Tag Archives: ECSE

Special Parents Confidential Episode 20 Health and Wellness

Health and Wellness.

Perhaps no other subject is a greater concern to a parent than the health of their children. Parents of special needs children have an even greater concern because our kids often have disabilities or disorders that require specialized health care options. Some disabilities or disorders like Downs Syndrome can be diagnosed immediately at birth, if not sooner. Others like Autism or Dyslexia may take a few years. However, the one thing all health care professionals can agree on is the earlier you get a diagnosis for your child, the sooner you can get the right treatments and therapies, and that’s better for your child.

But where do you find the experts on your child’s disabilities or disorders, especially if you’re a first time parent and don’t yet have a family doctor or pediatrician? Often, a child can have more than one special need challenge, which can make medical decisions even harder. 

One place that offers a wide variety of services from medical checkups and advice to doctor referrals to support groups and beyond is your local county or city Health Department. Most Health Departments have a person or a group of people who support parents of special needs children with counseling, advice, and education. They can help you with ongoing support, including finding early on or early intervention programs with your local school district to get your child into special education programs that are the right fit for their challenges.

In this episode of Special Parents Confidential, John talks to Chris Buczek, RN BSN, who is the Public Health Program supervisor for Children’s Special Health Care Services of the Kent County Health Department in Grand Rapids Michigan. She also supervises the Hearing and Vision Screening Program for the Health Department, and runs a support group for parents of special needs children. And, as you’ll find out, she has a personal reason for her involvement in Special Health Services.

During the interview Chris talks about a number of websites for resources. The following are the links to those sites:

MDCH Children’s Special Health Care Services   

MI Family Center for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs

US DHHS HRSA Maternal and Child Health

CDC Parent Information Infants & Toddlers

CDC Important Milestones For Infants

NCMHI Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs

American Academy of Pediatrics Bright Futures Page

As always a reminder that if you like this episode of Special Parents Confidential or any episode we’ve done, please share our site with your friends, family, and all your connections on social media. You can do this easily with the social media buttons located right below this paragraph. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, add us on Google Plus, or any of the other sites like Tumbler, Linked In, Pintrest, Stumble Upon, Reddit, and others. You can also sign up for our email service and have new posts and podcast episodes delivered right to your inbox the moment they’re available online. That form is located to the right of this text.  We’re also on iTunes and Stitcher and if you have a moment, feel free to write a review about our podcast there. Anything you can do to help spread the word about Special Parents Confidential will help us be able to continue these podcasts.

Thanks for your support!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Special Parents Confidential Episode 19 Understood Dot Org

Understood Dot Org. 

One of the major benefits of the Internet is the amazing amount of information that is available on virtually any subject you might want to know about. The problem is trying to figure out what information is accurate and what information is nonsense, especially when the nonsense information comes disguised as something credible. This is especially true for parents of special needs children who are trying to find reliable and accurate information for their children. There are far too many websites containing unproven information, fake cures, and outright lies about various learning disabilities, special needs disorders, and treatment options.

Thankfully many groups and organizations are counteracting these fraudulent sites with accurate, evidence-based research sites that have peer-reviewed, credible information. And many of them are doing everything they can to make it easier to get the accurate information that parents need. One such site is Understood.org.

About two years ago a group of fifteen different organizations, including the National Center for Learning Disabilities, The Parents Education Network, Learning Disabilities Association of America, Common Sense Media, and others, decided to combine their resources for parents and educators to be able to access the latest tools and information for children with learning disabilities. Understood’s goal is to help the millions of parents whose children, ages 3–20, are struggling with learning and attention issues. They want to empower them to understand their children’s issues and relate to their experiences.

One of the features on Understood.org are blog articles written by parents and experts, and on this episode of Special Parents Confidential, we are joined by one of Understood’s parent advocate, writer, and contributor, Amanda Morin. Amanda is an education writer and a special education advocate. She uses her experience as an early interventionist, teacher and a special needs parent to inform her work. She has written two books and she is also a parent of three kids, two of whom have learning disabilities. In our interview, she talks about her challenges as a parent, her background in education, and how she began to use her training in special education advocacy to write books and blogs about how to navigate the world of special education.

Here are links to the websites mentioned in the podcast:

Understood

Parenting Special Needs Magazine

Amanda Morin’s Website (which has a link to where you can purchase her books)

Amanda’s Facebook Page

Amanda’s Twitter Feed

As always a reminder that if you like this episode of Special Parents Confidential or any episode we’ve done, please share our site with your friends, family, and all your connections on social media. You can do this easily with the social media buttons located right below this paragraph. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, add us on Google Plus, or any of the other sites like Tumbler, Linked In, Pintrest, Stumble Upon, Reddit, and others. You can also sign up for our email service and have new posts and podcast episodes delivered right to your inbox the moment they’re available online. That form is located to the right of this text.  We’re also on iTunes and Stitcher and if you have a moment, feel free to write a review about our podcast there. Anything you can do to help spread the word about Special Parents Confidential will help us be able to continue these podcasts.

