Special Needs

Articles

...autism, especially those children who are non-verbal, understand the daily struggle of communication...Carly was diagnosed with autism and oral-motor apraxia. She was unable to use the muscles in her mouth...muscles in her mouth for speech, so she was non-verbal. She struggled for many years being unable to communicate,...

...isn't a substitute for verbal communication. It's a...neural pathways. For non-verbal children, drawing, painting,...Communication Works When Verbal Doesn't. Language production...disrupted by autism, apraxia, cerebral palsy, or other...or other conditions, verbal expression becomes difficult...already happening. What Non-Verbal Art Communication Looks...

...like after high school, in education, employment, and independent living. Your child should be in this meeting, not just discussed in it. Even non-verbal students can communicate preferences through a team member who knows their communication style. If the school hasn't invited your child by 14, ask...

...baseline measurement against which every future test gets compared. Ask for copies of the numeric results, specifically the ejection fraction, not just a verbal "everything looks fine." Ages 6 to 10: Yearly Testing Begins. From this baseline forward, ECG and imaging repeat every year. Two things are being tracked...

...mind. Schools teach consent as a simple yes-or-no framework that assumes verbal communication, physical autonomy, and the ability to leave a situation independently....shapes how people connect. Good curricula address: Communication beyond verbal consent. Teaching how to recognize and respect nonverbal cues, how partners...

...players per side, and flexible positions. Every player has a "buddy," either a peer volunteer or trained assistant, who provides physical support, verbal prompting, or just companionship depending on the child's needs. The rules flex: if a child needs to walk the ball across the field instead of dribbling,...

...their ability. General PE with minor accommodations isn't APE. If your child attends the same PE class as peers but uses modified equipment or receives verbal prompts, that's a reasonable accommodation. APE is a distinct service with individualized goals, delivered by a credentialed APE specialist. The distinction...

...equipment or weighted vests for sensory input Alternative communication methods such as visual schedules for swim lessons or written instructions alongside verbal ones Environmental adjustments like quieter practice times or dimmed lighting in fitness rooms Extra supervision or aide support, including allowing...

...certain developmental readiness markers: the ability to follow multi-step verbal instructions, recognize internal bodily cues, communicate urgency, and hold...don't recognize the urge reliably because of sensory processing differences. Verbal instruction alone doesn't work when a child processes language more slowly...

...equipment for toileting well into elementary school. A child with athetoid CP may struggle with precise hand movements required for buttoning but develop verbal self-advocacy skills earlier than expected. Progress doesn't follow a single path. The goal is functional independence in the areas that matter most...

...There's a map now. Why Visual Schedules Work for Autistic Children in Art Class. Autistic children often process visual information more easily than verbal instructions. A teacher saying "we're going to paint, then clean up, then have sharing time" delivers information once and then it's gone. A visual...

...to help autistic children develop skills in three areas: managing overwhelming emotions, navigating social interactions, and expressing needs that verbal language hasn't reached yet. Unlike free drawing at home, art therapy sessions follow a framework. The therapist selects materials based on what the...