance social
and emotional growth for children on the autism spectrum.
Chasen gives a thorough introduction to...
To
continue the theme from last month, “April showers bring May Flowers” I would
like to present three flower themed ideas for your family to enjoy. Spring
weather doesn’t always cooperate so kids can spend a rainy afternoon making
flowers for a...
News reports of abuse against individuals with disabilities
have been exploding across the news.
Stories of children being left on the bus, subjected to electroshock
therapy, and even parents sending kids to school with a wire because of...
Despite its slightly un-catchy name, Smart Oral Motor does
what it says -- it helps develop the skills needed for functions like eating and
speaking. There are many muscles
in your jaw, mouth, and lips that are needed for these functions, and...
I was helping Ben today with his
shopping list, which he mostly manages himself, but today he asked me when I
arrived at his house;
‘Have you worked out what we are
cooking today yet?’
A pretty complex sentence for him!
As I recovered I...
1) We are deep
philosophical thinkers and writers; gifted in the sense of our level of
thinking. Perhaps poets, professors, authors, or avid readers of nonfictional
genre. I don’t believe you can have Aspergers without being highly-intelligent...
May is Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month, and as asthma
affects 25 million Americans, 7 million of them children, it is important to
know what triggers asthma.
Asthma is a respiratory disease that can be anywhere from
mild to life threatening....
An ideal app for young readers, Cimo Spelling helps teach
sight words with the help of an adorable penguin pal, Cimo. The app teaches a variety of high
frequency and sight words from the Dolch Sight Words list.
Cimo Spelling features the word...
Traveling
with children can be difficult; traveling with a special needs child can be a
nightmare! However, if you are
prepared ahead of time, it can (almost) be a breeze.
Two weeks before the travel date,
I create a columned...
The Diagnostic
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders is the text for diagnosis the array
of mental illnesses. The manual
covers everything from an overview to lists of specific symptoms individuals
must meet in order to be given a diagnosis...
Need a little exercise? Try the Nintendo Wii.
A group of researchers discovered that video games, such as some
provided by the Nintendo Wii, help individuals with cerebral palsy by giving
them moderate physical activity, which helps...
Tap Times Tables is the next level up from Math Plus Minus,
developed by PKCLsoft. Originally
designed to be a way to learn and memorize times tables through repetition, Tap
Times Tables is a fun and interactive game with scores and rewards....
With the surge of gluten-free and casein-free (dairy-free)
diets, many parents might have difficulty ensuring their children are still
getting adequate nutrition. Many
of us know milk products are perhaps the easiest and most well known way to...
Everyone has heroes. I know I do.
Some of mine are MS heroes. I plan, from time to time, to share my MS heroes
with you, tell a bit about who they are and how they are important in the MS
world. My first MS Hero is Dr. Jean Martin Charcot (...
KiD’n
TOGETHER
Alex
& Ben, The Meisel Brothers
Making
Music and Building Community that
is Special-Needs-Connected
The music of KiD’n
TOGETHER started through our family’s love of Alex’s
son Matthew who was born with Down Syndrome...
Dear
Developmental Doc,
We
have a 10-year-old son who is on Resperidal and Zoloft who is having really
severe behaviors in school and at home when ANY type of demand is put on him.
He hits, scratches, spits, kicks, etc.
Any suggestions for us...
The Rooster Who Lost His Voice is a tale of a rooster and
his family in friends, but it is more than a simple storybook app; it is an app
full of lively animations and is more like a trip to the theater than just a
narrated story.
Developed...
Many parents are often overly conscious of their child’s
behavior -- when one thing seems odd, some parents jump to conclusions like “my
child must have autism.” Many
children might seem “obsessed” with behaviors such as organizing and...
Osteopenia is a precursor to osteoporosis, and it typically
occurs in adults over the age of 55.
So why are many children showing signs of bone loss? One cause might be celiac disease.
Osteopenia falls in between healthy bone and...
Auditory Workout is a way to get pumped up about improving
auditory attention and memory.
Developed by a speech and language pathologist, Auditory Workout is a
great app for children ages 4 to 10 with auditory processing disorders,
receptive...
Storybooks brought into the realm of digital media are ways
of sharing stories anytime and anywhere.
My Friend Isabelle is the story of two friends, Charlie and Isabelle -- even
though they are the same age, they are different.
Written by...
While the special needs population continues to grow,
government funding is decreasing.
In late March 2012, the CDC announced that 1 in 88 children have autism,
and a research study estimated the annual cost of autism in the United States
is $...
As
an adult looking back I realize I have always had special needs people in my
life. More so I have often felt special needs myself from time to time. This is
now what my life revolves around. Special needs is in my life...
Starabella is a captivating story about a young girl with
learning differences who expresses herself through music. In the second book in this series,
Starabella ventures out into the community and finds herself riveted by the circus
but later...
January 21,
2011. It was a day that started
off like any other day, except about noonish I found out that my daughter had
skipped school. I rushed home and
called around but nobody had seen her.
Then, about 4 p.m. or so the...
Humans by nature are musical beings -- most people you meet
will admit they love music. As a
music therapist, I encourage all parents I know to get their kids a drum and a
keyboard, no matter their age or level of ability. And now I have...
Scientists in the UK have successfully restored sight for
two British men who were completely blind. These two men had retinis pigmentosa, which is a genetic
condition that results in blindness.
UK doctors implanted a wireless device in the...
A study published January 2012 by the American Association
on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AIDD) says many adults with
disabilities do not have regular daily activities. This lack of educational-vocational activity leads to...
We spoke about afterschool enrichment programs last month
and now I’d like to discuss curriculum based programs that may be included in a
child’s IEP.
As previously discussed; enrichment programs are a great way
to introduce your child to the...
While nothing can really replace old-fashioned paper books,
interactive story apps like Bill the Fish certainly give them a run for their
money. Bill the Fish is a story
that celebrates individuality and teaches children that it’s okay to be...
Many of us have experienced the interactive book; it’s not
just a story, but an interactive game thrown into the mix gives it that extra
spark. In Martin King’s book Jack Hunter: Secret of the King, you
will find clues to a secret code-breaker...
The Myelin Repair Foundation (MRF) is changing the world of medical research, starting with developing a myelin repair therapeutic for multiple sclerosis faster than the status quo.This brief video by Scott Johnson, president and founder of the MRF...
Much research suggests that around 40 percent of all
children with autism also have epilepsy.
This finding proposes that the two are linked, and a study published
from the Boston Children’s Hospital suggests that a drug that has already...
My
name is Xiomara Montes, I am 35 years old, born on the island of Puerto Rico. I
have 5 years of marriage, and my husband served in the U.S. Armed Forces. We
have 3 beautiful children, two girls and one boy. Our first daughter is 10
years, a very...
!["I Wish I Didn't Have Asperger's" Response](http://www.specialneeds.com/sites/specialneeds.com/files/imagecache/Teaser/autismpositivityflasblog7.jpg ""I Wish I Didn't Have Asperger's" Response")
Many blogs and special needs supporters are writing
responses to “I Wish I Didn’t Have Asperger’s.” These supporters do not know who this person is, but someone typed “I wish I
didn’t have Asperger’s” into Google, and now floods of parents,...
The genius of Dr. Stanley Greenspan, author of the
Developmental, Individual Differences, and Relationship model (DIR), laid in
his ability to understand the development of the natural human mind and
applying this progression to a model with...
