Special Needs Holiday Gift Guide 2017/ 2018
Is it just us? Or does it seem like the holidays sneak up on us every year! Once Halloween has turned in to Christmas and Hanukkah in retail stores, we forget about the entire month of November and start to panic about who's getting what for the gift giving occasions in December!
1. Move your treat bowl down to street level
Stairs can be a challenge for kids who use wheelchairs or a walker. Consider coming down to hand out candy at the bottom of your stairs.
2. Make sure trick-or-treaters can see your face and mouth as you speak
If a kid struggles with speech and hearing issues, this will help them to understand what you’re saying.
4. Use creative decorations and spooky music that can be detected from afar
For kids with seizure disorders such as epilepsy, flashing lights and startling scares can be triggers.
5. Be prepared to hand out non-candy options
Some kids have allergies or may not take in their food orally. Filling up your treat basket with stickers, coupons and small toys too will make their night.
6. Hand out treats in a well-lit area
This helps trick-or-treaters with vision challenges to see where they’re going and makes for a safer trick or treating experience.
7. Don’t call out the kid without a costume
Kids with conditions such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or sensory sensitivities may feel overwhelmed about getting into costume and refuse to dress up or change their mind at the last minute. If a kid shows up with little to no disguise, consider that the simple act of getting out the door amid the buzz of Hallowe’en to trick or treat at a few neighbours’ houses might already be a great accomplishment in itself.
This article first appeared on Today's Parent. Click here to see the original.
Painted Pumpkins are fun to make and are a great Fall craft for children of all abilities to do. Traditional pumpkin carving is tricky and can be dangerous for little hands, so this alternative is something everyone can have fun with.
You can even use your EazyHold to keep a grip on the paintbrushes and glue bottles required for this fun activity!
See the blog post from Kids Craft Room here
This year’s most epic Halloween costume goes to ... Jeremy Scott! Jeremy’s dad, Ryan, created this Ghostbusters masterpiece — a perfectly scaled replica of the Ecto-1 that encompasses Jeremy’s wheelchair.
Jeremy, 8, has spina bifida and has been in a wheelchair for the past five years.
His dad has been building these head-turning Halloween costumes for his son yearly. Jeremy has been Batman, Darth Vader, a pirate with a ship, a Star Wars snowspeeder and even Captain America.
Jeremy premiered the Ecto-1 earlier this month at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego, where he receives treatment.
“I love the smile that it brings to Jeremy and how much he gets into it,“ Jeremy’s dad, Ryan, tells USA Today. “We have also loved the smiles it puts on others’ faces. That's part of why we went and visited the hospital. We wanted to bring smiles to the kids there because we know all too well what long hospital stays are like.”
On Halloween night, dad and Jeremy plan on showcasing the car in all of its glory — sirens blaring and music booming.
“We also plan on bringing the blow-up Stay Puft Marshmallow Man behind Jeremy to really make a spectacle!” promises Ryan.
This article originally appeared on USAToday. Read it here
So Lynch and Mary Cate prepared a presentation and began visiting schools in the Chicago area to teach kids how to understand people’s differences. In the last year, the pair has visited nearly 30 schools.
“I figured before she gets to an age where she’ll have to answer all these questions in school, let’s show the kids, ‘This is who she is,’” Lynch told The Mighty. “If I can make her life even a little bit easier, I’m going to do it.”
When Mary Cate was born, her mom, dad, and doctors faced the unknown. Only one in 65,000 to 88,000 newborns are born with the condition, according to Genetics Home Reference.
“We were terrified,” Lynch recalled. But even amidst the fear, crying and Googling of symptoms, one moment sticks out in her head — the day she and her husband brought Mary Cate home.
“It was a few days before Christmas,” Lynch told The Mighty. “When we pulled in, we saw that someone had decorated our house for us.”
In the last two years, Lynch says she remembers the kindness more than the uncomfortable moments that come when your child looks different than other kids. She recalls neighbors and friends who make dinners or send support when Mary Cate has yet another surgery in a children’s hospital in Texas. She remembers a woman who walked up to her, hugged her and said, ‘God bless you.’ She is in awe of the 11,000 people who like the Facebook page she has for Mary Cate and regularly visit her website. This is why Lynch visits school — so more kind moments pop up for her daughter — and for all kids with disabilities.
“I want to encourage kids to ask questions,” Lynch told The Mighty. “If I can make one person see differences in a different light — that’s what I want.”
