Tag Archives: epilepsy

April Special Needs Article Links

Posted on by

Welcome to the April article links. These are articles that I tweeted and or received from viewers during the month of April on special needs and developmental disability topics. Enjoy!

5 practical ways to help adults with autism gain employment (Autism Parenting Magazine)

10 things I wish the entertainment industry understood about autism (The Mighty)

20 tips on employment for students with disabilities (The Inclusion Lab)

Autism and parent fatigue (Autism Awareness Centre, Inc.)

Grandparents may be first to spot autism in a child (NHS)

How animals can help autistic children  (The Conversation)

Making art galleries autism friendly (A.N)

Moms work to empower children and adults with autism (ABC News)

New guideline tackles sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (Neurology Advisor)

Robots helping to teach students with autism in West Vancouver– (Global News)

Stop telling me I don’t look autistic (Metro)

Teaching Important life skills to kids with autism (Nurse Barb’s Daily Dose)

The innovating creative superpower of ADHD (Yes Magazine)

What teachers should know about ADHD and ASD (Edutopia)

When a child with autism gets lost (HuffPost)

Disability Awareness Month Schedule

Posted on by

awareness.header

Ribbons have long been used as a way to bring awareness and raise consciousness for a cause. Ribbons and disability awareness has evolved from brining awareness to various disability topics such as sensitivity, core information, inclusion and advocacy to including information in various formats including resources, activities and print information.

Below, you will find awareness ribbons for specific disabilities and the months they are recognized including the links. If you noticed that I missed any, please let me know.

Awareness Ribbons

Puzzle Awareness Ribbon

autism_ribbonAutism

Burgundy  Awareness Ribbon

burgundy-awareness-ribbon Sickle Cell Anemia , Williams Syndrome

Purple Awareness Ribbon

epilepsy ribbonEpilepsy

Down Syndrome

down syndrome ribbonDown Syndrome

Lime Green Ribbon

lime awarenss ribbon Muscular Dystrophy and Spinal Cord Injuries

 

Orange Awareness Ribbon

adhd.ribbonADHD, Multiple Sclerosis, and Sensory Processing Disorder

Lavender Awareness Ribbon
Rett Syndrome

Blue Awareness Ribbon

hydrapany.ribbonApraxia, Cri Du Chat, Hydrocephalus

Light Blue Awareness Ribbon

tuberous.scherous.ribbonTrisomy 18, DiGeorge Syndrome

 Observance  Awareness Months

March

 Trisomy18

Multiple Sclerosis

Cerebral Palsy

Developmental Disabilities

April

Autism

Auditory Processing Disorder

May

Apraxia

Cri Du Chat

Cystic Fibrosis

Williams Syndrome

June

Dravet Syndrome Day

July

Fragile X Syndrome

National Craniofacial Awareness and Prevention Month

September

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Day

Hydrocephalus

Sickle Cell Anemia

Spinal Cord Injuries

October

ADD/ADHD

Down Syndrome

Rett Syndrome

Sensory Processing Disorder

November

DiGeorge Syndrome

Epilepsy

Do you know of any Awareness Days that have been off the list? Would love to hear from you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanksgiving and Mealtime Precautions

Posted on by

mealtime_thanksgiving_logo

Thanksgiving is the day set aside in the United States and Canada as a day of pausing to reflect all that we are thankful for by connecting with friends and family over good food. It is also the day of taking special precautions when serving people with developmental disabilities.

Aspiration is a huge risk during the holiday season. Factors that place people at risk for aspiration includes the following:

  • Being fed by someone else
  • Poor chewing or swallowing skills
  • Weak or absent coughing/gagging reflexes which is common in people with cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy
  • Eating to quickly
  • Inappropriate fluid consistency
  • Inappropriate food texture

For children and adults with autism, Thanksgiving may be a challenge for a variety of reasons:

  • Sensory and emotional overload with large groups
  • Picky eaters
  • Difficulty with various textures of food

To help you mange Thanksgiving with ease, click on the articles below:

8 tips for managing Thanksgiving with children with autism

Autism and Thanksgiving: How to cope with the feasting and hubbub

Feeding kids with sensory processing disorders

Preparing for Thanksgiving on the autism spectrum

Swallowing problems? What to do about Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving dinner ideas for speech therapy activities

Tips for Navigating Thanksgiving on the Spectrum