May is Healthy Vision Month, and you can celebrate with
Lily’s Picturebook, a distinctive app that features white-on-black and
black-on-white images designed for the visually impaired.
Lily’s Picturebook also includes over 50 different word
signs...
Having a special need does not necessarily cause depression
amongst individuals -- rather, it is the frequent bullying or being left out
that causes emotional turmoil.
While much research points to the fact that bullying
increases risk for academic...
Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital in Toronto is
planning the first ever clinical trial of robot-assisted therapy for children with cerebral palsy.
The two-and-a-half year study is slated to start in June,
and it will investigate the...
Laughter is more than just a sound -- it’s a whole body
experience. 15 facial muscles
contract, our breathing becomes irregular as we half-close our larynx, and even
our tear ducts can become activated.
Our muscles throughout our bodies...
If you’re looking for an interactive journey through
different lands where you’re faced with obstacles and challenges, then Roxie’s
A-MAZE-ing Vacation Adventure is the app for you.
Ride in cars, boats, planes, and hot-air balloons as you
navigate...
The National Institute of Health reports that up to 15
percent of the U.S. population might have dyslexia. As one of the most common learning disabilities, dyslexia
has been the subject of much research.
A study published April 2012 in the...
![Fighting the "Anxiety Monster"](http://www.specialneeds.com/sites/specialneeds.com/files/imagecache/Teaser/hiding.jpg "Fighting the "Anxiety Monster"")
What is Anxiety?
“It’s the extreme
fear of being scrutinized and judged by others in social or performance
situations: Social anxiety disorder can wreak havoc on the lives of those who
suffer from it. This disorder is not simply
shyness...
W is for Wellness
Of all the words associated with autism spectrum disorders the
word "wellness" tends to be a loaded term. Honestly I don't
truly understand why but it is. There are accepted medical practices which add
to a person's wellness...
Communication is hard for most people, and it can be even
more of a challenge for individuals with special needs. Abilipad gives children and adults a
means of communication through sophisticated notepads, keyboards, and
text-to-speech...
Raising a special needs child is by far not an easy task. Your daily life changes in ways that no parent can ever imagine
possible. Now add into that the fact that your child has a genetic syndrome
that doctors and medical professionals...
Many of us have seen felt boards in school classrooms, and
creating images with felt shapes is an exciting tactile experience for kids --
the Felt Board app brings that creativity and stimulation in a compact mobile
application.
Felt Board is...
The Los Angeles City Council agreed to pay $2.1 million in
legal fees to a disability group for neglecting to include evacuation
procedures for individuals with disabilities.
The nonprofit organization Communities Actively Living
Independent and...
Starabella is the heroine of a series of three audio and
picture books about a girl with learning differences whose eyes shine like
stars when she is happy. Book one
is entitled Starabella: Mystery Girl of Music,
and it centers around...
While the movement to label boxes of food as “gluten-free”
has certainly made a gluten-free diet much easier, eating right on any diet can
be a challenge. Gluten-free diets
can be just as healthy or unhealthy as any other diet, so it’s...
If you wanted more research about the causes and treatment
of learning disabilities, you’re going to get it. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded $9 million over 5 years to the University of Houston’s Texas Center for Learning...
Mobile technology is not just for kids -- many professionals
are finding apps are great ways to stimulate their clients and provide
meaningful experiences in therapy sessions. SLP Minimal Pairs is an app for speech-language pathologists
to...
Hi everyone. How are you all today? As for me, good. Just chillin in my bedroom on Skype.For those of you who don't know me yet, hi my name is Dora. I am age 20, I am totally blind, I use a screen reader on both my Iphone 4 and my Windows XP Desktop...
If you’re the parent of a gifted
child, then you probably feel very proud of your child and his academic
accomplishments -- and rightfully so! Gifted children have so much to offer,
and a great deal of potential. Teachers often regard them favorably...
When looking at many apps each day, the ones that stand out
quite often are the ones that are the most versatile and will have applications
for many scenarios. Tapikeo HD is
an iPad app that allows you to create audio-enabled picture books,...
From the Editor: Going gluten free doesn't mean you have to sacrifice Macaroni and Cheese -- check out this incredible recipe from Gluten Free Mom Jamie Eppenauer.Gluten and Dairy Free Macaroni and Cheese
3 cups gluten free macaroni (we use...
“Let’s make the letter C mean cookies,” it says on Cookies
for Kids’ Cancer website. Cookies
for Kids’ Cancer in a non-profit organization founded by parents of a child who
fought pediatric cancer.
Gretchen and Larry Witt had their...
There are many ingredients in our food that we oftentimes
don’t know about -- and they can cause dramatic side effects. Food dyes are regularly added to food
products, and while they might make food look good, they might cause negative...
An experimental drug has implications for improving two
signature symptoms of autism -- repetitive behavior and awkward social
interactions.
The drug, called GRN-529, was successfully tested with
laboratory mice; these mice were bred with the...
Do you know what an infant seizure looks
like?
Until a year ago, just like many of you, I
would have answered no.
My daughter, Lola Anabelle Howell, was
born on January 4th, 2011 at 4:42 a.m. in a Costa Rican hospital. The doctors and...
We’ve heard mothers exasperated at their children’s claims
of “oh, I can’t do my chores -- my autism hurts.” With Chore Pad, you can easily keep track of daily chores,
so there’s no excuse for not completing routine activities or household...
“Welcome to a
bright new world -- where all children play and get along and are accepted for
exactly who they are,” says Tara Fialco, a composer and lyricist for the books
in the Starabella audio and picture book series, written by Sharon Fialco....
My husband is a pediatric neurosurgeon and a passionate
fisherman. He passed that love for fishing to our son, taking him at the age of
five in a jon boat out onto a lake to bait his first hook and catch his first
fish. Naturally, the fish was...
Legislation is pending in Pennsylvania, Missouri, and New
York for limiting the amount insurers can charge patients for physical, speech,
and occupational therapy. South
Dakota and Kentucky lawmakers have already passed laws regarding these...
I’ve written for 200 newspapers, Time magazine, and Business
Week. I have published a bestselling book on career advice but I have never
written for a special needs audience.
I don’t think I really thought of myself as special needs until the last...
“Music therapy is a remarkably therapeutic tool that is used
in a wide range of disabilities to help enhance social, physical, emotional,
and behavioral skills in those individuals,” says Judy Winter, co-founder of
the Eric “RicStar” Winter Music...
Parents of every stripe
have the primary mission of making sure their children grow up with the tools
they will need to be successful, useful, and prosperous as adults. We do whatever we can to make sure they
have opportunities to learn, grow...
Watch the following YouTube video from Stuart Chaifetz,
father of a boy with autism, and you will be shocked, horrified, and even get
angry. And you should.
On Februrary 17, 2012, Chaifetz sent his son, Akian, to
school wearing a wire. ...
Simplex Spelling is a top educational app for learning
reading, spelling, and phonics, and after just the introductory lesson, it’s
easy to see why.
A very pleasant voice narrates the user through the Simplex
Spelling app, and it is a high quality...
According to a study commissioned by the Massachusetts
Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, children from low-income
families are almost twice as likely to be placed in special education than
other students.
African American and...
Understanding Reactive Attachment Disorder -- An Overview of One
of the More Misunderstood Conditions Affecting Child Welfare
A few years ago, I spent a good bit
of my time crisscrossing the country lecturing on the topic of Reactive
Attachment...