Thanks for your support!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

New Episodes Coming Soon

New Episodes Coming Soon.

We’re working on more interviews in the next few weeks. Some of the subjects we’re covering:

Did you know Dyslexia is only recognized in 24 states as a learning disability, with specific definitions and guidelines for special education? We’re doing  two episodes devoted to living with Dyslexia. We will be talking to an elementary school teacher who has Dyslexia to learn how she dealt with Dyslexia while growing up and how she now teaches. We’re also going to talk to a mother and son (the son has Dyslexia) who are working together on trying to get Dyslexia recognized as a learning disability in their state and other states.

We’re also going to talk to an RN with our local health department for medical advice and health issues that are important for special needs children and adults.

Be sure to subscribe to our social media pages, we’re on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, Linked In, and others where you can comment and give us suggestions for future episodes! Don’t forget you can subscribe to our email list, and find our podcast on iTunes and Stitcher.

We’re working on some big plans for this year to make Special Parents Confidential even better, so be sure to connect with us for all the news and updates as we go!

Finally, be sure to share our site with your friends and family. You never know who might be interested or have a need to know something we have here. We do these podcasts for you and your help in spreading the word is what keeps us going!

Thank you for your support!

John

Special Parents Confidential 17 When Schools Say ‘No’

Special Parents Confidential Episode 17 When Schools Say ‘No’.

In 1990 Congress passed IDEA, or Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which entitles each student with a disability to a free appropriate public education (FAPE) to meet his or her unique needs. Originally titled Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 (EAHCA), it was based on Congress’ finding that the millions of children with disabilities had educational needs which were not being met due to a lack of services and inappropriate public school placement. IDEA set down guidelines for how schools and states were to implement special education procedures.

Unfortunately, there is a wide disparity across states as to how those guidelines should be implemented, or even interpreted. Similarly, school districts can even have differing standards for services they offer in special education. Simply put, IDEA allowed States and schools a lot of leeway in special education implementation, based on numerous issues including need, population, local economic factors, and other considerations.

The problem for parents is, this leeway in the implementation of procedures can sometimes allow States and school districts to restrict or even deny extra help for students who don’t fit the exact definition of a particular disability or learning disorder. School Districts and States are also cutting certain aspects of special education support from Education budgets as cost-saving measures. While districts and States aren’t outright eliminating Special Education, they do cut budgets for support programs, assistant teachers or para-pros who help in the classrooms, and other accommodations. The result is many parents are finding out that their children will perhaps get minimal help (the least allowed under regulations), but more often than not they hear the word ‘no’ when asking for additional help or support for their child.

So what can you do when your school or State says ‘no’?

Our guest in this episode has some answers. Suzanne Wilcox is the co-owner of Hope Educational Consulting, LLC a special education advocacy service based in Ohio and Michigan. She is also the mother of four children, two of whom needed special education support in school.  She explains how IDEA works, and how schools and states interpret those regulations. She also explains how ‘best practices’ can sometimes be overlooked due to budgeting, or availability issues.

During the time when she and her family lived in Ohio, she and her partners were instrumental in creating and passing legislation that allowed Ohio to become one of the first States in the country to recognize Dyslexia as a learning disability, and implemented official regulations on the kinds of therapies schools must offer to help students with Dyslexia. She has worked with parents, teachers, school districts, and legislators on numerous issues with special education.

Suzanne offers some great advice and information that all parents of special needs children need to know.  Please feel free to share this episode with everyone you know who has a child with special needs or works with children who have special needs.

* Note: first paragraph attribution to Wikipedia article on IDEA, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. For more information on IDEA, visit http://idea.ed.gov

As always a reminder that if you like this episode of Special Parents Confidential or any episode we’ve done, please share our site with your friends, family, and all your connections on social media. You can do this easily with the social media buttons located right below this paragraph. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, add us on Google Plus, or any of the other sites like Tumbler, Linked In, Pintrest, Stumble Upon, Reddit, and others. You can also sign up for our email service and have new posts and podcast episodes delivered right to your inbox the moment they’re available online. That form is located to the right of this text.  We’re also on iTunes and Stitcher and if you have a moment, feel free to write a review about our podcast there. Anything you can do to help spread the word about Special Parents Confidential will help us be able to continue these podcasts.

Thanks for your support!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

New Findings On Dyslexia

New Findings On Dyslexia.

Hello!

We heard an interesting report on the NPR program, Here & Now, entitled, “I’m Not Stupid, Just Dyslexic”. The program discussed problems children have with dyslexia in school and how it can cause a lifetime of difficulties.

Neurologists are discovering the physical link in the brain that can cause dyslexia, and they’re hoping to use this research to diagnose the condition in early infancy so that children with dyslexia can get the help they need before kindergarten. Typically children are not diagnosed with dyslexia until the third grade at the earliest, which means they’re far behind by the time they start getting help.

