If your child's neurologist has ordered an EEG you may be wondering what the test will be like and whether or not it will be painful or traumatic for your child. You probably also want to know what sort of information the EEG will be able to tell you. We'll try to answer some of your questions about EEGs here
Conferences for families of children with disabilities are the perfect places to meet people and learn about your child's condition, but they can be so expensive! Here are ideas that will help you raise money so you can attend a conference.
Early Orientation and Mobility skills for blind children can be taught with pre-canes or push toys (often called anticipators). This article discusses different types of anticipators, how to choose the best one for your child, when to introduce them and how much time you can expect your preschooler to spend with an O&M specialist.
TVI Lisa LaDue answers readers' questions about O&M and TVI services and whether or not a visually impaired student should automatically be sat at the front of the classroom.
Enter to win the perfect iPad package for a child with special needs! We're giving away a NEW iPad (iPad 3), a sturdy case, switches and three apps. Find out more and how to enter! Contest ends May 15, 2012.
Eric Jerman reviews the "generative music" iPad app, Bloom. Bloom allows children to create gentle, soft music patterns and bubbles of color with just the tap of a finger. The app also allows you to choose which color palette and contrast is most attractive to your child.
Inclusive Technology, a company that creates software for children with special needs, has also created a set of fun and accessible iPad apps. We review the two that are best for children with visual impairments: Smarty Pants and Five Sharks Swimming.
We review our favorite iPad case: the GumDrop. The GumDrop is perfect for kids with disabilities because it is nearly indestructible. Now you can feel comfortable handing your iPad to your child!
With just a tray, some uncooked rice and a few hidden plastic easter eggs you can create a fun sensory game for your blind child. We'll give you some ideas for games you can play, too!
Learn how to make an activity center for children with visual impairments. Using general hardware materials (like cardboard or peg-board) and other household items (like toys or kitchen utensils) you can create a sensory space for your child. We have ideas for big spaces and little spaces!
Jennie, from the Micro/Anophthalmia Parent Support group, writes about how she taught her son, Max, to sign. Max is totally blind and does have a few verbal words, but using signs to augment his early communication has really improved his language skills.
Read Eric Jerman's review of Talking Carl for iPhone and iPad. Talking Carl repeats any word, phrase or sound he hears in a funny high pitch voice. Carl can get your kids laughing and learning how to have a "conversation" when they speak, pause, then listen to the response.
Eric Jerman reviews a favorite app: Sound Shaker! This app has very high contrast with colorful spheres floating on a white background and produces lovely sounds with each tap, from animal sounds to instruments. Sound Shaker can be a simple cause-and-effect game or, as Eric explains, you can use it for sound and sight discriminating lessons.
This app is a winner in our house! Ivan loves iLoveFireworks because it makes BIG sounds with just the tap of his finger on the iPad screen. It's a great app for blind children.
Megan and her family devised a creative plan for their daughter Ava: begin her education in a private placement at a preschool for the blind, but group her with other kids planning to transition to a mainstream kindergarten classroom. Megan explains how the plan worked.
Michelle interviews her son's mainstream kindergarten teacher and asks her how she prepared her classroom for a blind student. She also asks her if she has any advice for other teachers preparing for blind students.
Eric Jerman reviews the hilariously addictive Baby Look Tickle app for kids. The app is a simple cause-and-effect game in which a baby laughs every time you tickle her, and Eric explains why blind children would find this app especially appealing.
Does your child need a special bed in order to be safe at night? Do you need help requesting a bed through your insurance? Here's some advice on how to get your insurance to cover a safety bed for your child.
Learn how to make your own Chinese gong using simple objects you probably have in your kitchen. Decorate your gong with tactile crafts and make lots of noise!
Enter to win our top five favorite paid apps for Apple's iPad! From creating music to helping with communication, these apps are perfect for young children with visual impairments.
