Family Networking



This new website may be worth looking at if you are thinking about planning a trip. Always great to have suggestions and advice before heading to a destination!
https://www.specialglobe.com/

"We have created a site that will allow parents the ability to book custom trips, book hotels and share their experiences and learn from other parents and experts through forums and written articles about everything from tips and tricks, top ten things to do and basic travel advice. We also wanted to develop our own itinerary guides that would include comprehensive information about special needs travel. Where to stay, where to eat, what wonderful activities would be available to you that your whole family could enjoy, where are the hospitals, where are the pharmacies, where can I get a beach scooter, where can I get a certified aid that could help my family while on vacation in each of these locales and much much more. It is our intent here at SpecialGlobe to gather any and all information about special needs travel under one roof where you can take your time to review and make decisions about what's right for your family."



Good article about what Stimming is and asks the question, why does my child engage in this behavior? Seeking to understand the motivation for a behavior is key, to helping our kids deal with the environment & give some coping skills.  


http://www.friendshipcircle.org/blog/2012/03/22/the-cause-of-stimming-whats-your-stim/







Found another blog site that has some good information, and parents sharing their stories. I particularly found this Mom's story familiar. This is from her post: "Let’s open up the dialogue between us. Ask the hard questions. Bring your children and come over to say hi to our family. Ask me how we are doing. Ask about the weather. Ask me about Jaina. Just talk to me. Include us in your community.Together, let’s abandon our outdated beliefs about what defines the “typical family.” Let’s work towards a future of acceptance and inclusion. Let’s create a supportive community, one made up of people and families of all types"








Another great resource for parents is found at Noah's Dad: http://noahsdad.com
Rick and Abbie Smith share their journey, in hopes of spreading awareness. They share wonderful resources, links, answers to questions, common issues, helpful tips, and support. Which is something we all need. 


Here's a small piece of their story, on the site, please read through it, and the links that are below, they have a great Facebook page, and twitter feed, with super links, resources and answers to your questions. 

Will you help us share the story that Down syndrome is ok?

We are doing something really unique by telling the story of our son’s life via one-minute, daily videos. We believe that he has a story worth sharing, and we hope you’ll help us share his story; the story that all children (regardless of a disability) are so worth loving.
The story that Down syndrome ok.
Please be sure to connect with us (and thousands of other amazing families) on Noah’s Dad Facebook page, and follow Noah’s Dad on Twitter.  I really believe that together we
 can help show the world it’s time to view children like our son Noah as just as worthy of love as every other person on this planet.  Will you please take a second to help us do that?




http://www.cdss.ca/


National Down Syndrome Awareness Week- November 1-7th, Have you seen these billboards? Pip & her family is doing great awareness!

Great tips for helping your child with sensory issues get prepared for all the transitions with back to school.









Max is nine years old and was born with Cerebral Palsy. The language area in his brain has been affected and he therefore has difficulty using his speech to communicate. He started using Proloquo2Go on an iPad about a year ago. He now uses it on a daily basis, at school and at home. His speech has made good progress and his frustration level has decreased. Max is more able to communicate, he spells and he can create sentences that he was not able to create before. He even helps with customizing the app's vocabulary



picture  thanks to: Proloquo2Go


RWORD PSA- We strive to raise awareness about using language that is respectful. The R-word campaign is working to ensure all people are treated equal and fully included. There is a lot of power in words and deeds.