The report is just under eight minutes long. We recommend listening to it, downloading the show so that you can review information, and sharing with everyone you know. Dyslexia can be present even with other disabilities and because of this it can sometimes be missed or undiagnosed.

Here’s the link to the program: I’m Not Stupid, Just Dyslexic

SPC One Year Anniversary

SPC Studio

SPC One Year Anniversary.

One year ago this week I posted the first two podcasts on the newly minted Special Parents Confidential website. Fifteen episodes in one year, about three more than I thought I would be able to get produced, which puts me ahead of my expectations. And that’s always a good thing.

What does it take to create a podcast? As far as equipment goes, not much really. A mixer, a microphone, a phone interface, headphones, speakers, a digital recording platform, and some wires to connect it all.

But Special Parents Confidential is far more than the equipment. It’s a lot of people who helped me get started nearly six months before this date last year. Those people and their contributions are listed on the About Us page and I’d like to encourage you to take a look at the links to their own websites because they are some amazing people who do incredible things.

Most importantly I’d like to thank the 15 people who agreed to take time out of their busy schedules to answer questions about what parents of special needs children need to know and what they do to help. Some very graciously took a long time, nearly missing important events or meetings, just to make sure they answered every question.

When I started these interviews my goal was to create an online support group for parents of special needs children who aren’t able to attend support group meetings. Thanks to these first 15 people I can say that the goal has been exceeded

Here’s the list of those fine people and their episode subjects once again. If you haven’t heard all these interviews yet, please take a listen!

1. Carol Lippert – Support Groups

2. Dan Blauw – Legal Issues

3. Cyndi Blair – Playdates

4. Dr. Oren Mason – ADD/ADHD

5. Kindy Segovia – Assistive Technology

6. Kathy Holkeboer – Special Education Advocacy

7. Stacy Burns – One Parent’s Journey

8. Chris Kenward – Social Issues In School

9. Julie Wiseman – Deafness and Hearing Impairment

10. Paula Lancaster – Special Education

11. Rev. Mathew Cockrum – Special Needs and Spiritual Needs

12. Elizabeth Welch-Lykens – School Funding and Special Education

13. Rabbi Tzvi Schectman – The Friendship Circle

14. Gabriella McCall Delgado – We Connect Now

15. Conny Raaymakers – Applied Behavior Analysis

It’s been an amazing journey. I’m looking forward to continuing with more episodes in 2014 and beyond.

To everyone who agreed to be interviewed, to everyone who helped out in making this podcast and website a reality, and most of all, to you for finding my site, taking a listen, and then recommending these episodes to people you know:

A huge   T H A N K   Y O U !!!!

Special Parents Confidential Episode 15 Applied Behavior Analysis. ABA.

Applied Behavior Analysis. ABA.

Applied Behavior Analysis or ABA is a term parents of special needs children hear a lot in schools, doctors offices, therapy centers, and just about anywhere our kids interact with people. Studies have shown that ABA can be used to help children as early as 18 months learn to cope with everything from social settings to the educational environment. ABA has been proven to be successful especially for children with autism and can be used to help kids with other disabilities and disorders.

In this episode John talks with Conny Raaymakers, who is director of ABA serves at Developmental Enhancement Behavioral Health, a group that specializes in using ABA for the treatment of autistic children. Conny is a Behavior Analyst and Limited Licensed Behavioral Psychologist.  She talks about the history of Behavior Modification, the decades of research that has been done to study the effectiveness of the treatments, and clears up  the misconceptions people have about Applied Behavior Analysis. Conny also discusses the drawbacks and problems with using alternative or ‘fad’ treatments, how to watch out for misleading claims and how to spot phony success stories.

UPDATED LINKS 10/02/2017

Developmental Enhancement Behavioral Health

Conny Raaymakers Profile Page

Email: craaymakers@debh.org 

Association for Behavior Analysis International

 

As always a reminder that if you like this episode of Special Parents Confidential or any episode we’ve done, please share our site with your friends, family, and all your connections on social media. You can do this easily with the social media buttons located right below this paragraph. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, add us on Google Plus, or any of the other sites like Tumbler, Linked In, Pintrest, Stumble Upon, Reddit, and others. You can also sign up for our email service and have new posts and podcast episodes delivered right to your inbox the moment they’re available online. That form is located to the right of this text.  We’re also on iTunes and Stitcher and if you have a moment, feel free to write a review about our podcast there. Anything you can do to help spread the word about Special Parents Confidential will help us be able to continue these podcasts.

Thanks for listening!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Deciding Who Sees Students’ Data – New York Times Article

Deciding Who Sees Students’ Data. New York Times Article.

Privacy issues are becoming more and more prevalent in almost all aspects of our lives. Now we’re starting to see concerns over the way schools are keeping and storing the private data of their students. For a parent of any student this raises issues but especially for parents of special needs children who’s private records can include medical records such as their diagnosis, therapy information and prescription medications and much more personal information.