Math is not everyone’s favorite subject, but kids need basic
math skills for school and everyday life.
Making math fun with apps like Math Plus Minus is a great way to
stimulate, encourage, and improve math skills.
Designed for young...
Angelman Syndrome is a neuro-genetic disorder that is often
misdiagnosed as autism or cerebral palsy.
Symptoms include developmental delay, seizures, lack of speech, and
motor disorders. Named after Dr.
Harry Angelman, who first noted...
Gluten-free diets are hot topics, even for children with special needs. Gluten intolerance is becoming more
common, and it is important to know the signs and symptoms of celiac disease,
which is one of the leading causes of gluten-related...
Most people are unaware of what occupational
therapists do and are surprised to learn that many of them work with children.
It helps to think about the “occupations” of a child’s life: play, school, and
self-help skills. If a child is struggling in...
If you
are a mother, you are connected to your children in an extraordinary way --
feeling their pain, shedding tears together, and celebrating in their triumphs,
no matter how large or small. You persevere, even when exhausted. You smile, even
when...
Mobile technology is changing the way people view therapy
for special needs. In return,
companies like Wynsum Arts and app developers are changing the way mobile
technology works for special needs.
Many lists of the best iPad Apps for...
Reading fluency is just an app away with Learning Touch
Sight Words Pro. The app features
over 300 words most commonly used in the English language, and it focuses on
core vocabulary all children will need.
Use Sight Words Pro to develop:...
Most people have heard about shock therapy treatments, a
popular method of treating individuals with emotional and behavioral disorders in
the 40s and 50s. What many people
don’t know is this treatment is still used.
Researchers are unsure...
For some kids, going to the doctor involves nail biting,
nerves, and even tantrums.
Transitions and new experiences are difficult for many children, and
using stories through technology can help prepare children for occasions like
trips to the...
22 Things a Woman with Asperger’s Syndrome Wants Her Partner
to Know
Most adults would agree that dating and relationships are
hard. Communication, control
issues, mood swings, and emotions all converge together in one pot, and
sometimes it...
Nxt App 4 Kids is an engaging and interactive math game that
encourages learning of basic math skills.
The app includes 5 stages of varying levels, so it is appropriate for a
variety of learners and age levels.
The Nxt App 4 Kids app asks a...
Enhance your child’s cognitive skills with the Which Does
Not Belong? app. The app is simple
in design and asks one question -- “which of these items does not belong with
the others?” Five pictures show up
on the screen, and the user...
Gluten-free and casein-free diets (also referred to as GFCF)
continue to grow in popularity as an alternative remedy for treating special
needs like autism or ADHD. While
some parents say their child’s symptoms disappear while on these diets,...
Imperfect parenting as seen through the eyes a CHImP.
If you've read many books on special needs parenting and
blogs, you’ve probably noticed that many of the authors have lots of impressive
initials after their name.
I, however, don’t.
In fact,...
With the increase of cases of autism and autism awareness
comes a wealth of information, and parents are often bombarded with both good
information and misinformation.
Licensed psychologist Dr. Gary Brown put together an applet called
Autism...
As
a country, we like to tout that we have the best medical care in the world,
that we are cutting edge, innovative, and of the highest of quality. We are simply fabulous. And we are, depending on the stick we
are measuring with. ...
Autism presents its own set of challenges when it comes to
parenting and disciplining at home and in school. Children with autism tend to have difficulty communicating,
and they typically either retreat into themselves or become frustrated and...
In light of autism awareness month, I have been pondering exactly what autism awareness means. As a neurotypical living within a family sprinkled with aspergians, I have learned most likely more from my family than them from me. Mostly, to step out...
Trying to sort through the hundreds of thousands of products
for special needs is a hassle.
With the rise of mobile technology also comes another slew of apps and
other products that may or may not have applications for special needs. ...
I hadn’t written a single song in my life when I decided to
become a music therapist, nor did I have plans to do so. But plans change, especially when I
started working with children who were diagnosed with autism.
I learned very quickly...
![Not Acceptable "R-word" PSA Wins Award](http://www.specialneeds.com/sites/specialneeds.com/files/imagecache/Teaser/psa.jpg "Not Acceptable "R-word" PSA Wins Award")
How many times have we heard children (and even adults) say,
“That’s retarded”? The answer is
probably too many to count. While
racial slurs and other derogatory terms have fallen out of popular use, the
words “retard” and “retarded” are...
Learn how to read and compose music with Jellybean Tunes! With a catchy name and colorful design,
Jellybean Tunes is bound to excite and stimulate your child.
Creativity is essential for child development, and some
children need an extra push...
Music therapy and
autism are buzzwords that are being heard often in the news recently. But many people still ask what is music
therapy? What is autism? And what is the connection between the
two? I am a board-certified music...
Hazardous Parenting:
How to Regain and Maintain Your
Life While Raising a Child with Dis-Regulated Behaviours and Behavior Disorders
Hazardous Parenting is a term I use to describe and define the
parenting experience of raising children who have...
Many parents have heard the phrase “early intervention,” but
what does it really mean? Early
intervention is key to helping prevent or lessen the symptoms of developmental
disabilities, such as autism.
Early intervention can help...
While the app entitled “i See-quence…My Daily Schedule,
Recall My Day and Learn Calendar Concepts” might be a mouthful, it capabilities
live up to expectations and fulfill a multitude of goals.
The app is a part of the “i See-quence” series, which...
Cystic fibrosis is a chronic disease in which the protein
product of a defective gene produces thick and sticky mucus, which clogs the
lungs and prevents the pancreas from helping the body break down food.
Symptoms of cystic fibrosis include:...
![The "Othering" of Autism](http://www.specialneeds.com/sites/specialneeds.com/files/imagecache/Teaser/leftoutcrayons.jpg "The "Othering" of Autism")
When going to the cinema, I love the previews almost as much
as actually getting to see the movie.
But on this weekend’s movie trip, the pre-movie advertising proved to be
infuriating.
Before a trailer for the documentary “Bully” was an...
Pervasive development disorder, often called a developmental
disorder or PDD, is another term for autism spectrum disorders. PDD includes autism, Asperger’s
disorder, Rett syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, and PDD-NOS, or pervasive...
Ready for hours of iPad fun? Now you have it with Faces iMake.
Right-brain thinking, originality, having fun, exploring,
playing, opening your mind, learning, creating, discovering, trying new things,
and engaging in an open-ended activity...
Teaching kids with special needs to swim is not only a good
idea, it’s essential. Swimming
lessons help kids with special needs
in a number of key areas, including greater muscle strength and physical
endurance, increased flexibility, more...
ADHD and ADD are terms most often associated with children,
but ADHD in adults is commonly misunderstood and unmentioned in many reports. Many children with attention deficit
hyperactive disorder will carry these characteristics into their...
The right school is the key to your child’s educational
success. However, if your child
has learning disabilities or personality disorders, finding the right school
for him can be a challenge. Many
of these children are considered “at-...
On April 24, 2012, a mother of a special needs child
reported her son was restrained in a choke hold by a school supervisor on the
bus. Even when she was there to
pick up her son, the supervisor would not release her son until the police...
Many families of children with special needs make the common
mistake of not setting up a trust fund. The families think that there is no need to since they are
still healthy and young, or they think it may be a waste since they do not have
a...
