Articles

With the passing of IDEA states have been federally mandated to provide a free, appropriate public education to all children with disabilities in the least restrictive environment possible. It is interpretation of what constitutes the least...

Are there certain things that your child can do that you wish your child would do more often? Do you find that sometimes your child displays a certain behavior for a short period of time but then stops performing that specific behavior? If so, you...

Do you find that your child does not communicate with you to get desired items? Instead, your child may figure out how to get things independently without interacting with you first. While some may suggest this is a good thing because your child is...

Do you find that you are often at the mercy of your service providers and school staff when it comes to goal selection for your childs intervention program? Do you usually just allow the professionals to select the goals for your child since you...

Do you find that your child shuts down as soon as you make a request that is somewhat challenging or difficult? Does your child lack motivation to interact with you and respond to you? If so, learning how to use the behavioral momentum strategy may...

Do you feel like you are constantly battling with your child to get an interaction going? Does your child avoid your attempts at engaging in an activity? If so, it may be that you would benefit from learning how to follow your childs lead. Often...

Have you heard of discrete trial training or even implemented a discrete trial training program for your child but still do not understand what a discrete trial is? Are you familiar with discrete trial training, but feel it is not right for your...

There is a term parents are hearing a lot about lately called working memory. Working Memory is a critical part of our ability to think, solve problems, and relate to others. Working memory is not a new term or concept. It was developed out of the...

Staying on top of whats next for each member of your family probably feels like a daily futility workout. Too bad it doesnt burn more calories. Truth is: It takes a very little bit of work (and as much or as little creativity and cash as you have to...

The subject of sexuality can be daunting. Add to the mix a physical or cognitive disability and you may find yourself feeling totally unprepared to deal with the subject matter. Staff from the Florida Center for Inclusive Communities have...

This week the American Heart Association (AHA) published guidelines recommending a screening EKG (electrocardiogram) before any child starts stimulant medication. This bold sweeping recommendation affects many children. However, this is not a new...

On May 2, 2008, the Florida House and Senate enacted Senate Bill 2654 entitled “Relating to Children with Disabilities.”  Governor Crist signed the legislation on May 20, 2008.  While the legislation became law on July 1, 2008, it...

There are three key components of the Florida autism legislation: Mandate: an insurance mandate that covers children with autism spectrum disorders. Compact: a proposed compact among health benefits providers that relates to insurance and...

Engage your child and share the moment “Important elements of intervention programs for preschool children with autism include a focus on the development of pragmatic and functional communication skills (whether verbal or non-verbal), joint...

Before beginning to teach conversation, you should be sure that the child is able to readily request items and activities as well as label the items in his or her environment spontaneously. The child should also be able to maintain brief eye...

There is so much more to conversation than just the back and forth question and answer that many people think of.  Conversation involves more than just words.  For many children with developmental delays, it is the small subtleties that...

The American Heritage Dictionary defines conversation as: The spoken exchange of thoughts, opinions, and feelings; or talk.  Although this definition sounds simple, conversation is actually a very complex skill that is difficult for many...

Most parent s are very well aware that children often have difficulty sharing toys or other objects with their siblings.  However, tangible items are not the only things children can have problems with, when it comes to sharing.  A...

The structured and individualized introduction to independence provided by residential transitional living programs help to create a sense of confidence and self-reliance in high functioning young adults with Asperger’s Syndrome and other...