tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14825589004558513312012-03-02T14:35:40.206-08:00Creatively adapting the environment, the opportunities, the mindsets that touch our children with disabilities.Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.comBlogger1301100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-35184363079635550212012-02-23T06:03:00.000-08:002012-02-23T06:03:01.004-08:00

What a privilege it has been to review Paula Kluth’s professional development package for teaching students in inclusive classrooms! The message, the questions, and especially the video footage of children and teachers all hit me in deeply personal, meaningful ways. You see, genuine inclusion—putting into practice the belief that all students of all abilities belong and can learn—is something

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-44358433571458155612012-02-13T12:27:00.000-08:002012-02-13T12:27:57.069-08:00

It seems like I’ve been bombarded lately by the same message:  make today count with your children. Over at 5 Minutes for Special Needs, Suzanne Perryman has a thought-provoking message about loving your children as though today wastheir last one on earth. We have no guarantees about tomorrow. When our kids have medical issues, this point is especially true. Lynn Cowell, contributing author at

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-73086825632255730342012-01-13T06:00:00.000-08:002012-01-13T13:53:02.104-08:00

Wouldn't it be great if your child or students could control switch-operated toys with the iPad? Phil at PAW Solutions has come up with a very clever switch interface that works with your iPad. It allows children to control up to SIX switches or actions through one screen. Can you imagine the possibilities for fun play? It even lets your child steer...how cool is that! Since so many of you

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-7161466976640548122012-01-11T12:16:00.000-08:002012-01-11T12:16:09.479-08:00

Yippee!! Yesterday was such an exciting day for me, as Adapting Creatively was awarded the Liebster Blog Award. Thanks so much Jennifer for this wonderful honor! What is the Liebster Blog Award, some of you ask? I'll admit, I had to look it up myself. You see, life at our house has been more eventful lately than I prefer, and there hasn't been time to hang out on blogs much in the past little

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-29212699742977388632011-12-15T10:57:00.000-08:002011-12-19T04:21:26.218-08:00

When our kids are non-verbal and unable to ask questions, it is easy to forget how much—or how little—they understand what is being said around them. It’s so important we check with them about what they understand! Sometimes they know more than we think. My daughter and I were talking about a specialty medical appointment she had a couple weeks ago. She liked the doctor and laughed at

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-36918356523549118492011-11-30T10:00:00.000-08:002011-11-30T10:18:09.793-08:00

  I did the unthinkable during our district’s conference week. I missed my daughters’ conferences. How in the world did I manage that? After all, isn’t their education a priority to me? Absolutely, I value their learning immensely. If learning weren’t significantly important to me, would I have gone into teaching? My problem? Childcare. In high school, students stay home while their

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-34390597912084232002011-11-22T11:36:00.000-08:002011-11-22T11:36:14.744-08:00

I’ve been sneaking in quick peeks at blog posts this week, savoring all the wonderful reasons people are thankful. I love that about Thanksgiving time, that it causes us to reflect on our blessings. I am awed and uplifted by parents who struggle daily with some tremendous challenges that their children’s disabilities bring. The ability of these brave parents to find joy and gratitude in their

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-43843255469423232322011-11-16T11:43:00.000-08:002011-11-16T11:43:10.113-08:00

Have you ever struggled to get your child or students to move from one activity to another? I have! Take bedtime...that idyllic ritual where small children willingly dress in their pajamas, brush their teeth, and hop into their bunks for a bedtime story. Hah! This is a lovely fantasy of parents-to-be that their children will destroy the moment they are born. The reality goes a little more like

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-87059778596330006992011-10-13T10:17:00.000-07:002011-10-13T10:17:11.401-07:00

You lucky folks in the Pacific Northwest (USA) have an opportunity to hear Cathy Binger present an incredible conference on October 22, 2011 in Bellevue, Washington. She’ll be speaking on Practical Language-Based Solutions for Children who Need AAC:  Fostering Expressive Language and Communication Skill. This promises to be a practical and informative day that you won’t want to miss. From the

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-83133878845441125002011-10-03T20:27:00.000-07:002011-10-03T20:27:08.894-07:00

Ever feel the need for a break from your caregiving duties? We all do, even if for just a fleeting moment. We call that respite.  The thing is, we each need to define and honor what respite means to us personally. And those around us need to honor that as well. Take my daughter’s State case manager. He means well, truly. But his definition of “respite” involves sending our daughter off to a

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-25192028953304269012011-09-30T14:53:00.000-07:002011-09-30T14:53:33.304-07:00

Adapting Creatively turns one year old today. Come join the party! (And Donna, thanks for remembering. You're a gem!) thanks to Lunchbox Photography for use of the darling photo I am so grateful to all the friends who have come alongside me in this journey over the year. You are a terrific group of people! Your presence here is a true gift to me. I like to imagine you all sitting at small

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-75979349315347072752011-09-29T12:33:00.000-07:002011-09-29T17:02:09.115-07:00

Does the time and cost involved with laminating symbols get to be a little much sometimes? Of course we accept the hassle and expense of laminating symbols that receive ongoing use. But what about those symbols or pictures used to meet a short-term need? Do they merit the investment? Why waste lamination film if they are simply going to be thrown away? A couple weeks ago, a friend and I were

