I have had the
pleasure to know mothers and fathers of special needs children who have created
their own schools or their own curriculums so their children could learn life
skills and social skills, two of the key building blocks for independence,...
Medical practitioners
and medical research scientists are fully aware of the benefits that can be
gained from collecting umbilical cord blood after the birth of your baby.
Cord blood can be
used for stem cell transplants which will help your body...
In honor of the coronation of Disney's newest princess, Merida,
Family Magazine Group is sponsoring a giveaway. The winners will receive
a special gift package from Disney, which includes:A Merida WigMerida fashion dollDisney Princess...
When a frightening and tragic event such as a the Boston marathon bombing, school
shooting, terrorist attack, or a natural disaster occurs, children may
understandably have lots of questions and concerns. In some cases, they may
experience some...
“Where is Godzilla?” my neighbor asked
with a chuckle in her voice.
A relaxing afternoon at the park took an immediate turn when I realized
my adult neighbor was referring to my young daughter, Hadley. I was literally...
“The first step toward change is awareness. The second step is acceptance.”
-- Nathaniel Branden When Awareness Becomes Acceptance
April 2nd is World Autism Awareness Day. As a mom that
lives with autism in my family, I embrace the concept of...
Gailynn Gluth, founder and CEO of Wynsum Arts, wrote this blog post
for Autism Speaks chronicling her presentation and involvement with
Autism Speaks First Autism Investment Conference. On February 22, I spoke at Autism Speaks’...
This article is courtesy of Wynsum Arts' Every App Has a Story, the stories behind Wynsum Arts' distinguished apps. “People who read well aren’t automatically great at spelling but
people who spell well are invariably great readers. With...
The "Family Choice Awards" recognize the best in children's and parenting
resources. Now in it's 17th year, the "Family Choice Award" is one of
the most coveted, family friendly consumer award programs in the nation.
These awards serve as our...
No it’s not a sexual perversion! I love malapropisms. A favourite is the
Judge who becomes exasperated with a gum chewing defendant and tells the
Bailiff to have him stop masticating. The Bailiff leans over and says ‘Oi you,
take your hands...
Whenever we
encounter a new student or client, in many cases a label is attached. Often we
are told the child is "difficult" or "challenging". Over
time, we have learned that those words do not pertain to the individual. Those
are words that others...
Dear Developmental Doc:
I have a 14 year -old son who has high functioning autism.
He loves anything to do with the computer but has a tendency to use technology
as a way to hide from social and emotional experiences. I was reading about
recent...
March is Brain Injury Awareness Month. Acquired brain injury
is not the kind of thing anyone wants or plans on so unless you know someone
who has it, you wouldn't know...but maybe you should. There are two known
types of brain injury.
...
Did you know that last month history marked
the 200th anniversary of the publishing of Jane Austen’s best known
work?
As most will know it’s about love and how
irrationally held views and emotions can easily scupper relationships.
So is it much...
Making decisions for others
is never easy. In fact, it’s probably one of the hardest things one can do for
someone, especially if that person is their child. When a family is coping with
mental illness and intense special needs and a parent is...
This is
an excerpt from Caroline McGraw's book for caregivers, Your Creed of Care: How
to Dig for Treasure in People (Without Getting Buried Alive). To
receive your complimentary copy of
the book via email, visit Caroline's blog for caregivers, A...
For centuries, scientists
believed that when you reached adulthood, your brain was finished developing, and
the only way it could change was to worsen by aging, disease, or accidents.
This meant you were stuck with your brain’s limitations for the...
Dear Developmental Doc:
My son is 17 years old and has Asperger’s
Disorder. He attends a regular high school program and there is a girl in his
homeroom class who he has sporadically tutored in math over the semester. She
appreciates my son’s...
Our family’s story became a national
discussion when, after years of unsuccessful advocating for support for our
mentally and organically disabled daughter, we made a decision to send her to
live with another family in another state where she would...
"Nurturing Minds, Enriching Lives and Building Self Esteem in
Chicagoland for over 35 years"
Acacia Academy is an NCA accredited school in LaGrange
Highlands, Illinois, that offers customized programs for a variety of students,
such as...
