Saturday Catch-Up: What You Missed Since May 24
Saturday May 31, 2008
It's the weekend! Stretch! Take a deep breath! And catch up with all that stuff you meant to read on this site over the past week! Here are the new ... Read More
Cards, Words, and More Fun Things to Do
Saturday May 31, 2008
A Saturday "Site of the Day" special: Most days, a single Site of the Day is plenty to keep you occupied. But on Saturday morning, with kids underfoot and a ... Read More
Fun for the Whole Family? Not Likely
Friday May 30, 2008
My son's middle school is hosting a carnival this week. I hoped he wouldn't get wind of it, but of course he did. And of course he wants to go. ... Read More
Researchers Working On Healthy Video Games
Friday May 30, 2008
Looks like pretty soon, we won't have to feel guilty about letting our kids play video games. Researchers are looking into ways to use the fast-moving tech toys to improve ... Read More
Site of the Day: Brett Banford on So You Think You Can Dance
Friday May 30, 2008
I don't keep up on reality TV very well, but Pamela Wilson from BellaOnline's Special Needs Children Site alerted me this morning to the fact that a young man with ... Read More
Updates on Upsetting Special-Needs News Stories
Thursday May 29, 2008
In recent weeks, I've reported on three unsettling stories involving boys on the autism spectrum -- a teen taken from his parents, a preteen barred from a church, and a ... Read More
The Perils of Preemptive Arguing
Thursday May 29, 2008
Tell me I'm not the only one who does this.
On Tuesday, when I picked my son up, his aide mentioned that he'd been very congested and sniffly and coughing, and ... Read More
Site of the Day: Toolkit for Parents of Teens With Epilepsy
Thursday May 29, 2008
"You Are Not Alone," a toolkit from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), provides help and support for parents at a time when their children need to ... Read More
Another Teen Driver on the Road
Wednesday May 28, 2008
Well, that day I wrote about back in December has arrived.
My daughter got her driver's license yesterday.
Got it on the first try, she did. And now that piece of plastic ... Read More
Wordless Wednesday: Keys to His Heart
Wednesday May 28, 2008
Site of the Day: Hospital Compare
Wednesday May 28, 2008
Wondering how different hospitals in your area stack up in terms of general patient care or performance on specific procedures? Hospital Compare, a service of the U.S. Department of Health ... Read More
A Memorial Day to Remember
Tuesday May 27, 2008
My heart has been hurting lately over stories about churches and restraining orders, and kids voted out of classrooms, and parents who would tell their kids to smear peanut butter ... Read More
Good Reading From the Carnival of Family Life
Tuesday May 27, 2008
I participated in the Carnival of Family Life again this week, hosted by Colloquium. In addition to my entry on church behavior, here are some more posts from the family-related ... Read More
Site of the Day: Study on Positive Growth in Parents
Tuesday May 27, 2008
I read about this study on the blog MOM - Not Otherwise Specified, and am pretty thrilled with the idea of it -- a survey that looks at the positive ... Read More
Monday Book Look: Behavior Book Special
Monday May 26, 2008
Monday is book-review day for the Harried Parent's Book Club, and the next book up will be the very lengthy Epilepsy: Patient and Family Guide by Orrin Devinsky, M.D. Look ... Read More
What Are You Doing This Memorial Day?
Monday May 26, 2008
Besides writing polite but firm letters to the powers that be in a Florida school district, that is?
Our Memorial Day activities started earlier this morning, with my daughter marching with ... Read More
Site of the Day: Action Alert on Autistic Student Voted Out of Class
Monday May 26, 2008
My children both have papers up in their rooms that list nice things classmates have said about them. In both cases, these were the products of an exercise in which ... Read More
Sunday Quotations: Disability Perspectives
Sunday May 25, 2008
Every Sunday, I'll be sharing a few quotes from blog entries around the Web that have caught my eye recently. Have you read something quote-worthy? Share in the comments.
"Your child ... Read More
Around About: May 25
Sunday May 25, 2008
A Sunday "Site of the Day" special: Just as Saturday's "Five Fun Things to Do" points you toward amusing and informative places to visit around the Internet, every Sunday morning ... Read More
Saturday Catch-Up: What You Missed Since May 17
Saturday May 24, 2008
It's the weekend! Stretch! Take a deep breath! And catch up with all that stuff you meant to read on this site over the past week! Here are the new ... Read More
Travel, Thomas, and More Fun Things to Do
Saturday May 24, 2008
A Saturday "Site of the Day" special: Most days, a single Site of the Day is plenty to keep you occupied. But on Saturday morning, with kids underfoot and a ... Read More
Read Your Way Through Road Trips
Friday May 23, 2008
Road trip! Maybe there once was a time when the idea of hitting the open road filled you with delight. Roll down the windows, crank up the stereo, and you ... Read More
Badges? They Need Some Stinking Badges!