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-15480021521794456522011-09-18T19:59:00.000-07:002011-09-18T19:59:26.393-07:00

and the lucky winner is Alison! Congratulations! Thanks to every one of you who entered. I hope to have more software to offer in the future, so keep watching. Alison, I'll be in touch at your email address to get your shipping address. Have a wonderful week ahead, Rose-Marie

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-65960626679529147202011-09-15T14:31:00.000-07:002011-09-15T14:33:34.029-07:00

It would be great if you (yes, you!) won the fabulous Listen and Respond (Professional Version) software!  Judy Lynn Software has kindly donated a copy of for one of our lucky readers here. You can read more about Listen and Respond Pro here or on the Judy Lynn website.   Screen shot from Listen and Respond (Pro) But you need to act soon...the deadline is Saturday, September 17, 2011 at 9 pm

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-944579004517960542011-09-08T15:13:00.000-07:002011-09-08T16:56:39.344-07:00

LOTS! Handy wipe-off word cards that we used to answer a homework assignment For kids who read, whether proficiently or as fledgling readers, printed choices can be quick and efficient for indicating  thoughts. We tried dry erase boards for years, writing choices in the corners, with marginal success. For our daughter, the ability to adjust the spacing of cards within her field of view can be

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-45289967790960818312011-09-07T10:41:00.000-07:002011-09-08T17:26:39.499-07:00

Happy back-to-school days! Let’s kick off the new school year with a look at a great new program from Judy Lynn Software Inc.:  Listen and Respond. This simple-to-use program places students in the role of a retail clerk, filling customer orders. When customers ask for one or more items, the student clicks from an assortment of buttons to give them these items. Students have to listen closely

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-85364446604449583132011-08-06T09:00:00.000-07:002011-08-06T09:06:18.296-07:00

Ah, summertime! I hope these summer months find you relaxing and enjoying time with family and friends. I’m so excited and honored to have a post featured on Holland Bloorview’s special needs parenting blog, Bloom. If you aren’t familiar with Bloom, you are in for a fabulous treat. It’s a top-rated non-profit blog with outstanding contributors and one of the dedicated author/editors you will

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-74021555268617294172011-07-05T15:05:00.000-07:002011-07-05T15:05:57.331-07:00

About 350 years ago when I was in college, I worked in a special ed classroom that had an AbleNet “All-Turn-It” spinner . This clever sturdy device stole my heart on the spot. The teacher incorporated that switch-adapted spinner into activities and routines in her room throughout the day; it was amazing to see how many uses she had for this simple but powerful random spinner. In the words of

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-1495231348298042102011-06-30T06:19:00.000-07:002011-06-30T06:23:04.478-07:00

In the world of blogging, discussion and traffic let bloggers know that the time we spend sharing and helping others has value. Bloggers love discussion in their comment section or email. We love referrals from others: links from other blogs and forums, Tweets, Facebook recommendations, LiveBinder listings...anywhere that brings traffic to our site. Special needs bloggers tend to write because

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-91688227621348145232011-06-17T06:00:00.000-07:002011-06-17T07:24:50.526-07:00

Look at these wonderful clip-on speakers! They were an accidental discovery at our local dollar store. Hopefully your dollar store carries them too; it's worth a look. They meet our headphone needs perfectly! The speakers can clip to fabric near my daughter's neck, on a collar or the sling seat of her jog stroller. They can also click together and hang around her neck. Clip to a collar

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-77233389710132217642011-06-14T15:22:00.000-07:002011-06-14T15:25:53.158-07:00

Grief is a slippery creature. About the time you think you have it tamed, it shows you a new side of itself. When my daughter received her diagnosis of Rett syndrome nearly 14 years ago, I grieved. I grieved for what she would never have. I grieved for the “normal” experiences I had anticipated in raising her. Through much wrestling and praying and struggling, I worked through my own grief. It

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-35455174963158206832011-06-09T15:37:00.000-07:002011-06-13T06:22:36.454-07:00

There has been much discussion – and grave concern – lately on several online parent lists about AAC evaluations for non-verbal children. Families are asking where they can learn more about the process to make sure evaluations are conducted appropriately. After all, the stakes are enormous. Communication is fundamental to the very core of who we are. Sometimes this basic concept gets buried

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-51438482186844745812011-06-07T12:26:00.000-07:002011-06-07T12:26:57.586-07:00

Last month’s CD-disk card holder tutorial was so wildly popular that I figured folks might find today’s hands-free card holder tutorial to be useful as well. After all, some kids lack the motor skills to hold cards at all, yet they would still enjoy playing card games with family and friends.Just like the first, this card holder is quick to make and very inexpensive.It isn’t limited just to

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-29000359708186751452011-06-04T19:31:00.000-07:002011-06-05T05:19:14.313-07:00

To all those kind folks who left comments over the past few days, I extend my sincere apologies. For whatever reason, Blogger is not allowing me to reply. Your comments are very valuable to me as they help me know what topics people are interested in. I will try to get this issue resolved as soon as possible. In the meantime, please know that I appreciate your comments and try to respond.