Barack Obama Charter School, in Los Angeles, CA is part of
the Ingenium Schools’ charter school campuses. How are they different from any
other school? Ingenium Schools use the RISC (Re-inventing Schools Coalition)
philosophy and model, a model that...
Do over bearing Mothers create mental problems?
I abhor speaking ill of the dead, and of
that ghastly modern trend to state you were abused by someone now dead as a way
of explaining your criminal behaviour.
But…
I had a very overbearing Mother...
Last week,
my daughter had her first knitting class and she LOVED it!
Until
now, my kids have only attended classes or groups if they are offered by groups
that can manage my son’s needs. My daughter has bugged me for years about
joining...
The 14th
Special Olympics World Summer Games is coming to Los Angeles! Over 7000 Special
Olympic from 170 nations will compete in the 2015 games taking place in Los
Angeles, CA. More than half a million people will attend!
This will be the...
... continued from hereThe
Children
The root cause of RAD is abandonment trauma or
failure to attach. Physical abuse and sexual abuse are much easier to treat
than a core, learned belief that one is worthless or bad. Most of the children
have been...
Dear Developmental Doc,
I have a son with high functioning autism. He is 9 years old
and very smart. But he also has a processing delay and tends to obsess over old
news items. Lately, he excessively worries about Hurricane Sandy. Although this
is...
Dear Developmental Doc,
My husband talked me into flying across the country for the
Holidays to visit his family with our 28 month old daughter who has just been
diagnosed with autism. Under the best of circumstances, she is a handful and
doesn’t...
Since its launch, the iPad has received
significant coverage across the media and various social media platforms.
Although this coverage has been exponentially positive, the media has often
ignored some of the many unanswered inquiries relating to...
Dr. Temple Grandin talks about different ways of thinking and learning - visual thinkers, pattern thinkers, verbal thinker. Her visual thinking helps her see things that neurotypical people cannot see. "When I was a young kid I didn't know my...
Attending
a school conference can be stressful for any parent, but if your child has
dyslexia, the anxiety can be higher, especially when meeting with a new teacher
or counselor. The following tips should help the meeting go smoothly and help
you...
For the
first time in the 5 or so years I’ve been attending Autism-specific Support
Groups, I attended one recently where I actually felt supported and understood
when I left…and what’s even more amazing is that both my man AND my ex-hubby
were...
Living Innovations pioneers a new residential model: Shared LivingFor most of us, growing
up means leaving the family home and living on our own, getting a job, making
new friends and finding our place in the world. For people with...
Although it’s not spring time and you have some time yet
before your Annual Review, that doesn’t mean that you still aren’t coming in
contact with your Case Manager or teacher. Unfortunately, there is the idea that needing to have
contact with...
It’s the rest of the world who are out of
sync!
Watching Obama -- Romney thrash it out to
the finish line made me think how we with Bipolar are maybe more in sync with
life than those who might think we are abnormal. As we know, Bipolar has...
Dear
Developmental Doc:
I am a big
‘foodie’ and am starting to get excited about planning the menu for a grand
Thanksgiving meal for my friends and family. My problem is that my nephew is
autistic and is beyond picky about what he puts into his...
Once
kids are in school again, they can be challenged with learning, social
pressers and a heavy homework load. Most parents
don't know that stress, anxiety and inability to focus in school are
very common for many children. As...
The International Family Film Festival will be held at the Raleigh Studios, Hollywood, CA March 27 - 31, 2013.You
are invited to submit your film features, shorts, student shorts, IFF
Youth Fest! (ages 8-18) as well as feature and short-...
Leo Beuerman is an inspirational story about a man who refused to
succumb to self-pity and instead became a symbol for overcoming
adversity.Leo was 36 inches tall, deaf and unable to walk. When
he was born, the doctors had little hope that he...
Click below to listen to Bonnie Terry's interviews with Cara Bateman, former editor of SpecialNeeds.com talking, about the website as a resource for families with children/adults with special needs. Scroll down to listen to her interview with Dr....
