Sorry to be the bearer of bad news!!!!
If any of you are in the NY area – this is one of my favorites…. they have a special needs program called REACH … one that I don’t think you can beat…. My personal opinion of the staff is rather high – and for anyone who knows me – they know that is no easy achievement!http://hofstra.edu/Academics/CCEPA/SC/spec/spec_reach.html
Camp fun!
Call them at 516-463-CAMP – honestly you will love them
So now the CDC has recognized this – so when will all of the doctors and government officials recognize it and possibly think about why this increase and how to deal with it – today and in the future.
Our children are our future – who is going to care for these children in the future. Parents cannot afford to help their sick children now!
Where is this coming from – could it possibly be the increased reliance the country has on “automation” increasing the use of chemicals – importing products from China that are not required to meet any type of production standards – stressing our childrens immune systems before they even leave the hospital, adding drugs and preservatives to our foods, etc…
Some of the doctors and school administrators are saying that the public is overdiagnosing the children simply to obtain educational services for them! Of course – that is what the parents want – their child to be labeled a “special needs” child and receive services that require their child to work for hours every day! not be a child and play with other children…..
I have come to the point where I cannot even read the paper anymore – All of this talk cannot be be truly objective until you have opened your eyes and accepted what people affected by autism are going through. Like the saying goes “Walk in my shoes” …… I guarantee if they walked in our shoes for one week or even a day, their opinions would be very different!
And I could go on and on….. but I won’t!
Happy with Uncle Mark
I’ll keep you posted on our progress teaching about the gray area- I’m sure there will be another literal dilemna in this series of events….. but I’m going to let him do it – and maybe someday he will take everything a little less literally….
Finding Answers
By Mary Beth Palo
The population of children with developmental delays is growing at an epidemic rate. Parents and teachers are facing many unknowns:
· Is this child affected by a developmental delay?
· If so, what is this delay?
· How do we know what the problem is? Where do we go to determine?
· How extensively is he affected?
· What do we do and how can we treat it?
· How do we overcome the obstacles?
· Why?
Answering these questions and taking a proactive stand can greatly affect the outcome of the child’s life. Implementing appropriate educational and medical strategies to treat a developmental delay can be a means to fill the gaps left empty by a developmental delay.
The first and most important step is recognition of a problem. If you are suspicious that something is not right, you are probably right and you should follow your instincts. The first step to resolution is recognizing that a problem exists. With a developmental delay, the earlier intervention is implemented, the more likely it is that treatment will be effective. There is a window of opportunity to affect child development and it is crucial that you don’t allow that window to close just because of your doubts. When in doubt, seek help, advice and opinions.
The first major signs of delay include:
· Lack of language or delayed language
· Impaired social skills
· Impaired motor skills
· Medical problems
· Impaired immune system
The above is a list of very broad categories. The severity of an impairment can fall anywhere within a very expansive range. As an example, the diagnosis of autism is often referred to as ASD or Autism Spectrum Disorder. A child diagnosed with ASD can be severely impaired with motor problems, lack of speech, absence of social skills while another child diagnosed with ASD may be diagnosed with aspergers; another form of ASD that is affiliated with significant social impairment.
What Can You Do?
1. Determine if there is a delay or disorder. Visit doctors or centers specializing in assessing developmental delays. Options may include: developmental pediatricians, neurologists, neuropsychologists, specialty centers for autism or developmental delays.
2. Obtain a diagnosis. Getting a diagnosis allows you to begin treatment. Many parents are hesitant to “label” their child as they fear the impact a label can create. They are concerned their child will be treated differently by their peers, ostracized, or humiliated. Therefore, obtaining a diagnosis is imperative in treating a disorder or delay. The diagnosis will have a significant impact on the options available to your child. It should be noted that state services and school services are usually only available to children with a diagnosis. It is IMPERATIVE to obtain a diagnosis in order to obtain the services the child needs, deserves and is legally entitled to.
3. Develop resource lists. Start asking for available resources, recommendations, treatment information, centers, support groups and online resources. Ask doctors, therapy providers, state education agencies, local and national organizations. Begin researching services and treatment options on the internet. Look for support groups and online chat groups and newsletters. There is a wealth of information available online and the process of educating yourself begins with finding those resources and immersing yourself into them. At first, this experience is quite overwhelming, but with time, you will become more comfortable and will sort out what is appropriate for your situation and what is not. Talking to others that have traveled this road will also give you comfort and confirm that you are moving in the right direction by looking for help.