Have you heard of "the first app for iPad and iPhone created specifically for children with cortical visual impairment"? It's pretty cool! Check out the Tap-n-See Zoo app for kids with CVI.
Jennie writes about how her son, Max, responds to music. Other therapies failed Max and often stressed him out, but Music Therapy has been very successful for him!
Megan writes about her daughter, Ava, transitioning from Early Intervention to preschool. Ava attended the Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children and has isolated bilateral anophthalmia.
Bubbles is intended for babies and toddlers as a simple and fun app, but it also works beautifully as a way to help visually impaired children learn to use their functional vision. This high-contrast app could be especially appealing to children with CVI.
The iPad is the perfect platform to create interactive and accessible picture books for kids. Oceanhouse Media is doing just this with a large collection of Dr. Seuss books. Here's our review of our favorite, Dr. Seuss's ABC.
ThumbJam is a simple music app that allows your child to make beautiful, clear sounds with their iPad. It features all sorts of advanced options for changing the sounds or mixing tracks, but at it's foundation it's really just a touch-and-play game.
Apple's iPad and other iOS5 devices (like the iPhone and iPod Touch) are supposed to be very accessible for kids with special needs, but you might need help setting them up so your child can use them properly. We'll show you how to adjust your settings and tell you about all the cool accessible features!
Eric Jerman reviews a super-cute story book app called Tickle Finger. In this highly interactive story, the reader has to help Tiny Tinga the monkey get home by "tickling" various predators along the way.
Eric Jerman reviews a simple (and free!) iPad app for young children. In Peek-a-bouncer your child holds their finger on the touch screen to see and hear a silly and colorful animal. As soon as they release their finger, the animal disappears behind a bright green curtain.
David wrote this essay as part of a college scholarship application. He writes about his experience as a football player in high school and compares that to his experiences volunteering as a "soccer buddy" with a little boy who is blind.
Eric Jerman reviews this simple yet extremely versatile app that turns your iPad into a communication switch. It's a communication application that allows for an array of customizations and it only costs $3.99!
You've got an iPad, but you're still new to this whole app thing. What are apps? And how do you buy them? Eric Jerman explains how to find and download apps for your iPhone or iPad by using the Apple App Store and iTunes.
What happens when a child with a disability is in a mainstream classroom? How can teachers accommodate their students with special needs? Lesley Potgieter describes her own experiences as both a disabled student and a teacher.
Learning to listen carefully and distinguish between different sounds is an important skill for any child, but espeically for children with visual impairments. Lesley Potgieter explains how to assess your child's listening ability and how to help them improve this skill.
Read Mary's review of the Big Trace iPad app that teaches children how to print capital letters, cursives and numbers. The app is great for children with low vision who are learning print because of the high contrast and large size of the letters.
Eric Jerman, COMS, reviews the popular iPad app Peekaboo Barn. He explains how the app works and why it's ideal for young children learning simple fine motor skills. He also talks about why this app works wonderfully for kids with low vision, especially children with CVI.
Here's a quick and easy craft that is perfect for the holidays - learn how to make your own jingle bells with bells and pipe cleaners. You can wear them like a bracelet or anklet or even make a jingle stick!
This is a great craft idea for the holidays! Trace your child's foot on brown paper and their hands on red paper and glue together - you've got yourself a reindeer ornament ready to decorate and hang on the tree!
Getting your blind child in the kitchen is a wonderful way to teach them life skills. They can learn so much from simply baking a batch of cookies - plus they get to eat the end results!
Learn more about iPad apps for blind children! Mary reviews one of her favorites - a coloring book app with an amazing zoom feature for children with low vision.
What are you getting your child for Christmas this year? We've put together our "wish list" of toys and games we'd like to get Ivan for Christmas... and all of them are perfect for young blind children!
Walter Tillman is an ocularist in Ocularist Pittsburgh. He talks about how he assesses children with anophthalmia/microphthalmia, how to choose conformers or prosthetics, and possible surgical options.
