DD Special Needs: Role of Primitive Reflexes and Learning Disabilities

Positioning for Babies and Children with GERD or Respiratory Issues

Many special needs children and babies require special positioning after eating or when they sleep to prevent reflux or to enhance respiration.  I've just come across this Tucker Sling, which looks like a simple positioning solution.  Has anyone used it?  What are your thoughts?

http://tuckersling.com/default.htm

Flowers for Algernon a Science Fiction Short Story about a Man with a Cognitive Disability

I just read 'Flowers for Algernon,' a science fiction short story by Daniel Keyes copyright 1959.  'Flowers for Algernon' is about a man named Charlie with a cognitive impairment who has an operation to increase his intelligence. 

As the man becomes more intelligent he begins to see the world differently and people differently.  People also begin to see Charlie differently, by the end of the story its almost as if Charlie needed to increase his intelligence for people to see him as human, yet when his intelligence was at its pinnacle he wasn't seen as really 'human' either. 

As the story progresses Charlie becomes a genius, the hardest thing for Charlie is that he proves the increases in his intelligence are temporary.  Charlie begins to lose his intelligence as well as his memory of many of the things he did and learned.  I can't help but wonder if this is a bit like how someone with Alzheimer's feels. 

As I write this post I feel I just can't begin to give this story credit, please read it for yourself I'd love to hear your thoughts.

'Flowers for Algernon' by Daniel Keyes.

Entrepreneur with Special Needs

I first heard about Barb from some locals on Pine Island.   Barb owns and operates a produce stand on Pine Island in Florida. Barb and her family moved to Pine Island from New York several years ago.  I was told Barb has Down syndrome, after meeting her I doubt that is the case, although she does have some sort of cognitive disability. I find her entrepreneurial story fascinating and unfortunately rare.

I write this post in hopes that many other people with disabilities will have the chance to create a life for themselves as Barb has done.  Undoubtedly Barb has had help but as Goethe says, ‘Act boldly and mighty forces will come to your aid.’

Barb agreed to photos and an interview, here is her story:

Disabilities: Celebrate a Day of Social Acceptance for Disabilities

to do the same.

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF ACCEPTANCE - January 20, 2012To achieve social acceptance of disability.
To honor the late Annie Hopkins, founder of 3E Love and creator of the International Symbol of Acceptance.

3E Love is a social entrepreneurial awareness experiment.

Join the Movement at
http://www.dayofacceptance.com

Wear your heart on your sleeve on January 20th.

DD Special Needs: Orlando, Minature Golf with Down Syndrome Daughter

Our family, Anne, my 19-year old step daughter with Down Syndrome, Kellena 'normal' 12-year old daughter, my husband and I went to Orlando over Christmas break.  We went to Universal Studios Adventure Island (see post below.)


While in Orlando we played a game of miniature golf at Congo River Golf, an award winning miniature golf course.   The miniature golf course was like everything else in Orlando, incredible.  It had a coi pond, an alligator pen with at least 30 alligators, waterfalls, secret passages and twists, it was a very extravagant place. Our story of our time below our thoughts.

Anne and Kellena

 

Thoughts of miniature golf in our own words.

Anne, 19-year old with Down Syndrome:  Miniature golf okay, then she said I was awesome (I love Anne.)

Favorite:  Waterfalls and when her golf balls went in the water.

Least favorite:  Playing, not fun.

Special Needs Kids: Feeding Difficulties

Things to Remember During the Holiday Season from Mealtimes Partners Newsletter

As the holiday season rapidly approaches, Mealtime Partners, Inc. decided to provide a recap of some of the issues relating to safe eating and drinking, that have been presented in previous Newsletters. During this busy period of the year mealtimes can often be hurried and the issue of safety can sometimes be overlooked in the process of getting other things done as quickly as possible. We hope that these reminders will help keep everyone safe and happy for the holidays.

ADA Special Needs Bathroom: Bathroom Sinks for Wheelchair Accessibility

A wheelchair accessible vanity with an accessible sink is the best choice for storage and versatility.  If you have a small bathroom and are designing a layout for someone with a wheelchair a vanity may not allow enough room for the wheelchair to turn without damaging walls or other bathroom fixtures.


If a drop-in or roll-under sink is your choice you need to make sure that:

Special Needs: What is Autism/Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)?

What is Autism?
Good question, it means different things to different people.  Maybe the question what we really want to know is who are these autistic people?

