Kids and teens who are obese are likely to be obese as adults. Some of the health problems that plague over weight adults are now seen in our youth. Some obese children experience immediate health consequences and others are on the road to weight-related health problems in adulthood.

Child obesity is not only a factor in poor physical health but obese children are often the targets of social discrimination. Often this causes low self-esteem which in turn results in academic and social problems. Thank you Allison Foster for your great advice!

Ways to Ensure Your Child’s Obesity by Allison Foster

The United States has a severe eating disorder. Although some areas are trying to promote a healthier way to live, it should be more apparent to parents to raising children how to eat. It’s all too easy to drive up to the window and place an order after a hard day of work, but the lasting effects can be detrimental to your child’s development if this is a common occurrence.

1. Snacks - Let your child pick any sugary snack they wish. After all, you don’t want to put up with them throwing a fit in the store, right? – Cookies and cakes are OK as an uncommon treat, but when you start adding them every night to dinner time, it is doing nothing more than promoting an unhealthy habit as continued sugar usage can become a deadly obsession in the form of diabetes. Do you want to condemn your child to that lifestyle?

2. Vegetables - Few children like eating their vegetables, so why serve them? Don’t waste your money buying something that will just sit in the cupboard for a year without anyone giving a second look at them. – There are many ways to prepare vegetables that will entice a child to eat them. For the most part, raw vegetables dipped in a light ranch dressing could make for a great snack.

3. Pile it On - You went through the trouble of cooking all of that food, so pile it on the plate. A growing child needs to eat, right? – Portion sizes are a common problem in today’s society. Prepared meals don’t need to cover every square inch of your plate. Cooking less food can help and there is nothing wrong with leftovers. They can make a decent lunch later that week provided you eat the leftovers before they begin crawling away on their own.

4. Technology - You spent a great deal of money on that 42-inch LCD for the family to use. At least they’re watching educational television. – Educational television shows are good, but if there is little physical activity throughout the day, the child could begin turning those proteins into fats. Children were entertained without the use of game consoles for several millennia. They can survive an hour or two outside and away from their digital forms of entertainment each day.

5. Fast Food - Dollar menu items are nearly as cheap as cooking for the family, so why not take the work out of dinner time? – There are very few places that you can eat at that provide a balance of nutrition in the form of fast food. Processed foods and greases consumed on a regular basis are very bad for our bodies. Don’t let laziness spell doom for your child’s future eating habits.

While organic foods are as pure as you can make them, you don’t need to subscribe to the idea in order to eat healthier. You children will take their cues from you and you must lead by example if you want them to stave off obesity. By practicing good eating habits yourself, you are promoting the lifestyle to your children who will follow suit. As children really don’t know any better, it is your job to be the parent and protect them from a life of diabetes, heart disease, mental instabilities, and cruelty from others.

Author Byline:

Blogging was a natural progression for Allison Foster once she graduated from college, as it allowed her to combine her two passions: writing and children. She has enjoyed furthering her writing career with www.nannyclassifieds.com. She can be in touch through e-mail allison.nannyclassifieds@gmail.com

The post 5 Ways to Ensure Your Child’s Obesity by Allison Foster appeared first on KidCompanions Chewelry.

Vous cherchez un objet sûr à mâchouiller?

Votre enfant ou élève porte tout à sa bouche? Pour des enfants, il est mieux de leur permettre de mâchouiller, au besoin, un objet identifié pour eux, disponible et permis comme KidCompanions Chewelry.

KidCompanions Chewelry est un accessoire mâchouillable innovateur pour les enfants, adolescents et adultes. Le pendentif KidCompanions a un cordon en 100% coton biologique. Le pendentif est sécuritaire, lavable et coloré. Il a des formes lisses et agréables avec “un point” dur entouré par un coeur caoutchouteux.

Les cordons sont faits de coton durable et lavable de couleurs assorties au pendentif. Ils sont munis d’un fermoir auto-détachable sécuritaire et conçus pour retenir le pendentif et non pour mâcher. Collier et pendentif sont sans latex, bpa, phthalate, pvc, ou plomb.

Nous avons également des versions Clip-on (avec une pince) qui s’attachent aux vêtements pour ceux qui n’aiment pas un collier autour du cou, ou qui s’attachent à la literie, ceintures de sécurité, etc.

S’occuper la bouche…pour mieux se concentrer!

Les stimulations sensorielles orales ont des propriétés qui favorisent la concentration, l’organisation du système nerveux, et la régulation de l’humeur. Nous voyons ceci même avec des adultes qui mâchent sur leur crayon ou stylo. Certains enfants n’ont pas appris à composer leurs besoins sensoriels et comblent leurs besoins de façon inadéquate ou peu acceptable socialement. Sans dire que remplacer les vêtements et jouets abimés coûte beaucoup.

Mordre ou porter des objets non comestibles à la bouche sont des exemples de comportement pouvant indiquer que l’enfant a besoin de stimulations orales motrices. En comblant d’une façon acceptée et acceptable ce besoin de mordre, les comportements problématiques sont réduits chez les enfants. KidCompanions Chewelry est l’outil sensoriel que vous pouvez fournir à ces enfants. Les pendentifs KidCompanions sont adaptés à leur âge et discrets; alors, ne tirent pas d’attention à l’enfant et ne sont pas une distraction pour les autres.

