Two Minutes to put together - a formation of chairs with blankets thrown over them. Hours of fun for all my kids: The Baby & his GF: - "Hide in the Castle while the monster is outside" - "Let's Read Our Mail (picture flashcards) here in our Post Office" - "I am the Daddy, you are the Mommy these dolls will...

I do some freelance work for a website http://www.innerrewards.com/. It is a health and wellness site for woman. One of the articles I wrote really pertains to the theme of my new blog here so I thought I would post it. You can also read the article directly on the website http://www.innerrewards.com/topics/relationships-family/articles/ir-balancing-life-work-and-children-30. ...

We are going to compile all the recipes and tips to make a free cookbook for parents!

what are you going to do with these recipes?

What are you going to do with all these recipies?

Welcome!!

Monday, February 22, 2010 10:09:03 AM Autism is not a dirty word. The first time I heard it many years ago in my pediatrician office I thought it might be. Autism is a way of life. It has meant new friends, supportive communities, a new perspective on life, and a respect for my other children for the empathy and understanding they have beyond their young years. Autism especia...

Audra was almost 3 years old when she got her first wheelchair. It was a loaner from Poplar Center. It offered her wonderful positioning and much better comfort then the umbrella stroller we had been using, which wasn't very supportive. Of course my husband and I hated it! Getting the first wheelchair is always a traumatic event for parents. It is giving in to the possibility that your ...

Yesterday on the news they said a new study had been conducted, calling for adults to get at least 8 to 9 hours of sleep per night. Anything less and it is considered sleep depravation. The long term impact can affect your health and your ability to function. Those of us who have medically fragile children, or just kids who won't sleep know this state well. It is terminal with little esc...

Dedicar cierta cantidad de tiempo cada día para jugar con su niños, podría resultar algo difícil para la mayoría de los padres que tienen que trabajar a tiempo completo adentro o afuera del hogar. Pero no importa tanto la cantidad de tiempo como la calidad. No se trata sólo de jugar por un rato sino de hacerlo bien. No es difícil jugar con los niños mayores de 4 o 5 años en adelante, porque ellos ...

Continuando con el tema de hábitos emocionales para no enfermarse, encontramos que es necesario tomar decisiones . Muchas veces pareciera más cómodo y más seguro no tomar una decisión, o a veces nos da miedo el resultado de esa decisión. La persona indecisa permanece en la duda, en la ansiedad, que puede hasta convertirse en angustia. La indecisión acumula problemas y preocupaciones que a la larga...

It was a cold and snowy winter!  Ha, not really, I live in the Bay Area, I just always wanted to say that. It was a warm December Day when I decided to take Audra to the mall for her picture with Santa.  We waited in line until it was her turn to sit on Santa's lap, she was so excited to see Santa and he was so nice to her.  Her photo was so cute, we told Santa what she wanted ...

En esta época del año en que enfermarse es muy común podriamos aprender a desarrollar algunos hábitos que nos pueden ayudar a enfermarnos menos frecuentemente. En las proximas semanas ire escribiendo un poco de cada uno de ellos. Empecemos hoy con uno de estos habitos:  Hable de sus emociones Emociones y sentimientos que son escondidos o  reprimidos ( “Nos ...

El desarrollo del juego social de los niños pasa por diferentes etapas, las mas importantes y fáciles de reconocer son tres: Juego solitario, en la que al niño(a)  no les gusta compartir su juego con otros niños de su edad, aunque si lo hará con niños bastante mayores que el o ella y por supuesto que con adultos. Gradualmente su niño(a) pasara a la etapa de Juego paralelo, en la cual el niño(...

Por medio del juego podemos estimular todas las areas del desarrollo y al mismo tiempo se pasa un momento muy alegre y divertido. En el area del lenguaje podemos ver que las terapistas de lenguaje y las maestras utilizan juguetes y hacen juegos que van a estimular al niño(a) a pronunciar ciertos sonidos y/o palabras, y hasta frases. Por ejemplo si queremos estimular al niño para que use el sonido ...

El juego hace aún más que solo desarrollar las habilidades de los niños, el juego permite que el niño se relacione mejor y que entienda su lugar en su medio ambiente. Además, algo muy importante es, que el juego ayuda al niño a que forme lazos emocionales profundos y duraderos con sus padres y otras personas cercanas a él con quienes juega. Estos lazos de conexión emocional le ayudarán a desarroll...

El juego hace aún más que solo desarrollar las habilidades de los niños, el juego permite que el niño se relacione mejor y que entienda su lugar en su medio ambiente. Además, algo muy importante es, que el juego ayuda al niño a que forme lazos emocionales profundos y duraderos con sus padres y otras personas cercanas a él con quienes juega. Estos lazos de conexión emocional le ayudarán a desarroll...

A bicycle built for 3?  Well not exactly, one bike and one rugged, hard plastic bike trailer that seated two children is what we bought and modified when I had the itch to ride again. With the birth of Audra's brother it became evident that if I ever wanted to ride a bicycle again I would need a bike trailer to tow the two of them around.  This was before the trailer's and biking we...

I wrote this for the MORE News back in 1997.  The first year of Audra's life I tried so hard to do everything by the book.  To be "normal"  finally I gave up on trying to be "normal" and found that doing what worked was easier then trying to conform to "normal". Normal is a four letter word.  Not technically, but, certainly when it comes to me it is.  My brother once ...

Thank you for signing up for AP Explorers!  We're very excited to have you here.  By participating, you are playing a major role in helping parents across the state and country support their child with special needs.  So the obvious question is what should you expect over the next 3 weeks?   We'll kick things off with a special phone call where we'll give you a brief de...