Friday May 23, 2008
Memorial Day weekend starts today in our town, with kids given a bonus day off to make up for the under-use of snow days this winter. My son's got big ... Read More
Site of the Day: ASL Video Dictionary
Friday May 23, 2008
Dictionaries that just show still photos of individual signs can't give a complete picture of American Sign Language, since signs can change as they relate different meanings and relationships with ... Read More
Surviving an Evening of Music and Squeaking
Thursday May 22, 2008
Last night I did that thing parents of children with special-needs do, that thing that risks restraining orders and second-guessing: I took my big 15-year-old son to a high-school band ... Read More
U.S. Currency Violates Rights of the Vision-Impaired
Thursday May 22, 2008
Is U.S. paper money discriminatory?
A federal appeals court says it is, the Disability Law Blog reports. In a decision backing a lower court's ruling, the judges agreed with the American ... Read More
Site of the Day: Team Ossur
Thursday May 22, 2008
Yesterday, I posted about runner Oscar Pistorius being ruled eligible to race on his prosthetic legs in the Olympics. If you were as inspired by that as I was, check ... Read More
Inclusion, In Your Face
Wednesday May 21, 2008
I've been writing here about my mixed feelings about inclusion, but this week there's been some inclusive news that's got me grinning: Oscar Pistorius, a world-class runner from South Africa ... Read More
Wordless Wednesday: Toy Traffic
Wednesday May 21, 2008
Site of the Day: Asthma Mom's Glossary
Wednesday May 21, 2008
When your child is diagnosed with special needs, you suddenly become a scholar on whatever's happening to that kid. And once you've learned a thing or two, the natural next ... Read More
Judging Disruptive Behavior in Church
Tuesday May 20, 2008
Do you ever wonder what you look like to other people? I'm not talking about your hair or your clothes or scary photos like the one I see of myself ... Read More
Good Reading From the Carnival of Family Life
Tuesday May 20, 2008
I participated in the Carnival of Family Life again this week, hosted by Ice Cream Is Not for Breakfast. In addition to my entry on what I learned from children's ... Read More
Site of the Day: St. Baldrick's Foundation
Tuesday May 20, 2008
My daughter's current TV addiction is the Nickelodeon show The Brothers Garcia, and one episode she's watched several times lately involves the oldest brother shaving his head out of solidarity ... Read More
Does Your Faith Community Hate You This Much?
Monday May 19, 2008
Boy, I just do not know how I feel about this story out of Minnesota: A Catholic church has issued a restraining order against the family of a child with ... Read More
Monday Book Look: Talking Back to OCD
Monday May 19, 2008
Monday is the new book review day for the Harried Parent's Book Club, and this week's selection, Talking Back to OCD, offers a program of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to loosen ... Read More
Site of the Day: Can Do!
Monday May 19, 2008
Focus on what you can do instead of what you can't. That's the focus of this cheerful sight that helps kids celebrate their abilities. From a questionnaire for identifying those ... Read More
Sunday Quotations: Communication
Sunday May 18, 2008
Every Sunday, I'll be sharing a few quotes from blog entries around the Web that have caught my eye recently. Have you read something quote-worthy? Share in the comments.
"The Executive ... Read More
Around About: May 18
Sunday May 18, 2008
A Sunday "Site of the Day" special: Just as Saturday's "Five Fun Things to Do" points you toward amusing and informative places to visit around the Internet, every Sunday morning ... Read More
Saturday Catch-Up: What You Missed Since May 10
Saturday May 17, 2008
It's the weekend! Stretch! Take a deep breath! And catch up with all that stuff you meant to read on this site over the past week! Here are the new ... Read More
Huts, Hawaii, and More Fun Things to Do
Saturday May 17, 2008
A Saturday "Site of the Day" special: Most days, a single Site of the Day is plenty to keep you occupied. But on Saturday morning, with kids underfoot and a ... Read More
Friday Book Club on the Move
Friday May 16, 2008
Hey, what happened to the book review that usually pops up in this space late on Fridays? It's chugging on over to Mondays, to start our week with a good ... Read More
In the Forum: What Am I Dealing With?
Friday May 16, 2008
Getting your child dressed is one of those things that can so easily turn into a power struggle. Sometimes, kids are just testing, and you need to follow through on ... Read More
Site of the Day: Alert Program Games
Friday May 16, 2008
The Alert Program is a system for helping children manage their sensory integration needs by asking "How does your engine run?" and providing strategies for speeding up or slowing down.
