Search Results for: blog you are your childs advocate

Become the Best Advocate for Your Child

You are your child’s best hope for a brighter future and happier today. Children with special needs rely on their parents for more than the average child does. Whether he needs help physically, socially, in the classroom, or in a hospital setting, your child with a special need needs you to be his voice and his advocate until he is able to be one for himself. Here are some ideas on how to do best by your child and give him everything he needs and deserves to succeed and thrive. 1 Learn every detail you can about your child’s needs. … Continue reading →

Does Your Preschooler Have a Developmental Delay? Answer These 20 Questions

The following checklist should be used as a guideline to help you determine whether your son or daughter should be evaluated for a developmental delay. This is only a first step in helping you sort out your child’s symptoms and behaviors, using your daily observations. It’s important to remember that all children develop at different rates and they all display problem behaviors at times. What you should look for is an overall picture, or consistent pattern of behaviors or struggles. These questions apply to a child between the ages of approximately two and four. For each one, you’ll need to … Continue reading →

Do You Brake (Or Veer) For Bicyclists?

In the past I have written blogs about the importance of wearing a bike helmet, but prior to yesterday I never thought about how I reacted when driving by bicyclists who were not wearing helmets. Perhaps, I shook my head in disgust or let out a sigh, or perhaps, even hoped that they wouldn’t get into an accident. But, I never took into account what I did behind the wheel. Well, not until yesterday. Yesterday I read an interesting report done by a Bristish professor who was run over twice by vehicles while he conducted a study on bicycle safety. … Continue reading →

Advocating for the Rights and Needs of Children and Young People.

Advocacy is speaking up for someone, something, or fighting for a cause. It is a process of negotiation to assist in having rights and needs met. Advocacy can take many different forms. There’s individual advocacy, citizen advocacy, systems advocacy, parent advocacy, self-advocacy and cause advocacy. Every time you stick up for a child or relay information about what has happened for a child, you are advocating for that child’s rights. Every time you make a suggestion for improving playground access for a child with a disability, you are advocating for the rights of people with a disability. Every time you … Continue reading →

Ten Ways to Help Your Child with Bipolar Disorder Succeed in School

Researchers are coming to the conclusion that a large number of children in the United States who were thought to have ADHD actually have early onset bipolar disorder. ADHD and early onset bipolar disorder are “look alikes” and can be misdiagnosed. There are many other ADHD look-alikes, which I will address in a future blog. The child with bipolar disorder can have difficulties in the public school system, for obvious reasons. Their mood swings, manic behaviors and depression can create obstacles to learning. A child with bipolar disorder should be in frequent contact with a caring child psychiatrist who can … Continue reading →

Things to Consider When Seeking a Diagnosis for Your Child

Perhaps the most frustrating thing we’ve had to deal with regarding our special needs children, who were adopted, is getting them diagnosed so we can get them the help they need. Parents who have biological children often have trouble obtaining a diagnosis when they need it as well. The difference is that a biological parent often has a family medical history. Chances are too a person who has custody of their biological child is less likely to have abused illegal drugs during their pregnancy. In considering where our children’s concerning behaviors come from, there were some things we needed to … Continue reading →

FREE Programs are Available for your Infant or Toddler!

Many parents do not realize the following: 1. They can receive a free assessment for their infant or toddler to determine if he or she has a developmental delay or disability; and 2. Early intervention services are available, usually FREE OF COST*, to help any infant or toddler who is determined to have one. GIVE YOUR CHILD A HEAD START! Unfortunately, many parents either act too slowly to get their child assessed, or simply don’t find out about these programs until their child is nearly entering school. This is a disappointing loss. Children with developmental delays need EARLY intervention, that … Continue reading →

No Free-Range Kids for Me?

You may have heard the term, “Free-Range Kids.” Author Lenore Skenazy has written a book about this topic. I admit that I haven’t read this book, so I can’t review it directly, but I know several parents who have. One thing about the book and the whole “Free-Range Kids” idea is that it is definitely controversial. Skenazy’s website gives a bit of detail about her thoughts and advice. Basically, she advocates for allowing kids more freedom from parents, such as allowing a child to walk alone to school or ride a bus alone. She calls it, “sane parenting.” Here is … Continue reading →

Ask for Thigh Injections

No one likes to take their child for shots, but it is just something that has to be done. As a parent, you are the first advocate for your child, so it is important to be aware of any issues that might surface. Sometime around the second birthday, most pediatric offices will switch the injection site for immunizations from the thigh to the arm. This may be because they believe that the child is old enough for the more convenient way to administer any shots. But there is good reason to ask the office if shots can still be administered … Continue reading →

If I Didn’t Homeschool My Kids

If I had a dollar for every time someone said, “If you didn’t homeschool your kids, you would have more time for”… They always finish that sentence with something that serves them, or something that they thought was more worthwhile. I quit my Tae Kwon Do training when the instructor outright told me to put my kids back in school so I could spend more time volunteering at the center. I have stopped speaking to “friends” who told me homeschooling came in between our relationships. I have had to tell relatives that they their comments were selfish. Sometimes, even I … Continue reading →