CaféMom introduces the YouTube series Our Special Lives. Each episode
features a different family with a special needs child and we're able to take a
look into their lives, their challenges and their joys. In this week’s episode you will meet...
CaféMom introduces
the YouTube series Our Special Lives. Each episode features a different family
with a special needs child and we're able to take a look into their lives,
their challenges and their joys.
Meet Jamie, Scott and their two-...
Allergies cause physical
problems, and they can be a significant piece of learning problems and
emotional issues. At least 40% of the children I see have allergies as well as dyslexia
or other learning and behavior problems.
Having...
Parents of children with speech
disorders are faced with a choice: private speech therapy or speech therapy
through the public school system? Each choice has its own benefits and
drawbacks, but some parents prefer to consider a third, less...
Most expecting parents are facing many
important decisions before the baby is born. Basic decisions include the name
of the baby, formula feeding or breastfeeding, and many more. One important
issue that needs to be considered by many expecting...
SPECIALNEEDS.COM
SWEEPSTAKES: OFFICIAL RULES
NO
PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN THIS SWEEPSTAKES. A PURCHASE DOES NOT
IMPROVE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. MANY WILL ENTER. FEW WILL WIN.
Sweepstakes
is open to all residents of the 50...
Enter to win SpecialNeeds.com’s Holiday Gift Basket!
This holiday season, you can enter to win a $500 personalized
gift basket filled with goodies for you and your family. Here’s what you need
to do to enter:
Send an email to...
“I Am A Child Just Like You” by Travis Breeding is a
beautiful book that seeks to teach children acceptance and understanding for
those who are “different”, and to look past those differences and find the
things that they have in common. The book is...
CaféMom introduces the YouTube series Our Special Lives. Each episode
features a different family with a special needs child and we're able to take a
look into their lives, their challenges and their joys.
In the second episode we get to...
The 4th Annual Autism Conference for Professionals and Families:Rethinking Autism: Neurobiology-Technology-Policy-CommunityGuest speakers:Pat Levitt, Ph.D. Provost Professor of Neuroscience, Pediatrics, Psychology, Psychiatry, and Pharmacy. Director...
Have you ever wondered if your child is gifted? While there are several ways to assess
a child's giftedness, a quick look at some typical characteristics of the
gifted child may be helpful in determining if you have a gifted learner. ...
Happiness is something that everyone searches for in life.
But when you reach the point in your life in which you can truly feel and
believe you've found it, it's a very sweet moment. After being diagnosed with
Asperger's Syndrome in October of 2007...
If you suspect your child is gifted, you many notice a lot of signs. IQ
isn’t the only thing that distinguishes a profoundly gifted child from other
students. Though their intelligence is clearly the most prevalent feature,
ironically, it may not be...
Most children are naturally somewhat scattered and chaotic.
As you may have seen, good organizational skills aren't often something they're
born with. Toys strewn about, art project left half-finished and habitually
losing objects are things that...
CaféMom
introduces the YouTube series Our Special Lives. Each episode features a different family with
a special need child and we are able to take a look into their lives,
their challenges and their joys.
In the first
episode we are...
Dear Developmental Doc:
I am feeling so frustrated I don’t know what to do. The new school semester has just begun
and I have a son who is 8 years old and severely impacted by ADHD. Although his
teacher is certified in special education,...
Being gluten and dairy intolerant
is not only tough on your child, its tough on you as well. Fun "kid foods" can be a challenge to make, and finding foods that your child will love and
the rest of your family can enjoy takes extra time and efford....
Congratulations to Andrew Barling. He was randomly chosen as the winner of the drawing for the $500 gift basket, courtesy of specialneeds.com, for attending the webinar How to Improve Learning Skills: Reading, Writing, Spelling, & Math. For more...
Imagine this - you and your child step off
a cruise ship and are greeted by a group of people in colourful clothes,
holding signs, flowers and balloons.
Some are playing musical instruments. They shout and sing joyously, “Welcome to the...
In pursuit of a degree you learn many things, some useful,
some not so useful. While in pursuit of my degree I learned a great deal about
Autism. Autism is a complex developmental disability that is often
misunderstood. There are so many...