Caractéristiques Uniques de KidCompanions Chewelry

•  Kid Companions Chewelry sont des uniques outils sensoriels pour enfants, adolescents et adultes à besoins spéciaux.
• Ils sont recommandés par les parents et les ergothérapeutes pour les personnes qui doivent mordre, mâcher ou bouger.
• Ils sont conçus dans le but d’être un objet manipulable et à mâchouiller, tout en étant un accessoire esthétique.
• Ils sont sûrs, sans bpa, phtalate, pvc, plomb et sans latex.
• Ils sont élégants et discrets.
• Ils sont marqués CE depuis juillet 2012.
• Ils sont fabriqués avec des matériaux approuvés par la FDA, en provenance des États-Unis/Canada, faits au Canada et vendus dans le monde!
• Ils sont une alternative idéale aux bougeottes et autres mâchouillables qui sont moins discrets.

Pourquoi utiliser KidCompanions Chewelry?

Ces outils sensoriels permettent aux enfants d’éviter de mâchonner leurs vêtements (manches, col) tout en leur permettant de laisser libre cours à cette tendance naturelle.

Les pendentifs KidCompanions peuvent être utiliser comme jouet antiagitation (hand fidget) pour aider les jeunes à se concentrer pour des tâches efficacement et discrètement.

KidCompanions Chewelry est recommandé par les parents et les ergothérapeutes. ET plus important encore aimé par des enfants dans le monde entier!

The post KidCompanions Chewelry: Qu’est-ce que c’est? Qui en a besoin? appeared first on KidCompanions Chewelry.

You will be touched by this mother’s poem to thank her son’s SENCO (special educational needs coordinator). She says she believes this teacher was an ANGEL in disguise. Hope you find such a teacher for your child with special needs!

Read Tracy Palmer’s complete guest post, Diagnosis of Autism, Dyspraxia, Sensory Issues, and ADHD in Final Year of School by Tracey Palmer here.

How Did My Son Fall Between the Cracks

Why was it not spotted? Why did I not defend and question my child’s behaviour? Why did I not demand answers? Speech therapy was not needed; he started to speak in sentences with words I had to look up in the dictionary. He was tested by a school psychologist, but nothing was ever fed back to me only that he was in the top 2% of his school, and because of this and the fact he just aced everything he ever tried (except for sports, he has dyspraxia too !), he just slipped through the net……I should have done something………….

All through his primary education, I sat back and left my child to struggle with his sensory issues, sensory issues I did not know he had.  Guilt is one of my biggest issues (one of many Sara said I would experience).

Secondary school (age 11-16), he kept on getting top marks; he was entered into statistics maths exam at the age of 13 and he passed with flying colours! He still didn’t have any friends. I tried every week to bring his classmates home for tea; he played in one room, they played with me in the other. AGAIN, why did I accept this?

I had to take him out of Scouts. He had been in several years, but a new leader did not want the extra ‘work’ that Cliff appeared to need.  They ridiculed and teased him….AGAIN I did nothing, I just thought it was part of ‘kid’ angst.

In his final year at school (2010), a newly appointed SENCO (special educational needs coordinator), (I believe an Angel in disguise) came back from an Autism course. She was full of energy and advocacy and made an appointment to see us. She suggested that my son may be on the Autistic spectrum; Cliff had spoken to her and wanted her to brooch the subject with us. Here is where denial kicked in!  I did not want a label…

How I Felt About the Diagnosis

The SENCO  wrote out a 20 page document  highlighting Cliff’s behaviour in school. Then we had three visits to the educational psychologist, and February 2010, he received his diagnosis of Aspergers, dyspraxia, sensory integration difficulties and mild ADHD.

A question I have asked several people, and I am still not really sure I understand …why now?

Many of the people and professionals I meet, including Sara, have told me whatever we did as a family, helped Cliff throughout his school life and that we ought to be proud that we managed as we did, and how much he has achieved through all the adversity he has gone through ALONE!

Guilt again sets in……he has never really been a ‘happy’ child, IF I had done ‘something’, would he have been happier? Would his journey have been ‘kinder’ for him?

How Does His Future Look

I am awestruck at his achievements… and I am a proud Aspie mother. He has top academic marks, excels in many areas in music, performed in the local theatre, and has performed in the Oswestry festival four times now, several Christmas concerts and several summer concerts.

He wants to go to University. He has mentioned London …Royal College of Music.  He wants to do Music and Psychology; then he wants to become a Music Therapist. Wow, I am so proud.

I KNOW academically he is capable but I am so scared. He cannot tie his laces, I have to lay his clothes out, he can’t brush his teeth without gagging, his personal hygiene (well!!), he struggles to cross the road, and he still hasn’t any friends. Now he is not being bullied, and college students are more accepting of his idiosyncrasies.  However he still forgets things are hot, he is so trusting and naive….how can I let him go….

How I Thanked My Angel in Disguise

The poem flowed from me, and only took only twenty minutes to write. I did not need to rewrite; the words just seemed to write themselves. I left it out for my hubby to read as he was working nights. He read it and had to wake me, we just held one another that night with tears flowing, and the emotional release was powerful.

This is my poem written for my Son and the Angel of a Teacher that first spotted his ‘diffability’. Our son was 16 years old, diagnosed in February 2010.

The post How One Teacher Made the Difference in this Autisitc Teen’s Life appeared first on KidCompanions Chewelry.

Your child in not able to take part in regular gym class or team sports?  Become informed about all the adaptive sports and adaptive physical activities for children with special needs. Talk to other parents and follow special needs parenting blogs.

