Special Needs

Articles

...of how Winter survived. Now, Dolphin Tale 2 continues on her story and introduces a new dolphin to viewers: Hope. The entire cast returns for this sequel: Harry Connick, Jr. (Dr. Clay Haskett who runs the facility), Nathan Gamble (Sawyer Nelson), Ashley Judd (Sawyer's mother), Kris Kristofferson (Clay's...

As sequels go, this is pretty darn good. Peter Pan: Return to Neverland is an extension of the original Disney's Peter Pan only this one focuses on Wendy's daughter...

Despicable Me 2 is filled with even more minions than in the original. And more minions means more fun. This sequel has all the entertainment of the first film, with even more from the characters audiences have loved and longed to see again, namely the minions and...

...dead bodies, and she is more than capable of coming up with scenarios to fit the crime. Molly is the most endearing character in this film. Could a sequel or series with Molly and her mother be in the future? In the meantime, Molly comes up with several ideas that actually help her mother and the authorities...

...where to start or whether specialized instruction matters. Dance builds the exact skills many children with DS need most: body awareness, rhythmic sequencing, core strength, and the ability to follow multi-step movement patterns in a social setting. The question isn't whether dance helps. It's which...

...being able to manage a weekly routine without asking for help, being able to live on their own terms. Teaching laundry breaks down into four teachable sequences: sorting, measuring detergent, running the machine, and folding. Each one can be learned separately, practiced until it's solid, then linked together....

...confidence, manage a schedule, and advocate in an IEP meeting. But meal preparation is something different. It layers fine motor precision on top of sequencing, heat management, and time awareness all at once. The complexity isn't a reason to hold back. It's a reason to set things up thoughtfully. Teaching...

...hold sphincter muscles long enough to reach a bathroom. Children with Down syndrome often develop these skills at different rates or in a different sequence. Low muscle tone affects both the sphincter muscles that control elimination and the core strength needed to sit comfortably on a toilet. Some children...

...blocks participation entirely. They're not resistant to art, but overwhelmed by not knowing what comes next. Visual schedules change that. They show the sequence of activities using pictures, icons, or photos, giving children a way to see the structure of the class before it starts and track where they are...

...exploration rather than a prescribed design. Both have value. Product art teaches following directions, fine motor control, and completing a multi-step sequence. But for autistic children who already face performance pressure in academic and social settings, process art offers something different: permission...

...Art activities hit multiple goals simultaneously: fine motor control, sensory processing, visual-motor integration, and executive function (planning, sequencing, problem-solving). What a Session Looks Like. A typical OT session using art might start with clay or putty to warm up hand muscles. The child...

...certified travel trainer or orientation and mobility (O&M) specialist who works through the route with you step by step. What the training builds: Route sequencing: which bus or train to take, where to transfer, how to recognize your stop Time management: building in buffer time, knowing what to do if you...