This article from the New York Times is a must read for parents and educators. While there can be benefits to utilizing cloud-based data storage, there can also be many concerns over security and potential theft of records.  Deciding who sees students’ data is an issue that should include parents, teachers, school administration, and the school board, not just a few people. While no system may be truly perfect, this is issue far too important to be simply made without real investigation and research.

Deciding Who Sees Students’ Data – New York Times Article

We’re Back – With A Request

We’re Back With A Request.

Hello!

We’ve had a short hiatus to attend to last minute end of summer trips, the usual back-to-school necessities, and other family needs. We’ll be posting a new podcast episode soon and start doing more interviews in the coming weeks.

We also have a request for you.

In a couple of previous episodes we’ve discussed whether charter schools are a viable option for education and whether or not charter schools are able or willing to adopt special education standards and practices for our special needs children. Many experts have debated this issue but there is one group that we’ve noticed who have not been heard from: parents.

Do you have a child with special needs who is enrolled in a charter school?  If so, we want to hear from you! We’d like to interview a few parents about their experiences with special education in charter schools, good or bad or whatever.  You’ll be able to keep your personal information private and even remain anonymous if you prefer. Our goal is to get feedback from parents as to whether or not charter schools are meeting the needs of their special needs children and if they are indeed a viable option for educating special needs kids.

If you’re interested in talking to us, or if you just want to email us some comments that we can use in an upcoming episode, please use the form on our Contact Us page and let us know how to contact you. We do not share our email list with anyone so your information will be kept private. Thanks for helping and hope to hear from you soon!

PS- if you do not have special needs children in charter schools but know someone who does, please forward this blog post to them, or use the Social Media sharing buttons below to help get out the word. Thanks for your support!

Important Legislation Update: H. R. 5.

Important Legislation Update: H. R. 5.

We received an email from the National Center for Learning Disabilities requesting immediate action on a bill that’s coming up in the House of Representatives. This is an urgent and important issue for every parent of a special needs child to act on.

The House is scheduled to vote in the next day or two on a ‘reform’ bill (H. R. 5.) to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), known as ‘No Child Left Behind’. While the ESEA needs reform, this new bill, H. R. 5. makes the act even worse because it removes all the accountability provisions in ESEA and allows students, as early as third grade, who need extra support to instead be removed from the high school diploma track and not receive a regular diploma. Can you imagine a child at age 8 or 9 being told that they will not be allowed to graduate with a high school diploma based on their current skills in third grade? That’s what might happen if H. R. 5. is allowed to pass.

Please follow this link to the page on why the NCLD opposes H. R. 5 for more information. At the bottom of the page there is a link to a form that makes it easy for you to quickly email your Congressional representative to tell them to vote no on H. R. 5.

Please act today, Wednesday 7/17/13, because the vote on H. R. 5. could come as quickly as tomorrow 7/18/13. Then share this page with everyone you know on social media. You can use the quick share buttons right below this article to easily make this happen.

Thanks for your help!

Special Parents Confidential Episode 12 – School Funding and Special Education

School Funding and Special Education.

For years we’ve been hearing that our public education system is in trouble. Budget cuts, mis-managed funding, over-paid staff, millions and millions of dollars wasted. Many people want to do away with public education. Their argument is that charter schools and private schools are the better choice. But what about special education? Where does special education fall in all of these budget problems and funding cutbacks?

Some parents and even some school advocates believe that special education is ‘protected’. That it is fully funded and will never be cut or eliminated. But is that true? Can special education or any kind of assistance for special needs children be cut or eliminated? Certainly the budgets for those teachers and assistants who work with special needs students have been cut. Could entire programs be eliminated? And if so, what kinds of special needs assistance or special education help are Charter Schools and Private Schools required to offer? You might be surprised and even shocked to learn what those schools are and are not required to provide.

Our guest for this episode has the answers to many of those questions and a lot more information on the nation-wide public education funding situation. Elizabeth Welch-Lykens is a labor law attorney in Grand Rapids, Michigan and is an elected board member of her local school district, as well as a member of the district’s legislative committee that meets with state representatives in Lansing. She has first-hand knowledge of dealing with school district budget problems, and has spent time on these very issues. While some of what she talks about involves issues in Michigan, the fact is many states and school districts nation-wide are facing the exact same problems. And as Elizabeth verifies, these nation-wide education funding problems are not a coincidence, they are part of a planned effort to privatize the entire national education system for the benefit of a few corporate profiteers. This is an interview that every parent with kids in school, not just parents of special needs children, should hear.

Links mentioned in this podcast: 

For national based information on the school funding crisis visit Dianne Ravitch‘s blog site. She is a former assistant secretary of education under President George H. W. Bush, and a highly respected advocate of public education. Her site contains a lot of facts and information that disproves many of the theories claimed by those who want to shut down public education.

For information about what’s going on in the State of Michigan as well as local Michigan school districts, visit Michigan Parents For Schools. 

