Overcoming Multiple Disabilities: Making the Impossible Possible

May 24, 2013Leave a comment

When presented with multiple disabilities, it can seem a rough road to living a full and fulfilling life. We have many to thank who have forged the road in front of us for making a difference in how to better service everyone. As individual’s with multiple disabilities or as the loved ones of those with multiple disabilities, we know the importance of good therapy and reaching goals. Helen Keller was an individual who forged through the unknown and what seemed like the impossible. As a person who was deaf and blind, she graduated college, world traveler, outspoken, and an author. Her story and courage are examples of therapy that helped an individual with multiple disabilities to blossom into more than many individual’s even thought possible.

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ADHD: Fact, Fiction, and What Can Help

May 13, 2013Leave a comment

When your child is diagnosed with ADHD, so many questions can arise. Here are some facts to help you understand Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder better:

Where to Get Help:

Ask your doctor
See a Developmental Pediatrician
Talk to your child’s school psychologist

Signs of ADHD:

Be easily distracted, miss details, forget things, and frequently switch from one activity to another
Have difficulty maintaining focus on one task
Become bored with a task after only a few minutes, unless doing something enjoyable
Have difficulty focusing attention on organizing and completing a task or learning something new
Trouble completing or turning in homework assignments, often losing things (e.g., pencils, toys, assignments) needed to complete tasks or activities
Not seem to listen when spoken to
Daydream, become easily confused, and move slowly
Have difficulty processing information as quickly and accurately as others
Struggle to follow instructions
Fidget and squirm in their seats
Talk nonstop
Dash around, touching or playing with anything and everything in sight
Have trouble sitting still during dinner, school, and story time
Be constantly in motion
Have difficulty doing quiet tasks or activities
Seem impatient
Blurt out inappropriate comments, show their emotions without restraint, and act without regard for consequences
Have difficulty waiting for things they want or waiting their turns in games

ADHD is:

A Neurobehavioral Disorder
Syptoms often present before age seven
Often Characterized by lack of focus, impulsiveness, and sometimes hyperactivity
Believed to effect 3-5% of children globally with 2-16% diagnosed
Diagnosed 2-4 x’s more in boys
It is normally tested on rating scales

ADHD is NOT:

Although it can be associated with other disorders, it does not mean your child has one of these disorders
Mean your child will go down a bad path in life
A life-long sentence. Only 30-50% of those with it continue having issues with it into adulthood.

Some Things to Help:

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Teacher Appreciation: Thank you to all Those Making a Difference

May 10, 2013May 10, 2013Leave a comment

In accordance with teacher appreciation week,

Thank you to all the wonderful teachers who make us realize…

and that we can get there because…

Thank you!!!

Autism in the Workplace: Shared Success

May 3, 2013Leave a comment

Autism can be challenging anywhere, but sometime autism in the workplace is a key to success. Individual’s with Autism have a unique set of traits that help lead to success in certain work environments. Sometimes they have to steer their own way to success because the typical career path that starts with college can be challenging. College is often times a very social environment, and this is not always the best place for someone with autism. Considering 1 in 88 children are on the autism spectrum, a lot of future and current workers do have autism. The question is where do they fit.

This year alone, 50,000 adolescents with autism will turn 18.

According to a recent NPR article, a natural fit for them is in the tech industry. Why? Because interaction is limited. They can work independently without lots of social interaction, and they can use their great focus to do a great job.

High-tech jobs can be a perfect fit. A neurologist at Children’s Medical Center in Dallas, says people on the high-functioning end of the autism spectrum often have an amazing ability to hyper-focus on a task.

A Texas based company, which solely looks at reaching this untapped marked and hiring them into a shared success of employee and company says:

“We’ve got this one guy, for example; his productivity is three times as productive as the person doing his job who did not have cognitive disabilities before him. And his error rate is 2 percent. He is 98 percent accurate. He’s a phenomenal worker”

If you need more help finding employment for an individual with autism, here is a great career guide.

A Child With Needs

Early child development from a mom and professional.

Month: May 2013