Our friend, Mackenzie, who is studying Special Ed in College and has devoted much time to working in the community, wrote this today and we love it so much, we are sharing it!
Read more on Spread The Word To End The Word! Today & Every Day…
Our friend, Mackenzie, who is studying Special Ed in College and has devoted much time to working in the community, wrote this today and we love it so much, we are sharing it!
Read more on Spread The Word To End The Word! Today & Every Day…
Grab Your Hat and Read with the Cat! Celebrate Read Across America Day on March 2, 2017 for the National Education Association’s nineteenth annual observance of NEA’s Read Across America Day. On March 2, we celebrate the joys of reading on Dr. Seuss’s birthday and readers of all ages are encouraged to celebrate with this year’s book, “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!”
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Commonwealth Autism will present its annual two-day Autism Conference designed for both caregivers and professionals. Featured keynote speakers at this year’s conference include local and national experts in Autism Spectrum Disorders. Kerry Magro, an award-winning national disability advocate, will close out the conference on March 9th with his unique perspective on living with autism, bullying, and overcoming obstacles to find success.
Read more on National Disability Advocate Comes to Richmond…
Last week, Marky took his nightly shower, as he always does. We are lucky that he is independent in this and knows on his own, that at 8 pm, it is time to shower and get ready for bed.
Read more on Monday Morning Moment- “Too Furry”…
An interesting thing happened to me this week. I am preparing for Marky’s IEP, which always causes me such anxiety. I decided to call a friend to vent and share some of my feelings. She asked, “how is he doing in school?”. To which I replied, “great, he never complains, he goes with the flow and is so easy.” She replied, “you are so lucky!”
Read more on The Face Of A “Liar”…
By Katie Topham
There’s No ‘I’ in ‘TEAM’
By Katie Topham, PhD, BCBA-D, LBA
Director of Clinical Services at Next Steps Behavioral Centers
The saying might be cliché, but when it comes to helping children reach their potential, it could not be more accurate. As a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), I have been encouraged to see the many industries that Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) has stretched into. A brief list of examples includes the following: seatbelt use and industrial safety; environmental preservation efforts; zoology; sports Management; and gerontology. Besides the common denominator of reliance on the science of behavior, these fields use ABA in conjunction with other professional fields to achieve the best outcome for their respective clients. Much like ABA works to improve innovation and develop success within the field, it also works to collaborate with related professionals for the end goal of improvement of socially significant outcomes.
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This past week I had to say a final goodbye to my great Uncle. The last living sibling of my grandfather’s. An Uncle that brought so many memories and so much love to my childhood. He lived a good and long life, but it was still so hard.
Read more on Monday Morning Moment – “Yet”…
Night to shine is prom for boys and girls of all ages with special needs. The night is all about them and giving them a night they won’t forget making new friends and seeing old friends. A night where we get to celebrate god’s love for each and every one of them making them feel on top of the world like the queens and kings they are. My role for the night was to accompany my date and just make the night all about her and give her a good time. Their however is a lot of different roles to make the night as amazing as it is. Such as being a server for the meals, DJ’s, photographers, limo drivers, and many more. A couple days prior to the dance there was an information meeting/training basically giving a rundown of the night and our roles/jobs we had to partake in. My night was a blast. Having the honor of accompanying my friend Jenna and just seeing the smile on her face the whole night held a special place in my heart. Getting to show god’s love for these girls and boys through a night of laughing and dancing is honestly just an amazing experience that I think everyone should get to be a part of and truly a night I won’t forget.
Read more on Night To Shine. Words From A High School Volunteer…
Editor’s Note- Tricia has been working with me on KNOWDifferent for the last year and I thought it would be a great addition to have her voice be heard as a mom who is raising 2 “typical” children and working in the community with so many of our incredible sponsors. I think it will be a great addition to our monthly pieces.
Read more on The Year Of Being Bold…
Cold and flu season is upon us and with these viral illnesses come the inevitable coughing. Coughs often linger after children have substantially recovered and can disrupt sleep for the whole family. The FDA Advisory Board has recommended that over-the-counter cough and cold preparations not be given to children under 6 years. These preparations lack efficacy and carry a risk of overdose or bad side effects. This leaves many parents feeling a sense of helplessness when their young children become sick, but a study conducted at Penn State College of Medicine found that a teaspoon of buckwheat honey at bedtime gave better cough relief and resulted in better sleep than giving honey flavored dextromethorphan (the active ingredient in most over-the-counter cough suppressants) or than giving nothing.
Read more on Grandma’s Honey for Coughs…