Enewsletter 01-Mar-2008
 
 

 

 

Upcoming Events

 

  1. Dr. Mel Levine speaks about learning differences. - Dr. Mel Levine, professor of pediatrics at the University of North Carolina Medical School and co-founder of All Kinds of Minds, a non-profit institute for the understanding of differences in learning, will enlighten participants with information about his latest research
    Date:  Thursday, April 10, 2008 and Friday, April 11, 2008
    Where:  The Conference Center, Penn State Great Valley, Malvern
    For more information, click here.

  2. 5th Annual Trisomy 21 Symposium -  see the brochure there are lots of good topics
    Date:  Apr 12, 2008
    Where CHOP

  3. Trisomy 21 Aquatic Pool Group – Call 215-590-5818 by Wednesday February 27, 2008 to reserveyour spot and schedule your land based session!!
    What: Aquatic therapy!
    Who: Toddlers (ages 1-5) and a parent. Where: Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
    Group starts: Wednesday March 12, 2008 at 10:00-11:00am
    Length: March 12-April 30, 2008 (8 Wednesdays)

  4.  Little Wonders Inclusive Camp 
An inclusive camp for ages 3 - 12 years old led by licensed PT.
$350/four day session-Call 610-275-kids to register
  5. Pediatric Special Needs Trade Show-Thursday, April 24
    at the Holiday in Fogelsville 9am-5pm. Networking opportunity for parents and professionals who care for children with special needs.  Call 610-776-700 for 
more information.
  6. Upcoming Community Events from the NEACDA:


    504s: What are they and how can the address students’ needs? 
    Friday, March 7, 9:00 am – 3:30 pm Education Council.
    Where: North Penn Educational Services Center, 401 E. Hancock St,  Lansdale, Conference Room A.  
    Presented by: Suzanne McDougall, Consult line Supervisor, Office of Dispute Resolution.
    Fee: $10.00. 
    Open Registration: January 24th. Download a Registration form at www.npenn.org

    How to Run an Efficient IEP Meeting Wednesday, March 12.
    Presented by Marie Lewis, RN, MA, Neuro-Developmental 7:00 – 9:00 pm
    Location: North Penn Educational Services Center, 401 E. Hancock St,  Lansdale.

      “A Successful IEP Is Within Your Reach”
    Monday, April 7th, from  7:00 – 9:00 pm
    Location:  Elkins Park Library, 563 Church Road, Elkins Park. 
    For more info email Nancy LeClair at maplemom@mac.com .

  7. Hopes and Dreams Annual Buddy Walk-Tyler State Park Newtown, Pa
    Saturday, May 17th, 2008  12:00 pm -3:00pm
    www.hopesanddreamsfoundation.org

  8. March 12 Health Care Workshop for Parents of Children with Disabilities

  9. Golf Outing May 1- to benefit Our Lady of Confidence Day School Email for information sjaskiewicz@lawsgr.com

 

Little Wonders

Child Growth & Development Center, Inc.®  

Little Wonders offers a place for children to experience THERAPY MADE FUN!  

We believe our Therapeutic Groups allow your child to experience play in a safe, structured environment allowing

them to smile and have fun.  Whether its g ross -motor, fine-motor, sensory integration or communication strategies,

our Licensed Therapists* will provide activities to encourage your child’s development, social skills and help them

build self-esteem.  *Physical Therapist, Speech Pathologist, Occupational Therapist

 Enroll Now. Classes are filling up!

8-Week Sessions begins the first week in March.

CALL TODAY! 610-275-KIDS (5437)

 Sensory Seekers: Sensory-Focused Group Activities.

 Tuesday, 5:15pm (Ages 5 – 8 yo)

Thursday, 12:00pm (Ages 3 – 5 yo)

Friday, 2:15pm (Ages 3 – 5 yo)

Saturday, 10:15am (Ages 3 - 6 yo)

Saturday, 1:15am (Ages 3 - 6 yo)

Saturday, 2:30am (Ages 7 - 12 yo)

 All-Star Athletes:  Encourages Physical Fitness, builds self-esteem and teaches the fundamentals and skills of all sports. Emphasizes the importance of being a teammate and working together.

