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For Families and Caregivers – The News You Need This Week (4/18/12)

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Mother’s Day is just around the corner! If you find the information, resources and support here on Our Special Families Village Helpful, please consider supporting our efforts when you shop your favorite online retailers through iBakeSale.com. Thank you.

Navigating College – a Handbook for Students with Autism

Good information for any Special Needs Person heading to college. Actually there’s a lot of good info here for any Special Needs Person who wants to live more independently.

Worried about:

  • getting accommodations,
  • getting places on time,
  • dealing with sensory issues in a new environment.

Need advice on:

  • staying healthy at school,
  • good eating and sleeping habits,
  • dating and relationships,
  • independent living,
  • talking to your friends and classmates about your disability.

New Federal Agency Gives Boost To Disability Issues

I’m always skeptical about more bureaucracy but maybe this will be good…

Obama administration officials and disability advocates say the bureaucratic change could pay big dividends long-term for people with special needs by pushing disability issues up the food chain at the cabinet-level agency. Specifically, they say, a big plus is that the new head of the community living administration will have a seat at the decision-making table as an assistant secretary directly reporting to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

Belonging to a Community: How Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Are Finding Joy

Belonging is defined as “acceptance as a natural member or part.” For far too long, many individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities have not had the opportunity to feel accepted or believe that they truly belonged in their communities — something that so many of us take for granted each day.

Feds Back Off Special Education Funding Plan

But when the Education Department weighed in last June about the spending standards districts must meet in the years after they fail to abide by the maintenance of effort requirement, government officials got an earful from special education advocates.

Secret stress reliever

This works – Matthew and I both do it!

No, it’s not a cure-all for stress and anxiety – but it’s a powerful tool. I was reminded of it this week via a pink paper airplane!

Where Are Your Dreams for the Future of Your Child with Autism?

This applies to all Families with Special Needs Loved Ones.

Without dreams we do not have much of a future, for as Eleanor Roosevelt reminded us, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” It is important to have dreams, for once we cease to dream it becomes very difficult to remain motivated and move towards a non-existent vision.

Please let us know your thoughts or questions on these articles in the Comments Section or privately via the Contact Page.

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For Families and Caregivers – The News You Need This Week (4/4/12)

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If you find the information, resources and support here on Our Special Families Village Helpful, please consider supporting our efforts when you shop your favorite online retailers through iBakeSale.com. Thank you.

Raising a kid with special needs: On parent delays and development

I thought about how the nurse has, for the past couple of years, pushed me to be more diligent about training Max. I could have done this a long time ago. But I wasn’t ready. And I’m just not going to feel guilty about that (although guilt has crossed my mind). I’ve got a lot going on in life, like any parent of a kid with special needs. I do my best.

It’s that time of year – crunch time! But maybe this will help take the sting out of the process…

Income Tax Deductions for Children with Special Needs

Before claiming tax deductions on your special needs child, consult your tax attorney or the Internal Revenue Service. The Internal Revenue Service has the right to audit any individual’s annual tax returns for up to six years after it was filed; keep all documentation pertaining to your return for at least that long.

Self determination: the ingredients

Clearly, kids are going to make some mistakes when they make their own choices and speak up for themselves. And it takes some effort on our part to give them opportunities to try. And sometimes to fail. And to try again.

Inclusion Done Right, and Gone Wrong

When done right, inclusion can be a terrific experience for all students, allowing every learner to get needs met and be challenged to work at the best of his or her ability. At its worst, it’s no good for anybody. It’s hard for parents to know, though, what good inclusion is supposed to look like if the only model they have is wanting.

Please let us know your thoughts or questions on these articles in the Comments Section or privately via the Contact Page.

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For Families and Caregivers – The News You Need This Week (3/28/12)

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If you find the information, resources and support here on Our Special Families Village Helpful, please consider supporting our efforts when you shop your favorite online retailers through iBakeSale.com. Thank you.

 

Home Health Providers: Finding the Right Fit

No matter what the caregiver’s credentials, however, be prepared to spend some initial time training and teaching. After all, no one knows your child like you do. No one else is as informed about your child’s needs as you are, or has your experience caring for your child.

 How Merrill Lynch Helps Special Needs Families

For more on Special Needs Planning, please see my interview with Doug Baker.

To aid families through the initial process of starting a Special Needs Trust, Merrill recently launched a Special Needs Calculator, which helps parents project how much they will need, at retirement, to provide for their child, based on certain financial information and the child’s projected life expectancy. The calculator can take into account expenses such as a child’s monthly health care, housing, special education and transportation expenses, as well as his or her projected employment income, and state or federal government benefits.

The Financial Needs of Children with Autism

This applies to all Special Needs Children.

