GENETIC ALLIANCE BY ROXANNE ROGERS The Individualized education Plan may seem daunting. IF engaged smartly, IEPs can be more useful than stressful, more empowering than disempowering. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1… School’s out for summer! When our children go on vacation, the work doesn’t stop. This time of year can be stressful, and even daunting, for parents of children with special needs. On top of a regular work schedule, we are often tasked with managing […]
BY ANGELA SHAW STRENGTHENING PARTNERSHIP WITH TODAY’S SCHOOL COUNSELOR The scope of today’s comprehensive school counseling program is one that is preventative in design and developmental in nature, in order to ensure that all students achieve success in school. The school counselor, a trained educator with expertise in child and adolescent development, is a vital component of the learning community. They provide a continuum of support for children with and without special needs. Through the […]
BY PEG GRAFWALLNER Moving our daughter from a frail little girl who couldn’t open a car door to an all-star athlete did not happen overnight. After bringing our six-year old daughter, Ani, home from a Bulgarian orphanage it was obvious to us that something was wrong with her mobility. She weighed only 23 pounds and wore a size 2 toddler. Her “diet” had consisted of liquids – a brown-mash type gruel and water, mainly because […]
Pam Harrison BALTIMORE ― Excessive levels of plasma folate and vitamin B12 during pregnancy have been linked to a dramatic increase in autism risk in offspring, new research shows. Investigators at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, found that when maternal plasma folate levels and vitamin B12 levels are >59 nmol/L and >600 pmol/L, respectively, autism risk is increased more than 17-fold. The findings were presented at the International Meeting for Autism Research (IMFAR) 2016. “When we […]
BY KAREN KABAKI-SISTO, M.S. CCC-SLP While external rewards like a prize or a special sweet treat can be effective for short-term gains, maximizing your child’s internal motivation leads to a more consistent desire for physical activities. Does your child enjoy the playground and sports, or would he or she prefer to sit on the couch engrossed in TV shows or video games? Brain-based research shows that physical activity can increase attention span and memory, prepare […]