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-6585307338921862842011-06-01T16:33:00.000-07:002011-06-01T16:35:13.117-07:00

You’ve made some cool activities in PowerPoint. Now how will kids without the ability to use a mouse or touch screen use your activity? Switch scanning can be an answer.  PowerPoint can be controlled by single switches and timings or with two switches, independent of timing. Let’s take a minute to get everyone up to speed on switch scanning. If you are already comfortable with the process of

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-70371824171345504272011-05-25T14:46:00.000-07:002011-05-25T14:46:34.028-07:00

May is winding down, leaving just a few weeks until glorious summer vacation! This gives parents a couple weeks before school dismisses to plan learning activities to keep our kids’ minds active and skills sharp over the summer. Are you ready? Please don’t feel overwhelmed! Just a brief activity, every day if you possibly can, will go far to keep the Boredom Monster at bay.Our family will be

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-28281056293119329942011-05-24T12:41:00.000-07:002011-05-24T12:44:38.718-07:00

Kids with fine motor issues (including very young typically-developing children) can find it difficult to play the card games they love. It’s just hard to hold those cards sometimes! And if you have no hand use and someone else has to show you your cards without peeking, that can be a real tough order!But it doesn’t have to be that way. Today we’re going to make a quick and easy playing card

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-17329772487921604432011-05-18T12:11:00.000-07:002011-05-18T12:11:15.743-07:00

Today we’re going to look at some very useful tools for turning PowerPoint into an amazing assistive technology tool:  macros and add-ins. Macros and add-ins are programming extras that can make PowerPoint do just about anything you can dream up. They are little feats of programming magic! I’m sorry to admit that I lack the programming savvy to create them. To write macros that work during a

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-32876231210189900452011-05-16T11:55:00.000-07:002011-05-16T12:01:01.038-07:00

Have you ever heard the adage “We all have the same 24 hours in a day...it’s all in how you choose to use them”? As a parent of a child with physical or cognitive disabilities, this can feel like a slap in the face. We don’t necessarily have a choice about how we are going to use our hours. We accommodate our children’s needs for physical care. We give our children the time they need to process

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-2769968421419581492011-05-11T10:09:00.000-07:002011-05-11T12:16:35.802-07:00

Photo by greg westfall at flickr.com Remember when you were a kid, setting dominos up on end in long winding paths? When you knocked down the first domino, the others toppled over, one after another, in a seamless chain of events... When everything worked as planned, you sucked in your breath with excitement! Triggers in PowerPoint are much like that path of dominos. When the first event is

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-57481889966954606052011-05-06T06:00:00.000-07:002011-05-06T06:00:13.758-07:00

Oh my!! Have I got a gem to pass along today! If your young (or young-at-heart) child operates a computer with eye gaze, head mouse, joystick, or just needs help developing basic mouse skills or switch skills, you are both going to LOVE this site!!OwlieBoo (or El Buho Boo for our Spanish-speaking friends) is a free collection of fabulous kids’ games to play online. They have simple but darling

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-34473367662178720222011-05-05T06:00:00.000-07:002011-05-07T21:40:38.810-07:00

Did you catch yesterday’s article over at Therapy Fun Zone on teaching speech to kids with autism? The author of the post, Isy Bee, talks about using interactive PowerPoint flashcards to learn basic language skills. What a great example of putting exactly what we are learning here to good use!! So far, we’ve reviewed together three basic strategies for creating activities in PowerPoint to

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-75284585620444385602011-05-04T14:41:00.000-07:002011-05-04T21:30:57.432-07:00

Are you ready to keep going with PowerPoint?So far, we’ve covered the idea that transitions define how you get around an activity and that actions define where in the activity you’ll go. Today we cover animations, so hold on for a fun ride!Animations are the events happening at your destination page. One of the things that makes PowerPoint a favorite tool of presenters is its ability to catch and

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-9557277419444072822011-05-02T13:15:00.000-07:002011-05-02T13:22:18.934-07:00

Are you ready to tackle the next basic technique in PowerPoint to accommodate kids needing some extra technology support?  Let's detour off our usual weekly schedule to keep working on this.But before we roll up our sleeves and get started, let’s take a minute to think about “transitions” from our last lesson. Transitions are the events that happen as one page moves into the next.Transitions are

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-36228652720247863252011-04-28T08:48:00.000-07:002011-04-29T15:05:54.599-07:00

Transitions are the simplest effect you can apply to your activity. They can help increase engagement by providing visual and auditory input. It isn’t tricky, but for students needing this additional feedback to stay engaged, it can make a big difference.For example, you can draw a student’s attention to a page turning in an adapted book by adding a chime sound and a visual page turn. The effects

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-79115864199018525672011-04-27T06:00:00.000-07:002011-04-27T10:21:02.649-07:00

Let’s face it, we’re all short on time. We've got lots of ideas for great activities, but little time to make them! Today let's start with that “short on time” problem. Rather than jumping in with some of the techniques in PowerPoint that build up into some pretty awe-inspiring abilities, let’s go over tricks to simplify and shorten your work.If you master the simple techniques for copying

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-1768013956074759312011-04-20T06:00:00.000-07:002011-04-21T06:13:31.075-07:00

So you're ready to roll up your sleeves and jump in with some fancy PowerPoint activities to keep your students engaged... What should you consider as you create activities in PowerPoint to meet the needs of students with Assistive Technology needs? You want to maximize the effectiveness of the activity AND to minimuze your work. There are five areas you will address as you design an activity.