When children at an early age experience disappointment in communicating
over and over again it significantly affects their confidence. We learn through
patterns and repetition. When a child can’t effectively engage in either, it
becomes frustrating...
My husband and I and our four kids went to the pool on Saturday.
I love going to the pool with the kids. They use Lance and me as jungle gyms.
It helps me to confront my hatred of being touched. You know, because I'm
ALL about...
A
Call to Action - The Templeton National Report on Acceleration The Templeton National Report on Acceleration
has a shocking name and an even more shocking message; entitled A Nation Deceived: How Schools Hold Back
America’s Brightest,...
Having a gifted child can be frustrating and gratifying in equal
measures. Gifted children are often a joy to their parents -- bringing home
stellar report cards, talking precociously and enthusiastically about a variety
of subjects, and receiving...
Has your child been identified as a gifted student?
If so, chances are, you sometimes feel desperate for advice on how to navigate
this journey with your son or daughter. While your friends may look on with awe
at your child’s achievements and think...
Due to their unpredictable
nature, transitions in general, can be very difficult for our children with
special needs. The new school year creates a whole host of transitions that
made me want to devote this month’s column to tips for helping your...
Parents of teens and young
adults with special needs are always concerned about their transition into
adulthood. They constantly ask themselves, “What happens next?”
Live. Advance. LA.
provides that much needed support that facilitates a...
How can the process of learning
have momentum? Some days a student "gets it" then the next day the
same concept is lost. The human brain forgets, stumbles, supposedly
demonstrates achievement, but then disappoints. Momentum and learning seem...
I understand and embrace that I have Asperger’s and my mind works differently. All I really want are a few good friends and to feel like I'm a part of someone's life. Just to feel special I guess. I've been thinking a lot about what happens to...
When anger is not expressed, it may turn inward and morph into self-destruction
or depression. Children’s frustration and anger need an external outlet, and
they may internalize these emotions when teachers, parents, and other adults belittle
or...
I am a parent of two children with special
needs, and a special education teacher. I have been working in the field of
special needs for 15 years, and currently teach teachers about special
education. One of the keystones of
special education...
Over 30 years ago, the former
Chief of the Laboratory of Brain Evolution and Behavior at the National
Institute of Mental Health in Washington, DC, Paul D. MacLean, first proposed
the Triune Brain Theory, which shows
us how your child’s brain...
How many times have you
asked yourself what more you could do at home for your child’s learning
challenge, whether it’s dyslexia, ADHD, or autism?
What many parents don’t
realize is that they’re in the driver’s seat. As a parent, you’re...
I am a parent of two children with
special needs, and a special education teacher. I have been working in the field of special needs for 15
years, and currently teach teachers about special education. One of the keystones of...
A recent article in the press described one
couple’s “abortion pact.” That is,
if any pregnancy had a chance of a fetal anomaly they would abort. The couple felt that because of their
age - she was 37 and he was in his 40s - they had an...
They say that a large percentage of women who receive a prenatal
diagnosis of Down syndrome have an abortion.
But I will not point my finger at the women who have given their babies
back to God without ever holding them in their arms. Why?...
A new school year is approaching and for
many students with special needs, the anxiety may be growing. As a parent, you
begin to notice this pattern each summer and you may not know exactly how to
soothe your child other than to say, “You’re going...
I have a thirteen year old son with
Asperger’s Disorder. Even though he is very smart academically, he is very naïve
and comes across socially as very immature for his age. He is starting middle
school next month at a new site where he will be fully...
If you live in a large
city, especially in the land of fruits and nuts, where there are Trader Joe’s,
Whole Foods, Sprouts and health food stores all within five miles from your
home, finding GFCF foods is not a problem. If you live in a tiny town,...
More and more families are turning to the GFCF diet to
help with Autism Spectrum Disorders and a whole host of other diseases and
disorders.
When people begin this diet, it can be very overwhelming.
Hopefully this “cheat sheet” will...
Did you know that farting can cause
cancer of the bowel? Or that using lipstick might send you dog Bipolar? If for
a second you believed these stories you need help!
We are bombarded daily by some new
scientific research saying too much or too...