This article first appeared on themighty.com. See the original article here.
via themighty.com
The beginning of a new school year makes me anxious, but not as anxious as it makes my children, who have disabilities.
I worry about the teachers. I worry about friendships. I worry about all that is included in the IEP because, will it be followed?
My kids worry about the new classroom, the new teachers, the new friends (or lack of friends). Because one of my daughters has cerebral palsy, she worries about accessibility, locker placement and her seating arrangements even though all those details are covered in her IEP.
Thankfully, we were in a school district where the school was willing to work with us and make the transition as smooth as possible. Every year, a few days before school started, I took both my girls to meet their new teachers, see their new classrooms, find their desks, find their lockers and make sure any accommodations necessary were put in place. Teachers, therapists and the adaptive PE teacher were present. On good years, I even brought coffee for everyone as a “thank you” for their time.
Yet, transitioning back to school is not only about the building or teachers. There is so much involved in “going back to school” after the summer break. So we reached out to our Mighty community and asked the parents, “What helps your child transition back to school?”
These were their answers:
1. “Quite honestly, it’s a great teacher that helps the most. A teacher who doesn’t try to make my son fit her mold, but lets him be himself. A teacher who sees the beauty in him and allows his funny and sweet personality shine through in his own way, not the ways of his neurotypical classmates. She’s the biggest piece of the puzzle, and how she handles the first weeks will dictate the rest of the year. Get him to love you and you’re golden. Create tension and misunderstanding and you’ve lost him before you hit the starting line.” — Tracy S.
2. “It’s all about preparation. We have taken pictures of his new classroom and teachers and talk about it a lot.” — Ann W.
3. “A few things: 1. Verbally reminding my son school is going to start again soon. 2. Taking walks to the school yard and playing there. 3. Visiting the school the last week of August and meeting his new teacher (my son’s school arranges this). 4. Buying a new lunch bag and school supplies and showing them to my son (or you could do this together). 5. Starting our earlier nighttime/bedtime routine at least a week before school starts.” — Donna C.
4. “Continue some sort of schedule and routine throughout the summer.” — Abby H.
5. “A detailed visual calendar, starting before school gets out, going all the way to school starting in the fall. It must show all months. It helps my two autistic boys to see all four months and to see the days crossed off.” — Cindy S.
6. “It helps my daughter to get into the routine of getting up early going to bed at a decent time a few weeks before school starts on top of talking about going back to school and having a visual schedule about getting ready in the morning. We also have visits with the new teacher and classroom at the end of the school year and before the new one starts.” — Rachel M.
7. “Loads of coaching before school starts. ‘We’re going back to school on Monday. We’re going to see teacher Sharon and all your friends. You’ll be able to play in the jungle gym. We’ll wake up early and put our uniform on and eat breakfast. It’ll be fun to go back to school.’ Just repeating variations of those phrases. Reminding him what to expect and when a few days before. This morning was back to school after a month [off] for us and I had one half-hearted protest, ‘I don’t want to have to go to school’ but [shortly after] was fine. Not even a moan at the drop-off.” — Jeanine S.
8. “We like to meet with the teacher before school starts to make sure everyone has the same expectations and the way is paved for an awesome school year for our girl.” — Dana C.
9. “I work in schools. Have the child visit the school prior to the start of the school year. Seeing classroom(s) can help relieve stress. Review the schedule of the first day, so your child knows what to expect. If your child uses a locker, practice how to open one.” — Kelly C.
10. “I have two teenagers with severe anxiety. We have reviewed their 504 accommodations so they know what they are, again. They do better if they know how to handle an uncomfortable but likely situation, so we talk about that (in therapy and at home.) We talk about coping techniques and remind them that they can do this.” — Lynne S.
11. “I start telling my son three weeks before school starts that school is going to start and mark it on the calendar. We do worksheets throughout summer so he doesn’t lose skills. Also, I have him pick out favorite foods, snacks, new shoes and clothes several weeks before school starts so he is in the mindset.” — Lana B.
12. “My son has been given a transition book with pictures of his new teachers, his classroom, where the toilets are, where he’ll be picked up from etc. He helped make it. There’s also space for pictures of his new lunch bag and shoes and anything else we add over the summer.” — Liz B.