The city water facility was able to inform him that there could be a medical flag put onto the account, so long as a doctor signed a form.It doesn’t mean that the bill doesn’t get paid (as the money would still be due) – it just means that the city would take an extra step and work with you further before any action on turning the water off would be taken.

 Effective IEP Teams: Reality or Impossible Dream?

I wish I had this information when Matthew was little! For more help with IEP’s and Special Education, visit Special Education Advisor.

What happens at IEP meetings when staff and parents come together to develop an effective plan for a child with disabilities? It is basically the same set of people. What is different about an effective team?

Game-changing technology offers everyone hope

Technology – giving voice when there was only silence.

…But I’m waiting for this day. I’m waiting with all of the bad and good that can come with self-expression – even hopeful for it. I’m hopeful within my family’s world. And, I’m even hopeful for our great, wide world, too.

Explaining Death

A few years ago, a friend of Matthew’s died suddenly. He was the person who taught my Son with Autism how to have a friend. We had no warning; no time to prepare Matthew. To this day, I don’t think Matthew understands what happened. All I could do was to try to make sure that Matthew didn’t think his friend just didn’t like him anymore.

I know this will be difficult, but death and funerals are a part of life and living. I think the more the children are included in big family events and shown how to care, share, and show respect, the better they will be prepared for life. That does not mean that I cannot do a little preparation.

Generation Next Question

I thought that those of you with Special Needs Young Adults might appreciate this…

Some of those things that I should be familiar with as a parent of a typical 17-year-old may well slap me in the face as my son starts to integrate with his neurotypical peers. Or maybe it will be reality that slaps me in the face if Cameron struggles mightily in the general population setting. We’ll never know unless we try. Either that, or I’ve got to really find that crystal ball.

Please let us know your thoughts or questions on these articles in the Comments Section or privately via the Contact Page.

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For Families and Caregivers – The News You Need This Week (3/21/12)

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If you find the information, resources and support here on Our Special Families Village Helpful, please consider supporting our efforts when you shop your favorite online retailers through iBakeSale.com. Thank you.

Special treatment for kids with special needs (and the fine line we walk as their parents)

One of the things I most desire for Max is for other kids and adults to look past his disabilities and see the amazing child that he is. I’d like them to treat Max as a kid—someone to play with, joke around with, enjoy activities with. More often than not, kids are wary and adults treat him with kid gloves. And so, when I can, I bridge the gap and forge connections and get people interacting with Max.

How To Help Your Child With Homework

Many students, especially those with learning disabilities, have difficulty planning for, benefiting from, and completing homework assignments. However, there are strategies that can be implemented which can make homework a positive and effective tool to help optimize your child’s learning and help her to achieve academic success. The following are key areas to target when supporting your child’s homework habits:

How Parents Can Help Siblings of Kids with Special Needs

Note: For more on this, please check out my interview with Caroline McGraw of A Wish Come Clear.

Parents of kids with special needs tend to be worriers. Mainly because they have more to worry about than other parent do. Many worry not only about their kids with special needs who require extra time and parenting energy, but also about the siblings who get the short end of the attention stick more than mom and dad like.

Billions Unleashed To Expand Community Living

No one should have to live in an institution or nursing home if they can live in their homes and communities with the right mix of affordable supports,” said Cindy Mann, who oversees the federal Medicaid program. “These new grants will help states like New Hampshire give people with long-term care needs the choice about how and where to live their lives.”

Bridging Home-School Communications: Helping Parents Begin Conversations with Teachers

A meaningful education for children begins and ends with open, honest communication between home and school. Without a positive and comfortable relationship, solid and meaningful plans for a child’s education cannot move forward. This is particularly true when the child in question is one with ”special,” or as I like to call them, ”extra” needs.

Building a Transition Plan

Transition planning, in its most basic sense, means figuring out what you want to do in the next stage of your life, gaining the skills and resources you need to do it, and then doing it. In theory, everyone—autistic or not—should engage in a transition planning process, not only during high school but also during the years preceding every life change.

If you have found any great resources or stories, please share them in the Comments Section.

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For Families and Caregivers – The News You Need This Week (3/7/12)

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For previous articles, please click here.

If you find the information, resources and support here on Our Special Families Village Helpful, please consider supporting our efforts when you shop your favorite online retailers through iBakeSale.com. Thank you.

40 Questions to Ask a Potential Nurse or Other Caregiver

Many of our children require home nursing or care from another type of caregiver, such as a home health aide, certified nursing aide, or personal care attendant. It can be overwhelming to find and interview someone to take care of your most precious possession, your child, especially when that child has medical needs.

To help you out, we’ve compiled 40 of the best questions to ask a potential caregiver. We hope they help.

5 Reasons to Visit the Academy of Special Needs Planners Website

The Academy of Special Needs Planners has a very informative website. In the article, Jolene from Different Dream shares what they have to offer.

If you have found any great resources or stories, please share them in the Comments Section.

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