As always a reminder that if you like this episode of Special Parents Confidential or any episode we’ve done, please share our site with your friends, family, and all your connections on social media. You can do this easily with the social media buttons located right below this paragraph. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, add us on Google Plus, or any of the other sites like Tumbler, Linked In, Pintrest, Stumble Upon, Reddit, and others. You can also sign up for our email service and have new posts and podcast episodes delivered right to your inbox the moment they’re available online. That form is located to the right of this text.  We’re also on iTunes and Stitcher and if you have a moment, feel free to write a review about our podcast there. Anything you can do to help spread the word about Special Parents Confidential will help us be able to continue these podcasts.

Thanks for your support!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Special Parents Confidential 11. Spiritual Needs and Special Needs

Spiritual Needs and Special Needs.

Religion is an important part of the lives of many people. No matter what your religious beliefs the sense of belonging and community that comes from worship can be a great source of comfort and peace. However being able to attend worship services and learning to fulfill spiritual needs can be a challenge for special needs children. From sensory issues to behavioral problems to feelings of not being accepted many special needs children simply cannot cope with the traditional concepts and behaviors that are considered normal during worship. There can also be problems in religious instruction classes or “Sunday School” (depending on what your faith offers for children) because in many of these classes the instructors are volunteers and don’t always have training in working with special needs children.

How can parents who want their special needs children to participate in their religious traditions find help to work with their clergy to make sure that their special needs children are both accepted and given the help they need to participate and grow in their spiritual needs? How should parents of special needs children approach both their clergy and the lay staff of their place of worship to bring about these goals?

Our guest for this episode has some excellent ideas and advice. The Reverend Mathew Cockrum is an ordained minister in the Unitarian Universalist tradition and was most recently a Chaplain at the University of Michigan Hospitals, and a former Associate Minister at Fountain Street Church in Grand Rapids, MI. He is also now a Transitional Minister at University Unitarian Church in Seattle, WA. He has served as a youth minister and has had a lot of experience in working with families in a wide variety of religious faiths and beliefs. Through these experiences he has some practical advice and great ideas to help families with special needs children find acceptance and fulfillment in their spiritual needs.

Links Mentioned In This Podcast:

There are many websites devoted to this subject, and far too many to narrow down just a few important ones, largely because most religions have their own ideas and methods. As the Reverend Mathew suggests, just do a Google or Bing or Yahoo (or whatever SE you use) search on the words ‘special needs children and religion’ and you’ll find a huge number of articles from all faiths and traditions on how parents and clergy attempt to rectify many of these questions. You can also add in the specific religion that you believe (such as ‘Methodist’ or ‘Catholic’ or ‘Judaism’ or ‘Hinduism’ or which ever is your tradition) to get a more focused answer.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

A Look Inside Children’s Minds – New Study from UI.

A very informative and interesting study is being done at the University of Iowa that shows how 3 and 4 year old children retain what they see around them.

Using an older technology that isn’t as invasive or difficult as an MRI, the researchers have been able to monitor how a child’s brain functions when memorizing. The researchers can now see neurological activity and brain development in children.

From the article: “The research is important, because visual working memory performance has been linked to a variety of childhood disorders, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, developmental coordination disorder as well as affecting children born prematurely. The goal is to use the new brain imaging technique to detect these disorders before they manifest themselves in children’s behavior later on.”

This study is helping to emphasize the importance of early intervention.

Read the full article here: Iowa Now – A Look Inside Children’s Minds

To easily share this article with your friends, click one of the ‘share’ buttons below.

Updates For June and July

Updates For June and July.

Time goes by quickly when the kids are home instead of being in school. But we wanted to post some updates about what we have coming up in the remaining days of June and in July. We have two podcast episodes recorded and we’ll get them posted in the next couple of weeks.

The next episode, SPC number 11, which we hope to have online very soon, features an interview with the Reverend Mathew Cockrum and we delve into ways in which we can help our special needs children get the best experiences in our places of worship, as well as how to work with ‘Sunday school’ or religious class staff so that our kids can have positive experiences. We also discuss ways to reconcile that sometimes certain religious beliefs can be in conflict with medical or scientific study, and that it is possible to accept both viewpoints, and many other great ideas.

SPC episode number 12, which will be ready after that, is all about education funding. We talk with Elizabeth Welch-Lykins who is an elected official in her local school board, a member of her school district’s legislative committee, and a lawyer. She has experienced the budget crisis in our schools first-hand through having to negotiate cuts in staff and services and she talks in detail about how school districts have had so much trouble and the real reasons why so many of our school districts are in trouble. She also details how budget cuts to public schools are definitely hurting special education programs and the dangers of not paying enough attention to who we vote for in elections.

We have more great interviews planned throughout the summer and into the next school year, so please keep checking back!  Better yet, sign up to get an email subscription to our podcasts so you’ll be notified every time we post something new. Just look over to the right column on our home page and enter your email address where it says “Get Podcast Notifications Via Email”. You’ll get automatic updates and we promise we will never give out your email address to anyone else.

Thanks for your support and don’t forget to help spread the word about us!

 

How To Know When Someone Is In Trouble When Swimming

How To Know When Someone Is In Trouble When Swimming.