Cerebral palsy is a disorder that affects as many as 500,000
children and adults each year. What
is cerebral palsy? Cerebral palsy
is the term used to describe the many disorders caused by abnormal development
or damage to the brain...
No one likes to think about the circumstances that can take
their life, especially when they have young children at home. Sadly, situations can occur, and if the
proper procedures are not taken while you were still alive, it can cause a lot
of...
For individuals with special needs, sometimes completing
activities of daily living (ADLs) can be a challenge. ChoiceWorks is an excellent learning tool for teaching
children about daily routines and completing them.
Based on the ChoiceWorks...
“First, it’s important to know that a story about autism
isn’t a story about a single child.
It is a story about an entire family,” writes Glen Finland in her memoir
Next Stop. It’s a love story, and not just about romantic love, but the...
Most people will check to make sure they’ve turned off the
stove after cooking or turned off the lights when leaving the house. While the impulse to check things is a
typical human condition, people with OCD feel the need to check things...
Overview
of Common Types of Learning Disabilities
If your child has trouble with schoolwork and learning, it
can be both frustrating for you and your child. Your child may feel unintelligent, and you may feel that your
child is not trying his...
In the fight for your child’s special education, there may be
issues along the way. While
special education was designed to meet children’s unique learning needs, there
are many times when a certain teacher or the school board cause more harm...
Apps for special needs don’t have to be complicated, and
apps can serve multiple needs or just one. The Learning Heroes Animal Sounds app is simple in design
and function, but it creates a fun atmosphere for learning animal sounds.
Learning...
As special needs children most often get more than their
“share” of their parent’s attention, siblings of special needs kids also have
their own special needs. Licensed
marriage and family therapist Rachel Bernstein gives parents some tips for...
The whole purpose of a special needs trust fund, which can
also be referred to as a supplemental needs trust, is to provide financial
support for a disabled person without disqualifying them from receiving
government assistance. Trust funds...
Life is unpredictable, especially if you are a parent of a
child with special needs. The one
thing that should not be unpredictable is what would happen to your child if
anything were to happen to you. Making
the proper plans now by...
Appointing a Trustee
for Your Special Needs Trust Fund
Setting up a trust fund for your child with special needs is
the best thing you can do to ensure that his or her future is secure in the
unlikely event of something happening to you or your...
There are many, many times
I feel I am a substandard mom, and I hold June Cleaver personally responsible.
Well, her, Carol Brady, Marion Cunningham, Cliff & Clair Huxtable, Elyse
and Steven Keaton and maybe even Marge Simpson.
After all, these...
Marriage by itself can be a hard thing to maintain -- when you
add a special needs child to the family, the stress placed on the system and
the marriage can cause friction.
Follow some tips from licensed marriage and family therapist Rachel...
When it comes to hiring a special needs attorney, there are many
things to consider. A special
education attorney can be a lifesaver when it comes to complex cases or special
education cases that require a lot of time and energy. The...
Alligator Apps is an educational app designer dedicated to
helping your child succeed. Their
apps teach children to learn how to read, write, and speak, and they introduce
math and problem solving techniques.
Their Phonics Genius app is...
“The
Interactive Metronome (IM) is a research-based training program that helps
children and adults overcome attention, memory, and coordination limitations,”
according to the official Interactive Metronome website. It is a therapy that...
What Is ADHD?
With the number of learning disorders and physical
disabilities treated each year, one that often gets misdiagnosed or
misunderstood is ADHD. What is
ADHD? ADHD stands for Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder. ...
Let’s face it -- most of us learned about counting from a
very cute and very hungry green insect.
Night & Day Studios brings our lovable friend to life in the app
Counting with the Very Hungry Caterpillar.
The app builds a basic math...
Do you suspect your child might have Asperger’s
syndrome? Has your pediatrician
recommended testing? You’re
probably stressed out and worried, wondering what comes next. It’s not going to be easy, but with a
positive mindset and an...
Emma ate a
slice of pizza last night.
That
sentence required some space. It needed to be written by itself with
nothing else. For most of you, this may seem like an
excuse-me-while-I-yawn moment. But for us, it was a
DID-YOU-SEE-...
Raise your hand if commercial non-dairy yogurt like So Delicious® and Amande have been a godsend. It sure has for this dairy-free, soy-free family!When we travel, we hit the nearest Whole Foods or Natural Grocers to stock the...
Autism is not just one thing. Some researchers have even compared it to conditions like
cancer -- there are many possible causes, and the autism science community is
hoping to pin down its etiology and hopefully find a cure or the best...
The CDC recently released their latest findings which state that autism is now found in 1 out of 88 children in the United States. This can be further divided into boys (1 in 54) and girls (1 in 252).The risks increases if you already have a...
Researcher Dennis Wall at Harvard Medical School says he can
diagnose autism in a matter of minutes.
Any parents who have gone through a diagnosis of autism for their
child know that it is a lengthy and complicated process. With the...
No More Us against Them;
Time for Us and Them…one professional’s perspective
Fear, budget cuts,
distrust, lack of knowledge, unrealistic expectations and no idea of priorities seem to form the foundation
of many special educational planning...
If you are angry, frustrated, or just plain feeling hopeless
about your relationship with your ADHD partner, you would not be alone. Many couples get married not realizing
that one or both of them has ADHD.
The undiagnosed symptoms...
With the rise of autism and the promotions to increase
autism awareness, April is a pretty full month. However, autism shares April with occupational therapy, and
the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc. (AOTA) lovingly calls April...
How often do you enter a place of business, such
as a hospital, school, or fortune 500 company and you immediately come face to
face with its mission statement? Do you read that statement? Do you
know the purpose behind such a statement...
Bird and puzzle lovers unite for the Piece Me Birds app from
Fashion Buddha. Piece Me Birds is
one in a series of Piece Me Puzzle educational apps and features the art of Amy
Ruppel.
Using a simple design, Piece Me Birds is easy to navigate...
Special education is a program designed to meet and protect
children with unique needs. Special
education can serve many children of many different types of disabilities, from
physical disabilities to mental disabilities or learning...
The
children’s verse “April Showers bring May flowers” sets the theme for this
month’s fun ideas. For many
families spring does bring unpredictable weather with some warm days and some
cold days, rain and sometimes snow.
When it is too...
Parents respond in
different ways to a child’s special needs diagnosis. Some parents are devastated by the news. Many are relieved to have their
suspicions confirmed. Some need
time to think before taking action, while others want...
The average age for autism diagnosis is 4 years, but what if
we could diagnose it sooner?
IntegraGen, Inc. has announced the ARISk assessment test, which looks at
gender-specific genetic markers to assess the risk of autism in children. ...
Communication apps are enabling children to learn how to
communicate anywhere and at any time.
HaloTalk by AdastraSoft is simple yet powerful augmentive learning
software.
The app includes over 50 pairs of commonly used responses,
and each...
“The brain is centrally involved in everything,” says Sue
Othmer, clinical director of the EEG Institute in Woodland Hills, California. She and her husband became interested
in the area when their son was diagnosed with epilepsy. They...
In a study released April 9, 2012 by Pediatrics, researchers
looked at the possible link between metabolic conditions and autism. While there were more cases of autism
amongst mothers with metabolic conditions, such as diabetes, obesity, and...
In the world of special needs, there is a great amount of
statistics flying around, and one of the most shocking numbers is that an
estimated 80-90 percent of marriages involving special needs children end in
divorce. Rachel Bernstein, a...
