Over the past several years, I have attended many meetings with parents and professionals – both for my own child with a disability and as an advocate for others. At…
Mental Retardation Is Not Synonymous With Stupid
This topic is one close to my heart. My daughter, Pearl, has Down Syndrome, one of the leading causes of clinical mental retardation. Every individual who is considered to have…
Parents Can Help Sensory Integration in an Autistic Child
Sensory integration therapy helps children learn to apply all their senses together – touch, taste, small, sight and hearing. The kind of therapy may ease difficulties linked to autism, such…
Fathers of Special Needs Kids Matter Too
After several years of parenting a child with special needs, I am well aware of how easy it is for fathers to feel left out of the process. The family…
Mental Retardation: A Father’s View
Mental Retardation-what a scary thing to hear about your child. All the hopes and plans you dreamed have gone up in smoke in the time it takes to say those…
Problem With IQ Tests for Measuring Mental Age
Assessment tests are one of the core measurements for determining which services a child with learning challenges will receive in school. One common measurement is the Intelligence Quotient or “IQ.”…
Vestibular System and Auditory-Language Process
As they research their child’s disability, many parents learn about sensory integration and the importance of the body’s vestibular system, perhaps the most basic of all the sensory systems. Initially…
Behavioral Health for Young Children
Like adults, children and adolescents can have behavioral health problems that interfere with the way they think, feel and act. These problems are real and painful. They can lead to…