Article: How To Know When Someone Is In Trouble In The Water

Thanks to Slate.com for this well-written article about safety in the water. Drowning victims don’t look like they’re drowning. With summertime swimming activity increasing, and since special needs children sometimes need extra help in the water, it’s important to know how to spot someone who is in trouble. Especially if you’re paying extra attention to your special needs child but you have other children in the water as well.

Read the article and learn the signs. Drowning victims DO NOT look like drowning victims! They almost never splash wildly or call for help. Most people don’t realize someone is in trouble until it’s too late.  Learn about drowning and water safety. Please be sure to share this article with family and friends.

Have a great and safe summer!  

How To Know When Someone Is In Trouble In The Water

Special Parents Confidential 10 Special Education

Special Education.

In this episode we take a look at the world of Special Education. What exactly is Special Education? How do teachers become Special Education teachers? How and why has the concept of Special Education changed over the years from isolation and institutionalization to mainstreaming and inclusion, and has it worked? How do researchers determine what works and what doesn’t work? And are the current budget problems that so many state governments face affecting Special Education in our schools?

Our guest for this episode has answers to all of those questions and many other questions. Paula Lancaster is a Professor of Special Education and the Chair of the Special Education, Foundations, and Technology Department at Grand Valley State University in West Michigan. We talked about a wide range of issues including the questions above, as well as discussing some of the major misconceptions about Special Education; the differences in how Special Education is handled by public schools, charter schools, and private schools; how Special Education changes from elementary school to middle school, to high school, and college; to the importance of special needs children learning to advocate for themselves; how to make sure that the information you’re finding is proven to work versus a marketing scam; and a lot more. This is one of the longest episodes of Special Parents Confidential that we’ve recorded, but Paula shares some very important information that you and everyone who is interested in Special Education need to know.

Links Mentioned In The Podcast: 

What Works Clearinghouse – The Institute of Education Sciences. Providing educators (parents can use it too) with the information they need to make evidence based decisions.

LD Online – Learning Disabilities Online. The world’s leading website on learning disabilities and ADHD.

Council For Exceptional Children – The Voice and Vision of Special Education. Excellent resource site.

National Dissemination Center For Children With Disabilities – Another excellent resource website. Provides easy-to-read information on children with disabilities from infants to early 20s.

Note:  Paula’s advice on researching information: Whenever you encounter a site that you’re not certain whether the info is credible, scroll down to the bottom (or check ‘about us’ info), and find out who is responsible for the website content.

The Self-Advocacy Strategy – Paula and Sean Lancaster’s software package that teaches children the strategies of negotiation and self-advocacy. Great for all kids, not just special needs children.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Special Parents Confidential 09 Deafness and Hearing Impairment

Deafness and Hearing Impairment.

Everyone at some point in their lives experiences some form of hearing loss, either from their environment or due to advanced age. However many children are born every year with deafness or hearing impairments.

Although many therapies and technologies exist to help correct hearing impairments, the same questions and issues still come up for parents of hearing impaired children as for all parents of special needs children: communication, comprehension, help in school, social acceptance, and so on. And what organizations exist that can help parents get the information that’s best suited for their children and their particular needs?

Our guest on this episode of Special Parents Confidential, Julie Wiseman, has been through a lot of these issues. Her daughter, Kendall, was diagnosed at birth with deafness. Juli shares Kendall’s story and her own struggles with finding help, getting the right information, and many other issues that she and Kendall have faced.

Links Mentioned In This Episode: 

PASE – Parent Advisors for Special Education (Kent Intermediate School District, Kent County, MI)

Hearing Loss Association of America – The Nation’s Voice For People With Hearing Loss.

Hearing Loss Association of America – Grand Rapids Chapter

Listen Up  – Specializing in information for the deaf and hard of hearing, and especially geared to the needs of hearing impaired children and their families. Note: this website hasn’t been updated since 2010, but still has some valuable information.

Hands & Voices – Resource website for everyone.

Guide By Your Side – This is the link to the Hands & Voices national site for finding Guide By Your Side in your state.

Guide By Your Side Michigan – State of Michigan Chapter.

Gallaudet University 

John Tracy Clinic – Los Angeles, CA. Free help for parents of deaf and hearing impaired children no matter where they live.

Signing Time

Alexander Graham Bell Association

Cochlear Implant Manufacturers (and their associations):

Advanced Bionics

Cochlear America

Med-El

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Special Parents Confidential 08 Social Issues In School

Social Issues In School

When we talk about issues that can cause anxiety for parents of special needs kids,  dealing with social situations in school and elsewhere is probably right at the top of the list.  Will our children be accepted or will they be teased? Will  our kids be able to handle the day to day interactions in the class room, in the cafeteria, or on the playground? What about bullying? And what are we supposed to do when our kids experience problems with these situations?

For many schools the person who can help guide our kids through their day in school is the social worker. They’re also the person who parents can talk to for help with making sure their special needs child can fit into the various social situations and can offer advice that parents can use to reinforce the school’s expectations at home.