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-21267215804982863772011-04-19T06:00:00.000-07:002011-04-19T06:00:03.462-07:00

Summer's just around the corner...is your older child ready for swimming? You have a few weeks still to dust off your sewing machine and whip up some disposable swim pants. Can't find disposable swim pants to fit your larger child? These will fit a 34" hip or 85 pounds. There are times when disposable swim pants are an ideal solution for swimmers who must wear incontinence protection. They

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-53239687410573514952011-04-19T04:57:00.000-07:002011-04-19T04:57:08.877-07:00

PowerPoint has amazing potential for use as assistive technology. It can support independent practice, provide numerous onscreen choice-making activities, and even be used as an AAC tool! Is this something you care to learn about? If so, please leave me a comment to let me know. I’m happy to share if there is interest. Next month I’m presenting a workshop on ways to maximize PowerPoint for

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-31826585919219345522011-04-15T07:13:00.000-07:002011-04-15T07:13:03.604-07:00

Did you catch Kate Ahern’s amazing presentation on eye gaze communication last night? She spoke to the Rett Syndrome Association of Massachusetts and shared with an even larger audience by streaming video. We are so fortunate that she shared the slides on her website because they are fabulous!!! Just take a look at this slideshow on Eyegaze for Education: Women and Girls with Rett Syndrome.Be

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-66650814335867530212011-04-14T11:47:00.000-07:002011-04-14T11:47:43.758-07:00

If you interview 1000 parents of typically developing kids, 999 will say that their children learned the word “NO” before they learned the word “YES” (Anyone have the real statistic? I made up numbers to make a point, but then I have editorial privilege here). Because this is the typical pattern for learning these two words, I have long advocated that we teach these words in the developmental

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-69212255334467701392011-04-13T12:34:00.000-07:002011-04-19T04:56:14.042-07:00

Next week I have a delightful honor. Our Northwest Augmentative Communication Society, NWACS, is allowing me to present ways to use PowerPoint to meet assistive technology needs (you can catch the details here if you are in the Seattle area). Pretty cool, huh? I wish anyone here at the blog who wanted to attend the evening seminar could come. But geographically, that just doesn’t seem possible.

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-8718469841514885552011-04-12T21:46:00.000-07:002011-04-12T21:46:04.302-07:00

Barbara at TherExtras asked us to participate in a blog carnival on the topic of recognizing readiness. It’s a happy and forward-looking topic. You are invited to take a look at my response here. Some disorders that include loss or regression find us struggling to accept when our kids are not ready to move forward. In fact, they may be losing ground. It’s a difficult thing, but it’s important to

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-2051265249281412322011-04-11T12:23:00.000-07:002011-04-11T12:26:30.519-07:00

How do we know when our kids are ready to move on to a new skill? Since I deal daily with Rett syndrome, a land of ever-shifting terrain, this question is close to home. Rett syndrome, along with so many other disorders with a neurological component, presents an ongoing ebb and flow of skill gains. And skill losses. But for today, let’s look at how our family has recognized that our daughter was

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-88048190374537284362011-04-01T11:15:00.000-07:002011-04-01T16:49:29.952-07:00

Yes, me. I have been kidnapped.Ok, maybe not literally. The “kid” part is literal. The “napping?” What’s a nap?And what does any of this have do do with Special Needs blogging? Today is a bit off topic, but hopefully it will help you feel like you know a bit more about what goes on behind the scenes.A couple of you have send kind emails asking if I’m still here and if everything is all right.

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-53539569491792915282011-03-24T11:33:00.000-07:002011-03-24T16:04:47.020-07:00

So now you have one of these amazing high-tech eye gaze devices in your hot little hands and 2-4 weeks to see if it’s a good fit for your child…now what?During the trial, you want to set your student up for success. Remember, this is all brand new to her and eye gaze is very, very fatiguing while the eye and neck muscles build up strength. Your goals here are to see which device she is most

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-20502756951926027762011-03-17T15:20:00.000-07:002011-03-24T16:09:05.479-07:00

Language access software—now that is a very exciting topic! Seriously, it truly is…and I hope you get as excited about it as I do. Once kids are able to access a computer through eye gaze, what is it they are going to say? How are they going to say it? THAT is what the language access software is all about, and it plays a HUGE role in successful communication. Little nuances in fit make all

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-5689009807050819542011-03-10T14:47:00.000-08:002011-03-24T16:07:19.969-07:00

We live in such an exciting time! Leaps in technology have opened doors for computer access in ways that we didn’t even know to dream about just a few years ago. (Creepy picture...I couldn't find a copyright-free image of a child using eye gaze on a device, sorry!) Eye gaze technology can be a miracle for people with severe motor impairments who cannot touch a screen or control a mouse or

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-44984408144356890692011-03-07T09:05:00.000-08:002011-03-07T11:03:33.561-08:00

In the USA, we celebrate Thanksgiving each Nov. 25th with an enormous meal. I’m sure every country has similar celebrations that involve heaps of food. Everyone reading, then, can probably relate to plates overfilled with delicious holiday fare.We pile more enticing goodies onto our plates than any single human could possibly eat over three days (make that four days if my mom brings her Ambrosia

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-78002063055320166422011-03-03T10:14:00.000-08:002011-03-07T12:27:48.619-08:00

After last week's look at the importance of giving AAC users time to explore a device with NO pressure, are you convinced? What about kids who use manual (paper) boards or a PODD system, or those who need more time with their device’s home page?Repeated exposure to these boards can benefit kids too. Here’s an idea for boosting time with low-tech paper boards. It takes just a little initial time

