Friendship Circle, News, Parenting

The Top 20 Special Needs Resource Posts of 2016

It's the time of year where we all like to look back at the 12 months we just survived and remember what informed us, moved us, and amused us. The following top posts of 2016 are the most-viewed of the year on the Friendship Circle blog.

1. 13 Chromosomal Disorders You May Not Have Heard Of

by Annie Originally posted: May 22, 2012 You've heard of Down syndrome and Fragile X syndrome, but what about Jacobsen syndrome? Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome? Williams syndrome? Learn about these and ten more.

2. 10 Ways to Promote Your Child's Cognitive Development

by Sara Peronto Originally posted: June 9, 2014 As a parent, you can encourage your child’s cognitive development in the areas of memory, concentration, attention, and perception by incorporating simple activities into your everyday routine.

3. Top Ten Most Ridiculous Comments Heard at an IEP Meeting

By Dennise Goldberg Originally posted: January 19, 2012 These ridiculous comments fly in the face of everything the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) stands for. Here are ten of most ridiculous statements I have heard and why they are so ridiculous.

4. Weighted Blankets: 13 Stores to Choose From

By Tzvi Schectman Originally posted: February 13, 2012 A weighted blanket provides pressure and sensory input for individuals with autism and other disorders. A weighted blanket can be used as a calming tool or for sleep.

5. 6 Facts about Fecal Smearing That You Need to Know

By Karen Wang Originally posted: April 27, 2015 There are no simple answers to fecal smearing. Understanding the causes and treatments is the first step to customizing a plan for your child with special needs.

6. The Top 10 Challenges of Special Education Teachers

By Melissa Ferry Originally posted: February 1, 2012 The burn-out rate for special education teachers is extremely high compared to most other professions. 50% of special education teachers leave their jobs within five years. Here are the top ten stressors.

7. 8 Online Stores to Purchase Sensory Friendly Clothing

By Tzvi Schectman Originally posted: January 21, 2013 Children with autism and sensory challenges have many enemies when it comes to clothing. Clothing tags, exposed elastic bands and itchy socks are just some of the challenges facing children with special needs.

8. 5 Tax Deductions and Credits For Special Needs Families

By Bernard A. Krooks, J.D., CPA, LL.M (in taxation), CELA Originally posted: October 10, 2012 Parents of children with special needs often have unique financial concerns. One way to ease those concerns is to reduce their tax burden. Many tax deductions and credits are available that parents may not be aware of.

9. 10 Awesome Reasons Why Being a Speech Pathologist Rocks

By Katie Yeh Originally posted: January 30, 2014 Back when I was in college and stumbled across the field of speech pathology, all I really knew was that I wanted to help kids communicate better. I had no idea that day when I changed from Liberal Studies to Speech Pathology and Audiology just how AWESOME the field really is.

10. 8 Important Tips for Working with a Special Needs Child

By Karen Wang Originally posted: October 15, 2012 Now that my 11-year-old son is able to participate in more community activities, I am often asked, "Do you have any tips for working with Louie?"

The Most Popular New Posts

Since posts that have been around a while have an advantage in the "most-viewed" contest, we thought we'd take a look at the new posts that have gotten the most eyeballs this year. The early months have the advantage this time around, but it's a good reminder to check out some posts from the start and middle of 2016 that you may have forgotten about, and will still find useful.

1. 10 Special Needs Organizations You Should Know About

By Joe Young Originally posted: January 14, 2016 In case you aren't already aware, there's a plethora of organizations offering programs and services to the special needs community of families. What we've done here is narrow the group down to 10 must-see organizations that offer said services to all individuals with disabilities and special needs.

2. Spotlight: 10 Colleges with Programs for ASD Students

By Max Granitz Originally posted: July 22, 2016 Individuals with special needs may require additional assistance in and/or out of the classroom, which the largest and most well-known schools cannot always provide due to the sheer size of the student body. Here are ten schools that provide programs for students with ASD that may fly under the radar for parents.

3. 55 Easy Items to Include in a Sensory Table at Home or School

By Ahren Hoffman Originally posted: January 5, 2016 Sensory tables might be the perfect way to let children exercise their senses and develop their skills. They provide children the opportunity to investigate tactilely-stimulating materials with no preconceived knowledge. While there is no wrong way to make a sensory table, here are some suggestions to make yours optimal for the sensory interests of your child.

4. 3 Benefits of Playing Pokémon Go for Individuals with Autism

By Kendall Rayburn Originally posted: July 21, 2016 The game rewards users with medals for different accomplishments including distance traveled, Pokémon caught, and more! Parents of children with Autism are loving what doors the game is opening up socially for their children.

5. GPS Smartsole Gives Peace of Mind to Parents of Wanderers

By Joe Young Originally posted: January 19, 2016 GPS SmartSole is an invisible wearable technology device intended for non-invasive tracking of individuals with cognitive disorders in its second generation. The miniaturized GPS/Cellular device is built into an insole designed to be worn in shoes, providing tracking and monitoring for the individual while giving peace of mind to parents who can monitor the connected insole from a mobile app.

6. The Special Needs Calendar: A Year of Awareness

By Tzvi Schectman Originally posted: January 4, 2016 In the special needs community, there are some important awareness days and months. In an effort to bring awareness to these dates and the correlating condition, we have created the Special Needs Awareness Calendar. Here you will find a graphic that displays all the special needs awareness dates by seasons.

7. 10 Great DIY Weighted Blanket Tutorials

By Kendall Rayburn Originally posted: August 23, 2016 Looking for instructions for a DIY Weighted Blanket? We've got you covered with these 10 great online tutorials! Happy Sewing!

8. Is It Legal To Keep My Child with Special Needs Home From School?

By Michael Dorfman Originally posted: February 4, 2016 A majority of parents with students in special education programs (or with IEPs or 504s) have felt the desire to, or actually kept their child out of school for reasons such as an issue with a teacher, testing, bullying by other students, certain school rules and/or placement decision disagreements.

9. 12 Skills and 5 Household Chores That Can Serve as Preparation for Future Vocation

By Becca Eisenberg Originally posted: February 10, 2016 As a speech-language pathologist, I have seen many older children and adults with varying developmental disabilities without any experience in vocational skills. Why? Most of these individuals are capable at completing these tasks, but lack the experience and were often not encouraged to complete these tasks at home.

10. 4 Ways to Help Your Child with Special Needs Find Meaningful Employment

By Scott Monette Originally posted: January 26, 2016 My son Matt is living with a disability, and as he transitions from high school, he’s exploring what it means to be an adult. Matt, like so many people with disabilities, wants to contribute to society, and he’ll thrive in the right career. As a parent, it’s my responsibility to help him find it.