Stars for Kids

Archive for August, 2009

Ok, i think i’m dislexic, my mom is and i think i have a.d.d, but thts totally different. Okay anway, the freakin school won’t test for a learing disability and my dad can’t take me to be tested, neither will my mom. is there anway i can be tested maybe even online (maybe for free). I just need some advice so that i can get the help in need. Oh, the high school i go to says thay won’t test me cause i wasn’t switching things around before when i actually was, cuz i cheated on a lot of tests when i was younger but i need alot of advise Please help!!!
MY PARENTS WON’T TAKE ME TO GET TESTED!!!! AND THE SKOOL WON’T TEST FOR ANYTHING! THIS WOULD HAVE TO BE OUT OF SCHOOL!!!!!

Ask your school or school district’s special ed. department if they have a volunteer educational advocate available, who will advocate for you to be assessed or tested on behalf of your parents.

Volunteer educational advocates / surrogate parents for special ed needs, like me , can be appointed by a parent or legal guardian to act on their behalf in all matters having to do with an IEP ( Individualized Education Program ) , which schools are required by law to provide to all students with a suspected learning disability. A full assessment of the student’s Special Ed needs is the first step in an IEP.

My friends and I are doing a community service project to spread awareness about autism. We are planning a roving carnival, with game stations that children can take part in to learn about autism. Basically we just wanna let them understand how it’s like to be autistic, or to learn more about autism through the game. Currently the only game we can come up with is Charades. The kids range from 7 years old to 12.

Do you guys have any suggestions for games?

Another game that could be fan and shows again how difficult can be to communicate something, is the following:

- Place small items like a clothes pin, a key, a battery, a ring, etc each in a small cotton fabric bag (you need to make these) of the same color and tie them shut.

- Make two identical bags of each item. And have the kids in two teams. Each kid gets one of the bags. S/he needs to feel what is inside the bag and then describe it to the team-mates without using the name of the item. Example: Key – it is made of metal, can be used to open a door, has teeth, etc.

- Time them. The least time to guess gets a higher score.

This will show kids how people with autism can sometimes create a mental image of something (thinking in pictures) but it is hard to communicate (put into words) what it is they "see" in their mind.

Since the kids do not see item but visualize it through the sense of touch, they create a 3-D mental image of the item, which is similar of how an autistic person will think of an item before communication what they are thinking in words, describing the mental image, is the hardest part, and that is why the speech of many autistic kids is so fragmented because they are describing a mental 3-D image into 2-D words…

Once you have made these little bags with the items, you can use them again and again. If they get dirty just put them in a pilowcase and wash them in the washing machine.

Good luck!

I just want to see what people thought about Dyslexia Screening – is it of any benefit to screen all individuals for possible Dyslexia

Dyslexia is a learning disability that affects a number of students.

To screen for Dyslexia would be a major benefit to all students. Often a Dyslexic person will go unnoticed for years and will eventually drop out of school due to the difficulty he/she is having with reading.

Not every child or adult that has Dyslexia is diagnosed. To screen all individuals would be a considerable help to the teacher as well as to the students. But then if we only screen for one learning disability should we not screen for all of them? Perhaps when children enter the first grade they should all be screened for learning disabilities, that way no one would be able to slip through the cracks

My four year old son was just diagnosed with ADHD (more hyperactivity than attention). My husband and I will choose the medication route only as a last resort after all other methods of treatment have been exhausted. I’ve heard about cutting sugar and processed foods out of the diet and Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids (flax seed and fish oil), but is there anything else out there that is safe enough to try?

Rebecca M -

There are a number of alternative "treatments" for ADHD, but I would first be curious to know a lot more around the circumstances of how your child was diagnosed? A child as young as 4 has a LOT going on…and while one can start to think that it might be ADHD, I am always hesitant about making a diagnosis at this age.

A 4 year-old child is still growing and developing, and has so much to absorb from the world.

I really applaud you for taking this stance to use medication as a lost resort.

I would strongly recommend speaking with a "therapist" or coach who specializes in ADHD and child development. I would also encourage you to focus more on the behaviors that you are noticing, rather than the "label" of ADHD. There are a lot of different things that can look like ADHD when it is not really ADHD.

So to answer your question, I would really take a look at how your son is different…and what strategies you are using to support him. In my work, I often find that having the right strategies can make all the difference in the world.

Also – diet can play a significant role or have a great impact. Cut back on sugar, increase protein (especially in the morning), and focus on a balanced diet that is a lifestyle and a "punishment."

Hope this helps!

Rory
http://www.adhdfamilyonline.com

Child ADHD Coach, "Former Therapist"

I am a home tutor and I have a 7 year old kid who exhibits symptoms of dyslexia. The school has identified her as one of the students with weaker language learning skill.

The school has given some supplementary notes to help her, but I wanted to do more. Is there any way to better teach a dyslexia child?

And also, her attention span is extremely short and likes to argue with me, not following my instructions. Any way to catch her attention?

Thanks.

Both my daughter and I have dyslexia. What helped my daughter when at school and home was;
Using different coloured chalk/white board markers for each paragraph, especially if student is to copy from the board (my daughter was mostly able to keep up with the teacher with this method).
Coloured paper for handouts etc.
A list of most commonly mispelt words, and a list of words that sound the same, but have different spelling, e.g which, witch, where, wear, were etc (these type of words get me all the time, and I have to check the dictionary or spell check to make I am using on the right word).
Coloured film overlay placed over the words on a book, this may help with reading.
When reading use larger font books, and read slowly, but never out aloud in a group. (my daughter hated being asked to read out aloud)
Coloured magnetic letters are great way to teach the alphabet, as well as their placement in the alphabet.
Teaching phonics is important as it teaches the sound the letters make.