Parents ... Read More
An Opening for Locks
Thursday May 15, 2008
Looking for something new to add to your bag of tricks, that needs-to-be-bottomless collection of toys and trinkets and things to occupy children during times of great boredom? Try tossing ... Read More
Understanding Medical Consequences, and Medical Force
Thursday May 15, 2008
I've written before about the dilemma of families of young cancer patients who disagree with doctors and find their rights overruled. There have been a number of stories lately about ... Read More
Site of the Day: Children's Book Week
Thursday May 15, 2008
As I mentioned yesterday, this is Children's Book Week, and if you're always on the lookout for something to read with your child, stop by this official site for the ... Read More
Twenty Things I Learned Reading Children's Fiction
Wednesday May 14, 2008
Elizabeth Kennedy, About.com's guide to Children's Books, reminds us that it is both Children's Book Week and Reading Is Fun Week, and that's got me thinking about the many, many ... Read More
Wordless Wednesday: Chalk Talk
Wednesday May 14, 2008
Site of the Day: Stuffed With Hugs
Wednesday May 14, 2008
Build-a-Bear Workshop's annual Stuffed With Hugs event will take place this Saturday, May 17, in stores around the U.S. The first 150 young bear-stuffers to show up at each store ... Read More
Texting Teens to Remember Their Meds
Tuesday May 13, 2008
Using teen technology to get them to do something responsible! You gotta love it. According to a CNN report, researchers are looking at whether text messaging might be a good ... Read More
The Patient Is Fine, But the Fit Is Funny
Tuesday May 13, 2008
You know, doctor appointments with my son are never easy.
Annual check-ups are never easy, because we have to wait a long time, and he knows he might get a shot.
Talking ... Read More
Site of the Day: Autism Games
Tuesday May 13, 2008
This site, from a speech-language pathologist, "is for parents and others who want information about how to make play successful, educational and fun for a young child with autism or ... Read More
On the Run With Special Olympics
Monday May 12, 2008
A few weeks ago I wrote about my son's first Special Olympics event, and this Saturday marked his second. This time it was a track meet, and a much bigger ... Read More
Good Reading From the Carnival of Family Life
Monday May 12, 2008
I participated in the Carnival of Family Life again this week, hosted by Write From Karen. In addition to my entry on good goodbyes, here are some more posts from ... Read More
Site of the Day: Audacity
Monday May 12, 2008
Audacity, free software that allows you to make and edit digital sound recordings through your computer, combines two of my favorite strategies: reading aloud to reluctant readers, and keeping an ... Read More
Sunday Quotations: You Are Loving
Sunday May 11, 2008
Happy Mother's Day!
For today's Sunday Quotation, in honor of a day that makes us feel grateful for our children while reminding us that our lives sometimes wander far from the ... Read More
Around About: May 11
Sunday May 11, 2008
A Sunday "Site of the Day" special: Just as Saturday's "Five Fun Things to Do" points you toward amusing and informative places to visit around the Internet, every Sunday morning ... Read More
Saturday Catch-Up: What You Missed Since May 3
Saturday May 10, 2008
It's the weekend! Stretch! Take a deep breath! And catch up with all that stuff you meant to read on this site over the past week! Here are the new ... Read More
Recycling, eLearning, and More Fun Things to Do
Saturday May 10, 2008
A Saturday "Site of the Day" special: Most days, a single Site of the Day is plenty to keep you occupied. But on Saturday morning, with kids underfoot and a ... Read More
Friday Book Club: "Sensory Integration: Answers for Parents" and "Sensory Integration: Answers for Teachers"
Friday May 9, 2008
Every Friday is book review day for the Harried Parent's Book Club, and this week's selection is a pair of booklets that give a quick overview of sensory integration.
There are ... Read More
When You Can Barely Get a Second to Think
Friday May 9, 2008
Every Friday on this blog, I introduce a new book review for the Harried Parent's Book Club. There'll be another entry up later today, a mercifully short pair of booklets ... Read More
Site of the Day: March of Dimes Mother's Day
Friday May 9, 2008
Mother's Day is this Sunday, and if you're planning to send a bouquet, the March of Dimes can link you up with ProFlowers so that $10 from your flower order ... Read More
An Ode to Two Bad Weeks
Thursday May 8, 2008
Can I just say
that whoever is responsible
for the eight straight days of disrupted routine
for my son and his self-contained class --
the four days of time-wasting standardized testing,
and the four days ... Read More
Your Comments on Inclusion and the Magical Mainstream
Thursday May 8, 2008
Readers are sounding off in the comments all over this Parenting Special Needs blog, but it can be hard to find and respond to those opinions when they're on posts ... Read More
Site of the Day: Take a Stand
Thursday May 8, 2008
For the fifth year, Sunkist is giving away lemonade stands to help children ages 7-12 raise money for charity. Last year, more than 15,000 kids in the U.S. and Canada ... Read More
An Early Mother's Day Gift
Wednesday May 7, 2008
Well, this is the kind of thing that just turns my old heart to mush.