A few
years ago when I was married, we invited a number of other families over for a
“get to know you” type of BBQ as we all met at a 10-week course, in the
beginning of our journey of learning about Autism. As we went from family to family,...
Duchenne
Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is an x-linked recessive disease. Mothers are the
carriers. That means it can be found in boys that are related by female
relatives " brothers, uncles, cousins. But because it is recessive not all boys
that are...
I just finished reading “The Autism Revolution” by Dr. Martha
Herbert. As I neared the end of this book, I read a few simple words that
struck a chord with me. The author said, “One of the most frustrating things
about battling autism is having to...
With summer firmly in place, there is something
we must not forget. And no, it’s not sunscreen! It’s your eye health!
We recently had a chance to talk to Dr. Elise
Brisco, Co-founder of the Rehabilitative
Vision Clinic at the Cedars Sinai Medical...
From Wikipedia:
Prader-Willi syndrome (ˈpraːdər ˈvɪli; abbreviated PWS) is a rare genetic disorder in which seven genes
(or some subset thereof) on chromosome 15 (q 11-13) are deleted or unexpressed
(chromosome 15q partial deletion) on the paternal...
A recent study published in the Journal of Women's Health found that a citywide ban on public smoking in one Colorado town reduced the number of pregnant women who smoke and the number of babies born with health problems caused by smoking....
“I hope to adopt someday."
The sentiment was real, yet my idea of adoption was romanticized and I lacked a real understanding of adoption. I pictured bringing a shy, malnourished, lonely child to my home who would transform into a healthy and...
A while ago I posted about my daughter, Little Miss
Adorable’s newest words and our struggles in Speech and Language Therapy. (Little Miss Adorable, Speech, Language and Swear Words and Toddler Speech, Language and Self Defense)
Little Miss...
In the previous
blog, we discussed what dyslexia is -- difficulty with words -- and what it isn’t,
which is permanent. So how can you tell if your child may have it? According to
Scientific Learning Corp, here are clues you may notice at home and at...
It seems like so rarely do we see autism in
fiction, and when it’s done as well as Living
Through Charlie, one has to wonder at how much truth really lies behind the
story. While it might have started
out more like a memoir, author Rebecca...
What
is memory? Are there different kinds of memory? How are memories formed? What types of information are difficult -- or easy -- for
students to learn and remember, and why?
How does emotion affect learning, thinking and memory...
ADHD is one of the most commonly diagnosed conditions. Symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity,
irritability, or difficulty completing tasks are hallmarks of ADHD, but they
might also be signs of other conditions.
Children with autism are...
Do
you suspect ADHD? Do you really know what Attention Deficit Disorder is? Bonnie
Terry, America's Leading Learning Specialist is on FOX Morning News talking
about ADD and ADHD. ADD
stands for attention deficit disorder. ADHD stands for...
With high profile celebrities like NBC’s ‘The Voice’ judge Adam Levine, TV news broadcasters like Phoenix-based Kaley O'Kelley, and others like “The ADHD CEO” Greg Selkoe now publicly “owning” their ADHD diagnosis, it begs many questions: How does...
Spinal Muscular Atrophy, often referred to as SMA, is a
genetic disorder characterized my muscular atrophy (degeneration) and weakness. It is a neuromuscular genetic disorder
that is the leading cause of genetic-related deaths in infants...
Carter, my son, was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder
when he was 3.5 years old. As devastating as it was, we weren’t completely
blindsided by his diagnosis. The waitlist for his assessment was almost an
entire year. We received a call...
I look at Special Needs Parenting like canoeing down a fast
river -- full of rocks and raging rapids -- without a map! We don't know what is
coming ahead, and honestly, we don’t know where we are going either. We zoom
past rocks and through rough...
Quoting Robert De Niro’s famous line from Taxi
Driver is an apt one when one has Bipolar. The context suggests menace and persecution,
both of which I can identify with.
And conveniently with the Bi in Bipolar, this aspect has typically two...
The word dyslexia was
coined in 1895 but didn’t come into common usage until the 1960s. The word
comes from the Greek roots dys,
meaning “abnormal” or “difficult,” and lexis,
meaning “word” or “speech.” At its most
basic level, dyslexia literally...
