Tagged with: adults children disabilities Obesity In the past few years we have seen a big push for the lowering of adult and childhood obesity rates. With the launch of several national campaigns focusing on the promotion of healthy eating and physical activity, one might assume that these programs are having a great affect on the rates of obesity in this country. A recent New York Times article states that this is in fact not the case.
Tagged with: children christmas disabilities guide holidays toys Late last week, I stopped by my local Toys“R”Us to pick-up a few gifts. While walking into the store I passed a kiosk displaying the Toys“R”Us guide for differently-abled kids, I instantly picked up a copy and began to flip through it. Upon opening the Guide I found that not only were dozens of toys listed but next to each of the toys there was a picture stating which important developmental areas each specific toy could help to enhance. For example, according to the Guide, the Go Baby Go! 1-2-3 Crawl-Along Snail targets fine motor, visual, auditory, thinking and gross motor skill development.
Tagged with: ACORNS children Common Community Measures for Obesity Prevention Project DRRP II inclusion National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research Obesity The rate of obesity among adolescents aged 12 to 19 years has more than tripled over the past three decades, and the rate among children aged 6 to 11 years has more than doubled. Unfortunately, the rates of obesity are even worse among children and adolescents with disabilities. Reversing the U.S. obesity epidemic requires a comprehensive approach that uses policy and environmental change to transform communities into places that promote healthy lifestyle choices for all.
Tagged with: animals children disabilities therapy After a recent phone conversation with my sister, I started thinking about ways that animals can and have been used as therapeutic aids for children with disabilities. While I remember hearing tid-bits about animals being used to help children with disabilities in the past, I was very interested to find out more about the topic.
Tagged with: childhood children disabilities Obesity During my Master’s program, I served as a part-time Adapted Physical Education teacher in the Charlottesville, VA area. And while I did my very best to educate my students as to why physical activity and healthy eating were important, there were not many outside sources helping to push the same agenda. Most of my students had limited access to inside and outside school physical activity opportunities as well as opportunities for health education.
Tagged with: children driving learning powered wheelchairs research tool Since the standard approach to teaching children how to drive a new powered wheelchair is both time intensive and expensive, the researchers at the University of California, Irvine developed a new tool that they hope make learning to drive a power chair as much fun as an amusement park ride. That’s ROLY!
Tagged with: bullying children disabilities kids Children look forward to the new school year as a milestone on the ladder to adulthood. They are excited to see children they have missed over the summer, meet their new teacher and be introduced to new skills and concepts in class. And yet as the new school year gets into full swing each fall, the darker side of the playground begins to emerge.
The coach and athlete of today now have a wealth of information at their fingertips to support their goal of developing athletic ability. This information may be derived from academic journals or coffee -table magazines, perhaps it is gleaned from internet chatlines or from credible sources organizations like NCPAD, but wherever it comes from sorting the kernel from the chafe requires skill and pragmatism. The phrase “A little knowledge could be a dangerous thing” is a necessary and cautionary reminder that not every piece of coaching wisdom is well conceived or suitable for your special needs athlete. There is certainly a danger in over-analyzing every single possible risk, benefit, sports tactic, counter tactic, etc, and you may find your head is whirring with contradictory ideas; sports psychologists might suggest that you are in a state of “analysis – paralysis.”
Tagged with: children custody disabilities divorce parents visitation Divorce in the U.S. is very common. When there are children involved, it can get complicated. Child custody and visitation arrangements can be difficult and challenging. For individuals with disabilities, they may face additional challenges in these circumstances. A California mother and her parents are experiencing these challenges as they fight to prove in court that even severely disabled parents have the right to see their children.