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-27849906887661680262011-02-25T11:18:00.000-08:002011-02-25T12:59:26.166-08:00

One of the greatest finds on the Web for educational materials is SEN Teacher.  If you have never visited this incredible site, then today is your lucky day! SEN Teacher was developed for special educators, but it has a goldmine of goodies that are extremely helpful at home and in general ed classrooms as well. I used this site a lot when homeschooling and with general ed students as well as my

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-42732845212428253832011-02-24T14:54:00.000-08:002011-02-24T14:54:41.406-08:00

Think, for a moment, about the value of simply exploring something new… What’s the first thing you do when you get a new tool (a drill, for example)? Do you unwrap it and turn it over in your hands to look at it from every angle? Do you feel the weight of it and the texture of its “skin?” Do you locate and press all the buttons and turn all the knobs (before you turn on the power, of course!)?

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-53397739960042507172011-02-23T15:05:00.000-08:002011-02-23T20:01:16.138-08:00

The Internet is both a blessing and a curse. This is especially true for the world of educating children with special needs. As a blessing, the Web brings together families whose children suffer from a wide range of disabilities. Often these children have unique learning challenges and the Web offers a means for sharing ideas. Parents can partner together in support groups that would be

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-36448901644135698142011-02-19T09:38:00.000-08:002011-02-19T16:43:53.608-08:00

Water dripping on your head from the upstairs bathroom through the ceiling below is never a good thing. It isn’t related to special needs, but it adds more corollaries to our little collection of Murphy’s Laws. And so, I present to you these corollaries, both for your entertainment and as bit of an explanation for why things on the blog have been quiet this week:1) The room that has been most

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-35617771656577217322011-02-16T06:28:00.000-08:002011-02-16T06:29:56.276-08:00

You are supposed to get a full tutorial this evening, what with today being Tuesday [editorial note: it WAS Tuesday when I worked on this "quick" post. Ha-ha. Blogger does NOT play nice with photos and I need to go to bed before frustration drives me to do something drastic to the laptop. It's not the computer's fault. As a result, this won't get posted until Wednesday. My sanity is not worth the

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-62850324845413792842011-02-12T12:19:00.000-08:002011-02-12T12:19:26.006-08:00

Here you go! As promised, here is a list of resources to support families of kids with g-tubes. Of course, we could always use more! If you know of others, please add them in the comment section. I’ll keep the list updated so it’s easy for folks to bookmark them all in one spot. Thanks!!! I appreciate your help.Rose-Marie OrganizationsThe Oley Foundation (supports adult and child consumers)

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-5691092355575070432011-02-11T15:06:00.000-08:002011-02-11T15:17:06.195-08:00

If you asked a hundred g-tube users to name their favorite tube-related supplies, you’d get a hundred very different lists. Everything is so specific to the child's and family's needs. And that's just how it should be, isn't it? Today I’d like to share our family's list. My hope here is that it might expose you to particular supplies that address a need you’ve had. I’m by no means a g-tube

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-15413096466195155402011-02-11T08:50:00.000-08:002011-02-11T08:50:28.426-08:00

If you blend foods at home for your child's g-tube, your story is important! Would you be willing to share your story in a survey hosted here? The purpose of the survey is to collect as much data as possible about consumer experiences with homeblended diets to share with medical professionals. This collective result could be helpful to doctors and dieticians and to the families they work with.

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-26094484404494904262011-02-10T06:03:00.000-08:002011-02-10T08:41:00.548-08:00

Getting the g-tube was the single most important action we have taken to improve our daughter’s health. The second was switching her diet from commercial formula to whole foods blended to go through that tube.Ok, so this is Thursday and we’re supposed to be talking about communication. But I wasn’t sure when else to post about homeblending during Tube Feeding Awareness Week, and the topic is

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-39459550086096823762011-02-09T08:51:00.000-08:002011-02-09T19:50:54.739-08:00

I can’t predict whether your child’s g-tube feedings will be embraced at school or whether they will cause fear and trembling. Policies that govern school districts and even schools vary from one place to another. And the attitudes of individuals are, well, individual.What can you do to tip the scale towards creating a relaxed, supportive feeding experience for your child and their school staff?

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-81093820466613827022011-02-08T21:40:00.000-08:002011-02-08T21:40:27.778-08:00

PART TWO:  G-TUBE OPENINGS ON A BLANK CANVAS Lots of easy-to-sew patterns for children (and adults, too!) are made of flat pieces of fabric. One-piece sleepers, A-line dresses, and some overalls and jumpsuits are designed like this. These make a nice “blank canvas” for adding a g-tube access opening.In addition, some designs sewn with soft, flat seams can be treated as a single piece of flat

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-1085333206433741672011-02-08T13:05:00.000-08:002011-02-08T13:09:13.072-08:00

PART ONE:  DESIGN Parents can be amazingly creative. When faced with the challenge of dressing children that eat through g-tubes, they come up with some pretty clever solutions! Two-piece outfits, such as a shirt and pants or blouse and skirt, tend to give convenient access to the tummy. Most of my daughter’s current wardrobe falls into this two-piece category. It also is a standard way for

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-2674313637840805792011-02-07T09:19:00.000-08:002011-02-07T13:01:44.515-08:00

