Adults with Special Needs and Housing Options

Posted on January 29, 2019 by specialneedsresourcetrainingblog

For many years, most people with developmental disability had only the option of living at home with family or become institutionalized. Today, people are given many more housing options. Although there is still a challenge in finding the right fit, home opportunities are more available. The following are housing options for adults with special needs.

Living with parents or family

Adults with special needs may choose to live at home with their families as long as they can. In some cases, adults with developmental disabilities continue to live at home after their parent’s death by hiring a Personal care Attendant (PCA). A PCA is hired by a person with a disability to assist with his or her personal care routine. People are eligible for this service is they qualify for Medicaid if they have a severe, chronic disability and requires physical assistance for personal care.

Section 811

The Section 811 program allows persons with disabilities to live as independently as possible in the community by subsidizing rental housing opportunities which provide access to appropriate supportive services. Serves extremely low-income individuals with serious and long-term disabilities, including physical or developmental disabilities as well as mental illness.

Is designed to accommodate the special needs of such persons;
Makes available supportive services that address the individual health, mental health and other needs of such persons; and
Promotes and facilitates community integration for people with significant and long-term disabilities.”

Group Homes

Residential home which provides 24-hour support services in a group setting. Oversight, training and supervision are provided by staff employed by a provider agency. This type of facility is provided to those with significant health and/or safety needs.

Individual Supports

Are limited to 3 or fewer individuals and provide need-based support and services for those living in their own homes or apartments, but do not require 24-hour staff support and supervision.

Assisted living communities,

also referred to as supported care facilities, provide care to older adults who are unable to live independently, often needing assistance with ADLs. Most offer private and semi-private apartment-style living often containing a living area and kitchenette.

Kids with developmental disabilities are more likely to be overweight, study says

Posted on January 28, 2019 by specialneedsresourcetrainingblog

Published By: Action News (6)

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) —

Local researchers have turned up an interesting connection between autism and obesity in children.

Teams at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the University of Pennsylvania, and six others centers found that kids with developmental delays, including autism, were up to 50 percent more likely to be overweight or obese.

And the more severe the symptoms, the greater the chance of being obese.

Doctors don’t know yet why these kids become overweight. It could be due to endocrine disorders, side effects from medication, picky eating, or other factors. Click here to read the rest of the story.

6 Surprising Ways To Ditch Disability Bias In The Workplace

Posted on January 21, 2019 by specialneedsresourcetrainingblog

Published By: Forbes Magazine
Written By: Denise Brodey

People with disabilities, now the largest minority group in this country, are largely misunderstood by business leaders, managers, and well, a lot of people. And at the same time, C-suite executives are actively looking for ways to remove disability bias and lessen the employment gap. But disability advocates say the research and statistics on people’s understanding of the disability community are still dismal. How do we meet in the middle? How do we have the tough conversations that will inspire both sides?
How can we all go the extra mile? Click here to read the rest of the story

15 Resources on Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS)

Posted on January 17, 2019 by specialneedsresourcetrainingblog

Developed in 1985 by Andy Bondy, PHD and Lori Frost, MS, Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) allows individuals with little or no communication the ability to do so using pictures. The approach includes a person giving them a picture in exchange of an item. PECS teaches functional communication and includes 6 phases.

How to communicate. In the first phase, the individual learns to exchange a single picture for an item or activity they want.
Distance and persistence. The individual learns to generalize by using the picture with different people.
Picture discrimination. The individual learns to select from two or more pictures to ask for something.
Sentence structure. Individuals learn to construct simple sentences on a detachable sentence strip
Responsive requesting. Individuals use PECS to answer wh questions.
Commenting. individuals are taught to comment in response to questions.

The following links below include articles and additional information on the PECS system.

Articles on PECS

What is PECS?

Communication Matters

Kid Sense

National Autism Resources

National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorders

Free Printable PECS Cards

28 emotions: Picture communication cards

Autism Tool Kit- Free Printable PECS Cards

Blank faces: Picture communication cards

Female faces: Picture communication cards

Free Primary PECS

Daily visual schedule for kids

Male body parts with words- picture cards

Months of the year: Picture communication cards

Morning routine pictures

Printable for autistic children and their families or caregivers

Guardianship

Posted on January 15, 2019 by specialneedsresourcetrainingblog

When an individual with a developmental disability becomes an adult, Guardianship is something you should consider. In many States, the law will see the individual as an adult able to make decisions on their own. If you have a child with a disability who many never have the ability to make legal decisions on their own, the following information are links on guardianship and what you need to know about them.

Does my child need a guardianship?– Special Needs Alliance

Guardianship– Cincinnati Children’s

Guardianship: A basic understanding for parents– Parenting Special Needs

Guardianship and adult children with developmental disabilities-ICHE

Legal guardianship and your adult child with disabilities– A day in our shoes

My child with a disability is an adult- Now what? – Parenting NH

Special needs children turning 18 years old– Today’s Caregiver

Understanding guardianship for adults with special needs– Protected Tomorrows

When your child turns 18: A guide to special needs guardianship– Friendship Circle