My son brought home a little cursive writing project that he did in occupational therapy today, ... Read More
Wordless Wednesday: Fun With Body Sox
Wednesday May 7, 2008
Site of the Day: Thanks Mom Marrow Donor Drive
Wednesday May 7, 2008
The National Marrow Donor Program allows participants to use a tissue-typing kit to register themselves as potential bone-marrow donors. From May 5-19, the week before and after Mother's Day, registration ... Read More
Appreciate a Teacher This Week
Tuesday May 6, 2008
Do you appreciate your child's teachers? If you need an excuse, this week is Teacher Appreciation Week. In fact, today is National Teacher Day, and I get an F for ... Read More
Summer Dilemma: Work or Play?
Tuesday May 6, 2008
Have you made your summer plans yet? I hate to tell you, I haven't quite accepted it myself, but ... it's May already. Yes. Really. Summer vacation is so close ... Read More
Site of the Day: Asthma Screening Program
Tuesday May 6, 2008
Today is World Asthma Day, here at the start of National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month in the U.S., and one way to raise your awareness is to find out ... Read More
Getting a Good Goodbye
Monday May 5, 2008
Bullies Using Peanuts as a Weapon
Monday May 5, 2008
According to a Reuters report, there may be a cure for peanut allergies within the next half-decade. And it can't come fast enough, because these two recent headlines on the ... Read More
Site of the Day: Benefits for Children With Disabilities
Monday May 5, 2008
The subject of SSI payments for children with special needs came up twice for me last week -- once when a special education director at a meeting said she was ... Read More
Sunday Quotations: Dealing With Differences
Sunday May 4, 2008
Every Sunday, I'll be sharing a few quotes from blog entries around the Web that have caught my eye recently. Have you read something quote-worthy? Share in the comments.
"There are ... Read More
Around About: May 4
Sunday May 4, 2008
A Sunday "Site of the Day" special: Just as Saturday's "Five Fun Things to Do" points you toward amusing and informative places to visit around the Internet, every Sunday morning ... Read More
Saturday Catch-Up: What You Missed Since April 26
Saturday May 3, 2008
It's the weekend! Stretch! Take a deep breath! And catch up with all that stuff you meant to read on this site over the past week! Here are the new ... Read More
Sensory Activities, Tattoos, and More Fun Things to Do
Saturday May 3, 2008
A Saturday "Site of the Day" special: Most days, a single Site of the Day is plenty to keep you occupied. But on Saturday morning, with kids underfoot and a ... Read More
Friday Book Club: Last Child in the Woods
Friday May 2, 2008
Every Friday is book review day for the Harried Parent's Book Club, and this week's selection, Last Child in the Woods, suggests that today's kids are suffering from "Nature-Deficit Disorder," ... Read More
Good Reading From "Blogging Against Disabilism Day"
Friday May 2, 2008
Yesterday, I participated in Blogging Against Disabilism Day (BADD) for the first time, and though I felt a little trepidation writing something negative about inclusion, the comments so far have ... Read More
Site of the Day: InfantSEE
Friday May 2, 2008
Watch Other Users' Videos
Submit Your Own Video
According to statistics on the InfantSEE site, one out of ten children is at risk for an undiagnosed eye problem, yet only about fourteen ... Read More
Vaccinations Cause Fainting in Teens
Thursday May 1, 2008
For parents immunizing infants these days, there are all sorts of questions: Is my baby getting too many shots? Will the shots cause neurological damage? Will skipping shots invite terrifying ... Read More
Inclusion and the Myth of the Magical Mainstream
Thursday May 1, 2008
The Gospel of Inclusion is being preached pretty heavily in my school district right now, and its constant message is that children with disabilities flourish when exposed to children without ... Read More
Site of the Day: All About Parenting Blog Carnival
Thursday May 1, 2008
The first edition of the All About Parenting blog carnival, to be hosted by guides here on the About.com Parenting Channel, is up now on the About.com Family Computing site.
Among ... Read More