As a parent, there are going to be many times when you have to
fight for your child’s education. This
fight is even more prevalent if you are a parent of a special needs child or a
child with a learning disability. Many
times you will be...
Achievement and Learning Centers for Students with Learning Disabilities
As parents to children with special needs or
learning disabilities, it may feel like there is never enough you can do for
your child and his education. This
feeling may...
If you have a child with special needs, you may find yourself in certain
circumstances that require you to go to court and to use a special needs
attorney. No matter what the case
is, the right attorney is essential to find. The wrong...
Autism can seem like a mysterious disease that can affect
any family. It causes one to question,
“How do you get autism?” as well as make parents wonder if they did something
wrong to cause their child to be autistic. However, just as...
How to Select a
Special Needs Attorney: Questions to Ask Your Attorney Before Hiring Them
As a parent of a special needs child, you don’t plan on needing a special
needs attorney, yet sometimes certain circumstances just come up. While you...
Many parents appreciate books and resources from people who
“have been there.” Finally, there
is a book dedicated to the diagnosis of apraxia just for parents, written by
R.N. and B.S.N. Leslie A. Lindsay, who also happens to be a parent of a...
Stormy weather or natural disasters, such as earthquakes and
tornadoes, often scare any child, but these events can be magnified for
children with special needs. Most
parents understand these disasters, but are you prepared? Check out...
Natural Treatments
are the Best Treatments for Adult ADD
The stress of being an adult is hard enough with the
constant responsibilities and challenges. Add Adult ADD to the picture and life is even more complex. Work, relationships, and...
When it comes to your child and their education, it is
natural to only want the best. However,
if your child has special needs or a learning disability, a regular classroom
setting may not be best for them. In
fact, your child may be...
When enrolling your child with special needs or a learning
disability into school, you may have heard the phrase I.E.P. tossed around a
few times. If this is your first
child that needs to enter special education, the I.E.P. process can be a...
We have been
blogging for several weeks
about how to increase the odds of raising children with special medical needs
who are responsible, confident, and independent in all areas of life including
around self-care issues. Now let's look briefly at...
Aligning The Mis-aligned…Understanding your Parenting Style and
Aligning yourself as Parents
Every
person enters into the ever so bumpy journey of parenthood with an idea of what
it will be like based on childhood experiences and presently held...
Build phonemic awareness with Sound Sorting from Lakeshore Learning Materials!Phonemic awareness is a pre-reading skill, and the term refers to a child's understanding that words are built from sounds that can be arranged in different...
I’ll never forget the first time a child on the Autism
Spectrum showed up in my office, over twenty years ago. Chase was three years
old. He did not speak, did not respond to language. He did not even respond to his
name. Nothing seemed to grab his...
If you are a parent to a child on the Autism Spectrum, you
most likely have seen your child improve, at least somewhat, through therapy
and through your own efforts to help your child. At the same time you know the
depth of the mystery of your child...
The mystery surrounding autism’s causes frequently leads to
research, including gene studies.
New gene studies investigating hundreds of families of children with
autism have pointed out that mutations might be responsible for some cases of...
Enrolling your child into special education is the best
thing you can do for your child if they have severe learning disabilities or
special needs. However, getting
started with the program can be intimidating since there are so many steps and...
Individual Educational Plans (IEPs) are established for
special needs children or children with learning disabilities to ensure that
they have an equal chance at learning and education. The whole IEP process can be an intimidating and
time-...
As you may have already discovered, getting a child enrolled
in an Individual Education Plan, (IEP), and special education can be a
momentous task. However, once your
child gets evaluated and approved into special education, things will get...
The Importance of Neuro-Typical Play Dates for Children with
Autism
Dear Developmental Doc:
Do you have any ideas for helping my
autistic child make friends? I recently started to volunteer in my daughter’s
kindergarten classroom (she’s in a full...
SpecialNeeds.com is pleased to have this Q&A session with Dr. Kevin Ross Emery, a Certified Catalyst and author of books about ADD/HD. Read further for Dr. Emery's discussion of his practice and revolutionary ideas about ADD/HD.Q: ...
The stigma surrounding autism suggests that individuals with
autism are dumb or incapable of learning and work, but this picture is not very
accurate.
According to a study published March 2012 in the Journal of
Abnormal Psychology, people with...
With the CDC’s 2012 announcement that an estimated 1 in 88
children have autism, many researchers and parents are looking for
answers. Recent substantial
evidence points to environmental chemicals as a possible cause of autism. In 2010,...
Last year I spent one fall morning
filling out forms so that my 9-year-old son could see yet another specialist,
get yet another evaluation, have yet another appointment with someone we were
hoping could help us figure him out. At the time, his...
Discover the best apps for autism with Wynsum Arts i.AM
Search. This app makes it easy to
discover which apps for autism are right for your child.
As children with special needs are not “one size fits all,”
it can be difficult to find...
Out of several learning disabilities, dyspraxia is not one
commonly heard by many people. Dyspraxia affects about two percent of children, the majority
of which are males. Like many
other disabilities, dyspraxia can vary in its degree of...
When it comes to RAD, 8 seems to be our “magic number.” My daughter was 8 years old when she
was diagnosed. It took 8 years
before I could honestly say she seems to be healing. We’ve gone through 8 therapists. But most taxing...
ADD/HD
has been one of the top, steadily increasing diagnoses for children. The statistics are both amazing and
alarming that suddenly you can't go anywhere that some child or adult doesn’t
either know someone or is someone who has been...
Types of Learning
Disabilities: What is Dysgraphia?
With the several types of learning disabilities known, it is
not uncommon for your child to have one. Having a learning disability does not mean your child is
unintelligent. Many times...
The meeting of the Literary Society was just about to get
underway when the young man sitting next to me stood up and socked me in the
face. The impact knocked my
glasses across my nose and stung my cheek. He finished pulling off his...
Bring the traditional idea of storytime into the technological
age. The Lost Gorilla -- Mom, It’s
Me! App is a digital photo story that allows your child to put himself into the
story. Made by My Digital Photo
Story, this story is one of...
Types of Learning
Disabilities: What is Dyscalculia?
When it comes to the different types of learning
disabilities, everyone seems to know the common ones, such as dyslexia or the
learning challenges that come with attention disorders, such as ADD...
Testing for dyslexia is a good idea if your child is having
problems with schoolwork or reading and writing comprehension. You may want to test your child for
dyslexia if the child’s teacher recommends it as well. There are many signs...
One of the easiest ways to help children learn responsibility, make good choices about their bodies, and pave the way to a successful transition/transfer is using the power of example. Kids learn far more from the examples we set...
Many parents of special needs children lament their children
being left out of sports programs and other games at school. While many schools are supportive of
the mainstreaming and inclusion method for education, special needs children
are...
Fully immerse your child in a dynamic and interactive
counting learning experience with Montessori Counting Boards by Grasshopper
apps.
Many people might think learning to count is a simple
task. For some special needs
children, however,...
Don’t just learn math -- live it. The iLiveMath app series from iHomeEducator blends math with
themes from around the world. The
series includes the themes:
Animals of AfricaWinter SportsOceansSpeedTrainsFord CarsFarm FreshEntomology...
Many researchers, scientists, doctors, therapists, parents,
and caregivers agree that early intervention is the key to improving autism
symptoms and helping children with autism reach a high-functioning state. But can we detect autism early...
