Articles (Children – Disabilities) « Children – Disabilities

Articles About
Children with  Disabilities and Special Needs

• Aid for Haiti – Childhood Disability (Bella Online)
  As we reach out to the people of Haiti who are suffering from the loss and devastation of the 2010 earthquake, we are learning more about religious and secular organizations specifically dedicated to children with disabilities and their families that were already 'on the ground' providing housing, education, medical support and other essential services.
• Adopting a Special Needs Child (Filthy Lucre – 1/6/09)
  A review on the literature on the topic of parental adoption of children with special needs.
• Back to School With Celiac Disease (Bella Online)
  Parents often need to develop a health care plan for their sons and daughters with celiac disease to share with administrators, school staff and daycare workers. Children with celiac disease have dietary restrictions due to gluten intolerance, but there are non-food products that can also cause problems at school and childcare centers, especially in art supplies.
• Children and Sign Language (Bella Online)
  More preschoolers, kindergarteners and primary grade children are using sign language today than ever before.
• HHS Announces Availability of $3.9 Million to Support Families of Children with Special Health Care Needs (Fierce Health – 10/26/10)
  HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced $3.9 million in funding to continue support for Family-to-Family Health Information Centers, non-profit organizations run by families and for families with children with special health care needs.  Funding for the centers was extended through 2012 by the Affordable Care Act.
• Horses Help Youngsters Cope With Disabilities (SI Live.com)
  Children suffering with disabilities like autism and cerebral palsy can find therapy through a program called H.O.O.P.H. operated by the Staten Island Recreation Association.
• Impact of Early Intervention on Outcome After Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in Children (American Academy of Petiatrics)
  A basic article on mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) and early intervention.
• Maintaining and Strengthening Supplemental Security Income for Children with Disabilities (Center for American Progress – 9/10/12)
  Supplemental Security is a central pillar of our current system of family-centered care for children with severe disabilities. Other core pillars include Medicaid and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. In this system, the primary responsibility for the well-being of a disabled child rests with the child’s parents and family. Together, these supports play a fundamental role in making it possible for children with disabilities to live at home with their families and in their communities.  As detailed in this brief, Supplemental Security is an effective support for children with severe disabilities and their families.
• Make Sure You Protect Your Special Needs Child! (Laurie's Lines – 10/4/09)
  You're taking care of your disabled child and hopefully, you're doing okay. But what will happen when you're gone? If you plan ahead, you should be able to make sure your child is protected.
• Movie Highlights Kids with Disabilities and Art as Therapy
  A new documentary is coming out that highlights kids with disabilities and how art therapy can help. It is an inspiring and heartwarming movie about a wonderful art teacher and some pretty amazing students.
• Music Education and Music Therapy (Bella Online)
  Children with disabilities who have the opportunity to participate in music education in schools, parks department or other community programs have a better quality of life and richness of experience, just like their mainstream peers. The importance of music education may be underestimated for children who have communication disorders or developmental delays, even in special education classrooms where music therapy could benefit their behavior and social goals as well as improving academic achievement.
• Nintendo Wii Therapy Rehab for Children and Teens (Bella Online)
  Children and teens who have physical, sensory or intellectual disabilities find the same benefit in playing games with the Nintendo Wii game system as their mainstream peers. The Wii's wireless remote control rather amazingly detects directionality and the speed of acceleration in movements, and the game can provide non-judgmental feedback on physical moves and performance.
• Orthotics and Shoe Inserts for Children (Bella Online)
  There are few magazine articles that mention these commonly used shoe inserts that do make a difference to children with cerebral palsy, Down syndrome or other disorders; those who have challenges related to injury or serious illness; and teens who have pain or discomfort due to walking differently during early childhood and beyond.
• Parent to Parent offers support for families with special needs kids (Kitsap 7.3.17)
  From facilitating support groups for siblings of special needs kids to providing wheelchairs, lifts and adaptive toys for families whose insurance won’t cover them, South Sound Parent to Parent offers much-needed support for the families of children and adults with special needs.
