August 14, 2007
Getting Ready for School: Special Needs Strollers and Safety
As we get ready for kids going back to school, or sending our kids off to school for the first time, consider safety for a minute. Many parents use a special needs stroller such as the ones made by Convaid and use it on school bus. Please note-it is required by the National Highway Traffic and Safety Association you have tie downs, head extension and five point harness system. At the time of purchase, you will need to have the head extension, along with a 5 pt harness system.
Find out more information about “adaptive equipment” and products for children with cerebral palsy.
August 10, 2007
South Carolina School for Children with Cerebral Palsy
The Pattison’s Academy will be the first of its kind in the Charleston, South Carolina area to provide the support and choices that parents and special needs children want and deserve. Currently the organization runs very successful day camps during the summer months.
Pattison’s Academy will be a year-round school where students, 5 to 12 years of age will receive an individualized quality education and therapies from some of the area’s top professionals. Pattison’s Academy is projected to open in the fall of 2008. After researching funding sources in the area and across the state, Pattison’s Academy is going to pursue charter school status. It is the intent of Pattison’s Academy to provide services to children in Charleston County as well as Dorchester and Berkeley Counties.
If you would like more information, want to know how you can help then please contact:
Name: Cindy Dodds
Title: Director of Physical Therapy
Email: cindy@pattisonsacademy.org
Name: Debbie Lamb
Title: Director of Occupational Therapy
Email: debbie@pattisonsacademy.org
Name: Kimberly Wilson
Title: Director of Education
Email: kimberly@pattisonsacademy.org
Name: Pam Sloat
Title: Executive Director & Business Manager
Email: pam@pattisonsacademy.org
More information about cerebral palsy resources and special education for cerebral palsy.
August 2, 2007
Good Blog by Mom: “Cerebral Palsy Baby”
I quite like this blog, Cerebral Palsy Baby. It is by a mom of two girls, Shannon. Shannon has had two preemie babies, one of whom has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy.
From her blog “Shannon lives near Seattle with her husband and two daughters. Darsie was born in 2004 at 28 weeks and has right hemiplegia cerebral palsy. Elise was born in 2007 at 33 weeks. ” You can follow Shannon’s journey since 2004 from the birth of her first daughter.
Do you have a blog you like to share? Please post in comments section and I will post.
July 19, 2007
Bathing: Tip for Giving Young Children and Children with Cerebral Palsy a Bath
Here is an idea- trying to manage a slippery child in the bath is difficult- making sure that they don’t slip under the water is a big concern - sometimes you wish you had three hands!
Here is an idea- cut a pool noodle in half ( or smaller) and use it to prop up your children’s head and neck to they don’t slip under.
Do you have a neat tip or idea that you’ve discovered and want to share? Please post in comments section!
July 18, 2007
Hippotherapy- More Than Just Horseplay
An exceptional article in Washington Post about Hippotherapy and cerebral palsy. If you need financial help getting this treatment for your child, please call us at 1-800-4MyChild or contact one of our online 4MyChild Care Specialists now.
By Eliza McGraw
Special to The Washington Post
Tuesday, July 17, 2007; Page HE01
One spring Saturday morning in Great Falls, occupational therapist Colleen Zanin prepares for a day of treating clients. Instead of assembling floor mats and exercise balls, however, she is checking the halter of a tall gray horse named Traveler.
Three-year-old Zachary Hoffman is Zanin’s first client of the day. He arrives crying because he had to leave his bagel behind, but once on horseback he’s happy and responsive, looking directly at Zanin and reaching for Traveler’s mane. During his session, Zanin has Zachary ride backward, hang rings on a post and give Traveler voice commands.
Zachary, who has low muscle tone, developmental delays and problems with sensory integration, is one of a growing number of participants in hippotherapy, which uses the natural movements of the horse as a tool for physical, occupational and sometimes speech therapy.
While people such as Zanin and Sharalyn Hoffman, Zachary’s mother, have no doubt that these sessions help Zachary, hippotherapy is rarely covered by health insurance, partly because it does not lend itself to the kind of statistical evaluation that measures more conventional medical treatment.
Nonetheless, it is sought out by people who believe that riding a horse can bring psychological as well as physical benefits.
Read more information on hippotherapy treatment for cerebral palsy.
May 30, 2007
Tips for Designing a Special Needs Bathroom for a Child. Adapting Bathroom for Special Needs
Here are some ideas to consider when you are building or adapting an existing bathroom for your special needs child. Spending the money to adapt your bathroom will make showering easier and more pleasant for you and your child.