Kids with physical disabilities face challenges. Some youth have limited mobility and/or tire more easily than other kids and teens. For some kids with sensory issues, communication challenges or difficulties with social skills, team sports are simply not fun. Kids with side effects from medication, those who are always overtired from lack of quality sleep and youth who are overweight and not physically fit at all will not enjoy many organized activity programs. What is the solution?

Physical Activities for Rural Kids

I was certain when I started researching to write this post that I would find how disadvantaged rural special needs families were in regards to adaptive sports and physical activity. This is still true in many areas especially with sport teams because the special needs community and the support and funding are not there in numbers great enough to make it work. But rural areas have wide open spaces offering ample opportunities for families to enjoy walks, bike rides, horse back riding and lots of unstructured physical activities.

Video Game Systems Designed for Exercising

Surprisingly what IT technology has done to social communication technology has also opened up a whole new realm of possibilities for helping your child with special needs to exercise right in your home. No real sport equipment is required. No more driving or watching for good weather to play outdoors. No schedules to follow. Furthermore, these new, interactive electronic games/activities can be played with more than one player helping foster social skills.

Each video game has many levels of difficulty so your child will find the one he needs. Read about them and choose the game that best suits your child and the area of development you wish to improve. You can find games that address some of the following areas strength, endurance, gross motor development, balance, coordination, body awareness, hand-eye coordination, timing of movements, following sequences, etc. Choose the game that fits your child’s needs… or start with one that your child will LIKE to play because he is good with that skill. His boost in self-esteem might motivate him to try new skills in a different game.

If families find it too expensive to have these games in their homes, schools and community-based fitness centers and programs, like public gyms or local YMCA’s, already have Wii games and exercise modules in place for the use of their members/students. There are also other such games available and new ones coming out all the time:

• Wii Fit Plus  Bundle includes the game software and the Wii Balance Board
• DanceDanceRevolution Bundle Bundle includes game and DDR dance mat controller for Wii
• Wii Spots Tennis, Baseball, Golf, Bowling and Boxing in the comfort of one’s living room
• Kinect Sport Ultimate Sport Collection: two best-selling Kinect™ game wrapped into one – 13 great sporting games - basketball, Soccer, American Football, Bowling, Beach Volleyball, Table Tennis, Boxing, Golf, Tennis, Skiing, Darts, Baseball

My Child Does Not Like Sports or Any Physical Activity

No form of sports or physical exercises interest your child? Promote other activities that involve moving/movements that will almost have the same end results. These come to mind and they are great for all the family and some are relatively not expensive. Can you add others in the comment box?

•  Collecting rocks, leaves, flowers, insects…
• Photographing the objects others would collect or different balconies, unique door knockers, various signs, windows, roofs, birds…
• Gardening…flowers, herbs, vegetables, fruit trees, berry bushes, small green house…
• Watching birds, squirrels, bugs, frogs….
• Playing catch with a dog, throwing a ball back and forth with a friend.
•  Sitting on huge balls and keeping your balance.
• Learning to juggle, stacking cups, arm wrestling…
• Flying kites, making huge soap bubbles…
• Using hula hoops, gymnastic ribbons, dancing,
• Skipping ropes, hop scotch games, playing hide and seek
• Bowling, table tennis, swimming pool games
• Enjoying a playground, playing in your back yard on swings, slides…

 Steps In Planning Physical Activities for Kids with Special Needs

Do it right and have peace of mind. Meet with your family doctor, pediatric physical therapist or a pediatric occupational therapist and have your child evaluated and find out what sports/physical activity would be suitable for him or her. Be sure you’re aware of any risks your child faces, get familiar with the proper safety precautions needed and familiarize yourself with any equipment needed. Almost any kind of disability can be accommodated with adaptive exercise/sport equipment or certain technique adjustments.

Benefits of Physical Activity for Children with Special Needs

All individuals benefit from regular physical activity and children with special needs  especially. We could all gain from these physical, mental and social benefits of being active.

• See improvements in muscle strength, coordination, and flexibility.
•  Improve exercise endurance, cardiovascular efficiency, and possibly increased life expectancy.
• Experience better balance, motor skills and body awareness.
• Will show improvement in behavior, academics, self-confidence and building friendships.
•  Will have positive changes in their health, quality of life and boost to their self-esteem.
•  Gets to experiences a sense of accomplishment and possibly the taste of winning or personal satisfaction.
• Experience increases in attention span, on-task behavior, and level of correct responding.
• Will increase appetite and improve quality of sleep.
• Will see a decrease in secondary health complications like obesity, high blood pressure, low HDL (“good”) cholesterol and diabetes.
• Will find an outlet for their physical energy, will help them cope with stress, anxiety and depression.

Physical Education Programs Available in Schools for Students with Special Needs

Children with Special Needs are children first with the same needs and desires as their peers. The difference is that some of these students need adaptations and extra support.

In the United States to support their ability to learn in school, three Federal laws apply to children with special needs:
• The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (1975)
• Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
• The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) (1990).

PE Central site states: “Special physical education/Adapted Physical Education (APE) is a federally mandated component of special education services [U.S.C.A. 1402 (25)] and ensures that physical education is provided to the student with a disability as part of the child’s special education services.” Physical education involves physical fitness, motor fitness, fundamental motor skills and patterns, aquatics skills, dance skills, individual, group games, and sports (including lifetime sports).

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Public Law 108-466 (2004), states that physical education is a required service for children and youth between the ages of 3-21 who qualify for special education services because of a specific disability or developmental delay. A personally designed program will be outlined in the child’s Individual Education Program/Plan (IEP).