I am a digestion junkie. Most of my research and education focuses on how to improve digestive function and correct the many ways that our digestive processes can go awry. For children with special needs, we must focus on creating the...
Sometimes, labels only belong on apples.The land of Special Needs is filled with labels. Reactive
Attachment Disorder, Down Syndrome, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder,
Fragile X Syndrome, Learning Disability. Everything seems to be a...
I grew up as a child actor and
model, from ages two to eighteen.
I never did anything fame-worthy, but I did pose for Vogue Bambini and Rolling Stone Magazine, with Fleetwood Mac. I also got to repeatedly stuff my face
with cookies in a...
Compromise. Commitment. Patience. My 20 years of marriage have taught me many things. One of the most important was how to read. Sure, I knew how to read before I got married. For example, I was a voracious reader of the tabloids in the lines at the...
It's important to have a healthy gut to keep the body functioning properly. When a person experiences problems with digestion, they may want to consider an organic detox to get their health back on track. A new study from Texas A&M University...
I often wonder how my son appears through my daughter’s
eyes. She adores him; this is
clear. But what does she make of
the sudden outbursts, the seemingly unprovoked anger, and the daily challenges
that a family with a child on the...
I think it’s time we acknowledge the internal emotional
experience of a parent of a child with special needs. This is a journey, and there are times when you will feel traumatized
or in disbelief with your experience, and times when you wish...
Aggressive or
violent behavior can be a very difficult and discouraging issue to manage,
especially for special needs parents and caregivers. Violent behaviors hinder
progress in IEPs, in learning plans, and in becoming mature in personal...
The other day there was a knock at my door. When I answered it was an elderly lady inquiring about my husband's business. She described what she needed and when she'd be home, stating that her husband had cancer and they were often not home...
Obama’s healthcare debate filled the radio airwaves the weeks before
daughter was born. I would drive to
doctor’s appointments, hoping that Mr. Obama’s reforms would go through and
amazed at history in the making. I could
not fathom...
Recently, within a few days, two of my friends confided in me that they are starting to think one of their kids (two different families) may be on the Autism Spectrum, and then they asked how I knew my son had Autism. I’ll admit that my ex-husband (...
Down syndrome, also called Trisomy 21, is a genetic
condition in which an individual has 47 chromosomes instead of 46. In most cases, an extra copy of
chromosome 21 is the cause of Down syndrome. This extra copy of the chromosome affects...
Dear Developmental Doc:
My son has just been diagnosed with attention deficit disorder -- hyperactive type. His psychologist wants me to have him be seen by a psychiatrist so that in addition to play therapy he will be given medication to treat his...
Pretty much all children hide things from their
parents. I think that’s a given,
and children with Reactive Attachment Disorder are certainly not excluded from
that group. Their need to control
the situation as if their life depends on...
Transitioning to independence during young adulthood
is a pivotal and challenging time for everyone. For young adults with special needs, these
periods can particularly difficult. People with special needs, such as autism
spectrum disorders or...
Being a wife and
mother will always be a big
challenge, but more when you're
a military wife. When
I met my husband, I always knew his
aspirations to enter the military
and serve his country. For it was always
his dream, and have someone to...
Eating used to be a family affair, a time when everyone came
together to talk, share, and enjoy each other’s company. We’re nourished by
each other’s presence when we sit around the table. Nowadays, many of us catch
meals on the run and don’t spend...
Of growing concern is the prevalence of genetically modified
organisms, or GMOs, in our food.
The question is GMO safe for us to eat?
GMOs are organisms that have been created through gene
splicing and biotechnology, also called genetically...
It is widely known that gifted students have special needs, yet few schools provide daily programs designed to meet these needs. While many schools have what they refer to as a “gifted program,” this program usually only consists of a weekly, pull-...
With the weather getting warmer and kids taking breaks from
school, families are sure to spend more time out of doors and in the sun. We all know we should put on sunscreen, but
which kind is the best and how often should we put it on? ...
Schizophrenia is a mental illness that typically begins in
late adolescence and early adulthood.