4. Research the condition. Begin to research the condition, the symptoms, the available treatment options, the causes, etc…. While research remains inconclusive regarding the cause of most delays, the controversial issues should be taken into consideration at some point during treatment by seeking medical attention for existing medical conditions. The severity of medical impairment can range widely. Often, more severe cases of developmental delay are accompanied by medical conditions that require medical intervention. Less severe impairments may not require medical intervention but may be treated successfully with educational therapy only. Medical conditions associated with delays may include immune system dysfunction, allergies, motor issues, seizures, impaired auditory processing…
5. Learn your rights and the child’s rights. Probably one of the most powerful tools available to you….knowing what a child is legally entitled to. This will enable you to be the child’s advocate and obtain the educational services that he/she needs! Individual states have websites that outline special education law, provide options for ordering copies of the laws and provide links to other relevant sites. Many advocacy websites are available online to support you and to provide friendly, easy to read resources and navigation tools to assist you in your advocacy.
6. Obtaining a FUNCTIONAL education. There is a whole world of educational products and teaching methods available for special education. The MOST important skills necessary for children to acquire are functional skills. Functional skills are the skills needed to allow a person to take part in the real world. Education and learning is only useful when it can actually be used! The degree to which a child is affected by a delay will affect the level of skills he or she is able to learn. Regardless of the child’s ability, it still remains that all of the skills he learns, the skills MUST BE useful to the child and this requires them to be functional.
The methods of education, the goals of the education and the amount of teaching is usually decided by an IEP (Individualized Education Program) committee. This committee can include any therapy provider, school psychologists, school administration, teachers and a parent. Determining the appropriate education to be implemented requires an assessment of skills to be administered prior to making future education decisions. Anyone involved in this decision process should be familiar with the assessment tools used and the associated functionality of the skills.
Treatment should always lead to acquisition of functional skills. As an example, a child can be taught vocabulary or speech. Teaching speech and language skills are a prerequisite to building communication. For communication to be functional, the language should be language that is appropriate and is a part of the child’s everyday life. It is appropriate for a 2 year old child to learn to ask for items he wants or needs like food or toys, or learn to wash his hands and use the bathroom. Learning his ABC’s or counting may not be a priority at this time as it does not provide the child with a needed skill to communicate or perform his basic needs. The goals of education should always consider the functionality of the skills.
Education treatment should follow a logical path based on the child’s needs. The form of intervention should also cater to a child’s learning style. If a child is not an auditory learner, obviously other sensory methods should be utilized. Developmentally delayed children are often visual learners and not auditory learners. Naturally, the methods used to teach should be based on visual input.
This is all very overwhelming when considered at once. Breaking down the process and taking into consideration the obvious will allow for a logical path to be constructed.
Teaching and or caring for a child with special needs is an extremely difficult job. Every day presents a new challenge. The number of variables is endless. The answers to education and treatment are not definitive. There is no map to obtaining the perfect treatment and education plan. BUT…..the reward of educating and treating a child and obtaining even the smallest successes is the greatest reward of all! Every success is priceless because it has brought a change that will last for a child’s entire life!
Take one day at a time, one project at a time, one skill at a time – education and treatment is an evolving process that will never truly end but instead by refined. Pathways will be found…… with patience and perseverance. And remember…. Knowledge is power and Rome was not built in a day….
For more information and articles, go to www.watchmelearn.com in the news section
Sharing with you a new link that was posted today…
It was very touching to me and made my day …. knowing that I had made a difference….
http://autisminautumn.com/home/watch-me-learn.html
Earlier this week my husband wanted to take my son out to practice hitting baseballs. My husband is an ex-minor baseball league player and dreams of his son being a major league player.
My husband approached the situation by telling Brett that they were going out to practice baseball. My husband’s statement was met with a very adamant verbal objection from my son. The scenario developed into a screaming match between the two of them and my husband’s threats that there would be no computer or television time for Brett. Absolutely being addicted to television and the computer, Brett became hysterical and the situation basically exploded. My furious husband was ranting and raving, and Brett was crying uncontrollably…. This went on for about twenty minutes.