13. “We use social stories that have pictures of his new classroom, his new teacher, fun things in this classroom, we don’t start getting him prepared too early, as he can get anxious. We discuss what he will eat, we pick out a lunch box and school bag, we will try on his uniform to check there are no tags that will hurt him. We go over what he has learned [at school] repeatedly. It will never be easy for him to go back to school after six weeks, but these things help.” — Michelle B.
14. “Year round school. It [was] wonderful last year.” — Kate A.
15. “Back-to-school shopping and labelling his things. Bedtime routine and picking his clothes in advance. Social story about the bus and meet-and-greet at school.” — Leidy G.
What helps your child transition back to school? Let us know in the comments.
Arthritis is close to our hearts here at EazyHold. We invented our universal cuffs because of the arthritis we were suffering from and knew there was a whole world of people our age trying to accomplish everyday tasks with great difficulty due to stiffness and pain in their joints.
When one talks about arthritis, you typically think of a "baby boomer," a grandparent, or even a great-grandparent. Though nearly 300,000 children in America have been diagnosed with juvenile arthritis, it's not something people are very aware of and we want you to help us change that!
Children that suffer from juvenile arthritis are not experiencing typical aches and pains that you may experience as an adult; they have various types of autoimmune arthritis that cause their immune system to attack their joints, causing swelling, stiffness, pain and even permanent damage. A child with juvenile arthritis may lose their sight, motor function, inhibit bone growth, and can be fatal if left untreated.
July is Juvenile Arthritis Awareness month! In the age of social media, raising awareness to any cause is more profound and easy to do. This month, you can help those afflicted with arthritis by making a donation to arthritis research, wearing blue for the month of July, sharing relevant posts to your social media accounts, use the hash tag #curearthritis, and tell at least one person in your life about juvenile arthritis.
Click here to make a donation to Arthritis National Research Foundation
Visit curearthritis.org for more information
Summer is a fun time; there are vacations, trips to amusement/water parks, camping trips, late night hangouts with friends, and summer camps for kids ... there’s a lot to do!
We thought it would be fun to compile a list of five inclusive summer activities for people of all abilities to take part in:
1. PRIDE Learning Centers: San Fernando Valley and the Los Angeles Area
PRIDE offers weekly camps for children with learning disabilities and related difficulties such as dyslexia, auditory processing, visual processing, ADHD, autism and other learning issues. They are specialists in Orton-Gillingham, a multi-sensory reading approach. The camps that PRIDE offers aren’t only for learning, they strive to make their environments as fun as possible.
Click here to see the full list of PRIDE’s camps.
2. Autism Speaks Walk
Autism Speaks Walk is the world’s largest autism fundraising event. Powered by the love of parents, grandparents, siblings, friends, relatives, and supporters, the funds raised help ensure that people who have autism have access to the tools they need to live ‘their best lives.’
The Autism Speaks Walk is a great activity for family members, or even for individuals who have autism. The walks aren’t very long, and you’ll have a great opportunity to connect with people who have encountered similar life experiences.
Click here to see their full list of walks.
3. Joni and Friends—International Family Retreats
Joni and Friends offers hope and help to families through their International Family Retreats (IFRs). In partnership with local organizations and churches, they offer family camps to children with disabilities. Their camps are offered throughout most of the United States. There are even volunteer opportunities available. To volunteer, please visit the Joni and Friends website by clicking here.
Click here to see Joni and Friends full schedule of camps.
4. Summer C.A.M.P.-- Clinically Advanced Multi-Modality Program
Summer C.A.M.P. is designed to help children in a fun and exciting environment. Their approach is to use a data driven evidence based treatment, in combination with the needs of each individual child, to come up with the best treatment solution possible.
They teach the mind to think, the hands to work, and the heart to love. Join them for a summer of sun, fun and friends at their inclusive summer camp. Achieve goals, conquer fears, build confidence, self-esteem, and develop an enthusiasm for life while learning social and emotional skills that will last a lifetime. Each of their summer programs run for 8-9 weeks.
The primary areas they strive to improve are:
Search your closets and help raise awareness for AMC by wearing blue on June 30th! Other ways you can help are to use the hashtag #blueforAMC, visit amcsupport.org to learn more, and share posts with AMC facts to your social media pages.
One of our absolute favorite videos we've received from a customer is this video of Kori self feeding with EazyHold. Kori was born with arthrogryposis and she uses the pink EazyHold to help self feed ... she did an incredible job practicing with her occupational therapist, don't you think?
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