Under US federal law, children with special needs are entitled to participate in organized sports, physical education and recreational programs unless their presence puts them or someone else in danger. Many cities and towns now offer adaptive recreation classes and sports such as basketball, baseball, soccer, softball, swimming, bowling, and tennis…Kids with special needs can enroll in summer camps, Scout groups, dance groups, yoga classes…which now cater to all groups of youngsters.

Parents Must Be Role Models

Parents must be role models for an active lifestyle. Lead by example, make it a family affair and best of all have fun! Use your imagination and find fun, clever ways to get your child moving indoors or outdoors.

How do you make sure your child with special needs get his required daily amount of physical exercise?

See also:

• My Child Does Not Like Any Sport or Any Physical Activity:  Now What? 

The post Children with Special Needs: Benefits of Physical Activities and Adaptive Sports appeared first on KidCompanions Chewelry.

Guest Post: Helping Kids with ADHD: Top Ten Ways on How to Increase Concentration Skills by Patrick Del Rosario

Try to imagine that you live in a constant carnival, with loud noise and bright colors surrounding you. Your first thought might be, “Carnival? That sounds fun!” But now picture trying to live through this kaleidoscope of sights and sounds every second of your day, with dozens of things constantly vying for your attention. Not pleasant, is it? Well, that’s essentially what a normal day is like for a kid growing up with ADHD – with the world bombarding their senses with new stimuli all the time. Knowing this, is it any wonder that concentration can be difficult for them?

If you are the parent of a child with ADHD, or if you work with them, it’s important to remember this when dealing with them. Most of the time, it’s not that they are willfully disobeying you or ignoring you – it’s that they perceive so much more going on around them that it’s incredibly easy for your voice to get pushed into the background and for them to become distracted.

Luckily, there are a number of techniques that experts say have shown to help ADHD children improve their concentration skills. Make working on these methods part of your learning routine, and soon they’ll be interacting much better with the world around them.

1. Reward – don’t punish.

   ADHD kids can often be incredibly frustrating to deal with, and our natural inclination when they disobey us is to punish them for bad behavior. Sometimes this is necessary, but studies have shown that children with ADHD crave positive attention, and respond far better to praise and rewards than the fear of getting punished. If they know that sitting still through a meal is going to get them a hug or that dessert they really want, they will try extra hard to focus so that they “win the prize.”

2. Get physical.

   Often kids with ADHD need to be constantly in motion because they have so much excess energy. One great way to channel that energy and improve their concentration is to involve them in a sport with lots of activity and motion. Basketball, hockey, and soccer can be great because there’s lots of running around, but the roles are also very defined, which speaks to their need for order and control.

3. Schedule and organize everything.

   Most ADHD children zip from one thing to the next because they don’t have a set structure, but if you work out a schedule with them that clearly defines what they should be doing, it really helps them to focus on the task at hand. Especially if you show them that they will get rewarded for successfully keeping to the schedule.

4. Encourage rituals.

   It’s far easier for those with ADHD to succeed in normal, everyday tasks without getting distracted if they have a specific method and pattern to how they do things. For example, to help them get up and remember to get dressed, they should pick their clothes the night before and lay them out. When they see them the next morning, it will act as a trigger and they are less likely to forget.

5. Use timers and stopwatches.

   These are great for a couple of reasons. First, they help to keep both you and the child on schedule and in a routine. Second, they can – and should – be used in “games” to increase concentration, such as sitting still in a chair for 60 seconds, or working on homework for a half hour.

6. Give them fish oil supplements.

   Studies in the UK have shown that when schoolchildren with ADHD are given fish oil supplements with Omega 3 fatty acids, their ability to concentrate and focus increases, they become calmer, and their grades improve.

7. Yoga and martial arts.

   Yoga may seem like an odd choice for a child with ADHD – especially when paired with martial arts – but what both of these have in common is that they involve strenuous physical activity as well as lots of quiet, focus, and concentration. By combining these things together, people with ADHD are better able to “turn down the volume” of the world around them.

8. Simon.

   Yes, that Simon – the electronic game where you repeat patterns. Games are great ways to get ADHD kids to focus in general, and Simon helps to teach colors, patterns, and focus because if they aren’t paying attention, they won’t be able to win. Memory and Concentration are two more great games in this vein.

9. Make a distraction-free zone.

   Even the best of us can have our productivity negatively affected by distractions in our environment, so imagine what it must be like for a child with ADHD if they are trying to work with the TV or radio on. Once they are able to focus on things like homework without being distracted by their own mind, help them by creating a space that’s just for them where they can have the quiet and solitude they need to focus.

10. Word puzzles.

    Unlike science and math, where problems can easily be made to feel like games, reading and learning words might be a bit of a bore for kids with ADHD. That’s where word searches and crosswords come into play. When playing these, ADHD kids will focus on winning, and as a side effect, they’ll improve their ability to sequence and pay more attention to words.

About the Author:

Patrick Del Rosario is part of the team behind Open Colleges. It is one of Australia’s pioneer and leading providers of TAFE courses and language courses. When not working, Patrick enjoys blogging about career, business, and culture. Patrick is also a photography enthusiast and is currently running a photography studio in the Philippines.

The post Helping Kids with ADHD: Top Ten Ways on How to Increase Concentration Skills appeared first on KidCompanions Chewelry.

Families can browse which adapted bike they would like to win in the giveaway and discuss how bike riding could benefit their child with special needs. These benefits can be included with their entry that must have a picture of their child with special needs along with a short explanation of why they need an adaptive bike.