Once again, I had to intervene and try to calm both of them. I explained to my husband for the thousandth time that Brett is not dreaming of being a baseball player and that hitting balls on a 90 degree summer day was not his idea of fun. Brett was more difficult to console.
After calming Brett down, he and I proceeded to get out the water balloons that are shaped and printed to look like baseballs. We filled15 water balloons and put them in a cooler – all of course unbeknownst to my husband. Brett happily filled the balloons, placed them in a cooler and began to get ready to go practice baseball. He was actually excited about pulling a prank on his father by throwing water balloons at him that appeared to be baseballs!
Brett hopped in the car all prepared to play baseball!
They went off to the field, Brett hit the first three balls out of the park into right field and both of them came home soaking wet 45 minutes later!
What my husband forgot was that teaching and learning only happen when it is of interest to the learner! When the learner is a child, FUN is the key component to success!~ The financial cost to this successful learning experience was about $1 – a pretty good investment!
Lessons Learned: Incent child to participate, motivate child and remember that punishment is not the answer to obtain desired behaviors….. think about how an adult would respond …. If your boss told you to do something and threatened you, you would be left with anger and resentment – not a motivated attitude to complete the task! Put yourself in the child’s shoes!
Social skills: When teaching any skill, social skills are inherently included in your teaching. Our actions and language are social skills. Often we forget that our behavior is a model for a child or the person we are interacting with. It is crucial that we keep this in mind and try our very best to act in an appropriate and socially acceptable manner.
Watch OUT Derek Jeter! Here I come!
Today is a day of glory for us – a day of celebrating success achieved over a course of 9 years. For the past 9 years, we have tirelessly worked at teaching my son language, motor skills, attention skills, social skills, life skills and much much more. Those 9 years of teaching were also coupled with researching and implementing medical treatments for the many medical conditions that are a part of autism.
There were many professionals from various fields who said it couldn’t be done. This post is being written for those of you out there who hopefully doubt the nay-sayers and for those of you who have a nagging feeling in your gut that is telling you that the professionals may not have all of the answers and that you may some of the answers yourself. This story of a child’s accomplishments serves the purpose of stirring those gut feelings and encouraging you to follow your gut!
By the age of 4 1/2, three different doctors affiliated with three very reputable institutions advised me that my son’s condition would not change and simply encouraged me to accept his condition and to be realistic about his not so optimistic future.
Yesterday at Indiana University, Brett tool 3rd place in the one meter and three meter events at AAU Diving Nationals for 11 year old boys. A far cry from the institutional life he was slotted for! While his dives were beautiful and 3rd place was a huge accomplishment, it paled in comparison to the real life social skills that Brett demonstrated. There was probably not one single person in the acquatic center that understood what huge accomplishments were taking place right before their very eyes….Brett introducing himself to a peer and shaking hands, waving to the crowd when he was introduced, attending to his coach’s instructions, accepting scores that were lower than what he deserved, and on goes the list.
Brett’s performance yesterday was more like a “coming out” ceremony…. or more appropriately phrased, a “coming together” of thousands of hours of social skill training.
The last nine years have led me down paths that were down right terrifying – but along the way, I met many supporters who encouraged me to follow my mother’s intuition which ultimately led us down a path of success. Today I can say to you that every single minute of our work has been worth it. There is truly nothing more priceless than seeing my son filled with self-esteem and excelling in a very demanding event.
Today I witnessed self esteem and true confidence in my son….. how lucky am I? It didn’t start out this way though…. it started by unrolling his tightly curled finger to teach him how to point… When he learned that, I taught him how to clap and just kept going. Each and every accomplishment was treated with praise…. and the words “You DID IT!” were heard over and over.
Every single accomplishment from the first finger point to a reverse flip dive is one more accomplishment under his belt. There will be many more…. after all, Rome was not built in a day.
Follow your gut….and praise every little accomplishment no matter how small. Small accomplishments and self esteem are the building blocks what lies ahead!
For diving videos – a great video modeling for Brett, click here to see Greg Louganis
http://www.divingtube.com/index.php/View-Video/184/Greg-Louganis-GREATEST-DIVER-EVER.html
For information on Video modeling and teaching social skills, click here
http://www.watchmelearn.com/video-based-teaching.shtml