Symptoms of schizophrenia include “negative” and “positive” symptoms. Negative symptoms refer to a lack of an
emotion or characteristic, and...
Spring is here! Flowers are blooming, grass is green and Mother
Nature offers her rays of warm sun as a relief for the winter’s chill. For some
of us, flowers and grass can give rise to pollen sensitivity. Pollen present,
high levels of histamine...
Cayden
was referred to “The Queen Alexandra Hospital for Children’s Health (QA)” before he hit his 3 month
mark. Already, my little man was
exhibiting difficulties meeting milestones; he was not responding to faces,
auditory or visual stimuli...
We all know how important nutrition is to a child’s health,
but it’s doubly important for children with learning difficulties. Children
can’t learn when they’re malnourished or if they’re eating too much junk food.
Most people tell me they are...
Caring for a special needs child or adult becomes a part of
daily life for many parents and caregivers. It’s a demanding and difficult job, and many parents don’t
get the breaks they need to stay healthy.
It is critical for parents and...
According to a study by the CDC published in Pediatrics
journal, diabetes is significantly on the rise for teenagers. Nearly one quarter of American children
and adolescents has type 2 diabetes or is developing the disease.
Additionally, the...
Despite parent protests, New York City education officials
approved a plan to move special needs students into mainstream classrooms. Mayor Bloomberg’s Panel for Education Policy
voted for this inclusion plan, and many critics are saying that...
It is 2:00 am when the cell phone vibrates under my pillow reminding me to
get up. In a swift motion I swing my legs around and glide out of bed, barely
moving the covers. My husband sleeps soundly and so does my one-week-old baby, Nichole,
who...
It is a sad fact
that students in the United States are falling behind in the study of
mathematics. "Everybody Counts: A Report to the Nation on the Future of
Mathematics Education" from The National Research Council found that only
half of the...
ADHD, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, is one of
the most commonly diagnosed conditions in children. While the cause of ADHD is not known, many people believe it
to be due to chemical imbalances in the brain, or genetic or...
Everyone’s in the midst of planning summer vacations, signing up for camps and stocking up on popsicles and sunscreen.
May I make a recommendation? Take a break, maybe even a big break, from therapy at some point this summer.
Odd...
What are the common causes of allergies?
Fifty million Americans suffer from allergies. Itchy, watery eyes affect their ability to enjoy life, work and sleep. Allergies can be triggered by virtually anything around us. Some of the most common causes...
I am a multi-faceted Mommy. If my job were likened to a
circus act, I would most certainly be a juggler… who juggles angry rattle
snakes… while riding a motorcycle… on a trapeze. Yes -- that would be me up
there. You can be my audience. I’ll try not...
In San Jose California in March 2012, a mother of a child
with autism shot her son and then herself
I wrote this piece that evening
WHERE Were We? (A professional’s introspection on that awful
day)
I shot my son with autism and then I shot...
Cerebral palsy refers to a group of chronic conditions
affecting muscles and body movements.
It is caused by brain damage during fetal development and pregnancy, and
it can also occur during or shortly after birth. Children with cerebral...
Hyperactivity is the state of excess activity and might be
manifested by fidgeting, jumping, nervousness, or inability to sit still. Hyperactivity is a common symptom of
ADHD, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
To define what is...
Everyone learns at his own pace, but some children require a
little extra push or have special needs in education. Special ed, the common lingo for special education, refers
to alternative education programs that teach children with academic,...
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...
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,...
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...
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,...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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....
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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. ...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
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:...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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. ...
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-...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Many people spend their lives searching for a career that be not only financially lucrative, but also emotionally fulfilling. For those who want to make a difference in the lives of others, and earn a special place in someone's heart along...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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 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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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....
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...
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....
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...
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...
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. ...
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...
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. ...
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...
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....
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
"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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
“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...
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...
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...
Chances are you know someone who has a child that's been diagnosed as autistic, or you may have that child yourself. What exactly is autism, what is the autism spectrum, and why have diagnoses exploded so recently? Approximately one out of every one...
"The 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...
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...
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....
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...
[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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
• 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...
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...
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...
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...
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