Our guest on this episode of Special Parents Confidential is Chris Kenward, an elementary school social worker who has many years of experience dealing with both special needs students and general education students.  Many experts agree, the vast majority of social problems begin early in elementary school so the sooner a child with special needs can get help in dealing with social issues, the better their progress will be throughout their life. The information Chris shares here is going to be vital for every parent of a special needs child, as well as for teachers, special education experts, care givers, and anyone who has a relationship with a special needs kid.

Links Mentioned In The Podcast: 

Shut Up About Your Perfect Kid  The website from the authors of the book.

Shut Up About Your Perfect Kid link to the book’s listing for sale on Amazon

Driven Story – Jon Singer – This is the website of the author of the book, “The Special Needs Parent Handbook”, which you can find on this page.

Views From Our Shoes – The website of the Sibling Support Project, where you can see stories from the book and order a copy.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Upcoming Episodes For May

Upcoming Episodes For May:

We have some great guests scheduled for interviews in the next couple of weeks! Among them an elementary school social worker who will talk about acceptance, dealing with peers, preventing bullying, and helping our special needs children navigate the social structures of school.

We’re also going to talk with a Professor of Special Education – the teacher who teaches the teachers. We’ll discuss the ins and outs of special education from the perspective of the teachers and how parents can work effectively with their child’s teachers to make sure our kids are getting the best help available.

May is Better Hearing Month so we’re also going to talk with the mother of a deaf child who has cochlear implants, and is a board member of the Hearing Loss Association of America (Grand Rapids chapter). She’ll talk about the cochlear implant process, the modes of hearing, advocating for hearing loss children in school, support programs available for parents with hearing impaired children, and how to help parents find the right choices for treating hearing loss.

Keep checking back with us and be sure to sign up for our email alerts, which will notify you immediately when we post something new! Don’t forget to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes (its FREE!), and please consider writing a review of our shows on iTunes to help us spread the word!  Thanks so much for all your support!

Special Note: To receive email notifications of new posts and podcast episodes, type your email address in the space under “Subscribe To Blog Via Email” – on the right hand side of this page. That way every time we post a new episode or any news updates, you’ll get an immediate email notification. If you only register to make comments on our posts, you won’t get our email newsletter. Thanks!

Special Parents Confidential 06 Special Education Advocacy

Special Education Advocacy.

As parents of special needs children we hope that our kids will have every opportunity to get a good education, and get assistance when they need it in school. Special Education has changed over the past couple of decades. Special needs children are spending more time in mainstream classrooms and spending only limited time out of the class with their special education teachers for whatever assistance they need.

But what exactly is Special Education? We know that our kids are supposed to get help. Where can we get good advice or assistance when facing the task of getting the educational help for our special needs children? Do we have to see a lawyer? Can we just expect the school to handle it properly? What are the standards? What’s an “IEP” (Individual Education Program), what’s a “504”, and what kind of educational help can we even reasonably expect our children to have in the first place?

Our guest on this episode of Special Parents Confidential can answer a lot of those questions. Kathy Holkeboer is a Special Education Advocate in West Michigan. Advocates for Special Education work with families on understanding what kinds of educational assistance their special needs children are entitled to have, based on need.  They can even go with the parents to meet with school officials to put the special education plan in place for each school year.

Links To Websites Mentioned In This Podcast

Pacer Center The National Parent Training and Information Center for children with disabilities. They offer publications, workshops, and other resources to help parents make decisions about education, vocational training, employment, and other services for children with special needs.

Parent Technical Assistance Center Network Directory of regional (State by State) special education advocacy centers for parents of special needs children.

Michigan Alliance for Families Special Education Advocacy for families in Michigan. Note: for non- Michigan residents, you can search similar websites for your state in the PTAC directory.

Wright’s Law Special Education Law and Advocacy, created by two lawyers, Peter and Pam Wright (husband and wife), providing legal assistance and information for parents of special needs children.

Contact Information for Kathy Holkeboer – (note: Kathy is a special education advocate in the State of Michigan, and works primarily in the West Michigan region. Residents of other States or regions in Michigan should consult the PTAC directory for Special Ed Advocates in their area). Holkeboer Advocacy -Facebook page.  Kathy’s phone #: (616) 218-2395.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Special Parents Confidential 05 Assistive Technology

Assistive Technology. Not so long ago ‘Assistive Technology’ meant a typewriter, special pencil grips, or maybe a cassette tape recorder.

Today, parents of special needs children are constantly being bombarded with new ideas, devices, software programs, and apps that say they can help with our children’s learning disabilities, developmental disabilities, and even physical disabilities. There are more choices for Assistive Technology than ever – nearly a million or more Apps at the time we write this – and more on the way.

For parents of special needs children, as well as special education teachers, the biggest challenge is how do you sort out all the available choices, how do you know which ones will work best for which situation, and how do you implement these technologies in the classroom and in your home?

