How To Spot A Learning Disability In Your Child

Posted on December 19, 2017 by specialneedsresourcetrainingblog

Learning curve: one fifth of Aussie kids have difficulty with their school work. Image: Getty
Written by: Melinda Ayre

If your child seems to be struggling with their school work, it’s difficult for parents to know if perhaps there’s something else going on.
If your child is regularly ‘losing’ their homework, skipping words or whole sentences while reading aloud or getting into trouble regularly at school, it could be time to examine the situation further.
It’s now estimated one fifth of Australian children experience difficulty reading, writing or doing maths at their age level, and some internatio nal studies say up to 10 percent of children suffer from dyslexia, one of the most common learning disorders. Click here to read the rest of the story

Anyone With A Disability Should Relate To Finding Dory

Posted on December 18, 2017 by specialneedsresourcetrainingblog

Source (Cerebral Palsy News Today)
Author: Jessica Grono

Movies are usually liked because they are relatable. Seeing many movies that portray a character with cerebral palsy isn’t very common. There are some, but the character is either sick, dying or wants to die. Either way, they’re unrealistic. However, I felt very positive about the movie Finding Dory.

As a child in the late seventies and early eighties, movies about people with disabilities were scarce. I remember seeing one on television that showed a man falling for a woman in a wheelchair, but she ended up dying in the end anyway. Not very positive. More recently, there is a movie about a man who, despite being well-loved, educated and having a great life, commits suicide because he’s in a wheelchair. Again, it was a terrible representation of people with disabilities. Please click here to read the rest of the story.

The Myth of Autism and Exceptional Intellect

Posted on December 13, 2017 by specialneedsresourcetrainingblog

Published by: Neurology Times
Written by: Heidi Moawad, MD

There are a number of stereotypes about autism, including the widespread belief that autistic people are endowed with extraordinary intellectual capabilities. There may be some highly intelligent individuals who display some characteristics that casual observers deem as autistic, but studies have not pointed to a structural or functional link in the brain between exceptional intellect and autism. In fact, recent studies that measure intelligence in autism point to a tendency toward lower than average objective measures of cognitive aptitude among those with autism. Click here to read the rest of the story

Eleven Ways You Can Make Your Autistic Child’s Life Easier

Posted on December 6, 2017 by specialneedsresourcetrainingblog

Published by: Thinking Person’s Guide To Autism
Written by: Shannon Des Roches Rosa

Loving your autistic child with all your heart is a wonderful, precious experience. If you’re not autistic yourself, though, even the purest love can’t always help you intuit how being autistic affects your child’s body, their senses, and how they interact with the world.

You don’t want to inadvertently make your child’s life harder than it has to be, so please consider the advice below—advice I’ve gleaned about autistic experiences, gathered during thirteen years of listening to autistic people, professionals, and parents. Some of these factors are common knowledge in autism communities and circles, but others are really not talked about enough, and every last one bears repeating. Click here for the rest of the story.