For some families, tube feeding is one part of a complex medical world into which their fragile babies are born. For others, it may be the first step on a long, unexpected journey. Either way, few couples enter parenthood expecting tube feedings as part of the package. Here’s our family’s story…Imagine a cute couple (that’s us, my wonderful husband and little ol' me) sitting in the specialty

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-23452791538040685492011-02-06T09:17:00.000-08:002011-02-06T09:49:26.682-08:00

Do you love someone with a feeding tube? Please join me in helping raise awareness of feeding tubes this week. Whether you are newly facing the decision about getting a feeding tube or a long-time tube-feeding "pro," there should be a lot to talk about. All this week we'll be looking at issues related to tube feedings and sharing ideas for ways to simplify life with a tube. We'll share

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-40533452405482013452011-02-05T08:58:00.000-08:002011-02-05T08:58:44.867-08:00

Whether you are a parent or a professional looking for information specific to a diagnosis, you’ll find a wealth of information at My Unique Child. Let me share a little about the great things you will find there.   First, My Unique Child is a very warm and reassuring place. The site is brought to you by Cheryl Scott, Licensed Mental Health Counselor, who also happens to be the mother of a child

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-65631243462019401512011-02-03T11:59:00.000-08:002011-02-03T12:47:25.946-08:00

Watch a loving parent interact with her young baby. Baby babbles “oooo” as mama picks up a teething biscuit. With great enthusiasm, mama responds “Yum, you want a cookie!” Baby gets that cookie and, even more importantly, she gets adoring interaction with one of the most valued people in her life. "Yum! You want a cookie!" Mama never doubts her little girl will learn to talk. Her hope inspires

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-50402590138609321132011-02-02T14:39:00.000-08:002011-02-02T14:54:47.856-08:00

There are several great resources to support educators and therapists working with children with Rett syndrome. Hopefully, you professionals out there are already linked up to these. If they are new to you, please feel free to join us!   If you are a parent of a child with Rett, please recommend these resources to the professionals in your child's life. Our kids are complex (as if I even need

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-30765167618173725602011-02-01T05:33:00.000-08:002011-02-01T05:33:36.648-08:00

For just a couple dollars or less, you can turn your existing mouse into a single switch. Sure, there are some snazzy commercial switch adapters that allow students with motor impairments to operate the computer with a switch. They are programmable and allow for input from multiple switches. They are very cool. And very expensive for families on a budget.Enter the Mouse House. A peer or adult 

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-17689798038472965742011-01-27T10:05:00.000-08:002011-01-27T12:38:49.303-08:00

True confession here -- my daughter is in a communication slump. She normally indicates choices to symbols and words with eye gaze with clear intention. But not right now. Right now we are getting mush. She won’t make a choice or her answers are so fleeting and subtle that they go unnoticed. But she doesn’t seem to care if we haven’t picked up her response. It’s the not-caring that concerns me

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-50920943390845931312011-01-26T11:47:00.000-08:002011-04-20T06:54:13.118-07:00

To become readers, children need to read. According to Dr. Karen Erickson, one of the nation’s leading experts on literacy for people with disabilities, children need access to 1500 books to develop literacy. In order to qualify, these books must be accessible to the child.   But kids with severe motor or reading challenges may not be able to access traditional books. We have talked about

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-26112364016740589572011-01-24T06:54:00.000-08:002011-01-24T08:13:44.239-08:00

 A picky eater WILL be attracted to the dog's food. Picture by Robert S. Donovan at flickr  We all know Murphy’s Law:  “If anything can go wrong, it will.” There are corollaries that expand on this: ...at the most inopportune time. ...in the most costly manner. The greater the importance that everything go right, the greater the likelihood things will go wrong … Parents dealing with

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-6569351717293718102011-01-22T12:33:00.000-08:002011-04-19T05:02:59.273-07:00

Kate Ahern has done it again, showering us with a wealth of great FREE sources for switch activities! She is such a master at uncovering great stuff and generously passing it along. I’m so grateful Kate has done this, as her list is ready for you now, ripe for picking. You can find some things today to keep your switch user(s) happy. I’ll keep plugging away at my review of these sites that I’ve

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-25716814343657036182011-01-20T07:16:00.000-08:002011-01-20T07:22:48.647-08:00

Hiding all over the Internet are diamonds just waiting to be discovered. One such gem is the Parents’ Corner on the AAC Institute website. If your child uses any form of Augmented or Alternative Communication, low- or high-tech, the Parents’ Corner is for you!Don’t let the name mislead you into thinking this resource is just for parents, either. The Parents’ Corner is full or resources for speech

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-5532049162371056512011-01-14T11:33:00.000-08:002011-01-14T16:25:54.679-08:00

In case you hadn’t heard, Scholastic is offering a great selection of eBooks for just $1.00 (US) at their Teacher Express storefront from now until 1/31/11. There are over 520 titles, most of them workbooks. They cover all grade levels and topics, so you might find something useful for your classroom or for your child at home. Thanks to Jonathon Wylie at The Education Technology Blog for spilling

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-88228048198774560982011-01-12T15:34:00.000-08:002011-01-13T07:09:07.360-08:00

 Standardized psychological tests. To the parents of children with multiple or severe disabilities, the very mention of them causes the hair on the back of our necks to bristle. To teachers who have faith that a child is capable of learning, the reaction is the same (because, good teachers DO want kids to succeed, contrary to some negative myths floating around in a few parent circles). Why

