Category: Exceptional Blog

Could Acting Classes Help Kids with Autism

Autism, Exceptional Blog 03/16/202003/12/2020 admin

Science and the arts have never made easy bedfellows, but three projects that unite psychology and theater could help treat autistic spectrum disorders (ASD). The skills developed in drama training closely correspond with three of the main impairments seen in autism: social interaction, communication and flexibility of imagination. One drama-based intervention is the SENSE Theatre project, which aims to help children with ASD improve their social skills. “I knew from experience that acting can have […]

Come for the Coffee, Stay for the Company

Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, Exceptional Blog 03/09/202003/09/2020 admin

Amy Wright started a coffee shop to employ people with intellectual and developmental disabilities – and joined a human rights movement. By Jessica Farthing Who She Is Like every parent, Amy Wright dreamed about her children’s futures – the sports they’d play,  the colleges they’d attend, the careers they’d have. Then Beau, her third child, was born with Down syndrome, a congenital chromosomal condition that results in cognitive delays and an increased risk of certain medical […]

Valentine’s Day For Couples with Disabilities

Exceptional Blog 02/06/202002/07/2020 admin

Three longtime couples with developmental disabilities recently looked back on how they came together even as they look forward to Valentine’s Day. All six adults are members of the nonprofit Community Access Unlimited (CAU). Elaine and Eddie Matthews have been a couple for 33 years and married for 24 years. They met because Eddie once dated Elaine’s roommate before finding his true love in Elaine. “I thought he was cool when I first met him, […]

Forgetting Milestones and Learning to Measure Progress…a New Way of Thinking! #Overcoming — Part 2

Exceptional Blog 08/08/201907/30/2019 publisher

By Mary Ellen Bogucki  I never thought my daughter, Kailey, would struggle in school. She was such a determined little girl who problem-solved at an early age. She was a little go getter and seemed to be so advanced for her age. Then it was time for kindergarten and she wasn’t learning her letters or numbers and didn’t want to learn to write her name. She was a great little student, making lots of friends, […]

Forgetting Milestones and Learning to Measure Progress…a New Way of Thinking! #Overcoming — Part 1

Exceptional Blog 08/01/201907/30/2019 publisher

By Mary Ellen Bogucki  In 2003, our family received two diagnoses, just weeks a part. The first was for our youngest daughter, Bree (then age 5), the diagnosis was an Autism Spectrum Disorder. The second diagnosis was for my middle daughter, Kailey (then age 8) and it was ADHD. Neither diagnosis was a surprise, because our girls had been struggling for years and we were working not only with the school district, but many different […]