 So who are these autistic kids anyway?

I've been working with kids diagnosed with autism for the past 13 years, they are all different and many kids with cognitive impairments have autistic behaviors.  By autistic behaviors I mean self stimulating behaviors like arm flapping, stimming off of lights, moving fingers in front of their face and watching intently, flipping objects, spinning objects, perseverating, those kinds of things. 

Cerebral Palsy: Misunderstood,

Living With One Hand:

A recent conversation at the local gym left me surprised and made me wonder what others thought about the following situation:

I have Athetoid Cerebral Palsy which means I can control my arm about 60%.  I can wave hello to a passerby and turn on a light switch with my left hand – but that is about it.  My life with Cerebral Palsy has not stopped me yet… I invited my therapists to come watch me play soccer and basketball as I grew up.  I played the piano with my elbow, and I graduated college with my Masters in Occupational Therapy. 

The challenge I faced at the gym started as a simple conversation – she asked if I was married, to which I replied “yes, almost two years now.”  Then she asked a question that was more like a statement – “So would you abort if you got pregnant?” 

Where did Cerebral Palsy Come From?

Where did Cerebral Palsy Come From?

In the 1860s, an English surgeon named William Little wrote the first medical descriptions of a puzzling disorder that struck children in the first years of life, causing stiff, spastic muscles in their legs and, to a lesser degree, in their arms. These children had difficulty grasping objects, crawling, and walking. Unlike most other diseases that affect the brain, this condition didn’t get worse as the children grew older.  Instead, their disabilities stayed relatively the same. 

The disorder, which was called Little's disease for many years, is now known as spastic diplegia. It is one of a group of disorders that affect the control of movement and are gathered under the umbrella term of “cerebral palsy.”      

Autism: Bullying Fears No Factor In School Placement Decision

By Michelle Diament February 25, 2011

Concerns about potential bullying are not enough to prove that a proposed school placement is inappropriate for a student with special needs under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA, a federal judge has ruled.

Click here for the rest of the story at Disability Scoop.

Berrien, Cass and Van Buren Therapeutic Horseback Riding Program for Special Needs Kids Winter Session

Therapeutic Equestrian Center

2010 Winter Riding Program
Therapeutic Equestrian Center
615 N. M-140, Watervliet, Michigan, 49098

2010 Winter Riding Program

TEC is Accepting Rider Applications for a Seven-Week Winter Session

Living With One hand: Life with Cerebral Palsy

10 of the hardest things for me to do one handed:

1) Peel potatoes

2) Cut tomatoes

3) Cut raw meat

4) Shave my right armpit

5) Cut out any picture with sharp or rounded edges

6) Put my hair in a tight pony tail

7) Cut my fingernails

8) Sew on a button

9) Opening canned foods

10) Pulling heavy pot out of oven/Bringing large boiling pot to sink to drain

As you may see, most tasks that are challenging for me are in the kitchen, but I found a few simple tools that have transformed my life in small yet powerful ways.

Click "read more" to see the tools that have changed my life

Playing with Severely Impaired Special Needs Kids - Part 1

As professionals working with children that have severe disabilities we have found that there are ways to play with common toys and connect with your loved one and motivates them to move and do things you may not have seen before!  These short clips reveal just that - simple techniques of how to make "play time" with your child more fun for both them and you.  

This video is embedded through YouTube. 
What do you find that severely impaired kids like to play with?

Mental Retardation

Saying that someone is "mentally retarded" has many connotations to it, and is no longer simply a "medical diagnosis".  Instead, it is now encouraged to use the following words

• Intellectual Disability
• Cognitive Disability
• Learning Disability
• Developmental Delay
• Developmental Disability

Also, please use the phrase by putting the person first.... so as to not label them by a diagnosis.  Example: "Instead of saying 'the autistic child' rather say, "the child who has autism".

Toys for special needs kids! It's almost Christmas

Finding the right toy for your child who has a disability can be like searching for a needle in a haystack right?


Here is a website I found that has a list of toys for kids who have special needs, broken down into categories of their abilities.


Visit these Shopping sites for kids with special needs


I thought it was pretty cool :)


Another cool thing I found was a blog whose author works at a toy shop for kids that have unique interests and needs. Click here to visit her blog and read about the "12 toys for Christmas"


Come back to visit as we continue to discover cool toys for your kids.




What other websites have you found to be helpful???? Santa's elves are wondering..... :)