All individuals benefit from regular physical activity. Much has been written about the physical, mental and social benefits of being physically active. Unfortunately parents of kids with special needs often say that their child does not like anything about his physical education classes and they do not want to take part in organized, traditional team sports. We also read about the alarming fact that too many children with special needs are overweight or obese.

Look at these troubling numbers in a report released by AbilityPath.org called, “Finding Balance: Obesity and Children with Special Needs” in partnership with Special Olympics and Best Buddies International:

• 80% of children with functional limitations on physical activity were either overweight or obese

• 50.8% of children in special education programs were either overweight or obese

•  67.1% of the teens with autism spectrum  disorder were either overweight or obese.

• 86.2% of the teens with Down syndrome  were either overweight or obese.

Friendship Circle’s Great Bike Giveaway will make it possible for a few youngsters with different needs to engage in a wonderful way to exercise and keep fit. Riding an adapted bike will have positive changes in their health, quality of life and boost to their self-esteem. They will get to experiences a sense of accomplishment and see improvements in muscle strength, coordination, and flexibility among other benefits.

The Great Bike Giveaway is for children and young adults with special needs. It is a national contest (for folks in the US) giving away adaptive bikes. This year they are partnering with Buddy Bike, Rifton, Ambucs, Triaid Flaghouse and Tadpole Adaptive.

Why The Great Bike Giveaway?

Many children with special needs miss out on the childhood joy of bike riding because their physical or cognitive limitations make riding a bicycle near impossible. For this reason Friendship Circle has created a contest that will enable  children with special needs to win a bike.

How The Contest Works

1. Between April 15th and May 12th a parent of a child with special needs can choose their bike and submit a picture of their child with special needs along with a short explanation of why they need an adaptive bike.

2. Once the entry has been submitted the participant will need to be nominated by 50 friends and family members to be entered in the drawing.

3. A drawing will be held for each prize to determine the winners of the adaptive bikes. Only those with 50 nominations will be eligible.

Director’s Choice Prize

In Addition to the drawing, five additional entries will be selected as Director’s Choice Winners. These winners will be chosen by the Great Bike Giveaway Contest Coordinator and will each receive a $500 Gift Registry courtesy of Tadpole Adaptive towards an adaptive bike.

New for 2013!

In addition to the bikes that have been sponsored, Individuals have the ability to donate to the Great Bike Giveaway to get more bikes added. Every time the donation meter is filled another bike gets added to the drawing!

• To enter the Great Bike Giveaway visit www.greatbikegiveaway.com

• For contest rules visit www.friendshipcircle.org/bikes/rules.

How You Can Help

Whether you have a child with special needs or not you can help more children with special needs win an adaptive bike.

1. Donate To Add More Bikes

You can make a donation on any of the bike pages. Once enough money has been donated an additional bike will be added to the Great Bike Giveaway.

2. Share and promote

Let as many people as possible know about the opportunity to win an adaptive bike by sharing the the contest via your social networks and email. You can also check out our resources page for additional tools you can use to share the contest.

Your help in sharing this contest is greatly appreciated by Friendship Circle, The Adaptive Bike sponsors and most importantly by the special needs families who will have a chance to win an adaptive bike because of your efforts.

A Special Thank You To the Sponsors

The post Friendship Circle’s 2013 Great Bike Giveaway for Kids with Special Needs appeared first on KidCompanions Chewelry.

How To Make Physical Activities FUN – Outdoors and Indoors

So your child finds no form of sports or physical exercises interesting. You know the many benefits being physically fit would bring to your child; therefore, you must disguise physical activities in another form. Promote other activities that involve moving/movements that will have the same end results. The following come to mind and many are great for all the family and relatively inexpensive. Can you add others in the comment box?

Outdoor Fun, Physical Activities for the Whole Family

•  Collecting rocks, leaves, flowers, insects… nature walks

• Photographing the objects others would collect or taking photos of different balconies, unique door knockers, various signs, windows, roofs, birds…

• Gardening…flowers, herbs, vegetables, fruit trees, berry bushes, small green house…

• Watching birds, squirrels, bugs, frogs, butterflies, ….

• Walk a dog, rake leaves to make a huge pile to jump in, visit a U-pick for berries or apples

• Go swimming, fishing, canoeing, beachcombing,

• Go camping, gather firewood, catch fireflies, explore the woods,

• Playing catch with a dog, throwing a ball back and forth with a friend.

• Flying kites, making huge soap bubbles…

• Skipping ropes, hop scotch games, playing hide and seek.

• Going on a bike ride, pull a wagon, push a sibling in a stroller/baby carriage.

• Bowling, karate, swimming pool games.

• Enjoying a playground, playing in your back yard on swings, slides…

• Sledding, building snowmen, snow forts, snow houses, snow shovelling, snowshoeing

Get Kids Moving Inside the Home

• Making homemade eductional games that involve moving. Indoor Hopscotch, replace number with math or words-Make learning fun!

• Playing with games like the interactive Wii games.

• Using hula hoops, gymnastic ribbons, dancing, freeze dance, dancing with costumes,
  

• Playing with bean bags, balloons, soft balls, pool noodles,

• Playing table tennis, homemade bowling games, jumping games

• Learning to juggle, stacking cups, arm wrestling…

• Play Simon Says, Move Like a …snake, monkey, fish,  indoor hockey on the knees with soft puck and rubber hockey stick

• Basketball with soft foam ball or sock ball, Balloon Volleyball,

• Indoor obstacle races –  over, under furniture, move like a snake, roll, hop, ..