Why is it that some children with autism “get better,” while
others continue to struggle with their symptoms? Early intervention and therapy involving learning proper
social and communication skills are essential to reducing the prevalence of...
When we stop seeing ADD/HD
individuals as broken, we can stop trying to fix them, especially quick fix
them. When we can embrace working
with their own natural rhythms, harmonies, and their uniqueness, then we can
truly take advantage of a...
School Based Programs Revisited
My last article spoke briefly about afterschool enrichment
programs as well as curriculum based programs during the school day. I’d like
to discuss more about afterschool enrichment programs this month and next month...
Suitable housing is one
of the most important factors for independent living for persons with special
needs. It
can also be one of the most expensive, both in terms of capital investment and
annual costs. Use a business
approach to...
IWithin
the last decade there has been an increasing awareness of the relationship
between learning and cognitive skills.
The term “cognitive skill” refers to any mental skill that is used in
the process of acquiring knowledge, including...
Barefoot World Atlas brings the world to your fingertips --
literally. Explore regions and
countries of the world with this interactive 3D globe for the iPad. Enlighten your child and his curiosity
and creativity through this app, which...
Self-Tests for
Parents to Do at Home to Test for Dyslexia
When it is comes to testing for dyslexia, there is not one
true test that can be done. Because
of this problem, many children have dyslexia, yet go untreated for it, while
other...
How to Figure Out if
Child Has Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a common learning disorder that affects many
children and adults. The proper
recognition of dyslexia can help children and adults manage their learning
disability and even help them succeed...
An article in USA Today reported that home schooling
has been on a steady rise for the last five years and that the reasons for home
schooling have shifted. There are
now 1.5 million children being home schooled, which is up 74% since they...
Appealing Denials
of Insurance Coverage for Medical Treatment
Your child’s health insurance carrier
has denied coverage for a certain medical procedure or treatment. What’s your next step?
Most insurance companies have an
appeals process...
Just because someone said your child has
ADD/HD does not make it so. There
are many things that can cause a child to be irritated, hyper, act out, have
meltdowns and be inattentive. In
the email and posts that I get, often the sender...
Millions of children and adults are diagnosed with
ADD, ADHD, or LD, all of which fall under the category of ADD. With this diagnosis also comes the
prescription of medication, some commonly known to the public, such as Ritalin.
There is...
If you or your child has difficulty reading due to a
learning disability such as dyslexia, you understand how important it is to get
treatment quickly; the faster you can improve skills, the faster you can catch
up in the classroom or at work....
As a parent or caregiver of a child with autism, there are
many resources and autism products that you can utilize. None of the autism products available
are going to cure your son or daughter, but they will make your job as the
caretaker much...
Does your child with autism thrive in his or her personal
therapy sessions? The right
therapy and therapist can work wonders with any child with special needs. Encourage your child’s therapy even more
with these cool toys and products...
There is no reason to avoid airports and traveling because you
have a child with special needs. Yes,
special measures and extra planning need to be done, but with the right
organization and a good attitude, flying with your special needs child...
Tell green to stand aside for a month -- April belongs to
Autism Awareness.
In March of 2012, the CDC announced that the number of cases
of autism in the United States rose to 1 in 88. Autism is five times more likely to affect boys than...
With the rise of autism awareness comes further state
legislature for autism medical coverage.
Both Florida and Michigan have passed autism coverage bills for
review. These bills are intended
to help families in need pay for necessary...
The majority of learning disabilities stem from underlying
sensory processing disorder. When the child's sensory processing issues are
addressed through sensory integration intervention, the road blocks to the way
the child processes starts to come...
Fun with learning just got colorful. PianoBall by 4baam is an exciting and
stimulating music and color tool for children.
The app features a keyboard with bright hues, and four balls
that rotate. The instrument ball
allows your children...
Most children love going to the cinema, but while
movie-going is a pleasant experience for many families, it can be difficult for
families with children with autism.
The bright screen in a very dark room and the loud sounds from
surrounding...
RESCUE LESS……empowering kiddos with special needs
How deep the pain and guilt must be when a parent cannot say
no to their son or daughter with special needs. How overwhelmed they must feel each day to allow their son
or daughter to dictate...
Successful Transitions: Building Hope and Resilience with Encouragement In our last couple of blogs in our transition series, we have talked about how to respond to children with medical issues when they make mistakes or poor choices. This...
Special needs children can thrive in a regular school setting, yet
many times, their behavioral issues can become a problem with the teacher,
staff, or other students. While it
may be hard to hear about your child’s behavior problems, there...
5 Unexpected Ways to
Jump Start Your Child's Processing Skills
Sensory Integration, providing sensory processing activities
and exercises that incorporate a lot of vestibular stimulation can jump-start
your child's processing skills. Activities...
The CDC announced March 29, 2012 that an estimated 1 in 88
children have an autism spectrum disorder.
For over a decade, the CDC and the Autism and Developmental
Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network have been tracking cases of autism
spectrum...
The Best Toys for Autistic
Children
As a parent of a child with autism, it may be discouraging
at times when your child seems disinterested in several types of toys and
games. Because autistic children
process things differently and at a...
Gross Motor Skill
Activities for Special Needs Children
Most special needs children tend to have problems with their
balance, body strength, and coordination. These problems are affected by gross motor skills, or skills
that use the larger...
DTT Shapes is an app developed by Dr. Gary Brown, a licensed psychologist -- this app
is not a toy or a typical children’s game, but rather it provides therapy based
on scientific research. DTT stands
for Discrete Trial Training, and it...
For Teens in Transition, an Opportunity to AchieveAfter spending a year at a college with coursework tailored
to students with special needs, Mark lacked direction. The university environment had
supported him academically, but he needed...
Planning Stress-Free Road
Trips with Children with Special Needs
Everyone loves vacations and going to new places, but the journey
to get there can be a hard and long one. This idea is especially true when traveling with a special
needs child...
Tactile and Sensory
Activities for Special Needs Children
Many special needs children see the world with their fingertips. They learn best through “doing” and “feeling”
activities. Also, some special
needs children have challenges with...
Reading is an important first step on a child’s path to
success in life. A child that is
an excellent reader is a confident child, has a high level of self-esteem, and
is able to easily make the transition from learning to read to reading to...
Language Skill
Activities for Special Needs Children
When developing activities for special needs children, an
important skill to work on is language development and improvement. Daily activities that help improve
language skills are...
Discovering the Truth
About Asperger’s -- What Is Asperger’s?
Among many special needs children and disorders, one that is
commonly misunderstood is Asperger’s Disorder. In fact, many children with Asperger’s can go many years,
even into...
Improving ADD in a Different
Approach with Natural Remedies for ADD
The
most common approach doctors take towards treating children with ADD is to give
the parents a prescription for their child. Medications, such as Ritalin, come with risks...
First Book has a simple yet powerful mission: providing access to new books for children in need, throughout the U.S. and Canada. Since 1992, First Book has distributed more than 90 million books and educational resources to programs...
Preparing Your Child for the Future
Dr. William Lybarger, a special needs expert who provides
expert witness and executive coaching, wrote about “growing towards
separation.” When special needs
parents spend so much of their time caring for...
When asked why he
would jump out of a plane, Jesse Saperstein does not hesitate to reply, “Because
I’m insane.” All humor aside, he
adds, “I thought it would be an exciting an creative way to stop
bullying.” Indeed -- is there
anything...
