It is time, once again, for the Special Needs Blog Week In Review. There are a lot of different topics that get covered here in a given week. This time, there were blogs about iPads as tools, control of Special Education school busses, egg allergies, Sensory Friendly Santa events, the effects of smoking while pregnant, and guide dog puppies visiting the fire house. Which ones did you miss?
Study Says iPads Help People with Vision Problems Read
A recent study found that the iPad is a great tool for helping people who have vision problems be able to read. There is something about the back-lit screen that helps. The iPad allows people to adjust the size of the font to a size that is more comfortable for a person to read.
School District Regains Control Over Busses
The District of Columbia has regained control over the school busses that are used by students that are part of the Special Education program. This is the conclusion of a lawsuit that has been going on since 1995.
Study Says Children Might Outgrow Egg Allergy
A new study can give hope to parents of children who have egg allergies. The study found that kids with allergies to eggs can outgrow the allergy if they are exposed to eggs that have been cooked in baked goods (while under the supervision of an allergist). Unfortunately, children who have severe egg allergies are unlikely to outgrow them.
Where to Find More Sensory Santa Events
This blog is an update about where to find upcoming Sensory Friendly Santa events (or Caring Santa events). Children who have special needs that make it difficult for them to cope with the crowded, loud, environment that typically accompanies a visit to Santa will appreciate the Sensory Friendly events.
Another Reason Not to Smoke While Pregnant
A study found that babies who were exposed to cigarette smoke while in-utero end up scoring 21% lower on reading comprehension tests than did their peers that were not exposed to cigarette smoke. This is a significant decrease, and entirely preventable.
Training Puppies in Case of Emergencies
PAWS 4 Sight trains puppies to become guide dogs. They recently took the guide dogs in-training to a fire station so the dogs could become familiar with firefighters. This can help the dogs to assist a visually impaired or blind person in an emergency situation in the future.
Image by happy_serendipity on Flickr