The physical, mental and social benefits derived from sports participation or any physical activity for all ages and abilities are widely accepted. Also, “Play builds the kind of free-and-easy, try-it-out, do-it-yourself character that our future needs.” ~ J. L. Hymes Jr.

The above activities are Fun, Fascinating and Easy to do for everyone. Get your kids moving every day! Please share with us how you get your reluctant child to take part in daily physical activities.

The post My Child Does Not Like Sports or Any Physical Activities: Now What? appeared first on KidCompanions Chewelry.

Answers to sensory issues are also found in the following article written by Britt Collins, M.S., OTR/L It is reprinted with permission from a featured article that appeared in as issue of Autism Asperger’s Digest magazine. Learn more about this magazine here. We have added the photos and subheadings.

Savvy Sensory Parenting! By Britt Collins, M.S., OTR/L

Your first child. What an exciting, wonderful, and anxious time it is! When you found out you were pregnant, you probably read stacks of baby books, and read even more as your baby grew into a toddler. When you discovered your child was on the autism spectrum, you undoubtedly searched out any and every book you could find that would help you understand your child better.

Along the way you may – or may not – have read about sensory processing disorder (SPD) or sensory processing problems in spectrum kids. Recent studies report that approximately 5-10% of all children experience sensory symptoms significant enough to affect their everyday life functions. Within the ASD population that number can be as high as 95%! (Tomchek, 2007)

Sensory issues may have resonated with you to some degree; you grasped what sensory sensitivities might feel like to your child. But, noticing them – before your child is in sensory overload – well, perhaps you’re a little lost there. No worries! I’m here to help you become a more sensory savvy parent! Jackie Olson (a mom) and I co-wrote Sensory Parenting: From Newborns to Toddlers (Sensory World, 2010) to reach out to new and pregnant moms with information about our sensory systems and how they work. For many new parents, this is foreign territory!

Our Senses

So, let’s assume you know the basics: there’s not five senses (touch, taste, hearing, smell, sight) but seven (add in vestibular and proprioception) and some experts say there are lots more! Our kids can be hypo (under) sensitive or hyper (over) sensitive in any area. And, that sensitivity level can vary sense to sense and day to day, or even hour to hour depending on the conditions at hand! You understand this is biology at work within your child: it’s not something he can control at will. And, that sensory issues cause very real problems in your child’s life that interfere tremendously with her ability to be calm, focused, attentive, and happy.

How We All Avoid Sensory Overload

But – how do you know when your child is in sensory overload? Are there early warning signs, behaviors to look for that tell you something is amiss? Yes there are, and as a parent you have to play detective to figure out your child’s specific sensory sensitivities and recognize the red flags. Your goal is to help your child avoid sensory overload (it’s no fun!) or offer strategies to calm down afterwards.

I believe almost everyone has some sort of sensory issue. Maybe you buy tag-less t-shirts because the tag drives you crazy, or you prefer a certain type of comfortable clothing (I prefer anything cozy, like a large sweatshirt and warm socks). It’s really irritating when strangers keep bumping into you in a crowded subway, and you never go to loud concerts because they hurt your ears. Rides at Disneyland that go up and down or round and round? Forget it; you’d be nauseous in under a minute! All that is sensory based.

And so is the flip side. You love deep pressure massage; it’s so calming to your system. You go to the gym to release the frustrations of the day. You relax in a warm bath, scented with your favorite aromatherapy products – ah, how good they make you feel! And there’s nothing better than the smooth, creamy texture of good ice cream. That’s all sensory-based, too!

I’ve met scores of parents who start to realize their own sensory issues when they begin to educate themselves about their children’s sensory challenges. When they feel, first hand, what it’s like, they start better understanding what their child may be experiencing on a daily basis when the world is too loud, too bright, too fast – too intense!

Why Meltdowns Occur

Everyday sensory sensitivities become a problem when we are so affected by them we can no longer function as we should. This is what happens with our kids, and they express this through their behavior – the only way they know how to tell us! And yet, many parents attribute behavior problems to “something else” and don’t realize how much of an impact sensory issues have. They put their children in uncomfortable situations every day: the grocery store, the mall, the playground, loud birthday parties, restaurants, and the like – and they expect the kids to “behave.” More often than not these situations are way too overwhelming and a meltdown or shut down results.

Warning Signs of Sensory Overload

As a sensory savvy parent you learn to look for the signs of sensory overload. Every child is different and you’ll need to learn to read your own child’s warning signs. That said, let me give you some things to look for. If your child covers her ears, she is more than likely trying to shut out disturbing auditory sounds. If he blinks a lot, averts his eyes, or his eyes water frequently, he could be bothered by too-bright lights (to him!) or the sun. If she pushes away certain foods, and you notice a pattern (they’re all soft or all crunchy) it’s probably a tactile issue. As sensory overload approaches, kids can have different reactions. She may begin to get quiet or disengage if before she was talking to you. You may notice he’s starting to verbally stim or fidget or whine, or grind his teeth. All of these things can be signs of sensory stress. Other signs you might notice:

• singing or talking really loudly to drown out other uncomfortable sounds
• crying or screaming because something touching her doesn’t feel right or hurts
• pulling away from you because he’s scared or anxious to go where you want him to. He may remember last time, when someone dropped a jar of pickles on the floor and the smell was so bad.

Is It Sensory Related or Plain Behavior?

