For over 60 years, Mental Health America and its affiliates across the United States have led the observance of May is Mental Health Month by reaching millions of people through the media and local events. Pathways to Wellness is the theme for 2013. Canadians have set aside May 6 -12 as Mental Health Week (MHW) [...]
My son is the type who loves checklists, schedules, scripts, anything that will make his life predictable. But life isn’t predictable. Sooner or later, there will be a problem that he has to solve on his own. Everyone must learn how to adapt. Concrete thinking and rigid, inflexible habits are prominent features of many neurological [...]
Spring is here, and yet there is talk about the end of the school year. With less than two months to go, summer vacation will be upon us. Teachers and children are anxiously waiting for school to end, while parents are anxiously scrambling to plan for what to do with their children for two months [...]
One of the key elements to gross motor skills is balance. Balance allows control of movements during stationary (static) as well as moving (dynamic) tasks like laying, sitting, crawling, walking, or running. How Balance Works Ears play a large role in balance due to the vestibular system which arises in the inner ear and is [...]
We all remember our first bike, in fact, it’s one of the best parts about being a kid! Bikes give kids their own sense of freedom, pride and self assurance they just don’t get in the same way in other areas. In addition to the fun, it’s great socialization with friends, family and peers. It [...]
As with any product that’s been around a while, wheelchair vans have evolved in a number of ways, with a variety of conversion designs and peripheral equipment like wheelchair tie-downs, portable/removable seats, and powered ramps with manual override. Overall, today’s accessible vans are more reliable, easier than ever to use, and safer. If your child’s disability requires [...]
I’m 53 and the younger sister of an older brother (by two years) who had undiagnosed Asperger’s while we were growing up (1960s and 1970s). My brother and I grew up with very unaware, self-involved parents. Short story…I spent years in therapy sorting through our family dynamics and learned so much about the kind of [...]
Though caring adults wish they could shield children from trauma and from it’s bigger, meaner cousin, post-truamatic stress disorder (PTSD), the truth is that we can’t. But we can become educated about childhood trauma and PTSD to become better advocates on behalf of kids touched by these mental illnesses. Previous posts in this series explored [...]
With about six million children requiring special education services, you may very well be the parent of a special needs child. Your journey may be difficult. How can you be sure you are getting the best care for your child? Are there programs to help your child that you don’t know about? What can you [...]
Years of research has demonstrated prompts to be an effective teaching tool for people on the Autism Spectrum. Prompts are therefore an important and integral part of most ABA programs. However, their benefit doesn’t end there. Prompts can be equally useful for helping people both with and without special needs. Have you ever pointed your [...]