Desde tiempos antiguos se ha dicho que “el juego es la más alta y fiel expresión del desarrollo humano durante la infancia.” Actualmente se considera que, además de ser una forma de expresión, el juego ayuda a desarrollar la mente, el cuerpo y la conducta. Desde el punto de vista educativo, el juego es una herramienta que podemos usar para desarrollar las habilidades que el niño necesita para dese...

If you have ever heard the saying "be careful what you say, because you never know who you are talking too" and you don't believe it  trust me it is true!  When Audra was very young and I had more energy, time and commitment I was on the board of United Cerebral Palsy Association.  Along with doing telethons,  Audra was the "poster child" for the UCPA Hug-a-Bunc...

When Audra was about 8 years old she got her "augmenative" communication device.  Something like a large computer screen attached by a pole to her wheelchair with a screen covered with picture symbols and little red lights.  She was working the device using a head switch and manually scanning the picture symbols. I was so excited that she could "talk" that I took her new "voice" to ...

This is my 1st blog entry.  Will fill in later.

Even though I was just a factory worker I knew instinctively that young children learn by exploring their world.    If Audra couldn't explore it on her own then I decided that I would help.  How can you know what cold water is if you never have it run over your feet from a hose on a hot summer day?  Or feel sand run through your fingers and squish between your t...

Public schools will be turned into vaccination centers this fall in an effort to combat the H1N1 virus, which is expected to make a return visit. City officials are urging parents to have all children vaccinated, but some parents have decided to opt out. "We don't think there has been enough research done to convincingly say that this is something that is safe," says Stuart Flaum of the Nati...

Welcome to our group We Can Win.  Please feel free to discuss any issue involving our campaign here.

The first year of life with Audra was scary, confusing and filled with screams, hers, not mine. For some reason and I don't know why, Audra sceamed almost non-stop all day, every day and long into the night..... Once, years later my husband asked me if I remembered how much Audra screamed?    I looked at him blankly,       &nb...

En Community Gatepath proveemos el servicio de grupos de apoyo para padres en español, así también los hay en inglés, segun el idioma de cada familia. Los padres de familia de habla castellana son un grupo muy activo e importante en nuestra comunidad.

  Trabajar con niños especiales y su familia es mi pasión. No sólo he dado de mi conocimiento sino también he dado desde lo más profundo ser. Al mismo tiempo he recibido muchísimo, he aprendido y he crecido a la par de ellos. Me siento muy emocionada y optimista por esta nueva oportunidad de continuar apoyando a las familias de habla hispana por medio de Abilitypath.

Audra was lucky to have grown up on a block filled with children.  Most of all she was lucky that they spent so much time at our house.  Her built in playmates included, Becky, Tracy, Shannon and her brother Jake. They made no allowances for her disability, taking her wherever they went and tolerating no more then you would from any other kid.  From regular Brownies, where act...

When you become a parent you never think that your child might leave this world before you, that's just not the natural order of things. You lay awake at night worrying about who will take care of her after you are gone.   Some parents have only a short time with thier children, a day, a month, a few moments.  I was lucky to have had my Audra for almost 12 years. I knew that she...

We were in a small pub in our town visiting with friends and relatives.  Several feet from us sat Audra and her little brother, Jake. He was playing a video game, while Audra watched him. While she watched her brother play the game her usual river of drool rolled down her chin.   We were most used to this and not bothered by it. The pub was busy with bodies enj...

Although Audra's body was very impaired physically her mind was not.  Up until she turned 3 years old, life with her had been a series of guess's about what she wanted and if you got it wrong it really made  her mad and she would yell and scream at you.  Having a child who is unable to speak with her voice can be very challenging. It was Mrs. Peacock at the County OH...

When you have a child who is physcially challenged you know that equipment is expensive, thus parents often find a need to be creative in adapting ordinary toys to suit thier children's needs. Audra had cerebral palsy, spastic, quadraplegia. She could not sit unsupported, had little use of her hands and legs and poor head control. Audra's car was one of  our first and most successful adapti...

 I often hear the phrase  "That parent is in denial"    I have come up with my own phrase and that is that "each of us gets there at our own time"  It wasn't so much that I was a mother in denial, my friends will tell you I was not.  It just was that I couldn't quite comprehend the consequences of my daughters cerebral palsy. ...

When Audra was diagnosed as having cerebral palsy, it was both a devastating blow and a welcome explanation.  You see, I had spent many sleepless nights the last 9 months with a baby who sceamed non-stop.  Despite my best efforts to let her "cry" it out (which didn't work)  I found that there was no way to soothe this irritable infant.  I felt like a failure as...

Even after so many years,  I still find the road back to the start of our journey the most painful of all. Perhaps it is because I grieve for that young girl that I was who felt so alone and helpless.  I told myself, that " Audra had not asked to be born with a disability.  If I didn't belive in her, then who would?  I would not count her ou...

My path was choosen for me many years ago.   I suppose that I could have refused to take that route.   I could have chosen another road, less rocky and rut free.  Had I done like some people  suggested and put my 9 month old baby away "someplace where people like her should go" after all the doctor said "she would never be NORMAL" But I loved this...

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I am hungry.

Swine flu is all over the news. Seattle has not been spared from this virus. Schools have been closed all over the metro area. As a parent or caregiver of a special needs child, you need to know the symptoms and facts of this disease. According to the CDC, H1N1 (swine flu) "H1N1 (referred to as “swine flu” early on) is a new influenza virus causing illness in people. This new virus was first d...