Protect Your Allergic Child from Valentine’s Day

Does your child attend an elementary school that will be having a classroom Valentine’s Day party? Typically, those parties involve a ton of sweets, treats, and goodies that do not have ingredient labels and may contain things your child is allergic to. What’s a parent to do? Here are some options to protect your child from Valentine’s Day. Parents want to protect their child from all potential harm. Food allergies make that difficult. Not everyone understands what your child could experience if he or she encounters peanuts, gluten, eggs, or milk. Your child might not entirely understand exactly how this … Continue reading →

Where to Find a Support Group in New Jersey

Everyone could use a little extra help sometimes. Parents of kids who have special needs can benefit from attending a support group. Finding help can be difficult. Here is a list of support groups that are located in New Jersey. Wayne Special Parents Association is located in Wayne, New Jersey. It is for parents of children who have special educational needs. Their website has information about upcoming events. Mom2Mom has a list of when, and where, support groups will take place. Most are in Newark, New Jersey. Their website says “You’re caring for your special needs child…Who is caring for … Continue reading →

Making Christmas More Joyful for Kids With Special Needs

Many of us look forward to Christmas. Kids that have certain types of special needs might feel left out, or overwhelmed, by the ways that their family celebrates this holiday. Here are some quick tips to help make Christmas more joyful for kids who have special needs. It is a tradition that children write a letter to Santa. Sometimes, Santa answers that letter. When he does, it a note that is written on paper, (and possibly signed by Santa himself). This makes many children happy. However, it leaves out the kids who are blind or who have a vision impairment. … Continue reading →

Watch Out for Food Allergens at Thanksgiving

The traditional way to celebrate Thanksgiving is for a family to get together and have a huge meal. Parents of kids who have food allergies need to be very aware of the allergens that are in the foods that your child might be served at Thanksgiving dinner. Here are a few things to watch out for. Food allergies are serious. Thanksgiving is a holiday that is primarily celebrated by consuming a great quantity of traditional foods and desserts. If you aren’t careful, this could be a recipe for disaster! Here are some hidden allergens to watch out for on the … Continue reading →

Resources for Avoiding Allergens in Halloween Candy

Halloween is just a few days away. Most children are excitedly looking forward to going trick-or-treating and getting lots of candy. If your child has food allergies, some of that candy can be dangerous. Here are some resources to help parents figure out if there is an allergen in the candy that your child brought home. Let me start this blog with a bit of a “disclaimer”. Parents need to use their best judgement about whether or not a particular Halloween candy is safe for their child to eat. Always read the ingredients that are on the package. Use the … Continue reading →

Caroline’s Cart Rolling Into More States

A mother in Alabama designed a specialized shopping cart that would help her to be able to shop with her daughter, Caroline. The cart is designed for children who have disabilities. Caroline’s Cart is about to roll into a few more states. There could be one at your local grocery store soon. They say that necessity is the mother of invention. In this case, necessity inspired a mother to invent a specialized grocery cart. Drew Ann Long, and her husband, David are the parents of three children. One is a daughter named Caroline. She has Rett Syndrome. It is a … Continue reading →

Open-Dyslexic Font Makes Reading Easier

One of the difficulties faced by children, and adults, who have dyslexia involves reading. Many font types are not easy for dyslexic brain’s to discern. A font called Open-Dyslexic can be downloaded for free. This could help your child to read! As a person who is dyslexic, I can tell you from experience that reading isn’t always easy. There are a lot of coping mechanisms I use in order to be able to read a news article, and to write about it, in a way that will make sense for other people. Spellcheck is useful. I edit everything I put … Continue reading →

“No Candy Halloween” Safer for Kids With Food Allergies

Halloween is supposed to be scary, but it isn’t supposed to be deadly. Kids who have food allergies are at risk of encountering an allergen in Halloween candy or in the treats at school parties. There is a trend this year to have a “No Candy Halloween” specifically to keep kids with food allergies safe. Food allergies are to be taken seriously. Kids that encounter even a tiny amount of a food that they are allergic to can have an allergic reaction that could consist of anything from hives, to digestion issues, to anaphylaxis. This makes Halloween candy very scary, … Continue reading →

Support Hotline for Parents of Children With Special Needs

All parents, no matter what their circumstances, can benefit from some support. Parents of children who have special needs also require support. In San Jose, California, a support hotline is being set up for parents who cannot leave home to attend a support group. In March of 2012, tragedy struck in Sunnydale, California. A mother named Elizabeth Hodgins killed her 22 year old son, George, and then killed herself. George had autism, and Elizabeth was his primary caretaker. Her husband, Lester, arrived home from work one day to find the bodies of his wife and son. He didn’t know what, … Continue reading →

Pediatric Therapy Center Helps Haircuts Be Less Stressful

Many children get a Back-To-School haircut shortly before the new school year begins. Parents of kids who have autism, or other types of special needs, realize that this can be a traumatic experience for their child. The Pediatric Therapy Center recently made getting a haircut much less stressful. Children who are young, and have no special needs, often find the experience of getting a haircut to be upsetting. As children get older, they typically adjust to this situation. Some will even start to look forward to it. Children who have certain types of special needs, however, may find the experience … Continue reading →