“Just as these moments with the fireflies flutter by, so too my children’s lives are mine to shape for a short while. I must remember to do so delicately, to pay attention to detail, so that its importance is truly felt. Every time they shine and light up, just like the fireflies, it is a…
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Summer IEP Extended School Year
Extended School Year (ESY) The start of the school year can be the time to schedule those meetings with your schools to discuss ESY. Do not let the schools jump past the ESY portion in your IEP meeting and merely tell you your child doesn’t qualify (no regression), so no need for ESY. Regression is…
Sensory Room Makeover For Special Needs
“My son is 6 nonverbal and a severe head banger, I mean right through the walls. So I renovated his room and turned it into a bedroom/sensory room and it has done amazing wonders and was not that expensive. Just thought I’d share something that works for us. Hope this helps someone. ❤” ~Tiera I…
Honey And Yogurt, Or Prebiotics And Probiotics
Probiotics or prebiotics have been studied and used to improve various functions including healthy development of the immune system, prevention of infection from pathogenic or opportunistic microbes and maintenance of intestinal barrier function ~ International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics Probiotics and Prebiotics A huge and diverse range of bacterial species colonize the human body. The…
Stuffed Animal Sleepovers Promote Reading
“Sending stuffed animals for a sleepover at the library encourages children to read with them, even long after the sleepover took place, say, researchers.” When I was little I was convinced that my stuffed animals came to life at night. Perhaps it was a movie I saw, or a book I read, or just my…
Ph.D. (MOM)?
“I can’t count the number of books, articles, websites, studies, etc. I have devoured on the subject of motor speech disorders, autism spectrum disorders, treatment methods, and anything remotely associated with the subject.” ~Lindsey My son Quinn’s initial official diagnosis was PDD-NOS (today known as ASD) Other dx considered at the time: -Global Developmental Disability…
Why More Should Know What Oral Apraxia Is
My son Tanner was diagnosed with both oral as well as verbal apraxia. When my son Tanner’s neurodevelopmental pediatrician, a Medical Director for Early Intervention in New York, saw Tanner for the first time at 3 years old, she shook her head and said, “I could have told you a year ago this child had severe…
4 Tips To Help Your Child With Straw Drinking
“My son Tanner had severe oral apraxia -so we had to work on drinking from a straw too. Even though there are other methods -here are the key things I found to be awesome for tricking his body into drinking from a straw.” MY CHILD CAN’T DRINK FROM A STRAW- ANY TIPS?! There are therapies…
Study Finds Lack Of Eye Contact While Speaking May Be Natural
In watching YouTube videos of children with apraxia for example many times you’ll see their gaze glance up or down while speaking. I had been pointing this out for over a decade, but now there is research that explains why this is a natural behavior in anyone. Your child is a late talker, or maybe has…
Study: Children Learn Who’s “Naughty or Nice” Through Nonverbal Signals
My son Tanner was diagnosed with verbal as well as oral apraxia. Most don’t know what apraxia is, but even fewer understand the difference between oral and verbal apraxia. With oral apraxia my son didn’t even have the ability to make facial expressions on command. Being essentially nonverbal is difficult enough, but not having the…