Parents of children with autism, especially those children
who are non-verbal, understand the daily struggle of communication and lack of
understanding. In the book Carly’s Voice, father Arthur Fleischmann
details his personal story, with the...
Activities that Help
with Therapy and Development
If you have a child with special needs, you are most likely
very familiar with the therapeutic activities your child participates in when
they are with a therapist. While
one-on-one work with...
Starfall is an online educational resource, and now their
ABC section is available as an app for the iPhone and iPad.
When you tap on a letter, a screen shows the upper- and
lower-case letter while a voice announces the letter. Each screen...
Ten Things That 14 Year Olds Can Do To Start Preparing For a Successful Transition to Adulthood1. Get a Jump start on Your Career Path -- Explore!It’s never too early to start considering your career path, so why not start now? Having a career goal...
Organization can be
challenging for families living with a special needs child. As the parent of a daughter with
autism, I know about the overwhelming day-to-day effort that comes with raising
a child with particular necessities. ...
Sensory integration refers to the means of processing
incoming stimuli from our bodies and our environment. Our senses work together to give us an idea of ourselves and
our place within an environment.
For most people, sensory...
Multiplying Acorns by Operatio is a math-learning game for
children. By using detailed
graphics and lively music, this app creates a fun interface for learning
multiplication.
The app allows you to choose two numbers to multiply
together, and...
For a parent of a child with autism, it can be a confusing
time when it comes to getting the proper diagnosis. However, as many parents that have children with autism will
tell you, learning about their child’s diagnosis did not rob them from...
How weird! How can love as strong as
parental (or grandparent) love grow toward separation? Two weeks ago my wife
and I spent a portion of Spring Break with our grandson. He is in his first
real job out of college. We are particularly close to him...
Tap to Talk is a new application by Assistyx that “turns
handheld devices like smart phones and tablets into AAC (Augmentive and
Alternative Communication) devices.”
For those individuals unfamiliar with those terms, this app assists
nonverbal...
If you have ever had the chance to see or play with children
that have Down syndrome, you would know that they can be some of the sweetest
children you have ever met. Those
with Down syndrome are usually misunderstood and made fun of by those...
To celebrate Autism Awareness Month, Brookes Publishing
Company is holding several giveaways of their professional books. Each week in April, Brookes will select
two winners for a series of Paula Kluth titles or a selection from multiple...
I
see it in their faces…parents of teens with disabilities trying to imagine what
kind of future their son or daughter is heading towards. Often it is a look of
fear and one of exhaustion. Just
when other parents are excitedly getting their...
Finding the Right
Special Ed School in California
California parents of special needs children will be happy
to know that there are several special ed schools available. These schools
range from private academies to non-public schools, which are...
Ahh…Reactive Attachment Disorder. It didn’t mean much to me when the therapist made that
diagnosis of my then 8-year-old daughter.
After all, I already knew her problems stemmed from the neglect she had
suffered as a baby. From...
ArtikPix is an exciting new app that helps students practice
words and articulations. Ideal for
students with speech and sound delays, the app is a fun way for children to
practice speech.
This intelligent app, developed by Eric Sailers, a...
Summer is just around the corner, so it’s time to start
thinking about summer camps for your special needs child. There are many exciting opportunities
for summer camps, and many are incredibly specialized -- many camps offer
summer programs...
The autism spectrum has recently been
undergoing something of a revolution in thinking thanks mainly to a number of
free-sharing individuals on the spectrum, most notably Rachel Cohen-Rottenberg,
who have spent the last few years sharing their...
All About Me Storybook is one of the latest apps developed
by I Get It, LLC, who creates educational applications for iPhone, iPad, and
iPod Touch. The storybook is a
part of their Identification Series, which helps support individuals to...
It is not uncommon for parents to welcome home their
adorable, newborn baby and finding out a year later that their child has
cerebral palsy. New parents are
not to blame. Cerebral palsy is
very difficult to diagnose until the infant is...
One of the big challenges that we face as parents of children with
special medical needs is dealing with the extra stress and frustration that
comes with the territory. When our kids make mistakes, especially around their
medical care, it’s so easy...
Parents are often bombarded with advertisements for summer
camps, and it’s true there are numerous camps to choose from. The decision to send your child to a
special needs summer camp might not be easy, especially when you must weigh the...
Successful Transitions: How Do You Raise Wise Children?
All parents want to raise
wise kids. But where does wisdom really come from?
Intelligence is not the same as wisdom. Our children may have good information
about their medical conditions....
For parents of children with autism or ADHD, each day can
present new struggles for calming their children during a tantrum or
meltdown. While they are not used
much even today, weighted or pressure vests are tools, in addition to weighted...
Kids with ADHD Are Harder to Parent: Here’s How to Do It BetterSome people say that ADHD is the result of bad
parenting. There are even some
research studies that come to this same conclusion.
Here’s the part that’s true: parents of kids with...
As a parent who needs to work, daycares are a great resource to ensure your child gets the
proper care and love while you go to work. Even if you are a stay-at-home
parent, daycare is a good choice for many children because it can teach them...
Technology is revolutionizing the way therapy and treatment
modalities can be provided.
Webcams and the Internet are making it possible for therapists to help
individuals with special needs all around the world, and Lexercise is one...
Designed by Mobile Education Tools, Story Builder is one of
the highest-ranked reading apps for iPad.
The app is designed to achieve the following goals:
Improve paragraph formationImprove integration of ideasImprove higher level abstractions by...
Whether single or married, raising biological children or
other adopted children, potential adoptive families are guided by their desire
to make a difference in a child’s life, which is a wonderful starting point.
Successfully parenting a child with...
Picture this with me:
A dad. A mom. Two daughters -- one who is thirteen years old and one who
is ten years old. A nice little
family that remembers the baby days with fondness but is content for them to be
just that; memories....
It might seem as though spring has just begun, but camps are
already advertising and enrolling for their summer programs. Doing some research early will ensure
your child a spot in the summer camp of your choice. Consider the following...
Paving a successful educational road for your child can be
challenging and difficult. Depending on where your child is at on his or her
educational journey, you may have heard or researched a lot about individual
education plans (IEP) and special...
Fine Motor Skill
Activities for Special Needs Children
Many children with special needs have challenges with their fine motor skills. Therefore, it is important to
incorporate fine motor skills activities for special needs children in their
daily...
The app “iTouchiLearn Words” from Staytooned teaches
children about words through interactive word association games. Staytooned’s motto is “Edutaining Apps
for Kids,” and this app is truly an entertaining and educational experience.
Using...
For many kids the signs of spring are simple; warmer
weather, flowers in bloom, an occasional rainbow and the appearance of bugs.
However spring doesn’t arrive at the same time everywhere. So if there is still
snow on the ground at your house or the...
Most
parents are aware that swimming is a lifesaving skill that must be taught at an
early age. Sadly, drowning remains
the second leading cause of unintentional injury-related death for children between
one and fourteen years of age, and...
iComm, short for “I Communicate,” is a picture and voice
communication aid for children -- it works well for pre-speech toddlers and
children with disabilities who have trouble communicating. Using pictures and words, the program allows...
Weighted blankets are affordable tools that nearly any child
with special needs should have.
Sensory Goods is a company that designs these blankets to help
individuals with developmental disorders, including those with autism and
sensory...