 Wednesday, 5:15pm (Ages 5 – 7 yo)

Wednesday, 6:30pm (Ages 8 – 12 yo)

Thursday, 3:30pm (Ages 3 – 5 yo)

Friday, 11:30pm (Ages 3 – 5 yo)

Friday, 5:15pm (Ages 8 – 12 yo)

Saturday, 9:00am (Ages 3 – 5 yo)

Saturday, 2:30pm (Ages 8 – 12 yo)

 Social Communication Group: Communication strategies and techniques in a social situation. (How to join in, understand social cues, importance of personal space, making new friends)

 Monday, 5:30pm (Ages 5 – 7)

Monday, 6:30pm (Ages 8 – 12 yo)

 Achievers: Ideal for the mobility-challenged child. Builds strength, develops muscle control, posture and coordination.

 Thursday, 6:30pm (Ages 5 – 8)

 Adventurers:       Activities focus on gross -motor, motor-planning skills, balance and coordination.

 Friday, 1:00pm (Ages 3 – 6 yo)

Saturday, 11:45pm (3 – 6 yo)

 My Sibling & Me:   (Come with a sibling or a friend) Encourages the interaction of siblings/friends to engage in recreational activities, while working together.

 Tuesday, 6:30pm

 Adaptive Dance:  Creative Movement & introduction to ballet adapted for each child.

 Saturday, 9:30am

 www.littlewonderscenter.com

 To Enroll:  Call 610-275-KIDS or email: eric@littlewonderscenter.com

 

News and Research

 

  1. Big NewsNIH Develops Down Syndrome Research Plan  The National Institutes of Health has developed a research plan to advance understanding of Down syndrome and speed development of new treatments for the condition, the most frequent genetic cause of mild to moderate mental retardation and associated medical problems. The plan sets research goals for the next 10 years that build upon earlier research advances fostered by the NIH.

  2.   New Hope in Breast Cancer Research  Treating and even possibly curing breast cancer may rest in the hands of some Texas A&M researchers who have been looking at the link between cancer and Down Syndrome.

  3.  Ikonisys Begins Clinical Trial For Early, Non-Invasive Testing Of Down Syndrome  
    Ikonisys, a leading provider of non-invasive, cell-based diagnostic solutions, announced at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) Annual Meeting that it has begu n a clinical trial evaluating its breakthrough test for early detection of chromosomal abnormality trisomy 21.

Inspirational Stories and other helpful articles

 

  1. Student with Down's Syndrome Helps Basketball Team Win the Game  A High School senior went from sitting on the sidelines to helping his school's basketball team win the game. It was a night that he and a gym full of cheering fans will never forget. FOX25's Adam Pellerin reports from Norwell.

  2.  Balance is key for family of child with special needs  For the last eight years, I've been pushing a wheelbarrow across a tightrope. That's how long I've been the mother of a child with special needs. Deborah, who has Down syndrome, will turn 8 this week.

  3.  'We can't do without them'  Tana Powers loves to drive golf carts and play video games. She also loves going to work. Powers has Down syndrome and is one of three employees at U.S. Diagnostics in Huntsville with special needs.

  4.  Woman's bid for advocacy  A woman with Down's syndrome has taken her case for the right to advocacy for people with learning disabilities to Parliament. Lesley Learmonth, from Glasgow, handed over her petition with almost 2,500 signatures to Labour MSP Frank McAveety who convenes Holyrood's Petitions Committee.

  5.  A player who can light up a court  Brad Hennefer is not the star of the Cherry Hill East basketball team. But in many ways, he is its heart. He also may be the only boys' varsity player in the country with Down syndrome.

  6.  Young man with Down syndrome defies odds   A young man diagnosed with Down syndrome has accomplished a feat no one else with his disability has ever accomplished: earned a black belt in karate.