• Parents of Children with Special Needs Entitled to Income Tax Benefits (2/10/09)
  A PowerPoint presentation by Cynthia Sharp with Academy of Special Needs Planners regarding tax issues for parents who have taxable estates and children with special needs. Audio of this presentation and others can be found on ASNP website.
• Participation in Leisure & Sporting Activities for Children with Disabilities (Your Therapy Source – July 20, 2012) 
  ​Tips for Participation in Leisure & Sporting Activities for Children with Disabilities
• Protecting Assets for a Child With a Disability
  Excerpt from American Bar Association – Bifocal (March-April 2012 newsletter)
  Estate planning and lifetime planning for parents of a child with a disability present special challenges.  The goals of the parents are to utilize their assetes in such a way as to enrich their child's life while at the same time preserving the child's public benefits.
• Ramps for Kids (Teen2Teen Magazine – 12/16/10)
  Daniel Elkus, a senior at the Frankel Jewish Academy in West Bloomfield, saw a way that he could make a difference – so he took action. When he learned about QuickRamps for Kids, a project of United Cerebral Palsy of Metropolitan Detroit, he gravitated toward the cause. Daniel felt that by giving children access to the community, he would be enabling them to have more opportunities in life. Daniel also made a documentary, illustrating to people how a QuickRamp can change a person's life. Click here for YouTube video.
• Service Dog Etiquette (Bella Online)
  The first thing we should consider when teaching adults and children service dog etiquette is that it develops naturally from respectful and considerate behavior toward the dog handler who is a person with a disability. While none of us would presume to handle or interfere with a person's wheelchair controls, white cane or hearing aide, our first impulse may be to respond to or interact with service dogs as if they are pets. Children can often recognize and remember rules associated with working service animals better than adults, and may remind their parents that a working dog has a job to do that requires concentration and interaction only with its handler.
• Sexual Assault of Kids with Disabilities The sexual abuse of children with disabilities is a distressing and difficult area of safeguarding practice that demands a coherent and consistent response.  
• Should You Open An ABLE Account For A Child With A Disability? (Forbes)
  The Achieving a Better Life Experience (ACT) was signed into law in 2014 and introduced a way for families with special needs to save in a tax-advantaged account as a supplement to private insurance and government benefits. 
• Shut Up About Your Perfect Kid!
  A survival guide for ordinary parents of special children.
• Tax Benefits for Parents of Kids with LD: 2009 Update (Great Schools.org)
  If you have a child with a severe learning disability (LD), you may qualify for valuable tax benefits. If your child has AD/HD or other physical, mental or emotional impairments, you may also qualify for tax benefits..
• The Risk and Prevention of Maltreatment of Children with Disabilities (Child Welfare Information Gateway)
  This bulletin for child welfare professionals describes child abuse and neglect of children with disabilities in terms of the scope of the problem, risk factors, and strategies for prevention. 
• Twice-Exceptional Kids: Both Gifted and Challenged (Child Mind Institute)
  2e kids, as they’re called, have a unique set of issues that need addressing.
• Voices of Disability: 'Relentless' Parents Help Deaf Son Build Successful LIfe (Oakland Press – 3/15/09)
  Martin Levin, an optometrist, and his wife, Mollene, an artist and former teacher, said they helped their son, now 32 and who will be married June 6 to Hillary Fisher, by “trying to take on the burden of what was going on.”
  Patti's Comments: Congratulations to this family. Relentless parents are challenging clients, but I love to help them in their support of their kids.
• What About the Siblings? (Common Ground – 8/9/10)
  Post about a conference regarding concerns about issues facing people with disabilities and how those issues relate to siblings of people with disabilities.
• Your Teenager's Feelings about Being Visually Impaired
  The teenage years in general are an emotional time for many young people as they move from adolescence to adulthood. Teenagers who are visually impaired may share a number of reactions, but feelings vary from person to person. Giving your child emotional support in the teen years needs to be a critical focus. Here are some of the ways you may be able to help.