I saw this
quote the other day and thought about how it applies to my daughter Kayla, who
has Down syndrome, and people who have disabilities. The quote is
"Different, not less."
Yes my daughter is different in that she has an extra chromosome. (...
We
just celebrated Rare Disease Day on February 29th, which in itself is rare!
Having
a child with a rare diagnosis is a hard, wonderful, terrifying, liberating, and
exhausting thing. There are 6,000-8,000 rare diseases that have been...
Today I’d like to bring your attention to martial arts
programs that may be available to your child during their day before they even
get home!
For many years schools have offered enrichment programs for
children after school. Many of these...
In my previous life (before I was a special needs mom),
I was a social worker. My resume is almost as eclectic as I am and I worked
with a large variety of people. Foster care, adoption, child protective
services, group homes, palliative, Native...
Many parents are given discouraging news about their
children with disabilities -- this prognosis gives little hope to parents of
these children, which is an unfair and negative situation. There are therapies many parents have
never heard of,...
The view of special needs children and their parents is not
always a pleasant one. The stigma
of parents with special needs children often leads to those parents fearing for
their reputations, which can result in extreme behavior. ...
It seems that with the rise of awareness of autism, the rate
of diagnosis of the disorder is ever increasing. In 2007, the Centers for Disease Control reported that
nearly 1 in 150 children have autism; in 2009, the numbers rose to 1 in 110....
Parents of special needs children know about everyday
struggles, and oftentimes feelings of hopelessness cannot be avoided. Anat Baniel’s new book Kids Beyond Limits offers a method
supported by brain research with a healthy side dose of...
Great Expectations of
Special Education Professionals
Call me naïve or whatever you will,
but I am the kind of person who likes to believe people will do the right thing
-- especially people who work in the special
education field. But...
Bipolar disorder is a condition that affects the brain areas
that regulate impulse control, emotions, speech, thought, planning, and
memory. Children with bipolar disorder
are extremely influenced by their impulses and surroundings. ...
Original article posted on Redwood City PatchWhy I Filed a Child Abuse Report Against a Special Ed AideBy Dorie Johnson, as told to Redwood City Patch Editor Stacie Chan(Editor’s Note: Dorie Johnson was a former employee of the Redwood City...
In the current economic climate, it is easy to assume that
schools are sacrificing everything but the kitchen sink, and the lives of
special needs students are no exception.
According to CBC news, a Winnipeg School Division cut
$900,000 from the...
Imagine a calm room with zen music streaming from the
speakers, and an instructor directs the people in the room to place their hands
on the floor and their buttocks in the air. You might recognize the pose as the downward dog, but it
might...
As a pediatric nurse practitioner, I remember frequently telling my parents that they know their children better than I ever will. Now, as a mother of a little girl with Down syndrome, I know that to be true. I will always know my...
Successful Transitions: Start Early, Little by LittleTransition should be a step-by-step process starting as early as possible, preferably when our children are toddlers. You've all seen the milestone charts we get from our pediatricians at...
When we drop off our kids at school, we assume they are in a
safe environment. While nearly
every institution has a code regarding seclusions and restraints, most parents
don’t stop to think such tactics will be used on their children.
Civil...
According to Arizona state officials, no it’s not. The new legislature, which states that
doctors who fail to clearly articulate an unborn child’s risk of birth defects
are protected against malpractice suits, is meant to prevent women from...
The Road to HomeschoolingI could feel like a failure as a mom. For 6 years I raised a
child with special needs without realizing it.
I knew he was a bit different; challenging and special, but
even having a friend with a child with autism, I didn’t...
Many parents of children diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome follow a long, twisting path as they try to find out what is going on with their child. Many children with AS are initially diagnosed with everything from ADHD to mood disorders.When...
Choosing the right college is perhaps the most important choice for a
high school senior. While many students
have an idea of what they want to do for a career, still others are uncertain
of this important life decision.
Finding the...
Dear Developmental Doc,
My son is 10 years old with a moderate form of autism. He struggles in almost all areas of development, particularly since he is non-verbal. I have recently read that there are iPad apps that help kids like mine become more...
. . . A strategy for helping your child with special needs learn
to problem solve.Moms and Dads of children with special needs tend to take on
the role of butler and maid far too long for the well-being of their son or
daughter. As a consultant I...
Does one of you consistently promise to do chores but then forget them? Does your relationship suffer from chronic nagging or anger? Does one of you feel that you are living with another child, rather than a spouse? Did you used to feel important to...
No one was more surprised than Randy Burklund, owner of
Kinderlift, that a ski vest designed to keep kids safe on the slopes would find
a market in the special needs community. Kinderlift was created by a mother
whose son fell off a ski lift when he...
Wild Onion Press took off in 2009 on the mission to change
minds one at a time about children (as well as about all creatures great and
small) with physical differences.
We aimed to do this through literature, believing that a story is a...
Estate planning
and lifetime planning for parents with a child with a disability present
special challenges. The goals of the parents are to utilize their assets in
such away to enrich their child’s life while, at the same time, preserving the
child...
Ten-year-old Cooper is teaching his twin brother to play Hot Cross Buns on the piano. Cooper, who has Down syndrome, has been playing the piano since he was 8 ½ years old. I ask him how his brother is doing. Cooper says: “I showed him how to...
Build a Train is an app kids love because it not only allows
them to choose which engines and cars to put on the train, it also challenges
them with different tracks and maps.
There are a variety of colors and designs of cars for your
child...
David Andrews, age 18, wears number 40 on the Germantown
High School basketball team, just outside of Memphis, TN. Much like the Knick’s
Jeremy Lin, Andrews spent quite a bit of time warming the bench during his
team’s games before ever getting to...
Imagine taking a vacation with the whole family--a real
vacation. And on that vacation, parents can rekindle their relationship,
siblings can go on adventures, and kids with special needs can be themselves
and have fun doing things like ice skating...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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....
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...
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...
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 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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
"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...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
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,"...
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...
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...
“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...
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...
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...
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...
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 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,...
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,...
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"](http://www.specialneeds.com/sites/specialneeds.com/files/imagecache/Teaser/crying%20little%20girl%20upset.jpg "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...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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 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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
. . . 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...
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...
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 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...
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...
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...
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 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...
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...
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](http://www.specialneeds.com/sites/specialneeds.com/files/imagecache/Teaser/boy%20stressed%20over%20book_0.jpg "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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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 …...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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 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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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 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...
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,...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
"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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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 ...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
"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"](http://www.specialneeds.com/sites/specialneeds.com/files/imagecache/Teaser/BrocheD_soul%20reader.jpg "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 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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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"](http://www.specialneeds.com/sites/specialneeds.com/files/imagecache/Teaser/image002.jpg "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...
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...
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...
“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...
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...
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 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...
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...
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...
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 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"](http://www.specialneeds.com/sites/specialneeds.com/files/imagecache/Teaser/Janov%20photo.jpg "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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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 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...
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...
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...
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...
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 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,...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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?
...
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...
‘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...
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...
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...
“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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
“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...
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,...
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...
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...
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 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...
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’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...
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...
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/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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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 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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
“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...
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...
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...
• 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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
"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...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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.,...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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....
[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...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
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...
"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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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’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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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 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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
• 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...
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...
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...
“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...
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...
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....
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
What exactly are special needs? Most of us have heard the term “children with special needs”, but the reality is that there are many different conditions that a child may have in order to fall into the category of being a child with...