You may be wondering: is it all sensory related or is some of it just plain “behavior?” Good question! The difference between sensory and behavior is an article in itself, but you can look for cues from your child and the environment to know what’s what. Is he throwing a tantrum because you told him he cannot have ice cream for breakfast? That’s behavior. Or is it because you washed his favorite shirt with a new detergent and now it smells terrible? That’s sensory. Is she shutting down because you’re asking her to write her spelling words (behavior)? Or is it because you’re frying fish for dinner in the kitchen, the smell makes her gag, and she can’t focus on the task (sensory)? If it’s sensory, remember your child can’t control this – so you need to be proactive, stop and think about what’s going on and what might be causing the behavior. If it’s a sensory issue, it’s your job to step in and help your child. That means you change your behavior and adapt the environment to alleviate your child’s sensory issue at hand and help her regain sensory equilibrium.

Sometimes sensory issues are obvious; at other times they’re not. I work with a child who has impaired hearing. When an adult puts his hearing aid in, he gets upset and grinds his teeth. He is not used to hearing so many sounds and all of a sudden the world is probably like a rock concert to him.  I work with another child who begins to physically shake when a peer approaches her to talk. She walks up on her toes and begins to grimace. She will eventually engage and we encourage her to interact, but do so with plenty of breaks so it doesn’t become too overwhelming. One parent I know couldn’t figure out why her son wouldn’t stay in his bed at night. She eventually discovered their cat had deposited a “gift” right under the middle of his bed while they were away on vacation. Her son’s sensitive smell detected the lingering odor when she could not.

Being a sensory savvy parent is one part curiosity, one part sleuth skills, and one part perspective. Be open to seeing the world through your child’s senses and at first, adapting the environment to make it more conducive to your child’s needs. Over time, and with the help of a good OT, you can set up a sensory plan that will help your child learn to self-regulate and deal with the sensory issues.

And finally, forgive yourself for those moments we all experience. Here’s a common one: you’re getting three kids ready for school in the morning and you’re running late for work. Your child with ASD/SPD begins to melt down because in the rush you put on the socks that have little tiny strings inside that drive him crazy. Now one child is screaming, another is telling you she forgot to do her homework the night before and the teacher will be mad, and the third child is telling you to pick him up from soccer practice after school! You notice your own meltdown meter skyrocketing! It’s okay, you are not alone – it happens to all of us. Stop, take a deep breath, and play detective to find out why your spectrum child is upset. Retrace your steps and once you figure out it’s the socks, go find the seamless ones, switch them out, and then everyone can calm down. Just toss one of those little chocolate Dove bars into your purse for the ride to work… you know, the kind that make you sigh with a sense of pleasure? Now you understand what it means to be a sensory savvy parent!

BIO: Britt Collins, MS, OTR/L:  Since graduating from Colorado State University with a Masters Degree in Occupational Therapy, Britt has practiced in a variety of settings; including sensory integration clinics, school districts, home service, rehabilitation hospital, and skilled nursing facilities. She has mainly focused her career as an OT on Sensory Integration and how this affects children with various special needs, such as autism, ADHD, sensory processing disorder, ADHD, feeding issues, cerebral palsy and Down syndrome. Recently, Britt landed her dream position at the STAR center in Denver, Colorado which was founded by Dr Lucy Jane Miller. Please see: www.spdstar.org for more information about this amazing sensory based clinic.

• Buy Sensory Parenting: The Elementary Years Sensory World (Future Horizons) Amazon.com   Amazon.ca
• Buy Sensory Parenting: Newborns to Toddlers Sensory World (Future Horizons) Amazon.com Amazon.ca

Recommended Reading – Read Special Needs Book Reviews of:

• Growing an In-Sync Child: Simple, Fun Activities to Help Every Child Develop, Learn, and Grow -by Carol Kranowitz, MA, and Joye Newman, MA

• Raising a Sensory Smart Child: The Definitive Handbook for Helping Your Child with Sensory Integration Issues by  Lindsey Biel, OTR/L and Nancy Peske

The post Savvy Sensory Parenting! By Britt Collins, M.S., OTR/L appeared first on KidCompanions Chewelry.

The implementation of an IEP should not have two warring sides. All team members are there to smooth the educational journey of YOUR CHILD. I have been on both sides of the table, believe you me, neither is easy. If anything, the whole IEP team is tied by THE SYSTEM and THE BUDGET FOR SPECIAL NEEDS. It is not parents vs. school.

*

I have gone to bat for special needs children in my class and had my fingers rapped by higher up. Teachers have much less clout to fix THE SYSTEM than parents and Special Needs support groups. Advocate for your child; do not alienate those who are on the same team. Find the root causes of problems and try to influence changes by going diplomatically through the right channels.

Why Have An IEP?

Parents and professionals from the school, as well as the child if he/she is old enough, must schedule an initial meeting…the first of many I am afraid to say. In an IEP meeting, the decisions regarding special education and related services are made and the individualized educational plan is discussed. The IEP will outline the services your child needs to meet his learning needs. Information about your child’s present educational performance is stated and the specific measurable goals he/she is expected to accomplish within the year are listed. Also short term goals are included and evaluated throughout the year on the way to making progress towards his annual goals.

What is the Role of the Parents?

From the beginning, parents must keep good records in a large, sturdy folder which can be brought to meetings and appointments.

Who Makes Up the IEP Team?

