Special Needs

Articles

...more on what operating system your child's school uses, what the district supports for accommodations, and whether you're planning for elementary learning...JAWS only at school. If your district covers the license, JAWS costs your family nothing during the school years. VoiceOver is built into every Apple device,...

...who sees them. The disability doesn't change that. What changes is the support structure they need to navigate it safely. You've spent years building frameworks...words can report abuse precisely, and be understood. A child who only knows family-specific euphemisms can't. By age 8 or 9, you should be having...

...fully predict. You need a framework: not a sales pitch, not a fear campaign, but a structured way to evaluate whether this trial makes sense for your family. Here's how to think through that decision. What Phase Is the Trial, and What Does That Mean? Trials move through three phases before FDA approval....

...independent apartments. In between are supported living arrangements, family care...are supported living arrangements, family care homes, and independent living...programs with varying levels of staff support. The right fit depends on your child's...right fit depends on your child's support needs, not on what you think independence...

...smoke more than their peers without transition support. They're screened for cancer less often. They're...needs aged 12 to 17 receive adequate transition support, according to Got Transition and MACPAC. The primary...communication differences. Adult providers (internists, family medicine doctors, specialists in adult systems)...

...mentioned it at the last appointment. Maybe another parent brought it up in a support group. Maybe you saw a headline and wondered if this changes everything...Maybe you saw a headline and wondered if this changes everything for your family. Here's what's real in 2026: ELEVIDYS, the first FDA-approved gene therapy...

...chambers. That's the final decision point before the budget is locked. If your family depends on DDA services in Maryland, you have days to influence the outcome....services through DDA waivers. Services include personal care, residential support, day programs, job coaching, and respite care. Unlike other Medicaid programs,...

...supposed to fund personal care, respite, supported employment, adult day services:...employment, adult day services: the supports that make community living possible....dressing, toileting) Respite care for family caregivers Supported employment and...Respite care for family caregivers Supported employment and job coaching Adult...

...notice your three-year-old isn't putting words together the way other kids do. Or your six-year-old struggles to be understood by anyone outside the family. You've been told "wait and see" but the gap keeps widening. At some point, waiting becomes its own problem. Speech therapy can address articulation,...

...Research shows that 84% of adult siblings of childhood cancer survivors report family stress as a major issue during their brother or sister's treatment. What's...processing fear, disruption, and isolation in real time. Here's how to support them through it. What Siblings Experience During Treatment. The sibling...

...A ventilator-dependent child with a developmental disability needs a school team that understands both the medical equipment and the communication supports. This guide covers the most common respiratory conditions affecting children with special needs, how to manage them in daily life, and how to build...

...specific: your other children need formal support structures designed for siblings,...designed for siblings, not just better family time management. 84% of adult siblings...adult siblings report that childhood family stress related to their brother or...something to manage at home. But sibling support programs, therapists who specialize...