I have included two of my favourite links, which have helped my daughter, so I hope they maybe of some help to you.

i have always had trouble writing down words. not comprehending and reading, but when i write a word down, a lot of the time i skip letters. like if i write the word "soccer" out i might accidentily write ’soccr" or if i write out the word "learning" i might write "learing". like, its like, in my brain i know how to spell it, but when i write it out a lot of the time i write it wrong! i dont know what to do! is this a type of learning disability?

Hi cate; You need to be tested in order to find out what the difficulty is. There isn’t anyone on YA who can diagnose your problem. I hope you get this looked at soon because it must be enormously frustrating for you. If you’re old enough to come on YA and ask for help, you can certainly ask for help through a school counsellor and ask to be tested. Best of luck. P.S. I know what that’s like. I was diagnosed as retarded in elementary school because I had a lot of problems in my home. I’ve had my I.Q. tested as an adult and I have an high I.Q. Hang in there.

I have been recently diagnosed with adult adhd. I really need help with planning and remembering for work and personal. What would be the best planner to use and what should I have in it. Is a moleskine planner good enough for someone with ADHD? I’m a family man as well as a business manager, so all of work and personal will go in.
Thanks.

I would think that what ever kind of planner you feel comfortable with should do the trick. You may also want to consider something electronic. At work I use Outlook Calendar on my computer. It is great since I can use repeating tasks and appointments. You can also get palm-tops that fit in your hand and will synchronize to your work and home computer.

Doctor states child is autistic, school says chld has autism spectrum disorder?? What is the difference? Can medication help with any of this?

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a general term that includes Autism, Asperger Syndrome, PPD-NOS and others. The reason they used different terms is that the Dr. gave you a specific diagnosis of Autism, but the school can only determine eligibility for special services. Sometimes schools refer to it as "autism like behavior).

Medication is sometimes used to help an issue caused by the autism, say anxiety, but there is no pill to cure it like an antibiotic will cure an infection. It’s closer to say that individuals with autism learn to manage their condition. This is done through learning the skills needed to overcome their individual deficits. IMO unless there is a physical danger, it’s best to save medication to control behaviors as a last resort. Much better to teach the person through therapies, love and patience more appropriate behaviors.

Right now the best thing you can do is to educate yourself about autism and the different treatment/therapy options that are out there. There is no one size fits all treatment plan. Every person is different. You are a full member of your child’s’ team and the best expert on him there is. You need to help the development of an appropriate plan because you are the constant in the different areas of his life (school, home, activities) and get the big picture.

Best of luck- it is an interesting, exasperating, exhilarating e-ticket ride!

mom of 2 on the spectrum

As an Orlando chiropractor my practice includes pediatric chiropractor because I believe in the health benefits of chiropractic for children, and I think we’d all agree that giving children the very best foundation possible for their mind and body is vitally important. After all, growing into adulthood is difficult at its best, without having health issues to contend with. I meet a lot of parents who, among their other parental worries, are concerned about the height of their children, that is to say, if their children are short. I’ve been asked if chiropractic adjustments can help a child to grow taller. Well, the answer is both “yes” and “no,” depending on the reason for the child’s short stature. But, whether or not there’s a corrective solution, parents of short children should stop worrying. Here’s why:

A new study shows that short children are no more likely to be depressed, unpopular with their classmates, or have other social and emotional problems than their taller peers. Good news concerned parents! Apparently, the “traumas and dramas” of childhood happen to children of all shapes and sizes.

The study, published in Pediatrics, analyzed data on 712 sixth-graders. Twenty-eight children were classified as having short stature, i.e., they were below the 10th percentile on a growth chart; the remaining children were non-short stature (10th percentile and up). Average height was considered between 25th and 75th percentiles.

The social and emotional well-being of the study group was measured through a number of questionnaires answered by their teachers and the children, themselves. Short children reported slightly higher levels of being victimized or teased by their peers, but there was no difference on other measures of depression, behavioral problems, or popularity.

As soon as a baby is born, pediatricians start monitoring that child’s height and weight by percentile. Although low numbers may create anxiety in parents, that anxiety is likely unwarranted, the researchers write. The short children in the study “reported marginally higher levels of peer victimization … this was not associated with poorer adaptation,” said Joyce Lee, MD, MPH with the department of pediatrics at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and colleagues.

So, listen up parents of short children because the researchers concluded that short children may interpret the everyday teasing as more significant because their parents “verbalize concerns about their child’s height and its possible negative impact on social functioning.” The best thing that any parent can do for their children is to encourage them to feel confident and secure about themselves and to measure their “growth” from the inside out.

Technorati Tags: chiropractic, chiropractor, pediatric chiropractic

hi i have learing disablities. i was born per mature. and in most of my jobs that i have had all of which were in the resturant and food service. they have said that i am not quick enough for the job. most place’s i have worked at ether fire me or cut my hour back to just a couple of days a week. i was wondering if my have learing disabilities may have an effect of my work perfomance.

I think that you need to find a job in a differnet industry something that does not requre you to work fast. I had a sister who had learning disablities and she found out that she needed to work in a place where she wouldn’t have to be rushed also. so she started to work in a departement store in the childrens clothing department putting the clothes back that were left in the dressing room. As she got better at working there they would give her more responsiblity. See if your parents can help you to do something like that,