• Parents and child if he/she is old enough
• Previous classroom teacher if a school term is starting
• Regular classroom teacher
•  School system representative: ( usually our principal and or the Special education coordinator attended)
• Professional who can interpret the evaluation results that led to your child’s eligibility for an IEP
• Professional who will provide services as part of the IEP
• Any other person either party deems has special expertise about the child

It is important that parents continue to be informed and involved in their child’s education leading up to the IEP and for all the years after.

*

A student with special educational needs can still participate in the school culture and extra-curricular activities. They can still access the general curriculum.  The IEP is intended to help children reach educational goals more easily than they otherwise would… and you can all rejoice at graduation time on a job well done by the IEP team!

The post Why Have an IEP? – Tips for Parents on Their IEP Role appeared first on KidCompanions Chewelry.

Tali Field Berman and Abby Rappaport have compiled a simple, user-friendly, spiral

bound manual with 201 fun games to be played right in your home. The games are fun for any child. Adaptions/variations are given so you can customize the games to fit your child’s needs and interests. Read the complete review here.

We then had the pleasure of interviewing Tali F. Berman.  Read the complete interview here. Here is part of her interesting, informative responses.

Lorna: The games you have featured in Play to Grow! Over 200 Games Designed to Help Your Special Child Develop Social Skills were designed to help a special child develop fundamental social skills. When someone asks, “What is your book about? Will the games help my child?” what do you answer?

<<Tali Field Berman:  I would say that this book is about how to optimize your child’s growth through fun, simple to prepare and engaging games.  It is about teaching the key ingredients in creating games that will be effective for your child so you can develop as many as you want, plus, of course, it gives you 201 game ideas that you can implement right away.  Will it help your child? Definitely! This book is designed to help you see concrete growth in every fundamental area of development, including; eye contact, communication/language, interactive attention span, flexibility, gross/fine motor skills, self-helps skills, the list is endless!>>

Lorna: Your book tells us you are the pioneer/founder of Meir: Autism Treatment Center in Israel. Please elaborate.

<<Tali F. Berman: I founded Meir: Autism Treatment Center in Israel in 2003.  The purpose of Meir is to bring The Son-Rise Program®, a powerful home-based, parent run program developed over twenty five years ago, to families in Israel and around the world.  We work with children diagnosed with Autism, Autism Spectrum Disorder, PDD/NOS and children with other developmental delays….>>

Message  from Tali F. Berman, Autism Specialist/Author/Founder  Meir: Autism Treatment Center FREE Autism Empowerment Telesummit 2013 - Discover the KEY in Unlocking Your Child’s Potential

Dear dedicated parents and professionals,

I have been brewing up something special for you in honor on Autism Awareness Month…

Doors for the FREE ”Autism Empowerment Telesummit- 2013” is officially open!

What is the Autism Empowerment Telesummit?

An incredibly prestigious group of 11 of the top worldwide autism experts, with years of experience, research and success, are devoted to sharing their knowledge and practical tools with you so you can witness transformation in YOUR child.

Do the names Jenny McCarthy, Donna Gates, Anat Baniel, Kerri Rivera or Julie Matthews mean anything to you (just to name a few)?

Claim your spot by clicking this link: http://autism-telesummit.com/

This telesummit is for you if you know that more is possible for your child but can’t figure out HOW to help your child make the next leap in his development.

Imagine your child (or the child you work with) …

• Having a healthy digestive system and improved immunity.
• Experiencing more physical comfort in his/her everyday life.
• Overcoming his/her challenging eating habits.
• Having fewer episodes of hitting/biting/head banging and temper tantrums.
• Growing without barriers by reducing the chemical toxins that impact growth and development.
• Feeling, understanding, moving, and thinking in ways that seemed unattainable before.
• Breaking through communication barriers so s/he can more fully understand and be understood.
• Deepening his relationship with you, family members and peers.
• [Fully engaging in games with you and his/her peers.
• Having the tools to handle bullying with ease and confidence.

Plus, imagine knowing how to best take care of YOU so you can be most effective in helping your child and experience more energy and joy in your life.

Simply click below to save your spot in this FREE virtual event that you can access from the comfort of your own home. http://autism-telesummit.com

Once you click this link you will be brought directly to the registration page so you can meet the panel of experts and make sure that you don’t miss out on this value-packed event by registering today!

I hope you will join me in the “Autism Empowerment Telesummit-2013“, so you can discover the key in unlocking your child’s potential and become a part of this trail blazing, worldwide community who is ready to be empowered.

As the saying goes, “Knowledge IS power” and there is no better way to gain knowledge than directly from the experts themselves.

Dedicated to turning YOU and your child’s potential into reality, 

Tali Field Berman

Autism Specialist/Author/Founder Meir: Autism Treatment Center in Israel www.meirautism.org

P.S.  This is not  just THE Autism Event of the year.  This is a MOVEMENT of passionate and “stop at nothing” parents and professionals who are dedicated to learning all the tools they can to empower change in their children.

We are all individuals, in a larger community, whose lives have been touched by autism.  Don’t keep this incredible FREE event to yourself!

Share the word with every person, group and social network that can benefit.  Wouldn’t you have wanted someone to pass this along to you?

Think of the ripple affect…

Here is the link again:

http://autism-telesummit.com

Learn the secret ingredients to creating and playing developmental games your child will LOVE!

Do you plan to attend? Know any of the 11 top worldwide autism experts?

The post FREE Autism Empowerment Telesummit 2013 – Discover the KEY to Unlock Your Child’s Potential appeared first on KidCompanions Chewelry.