1. Get a free standing sink. One that is bolted into the wall may not take the weight of child leaning into it.
2. A toilet that is not too high. Get a lower profile toilet.
3. Heat Lamps with timer.
4. Lots of light, look to put lights in shower/bath area.
5. Invest in non-slip tile. You can get ceramic tile made with silicon carbide that is designed to be non-slipping.
6. A bath chair that can be rolled into the shower.
April 28, 2007
Portable Potty for Children with Cerebral Palsy and Special Needs
A product recommended by many moms - “On The Go Potty .” It is a portable potty that works well for children with special needs. Its totally portable and comes with self absorbing liners and disposable bags. No public toilet seats! It is great for travel or to take anywhere that you may not have access to a sanitary bathroom. It’s a clean potty for your child no matter where you go.
Sturdy well-balanced base helps your child feel secure.
Legs lock into place when opened.
Folds flat so it can fit in a purse or diaper bag.
A great potty to keep in your car, boat, camper or RV.
Uses self-absorbing, disposable liners that discard like a diaper.
Disposable liners hold up to 5 ounces of liquid.
Liners are lightly scented to absorb odors.
Liner handles secure to the potty and tie closed for disposal.
Drawstring carrying bag included.
Comes with 3 super absorbent, leak-proof and easy-to-use disposable liners
For ages 2 years and up to 50lbs
March 26, 2007
Potty Training Kids with Cerebral Palsy- Toilet Training Special Needs Children
This is a can be a big challenge for most families living with cerebral palsy. Patience is everything. Their little bodies don’t work like yours and going to the bathroom in a toilet may be something that will take awhile to master. Understanding that it may be something they have no control over may help. Mega colon is common in kids with cerebral palsy, the abdominal muscles are affected by tone issues just like the other muscles. Some medications may even be a part if the problem, some seizure medications can cause uncontrollable diarrhea. Please talk to your doctor if you think this may be a problem your child is suffering from.
One thing you can do is make sure they have plenty of physical support when you first start trying to potty train. You can get a good quality chair with lots of support at mainstream baby stores like this potty chair from Baby Bjorn almost anywhere for under 20.00.
Also try support under the legs, use a stool to support dangling legs as they get older.
If older children are often having accidents, keep record of when they are happening and see if there is a pattern. Are they happening after nap? Just before dinner? If you see a pattern then try having the child sit on potty around that time and see what happens. This can help you and your child become more in tune with their bodies.
Many children with cerebral palsy also with have sensory issues (Sensory Processing Disorder) and may not feel the urge to go to the bathroom, or even know what to do. You can help with this by doing exercise like having your child blow up a balloon on the potty and have the feeling of what it’s like to push as well as relax muscles.
If stool is hard or constipation a constant issue, many families talk with their doctors about using laxatives. Do not give your child laxatives without first discussing it with your doctor, it may react with medications or have long term effects.
Please keep trying and be consistent in your patience and support of your child. If you are feeling overwhelmed or need to talk, you can always contact our Live CareCenter Specialists for support.
March 20, 2007
Text-to-Speech Tool for Face to Face Conversation
This is a very neat tool, Lightwriter from Spectronics. You may have seen in on the the MTV show, True Life featuring Jeremy, who is living with autism.
The communication device allows people and children with speech impairments, autism, laryngectomies, cerebral palsy and head injuries to interact and communicate with others face-to-face.
The Lightwriter is portable and fairly lightweight. After you turn it on, type your message into keyboard and it will appear on the display, OR can be spoken out loud with DECtalk speech synthesis.
March 15, 2007
Walt Disney World and Special Needs- Special Access Pass and Wheelchair Sticker
Surprisingly, Walt Disney does not fully address problems that special needs kids have while visiting their theme parks. The policy seems to change depending on who you talk to and what manager is on duty. Here are some of there policies as well as some little known info.
They do offer a “Special Access Pass.” The pass works the same as a Fast Pass, where you can go through a much shorter, quicker line with next to no wait. The problem is, most rides don’t have a Fast Pass option, especially those for younger children.
Special Access Passes are NOT available for use during peak seasons. Although, you may be able to challenge and get one.
In some cases special needs kids have been sent through regular lines and made to wait 1- 2 hours to use the rides, and to make matters worse, strollers are not allowed in the lines. This may be impossible for some children with cerebral palsy to bear.
A little known fact, if you go to guest services, you can receive a special sticker to put on your stroller that says “wheelchair” and it will be allowed in the regular line. Why this information is so hard to find I just don’t know. I was recently at Walt Disney World and was astonished at the lack of information.
Do you have any tips or advice for families traveling to Walt Disney World with a special needs child, or a child with cerebral palsy? Please share with us by posting in the comments section!
