Reach For The Stars Pediatric Therapy Blog

Achieve Beyond Pediatric Therapy and Autism Services serves children with special needs nationwide on a daily basis. With the invention of the iPad and rise of tablets in general many apps have been created to aid in developmental therapies of children on the Autistic spectrum. Here are 10 more apps that come highly recommended by Applied Behavior Analysts, BCBAs and special needs parents. If you have an app that has been beneficial to a child with special needs please feel free to post links to these apps below. Feel free to share these apps on your favorite social networks as well.Go Go Games Go Go Games is an app consisting of multiple games specifically designed for kids on the autism spectrum. These games focus on matching objects, which can be a difficult task for many people with Autism.Super WhySuper Why is an app that is great for children with Autism at...

Toilet training is one of the most challenging acts for parents and especially for special needs parents with children on the autistic spectrum. One of the most important aspects is recognizing when the child is actually ready for this training to begin. If the child is not showing the signs of readiness for toilet training, they will not learn successfully. This usually happens in children anywhere between 18-24 months, but can vary depending on the child. Children with special needs may take up to a year longer than others to have the readiness for toilet training. Below are 10 signs that your child is most likely ready for toilet training. All of these criteria do not have to present to start training, but these signs show that the child most likely possesses the independence and understanding of going to the bathroom necessary for success. If you have any toilet training signs...

Achieve Beyond Pediatric Therapy and Autism Services aids special needs children and families on a daily basis. We know that parenting a child on the autistic spectrum is a consistent challenge. Parents are always looking for new methods and advice to make their child have the best chance to thrive in their natural environments. We took the time to recommend 10 excellent resources that special needs parents can look to as valuable references, for inspiration and to help make a difference in their child's lives. If you have any additional resources to suggest please do so in the comments section below. We would love to hear what books you would recommend. If you agree with these resources please feel free to share on Facebook and Twitter as well.Here are 10 books we recommend for special needs parents.Ten Things Every Child With Autism Wishes You Knew – by Ellen Notbohn1001 Great Ideas...

Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;}Achieve Beyond serves children on the autistic spectrum nationwide on a daily basis. We believe that the staggering facts about Autism resonate with all that read them. We have compiled some facts from excellent Autism Resource websites such as Autism Speaks, Autism Society and Dosomething.org to share with you. We hope these facts inspire you help raise Autism awareness and please feel free to share more with us in the comment section below or share this post on your favorite social network like Facebook or Twitter as well.          1.  Autism now affects 1 in 88 children and 1 in 54 boys.    2.  Autism prevalence figures are growing.    3.  Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental...

As Speech Language Pathologists we need to be aware of some behavior/signs that children on the Autism Spectrum might have. It does not mean that every child with Autism will present these behavior/signs, but most of them will prompt us to make an accurate observation on the child's responses to make the proper referral for an evaluation which can lead to an appropriate diagnosis.As Linda Watson, Ed.D.,CCC-SLP Associate Professor from the Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC wrote in different articles familiarity with the literature about the early development of children of Autism will improve the ability of professionals to appropriately diagnose and intervene young children who may have a form of autism.In her article "Toddlers with Autism, Developmental Perspectives", she presented the development of young children with Autism by discussing the developmental domains of affective development, sensory processing and attention, praxis...

Social and EmotionalSmiles spontaneously, especially at peopleLikes to play with people and might cry when playing stopsCopies some movements and facial expressions, like smiling and frowningLanguage/CommunicationBegins to babbleBabbles with expression and copies sounds he hearsCries in different ways to show hunger, pain, or being tiredCognitive (Learning, Thinking, Problem-Solving)Lets you know if she is happy or sadResponds to affectionsReaches for toy with one handUses hands and eyes together, such as seeing a toy and reaching for itFollows moving things with eyes from side to sideWatches faces closelyRecognizes familiar people and things at a distanceMovement/Physical DevelopmentHolds head steady, unsupportedPushes down on legs when feet are on a hard surfaceMay be able to roll over from tummy to backCan hold a toy and shake it and swing at dangling toysBrings hands to mouthWhen lying on stomach, pushes up to elbowsRed Flags For 4 Month Old BabiesDoesn't watch things as they moveDoesn't smile at peopleCan't...

It may be impossible not to do, but maybe just being aware of it when we experience it, would be helpful.There may be almost nothing more painful than watching our kids hurt. Most often we'd rather do their suffering for them.I am sure it is "Mama Bear instinct" when we see our kids in any kind of pain - whether it is physical or emotional - whether they are the cause of their pain or not at fault.There are, of course, situations when their pain needs to be our business.And there are plenty more situations where their issues need to belong to our kids.However, the focus of this article is not about whether or not to step in. It is aboutbringing to light the serious ramifications we could create simply with our perspective of the child's issue/s.Sometimes when our kids have pain, we feelsorry for them. …down-right pity them. Learning disabilities,...