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-45592147152559465022011-01-10T12:04:00.000-08:002011-01-20T07:34:07.553-08:00

Why does God allow suffering? As parents of children with special needs, it’s an in-your-face question that we wrestle with. It’s hard to ignore.  Regardless of the issues our kids face, we ache to watch them suffer. If they must struggle, we’d like to at least understand why.It’s such a huge question. Theologians have struggled with it for centuries. I’m not going to come up with any

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-27799692378642720692011-01-05T06:06:00.000-08:002011-01-05T09:54:45.705-08:00

You know the fable of the Emporer’s Clothes, in which the king’s fine garments were nothing more than belief in a peddler’s fancy words. In reality, he was bare naked, strutting his imaginary finery in front of subjects who were afraid to speak the truth. This goes on in education, too, and it needs to stop.In education, the “Emporer” wears jargon. We’re supposed to believe it’s a grand ermine

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-4335416738415737102011-01-01T08:39:00.000-08:002011-01-02T13:09:07.027-08:00

How great would it be to have a WebTV channel dedicated to the needs and interests of families and professionals dealing with disabilities? Anyone with Internet access, anywhere in the world, would have access to the information and support available there. Susan Stephens had a vision to make this happen, and it’s about to become reality! In the middle of January, 2011, Family Network TV 

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-18768914963019794422010-12-22T10:07:00.000-08:002010-12-22T10:17:57.551-08:00

May each of you have a blessed Christmas...enjoy your family, your health...all the gifts in your life! May you be especially blessed by Christ who is the Reason we celebrate! For the next week and a half, I'm going to take a break from blogging to spend more time with my husband and kids. It seems like many of you are doing the same...so it's a good time to join you in just savoring this family

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-52550072902710356652010-12-21T06:05:00.000-08:002010-12-22T06:41:52.032-08:00

Thanks so much for your patience waiting for this tutorial! It has been a comedy of errors, but finally, it's here just for you! Drum roll please... * * * * * * * * The rainy season has hit the Pacific Northwest with a vengeance! This Wheelchair Rain Poncho is just the answer to keep kids and their wheelchairs dry as they brave the rain squalls. It can be made with a polar fleece lining if you

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-82871449452932996272010-12-20T06:43:00.000-08:002010-12-20T08:11:05.602-08:00

December is a time of year when gifts are very much on our minds. The holidays involve a great deal of gift giving. It’s all too easy to get caught up in the consumerism that tries to overtake this special time of year. Advertisers blare messages to attract us to their sales, the kids write cute little wish-lists (often too many and too long), family pressures over out-of-control gift exchanges

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-75182516528367848702010-12-17T09:17:00.000-08:002011-04-09T10:10:56.261-07:00

If you sew, you have a tremendous gift that can greatly benefit the wheelchair user in your life. If you want to learn to sew, come on aboard! You’ll be glad you did. Sewing gives you the opportunity to…·       custom-create fashionable clothing that fits just right. You can incorporate details that make sitting or stretching more comfortable, dressing easier, and managing openings simpler.

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-16175246003342209732010-12-16T18:24:00.000-08:002010-12-28T15:50:40.300-08:00

It was inevitable. The accident we’ve worked so hard to prevent came to life this afternoon. My daughter’s myoclonic jerking knocked her to the floor. I was trying to dress her while she stood, my hands were busy, and I just couldn’t catch her in time as a jolt of myoclonus sent her lurching against a cupboard door and down onto the linoleum. She was crying, obviously shaken. There were no

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-56512732793781581872010-12-15T06:00:00.000-08:002010-12-15T06:00:01.883-08:00

You are going to gain some practical insights about including children with disabilities in the regular classroom in this outstanding article by Margaret Cisco. It gives every person working with a child with special needs--both at school and at home--important things to reflect on...enjoy!Start with Three Key Concepts Special thanks to the staff at SESA for permission to reprint this article 

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-78752791960674057312010-12-14T12:18:00.000-08:002010-12-14T12:44:49.387-08:00

There's something special coming...just for you! I've been working diligently on the tutorial planned for today. It is close to done, but I'm not quite ready to post it. I promised myself I'd work like a wild banshee for eight hours today and now it's noon--my eight hours have expired (yes, you did your math correctly. I've been at this since four this morning). I'm learning heaps about

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-85926278707776041352010-12-10T06:00:00.000-08:002010-12-16T18:30:07.504-08:00

'Tis the season for baking...Yummm! If your kids like to help out with creating festive holiday cookies (and there are a lot of fall/winter holidays!), you might be interested in these Wilton Comfort-Grip cookie cutters. Some of our collection of Christmas Comfort-Grip cookie cutters. There are plenty for other seasons, too, but I'll spare you ! We love these at our house. Maybe too much. In

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-6382686958480686202010-12-09T06:15:00.000-08:002010-12-28T15:51:02.059-08:00

This idea for supporting non-verbal (or even shy children!) in conversations with their peers has floated around AAC circles for such a long time it is not spoken about often anymore. That puts families with young children at a disadvantage, because those families weren’t around when this idea was such a popular one. So I’m merely circulating an idea that’s tried and true…and may be a benefit to

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-44038675587769502362010-12-09T06:08:00.000-08:002010-12-16T18:30:58.803-08:00