Our guest for this podcast has some answers. Kindy Segovia is the Assistive Technology Coordinator for the Kent Intermediate School District of West Michigan. She’s worked with Assistive Technology for over 20 years and today works with educators and parents in making the right choices on Assistive Technology for nearly every child who needs it. She has some valuable information for anyone who wants to know more about Assistive Technology and how to use it to the best potential.

Links that Kindy mentions in the podcast:

The Family Center on Technology and Disability. The FCTD web site provides thousands of assistive and instructional technology resources of interest to families of children with disabilities.

Michigan’s Integrated Technology Supports. Michigan’s Assistive Technology Project.

You can find other technology support programs for other States here: Assistive Tech Net.

Able Data is a website that can help you find the assistive technology you need.

Kindy’s Assistive Technology Website through the Kent Intermediate School District.

And you can email Kindy at kindysegovia@kentisd.org to join her Assistive Technology email list, and the iPad Tidbit email list.

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Special Parents Confidential 03 Playdates

Playdates. Guest: Cyndi Blair. Special Parents Confidential Episode 03.

Playdates. Sleep overs. Parties. Extra-cirricular activities. Friends. Many children have active and highly involved social lives. But that’s not always possible for special needs children who have challenges in social situations. Meeting new friends and having lasting friendships can be difficult for kids with special needs. Disabilities and challenges with social skills can sometimes mean a child might not have any friends of their own.

Our guest on this episode had just such a problem with her special needs child not being able to find friends to have playdates or other social activities. Cyndi Blair is a mom from Muskegon, MI, and has a daughter with autism and cerebral palsy. She also has three other children who don’t have disabilities or special needs. Her special needs child noticed that her siblings were always having playdates, sporting events, parties, sleep-overs, and other activities. But her daughter would become upset because she (in her own words) ‘didn’t have any friends of her own’. So Cyndi decided to do something about it.

We talk with Cyndi about the organization she founded, No More Sidelines, and how it not only helped her special needs child find new friends, but is also helping nearly 300 other special needs children. It’s become so successful she wants to take her organization’s concept to other communities and states around the nation.

As we mentioned in the podcast, here’s the No More Sidelines voice mail number that you can call to listen to their events calendar and leave a message: (231) 724-7142.

Special Parents Confidential

Special Parents Confidential

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Special Parents Confidential 02 Legal Issues

Legal Issues. Guest: Dan Blauw. Special Parents Confidential Episode 02.

How much do you know about legal issues, the law, and how they apply to your special needs child? Parents of special needs children sometimes aren’t aware of all the various legal issues that can affect the life of their child. Understanding your rights and your child’s rights is important. But where can you get good information on legal issues?

Our guest for this episode is Attorney Dan Blauw who’s legal firm, Blauw Kirkpatrick Law, PLC, based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, specializes in legal issues for people with disabilities, special needs, and their parents. He talks about the various laws that exist to help parents of special needs children. He also clears up many misconceptions that people have regarding their rights and the rights of their special needs children.

Do you need to have a special will or trust if you have a child with disabilities or special needs? Can you specify how and where your child or children will live after you’re gone? How will your child’s economic future be handled when they become adults? Do you expect someone in your family to take care of your special needs child if you are not able to do so due to illness or death?

Disclaimer: Dan Blauw is an Attorney in the State of Michigan. Most of his answers, while general in their information, may still be specific to Michigan law. If you are not a resident of Michigan, please consult an attorney in your state who specializes in disability law to make sure you have the right information for your state.

Links mentioned in the podcast:

Blauw Kirkpatrick Law, PLC

National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys

Special Needs Alliance

National Disability Rights Network

Special Parents Confidential

Special Parents Confidential

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Special Parents Confidential 01 Support Groups

Support Groups – Guest: Carol Lippert. Special Parents Confidential Episode 01

For our first episode of Special Parents Confidential we talk about support groups for parents. Our guest has some valuable information, especially if you’re not apart of a support group right now. Why are support groups important?

If you have access to support groups in your area, you know they can be a great resource for parents of special needs children. Being able to talk with other parents of children who have similar challenges as your own children can open up avenues of information that you might otherwise not have available. But what can you do if there aren’t any support groups where you live?

Our guest for this interview, Carol Lippert, was confronted with that situation when she and her family moved to Grand Rapids, MI from Los Angeles. Her oldest son has autism and there were no support groups for parent of autistic kids. So she started her own support group. She talks about how she did it and what you can do if you are in a similar situation.

Can you start your own support group for parents whose children have similar issues as your own? How do you find members? Where can you hold meetings? Will there be start up expenses or can you run your support group for free? Are there laws covering support groups? Do you have to have a tax-free exemption, like a charity? Do you have to have any special training to run a support group? Do you have to have special insurance or other legal protections like a business? Do these meetings need to have formal recognition from your city, county, state, or the federal government, or can they be just an informal group of friends getting together?

We have the answers for you.

Special Parents Confidential

Special Parents Confidential

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS