Updated Friday, February 24, 2017 What are sensory rooms? Sensory rooms are designed to “both calm and stimulate the senses” in children with special needs. Occupational Therapist, Carol Cantu says that sensory rooms have three main purposes: to provide relaxation and enjoyment by eliminating distraction, to increase creative sensory input, and to facilitate communication and mobility for children with a wide range of disabilities. Sensory issues are common in children with special needs. Sensory issues include sensitivity to smells, touch, texture, taste, light and sound. For example, some children with sensory issues find different types of clothing bothersome. Sounds bother other children, even sounds most of us struggle to hear. The exact cause of sensory […]
Early intervention vital for kids with dyslexia
Updated Sunday, May 29, 2016 By the time dyslexic children reach first grade, around age 6 or 7, their reading skills are already way behind their peers, reports a new study. This disparity suggests later reading problems in children with dyslexia are caused by the lack of early intervention and not solely by worsening of dyslexia symptoms. “If the persistent achievement gap between dyslexic and typical readers is to be narrowed, or even closed, reading interventions must be implemented early, when children are still developing the basic foundation for reading acquisition,” said Emilio Ferrer, a UC Davis psychology professor. He is lead author of the article published in The Journal […]
ADHD Medications Safe for Kids with Heart Problems – study
Updated Sunday, January 31, 2016Stimulant medications prescribed for ADHD are safe for children with congenital heart disease and other severe heart conditions, according to research from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Researchers report that children with heart conditions taking stimulant medications did not have a higher risk of cardiovascular side effects. They found no evidence of changes in blood pressure or heart rate in the children taking ADHD medications. “Children with congenital heart disease are at high risk for ADHD, but fears about cardiovascular side effects, including sudden death, limit the use of stimulant medications,” says Julia Anixt, MD, a developmental and behavioral pediatrician at Cincinnati Children’s and senior author […]
Manufacturer of autism drug accused of hiding its side effects
Updated Sunday, October 4, 2015Janssen Pharmaceuticals is accused of withholding data on the side effects of Risperidone, a drug used to treat autism, according to a report in Medpage Today. The allegations against Janssen, a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary, arise from documents produced in lawsuits against the company. The documents, from a 2003 study on Risperidone by Janssen, showed a high risk of male breast enlargement among autistic boys who took the drug. Janssen withheld these documents when seeking the U.S. Food and drug Administration’s (FDA) approval to label Risperidone for pediatric use states Medscape. Janssen marketed Risperidone under the name Risperdal. Risperidone is an antipsychotic traditionally used to treat schizophrenia in […]
Special Needs Parents: 8 Books to Inform & Inspire You
Updated Saturday, September 12, 2015No matter where you are on your special needs journey; it is reassuring to know that you are not alone. When I teach parents how to advocate for their special needs children, I tell them not to overlook the best resource – other parents. Parents of children with special need wrote most of these eight books. Reading these books lets you learn from the experience of other parents. The stories offer reassurance and guidance. This list is not intended as an academic list of books providing medical and technical information, although some books touch on these topics. If you’ve read these or any other books, […]
New App for Special Needs Children Improves Attention & Focus
Updated Friday, July 10, 2015Researchers are developing a new mobile application that focuses on improving core attention skills in children with developmental disabilities including autism. Unlike other autism apps which concentrate on social skills, this application improves the ability to: concentrate and stay focused on a task switch attention between tasks inhibit impulsive responding mentally hold and use information “The majority of autism apps focus on social skills training which, while important, it is the ability to improve cognitive skills alongside behavioural skills that is of utmost importance,” said lead researcher Professor Kim Cornish, from the Monash School of Psychological Sciences. In addition, unlike other apps, this new technology was […]