...and that would be... Ann Marie!  Congratulations to you and your little girl! I hope you have many fun hours of communication practice PLAY together with her dolls. Enjoy!! I appreciate the clever ideas folks shared for why the book of playtime symbols would be helpful at their houses. Your little ones are fortunate to have such dedicated moms. My only regret with the giveaway is that I

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-38826975666969692942010-12-08T11:12:00.000-08:002010-12-08T12:34:57.378-08:00

Kids and stickers! They go together like peanut butter and jelly. A wonderful thing about stickers is that you can make your own, and quite inexpensively. They fill a myriad of uses in the classroom and around the house...more than just traditional ways we think of using stickers. Great things about lickable stickers I used stickers for all kinds of purposes in my classroom and at home with my

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-87594766804601139502010-12-07T12:03:00.000-08:002010-12-07T14:12:46.044-08:00

Since it’s the holiday season and many parents are looking to find gifts for their children, I thought today would be perfect to share a quick tutorial on adapting simple battery-powered toys. Roll up your sleeves, grab your toy catalog and tools, and let’s get started! Select a battery-operated toyBefore we start, you need to pay attention to differences in the way battery-powered toys operate.

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-90692115318064888022010-12-06T07:08:00.000-08:002010-12-06T07:46:58.132-08:00

I have always wanted to live on a farm. Always. I think my dream was born when my family stayed with an elderly gentleman and his wife on a hobby farm in Troffer Hole, New Mexico (a place that, according to the online maps, no longer exists). We had been visiting a family cemetery in this “town,” a place that consisted of just the cemetery and a small handful of farmhouses, and we were unable to

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-77072598204540201342010-12-03T14:42:00.000-08:002010-12-03T15:48:01.657-08:00

We love, love, love our daughter’s g-tube for more reasons than I can list here, so for now I’ll just share why we love it for medications. Gone are the days of forcing bitter liquids down her throat or trying to get her uncoordinated little muscles to try to swallow a pill. We know she is getting her correct full dose every time, even if she is sound asleep. That is not to say that there aren’t

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-22953644144907047362010-12-02T13:19:00.000-08:002010-12-03T12:20:20.031-08:00

After posting last week about how we can help our kids build communication skills during play, I thought you might want to see a sample vocabulary notebook. Today I’ll show you some example pages and talk you through building play vocabulary at home. My sample activity is a “baby book” I made years ago as a gift for my daughter and the new baby Annabelle doll Santa brought her. In keeping with

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-43526195056518524962010-12-01T12:49:00.000-08:002010-12-03T12:28:21.890-08:00

Books that are loved by kids sometimes get loved hard. One of my favorite keepsakes from my girls’ infancy are picture books they asked to have read over and over, and that they themselves devoured on their own. I use the word “devoured” quite deliberately; my oldest daughter ate all the corners off her favorite Kittens are Like That. While it makes this memento especially dear to my heart, we

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-26557256395235596372010-11-30T06:18:00.000-08:002010-12-03T12:47:59.949-08:00

After a leisurely dinner Saturday night, I carried our plates back to the kitchen to discover a small tragedy on the top of our glass cook top stove. In all its dying splendor lay a melted plastic bread sack that had been inadvertently placed on top of a still-hot burner. Printed side down. The stove is less than a year old; the bag looked to be about a hundred years old in its shriveled, melted

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-62918423742428072152010-11-25T23:05:00.000-08:002010-12-03T12:42:11.119-08:00

Who doesn’t love to play? It’s nature’s way of making learning fun! Kids with severe speech and motor issues need to play just as much as the next kid. In fact, since they may not be able to access play activities by themselves, it’s that much more important for us to provide opportunities for play. Photo courtesy of drewnew at Flickr Creative Commons Smart therapists have known the value of

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-47336821134613694242010-11-24T11:02:00.000-08:002010-12-06T19:40:07.305-08:00

The Special Education Technology Centre in British Columbia is a wealth of information for teachers and parents as well. Their website is a treasure of resources just waiting for you to use in your classroom or home. One fabulous thing I’ve observed about special needs parents is how enthusiastically they tend to take on the roll of providing instruction to their children at home. The biggest

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-75809347397038647662010-11-23T09:50:00.000-08:002011-01-08T08:19:54.225-08:00

Ahhhh, nothing like a gentle hug to soothe and calm us! Weighted blankets can provide that same calming effect for lots of kids with sensory issues. They are not cheap to buy, though it’s possible to cut expenses by making your own at home. There are directions at several sites online, but the best tutorial I’ve found was written by Weeks Ringle. She includes the secret bit of information no one

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-9890493512242026182010-11-22T06:00:00.000-08:002010-12-03T12:22:09.763-08:00

Any time a group of special needs parents gets together, the topic of conversation will eventually turn to The-Stupid-Things-People-Say. I’m not sure why this is such a popular topic; it ranks right up there with “poop” and “meltdowns.” We spend whole evenings sharing the most outlandish remarks made to us by strangers with regard to our situations. We try to outdo one another with the absurdity

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1482558900455851331.post-73869662094298432552010-11-21T08:31:00.000-08:002011-02-09T11:53:38.866-08:00

I wanted to let you know I'm moving the documents here on Adapting Creatively over to a new host that is much more download-friendly. If you have been unable to access the downloads before, they are now up at Google Docs. This site is able to present them as written and free of charge (a problem with each of the other hosting sites I've tried). The Best of the Best AT/AAC Websites G-Tube

Rose-Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.com0