What are functional math skills? Before you answer, let’s be clear we are referring to the ones we teach our students. We don’t want you to remember how much you hate math and stop reading this article. This post is about the math skills our students need to live independently in the community, to care […]
Continue readingPeople with developmental disabilities are plenty used to being seen as the ones in need of help. By teaching them volunteerism, you might say we flip the script. Volunteering is not only beneficial to those with developmental disabilities, but to the larger community as well.Our ultimate goal is not just for our students to join […]
Continue readingGoogle is a useful tool. Like any tool, however, you have to know how to use it.Parents of children with autism are already overwhelmed before they get a chance to sit down at their laptop. The last thing they need is to scroll through the tens of millions of hits that result from entering the […]
Continue readingSpecial needs educators feel a certain responsibility to teach their students to help themselves. In the path that most children follow, they are groomed for the dog-eat-dog competition that the real world can often be. Special needs educators know their students will eventually have to thrive in that same world. That is why they are […]
Continue readingWe all feel connected through play. It starts when you are young, and with other children. It continues as we discover sports and extracurricular activities. Even gamers connect with others! It is only when we become adults that we might lose our sense of play, but wouldn’t you say that’s part of the reason we […]
Continue readingJohn Lennon once said “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” Planning for the future of our children begins long before they are born. Yet, when they finally show up, we learn what life has in store.An autism diagnosis will certainly challenge or complicate the future you envisioned for your child. You […]
Continue readingParents can’t stress enough how crucial pre-vocational skills must play a part in their child’s education. Their only wish is for their children to obtain the best skill set they can by being as independent as they can once they are adults. Our occupational therapy related services curriculum is mostly comprised of pre-vocational skills. They […]
Continue readingWe often don’t take enough time to appreciate just how complicated daily life is. Take grocery shopping, for example. Between the swarm of people, navigating the maze of aisles and making sure you don’t miss any items on your list, it can be an overwhelming experience. That is why grocery shopping is also a perfect […]
Continue readingThe struggle for a special needs child dealing with an Obsessive-compulsive disorder is not only a daily challenge for the child, but also for the parent(s) or guardian. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is classified as an anxiety disorder, yet there is a great deal of resistance to the notions of coping skills such as relaxation and […]
Continue readingObsessive-compulsive disorder is not synonymous with fastidiousness. In other words, the next time you feel pleased by how organized your house or desk is, try to avoid uttering the phrase “I am so OCD!” People who have OCD experience obsessions and compulsions that feed each other in re-occurring, hard-to-escape loops. These obsessions are always unpleasant […]
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