Special Needs Resource - eParent provides practical advice, emotional support and educational information for families of children and adults with disabilities and special healthcare needs as well as to the physicians, allied health care professionals, and educational professionals who are involved in their care and development

Tapping into Your Child’s Potential
Researchers call for the term ‘high functioning autism’ to be consigned to history
Autism advocacy and research misses the mark if autistic people are left out
Getting Your Child with Aspergers or ADHD Involved in Social Events
Comparing the Economic and Social Prevalence Among Special Needs Children who received health insurance through Medicaid/CHIP

Tapping into Your Child’s Potential

By MaryAnn Bennett 700 hours, 11 months and 56,000 Legos went into creating the world’s largest Titanic replica. At the center of this creation was a 10-year-old boy from Iceland with a passion for Legos and a deep interest in the Titanic. Brynjar Karl Bigisson, now 15, is on the Autism spectrum. Like many children with autism, he struggled with communication and constantly needed help in school. In a recent interview, Bigisson said those struggles […]

Researchers call for the term ‘high functioning autism’ to be consigned to history

Summary: Researchers argue the term “high functioning autism” be abandoned by the scientific community as it is misleading and may create harmful expectations of abilities for children on the autism spectrum. “High functioning autism” is not a diagnostic term. The term is based on IQ assessments rather than functional assessments. While children with ASD may exhibit normal-to-higher IQ for their age, many experience skill based, social and behavioral difficulties that impact their daily lives. Source: […]

Autism advocacy and research misses the mark if autistic people are left out

By Liz Pellicano Autistic people have been routinely misunderstood, ignored, and excluded for decades – including from campaigns designed to promote awareness of autism itself. But this is beginning to change. Autistic self-advocacy organisations and autistic activists have long criticised autism awareness initiatives. The criticism is they too often emphasise the “deficits”, or difficulties of autism, rather than the profound possibilities of autistic lives. In part, this is because those campaigns are designed by non-autistic […]

Why it may be more difficult for individuals with ASD to Maintain a Healthy Weight

Rigidity, sensory sensitivities, coordination difficulties, and sleep dysfunction often go together with an autism diagnosis. They present their own challenges, but these symptoms can also put a child at risk for being overweight or obese and for diabetes or heart disease later as an adult. Although eating a balanced diet, getting enough exercise, and good sleep habits can be hard for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), there are strategies parents can use to help […]

5 Reasons to Consider a Special Needs Trust

BY Dawn Doebler, MBA, CPA, CFP®, CDFA®, Senior Wealth Advisor Here are 5 common reasons for establishing a special needs trust that applies to your family member with a disability. In my last article, I outlined the benefits of ABLE accounts. For many families, ABLE accounts sufficiently meet their desire to provide assets for special needs family members. In higher net worth families, ABLE accounts are the first step in structuring a long-term financial plan […]

Federal report highlights trend of involuntary institutionalization during and after disasters

The National Council on Disability (NCD)—an independent federal agency—today released its latest report, titled, Preserving Our Freedom: Ending Institutionalization of People with Disabilities During and After Disasters. NCD – which advises the President and Congress – examined available data from several major storms and disasters and found that people with disabilities are frequently institutionalized during and after disasters due to conflicting federal guidance; a lack of equal access to emergency and disaster-related programs and services; […]

Dr. Rader Presented Move to Include Award

American Academy of Developmental Medicine & Dentistry (AADMD) presented the Move to Include Award to Rick Rader, MD, Director, of the Morton J. Kent Habilitation Center, Orange Grove Center on June 29, 2018 at the AADMD 1 Voice Conference in Seattle Washington. Dr. Rader was presented the award for believing and acting in the purest realm of the essence of “move of include,” believing in the sanctity, value and merit of “together,” and knowing that […]

Tapping into Your Child’s Potential

Researchers call for the term ‘high functioning autism’ to be consigned to history

Autism advocacy and research misses the mark if autistic people are left out

Getting Your Child with Aspergers or ADHD Involved in Social Events

Teen cancer patient gives back to kids with autism

Managing Multiple Sclerosis

2,000 human brains yield clues to how genes raise risk for mental illnesses

Scientists find new approach that shows promise for treating cystic fibrosis

An Envelope Full of Kindness

About Autism, A Little Boy, and Nobody’s Fault

What Hope Looks Like

Forgetting Milestones and Learning to Measure Progress… a New Way of Thinking! #Reflection