Education 

  1. Teaching Special-Needs Students in the Regular Classroom

  2.  Longley fourth-graders learn about disabilities  Ten-year-old Rudy Castellano knows someone with Down syndrome. He knows what it's like to be different, to struggle in certain situations, to have a disability.

  3.  Students at Mexican school for Down syndrome winning acclaim   Bending over detailed engravings and squinting at their canvases, art students in white smocks toil amid rows of easels. Their paintings tour fine art museums in the U.S., Mexico and Europe, impressing connoisseurs.

Services

  1. FREE TELECOMMUNICATION DEVICES for kids with disabilities - Pennsylvania's Telecommunication Device Distribution Program (TDDP) provides specialized equipment, without charge, to eligible Pennsylvanians with disabilities that impede independent access to telephone services.

Movies

  1. Praying With Lior  At the press screening of Praying With Lior, many of the critics around me openly sobbed. This doc is a hardcore tearjerker. Its subject is a Jewish boy with Down syndrome preparing for his Bar Mitzvah; Lior Liebling enjoys leading others in prayer so much that he is known as “the Little Rebbe.” His mother died of breast cancer when he was six, and director Ilana Trachtman milks the boy’s ...

  2.  Film tells story of Down's syndrome student
    A new documentary that tells the story of Ronen Kadmon, a 4-year-old with Down syndrome who is studying in a regular-education preschool classroom in Providence, airs today on Channel 36, Rhode Island’s PBS station.

 

Websites

  1. http://www.downsed.org/ - I came across this website that is loaded with information.

  2. http://www.heartsandsmiles.org/index.htm - Hispanic Down syndrome support group

Prenatal Testing

  1.  Down syndrome groups anxious about increased prenatal testing  Carrie Arganbright's main pregnancy concern had been morning sickness, until her doctor told her a blood test showed the fetus had an increased chance of having Down syndrome.

  2. Sequenom To Begin Clinical Assessment Of Noninvasive Screening Technology For Down Syndrome 

 

Inspirational Video Clips

  1.  http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=4275513&affil=wpvi

  2. Click on the link to see a photo montage created for the Nova Scotia Down Syndrome Association.  See BE online.

 

Political Action

 

Take Action Now        

            PA Action Alert - Cosponsors Needed - 2 Special Education Bills

 Two public policy priorities of The Arc of Pennsylvania in the area of special education are the following:  1)  Make the special education dispute resolution process independent and fair to parents, and 2) Remove the burden of proof in special education disputes from parents and place it onto school districts.

 House Speaker Dennis O'Brien has circulated a memo to his colleagues in the House of Representatives requesting cosponsorship of two bills that will address these two important issues facing students with disabilities.  The Arc of Pennsylvania supports the Speaker's two bills and is urging its members to contact their state representatives to cosponsor them before they are formally introduced later this week.  

 Background - Issue #1:  The federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires that hearing officers be independent of local educational agencies at the first level of appeals and independent of state educational agencies at the second level. Currently, the Office of Dispute Resolution is funded by PDE's Bureau of Special Education and it is housed and managed by a local Intermediate Unit. This fuels concerns that PDE can interfere with decisions and personnel matters, effectively creating a bias in favor of school districts and against parents.  Speaker O'Brien's bill would remove this adjudication function from the control of the PA Education Department and place it under an independent board comprised of people knowledgeable in the feild of special education, ensuring that the needs of the student are the top priority of all dispute resolution hearings.

 Background Issue #2:  The U.S Supreme Court decision in Schaffer vs. Weast determined that, unless state rules indicate otherwise, the party "seeking relief" has the burden of proof in IDEA due process proceedings. The Court acknowledged that school districts have a natural advantage over parents in such disputes, particularly when it comes to resources.  Pennsylvania has no statute or regulation that assigns the burden of proof to school districts.  Few parents go into this process with the resources or knowledge to properly present their child's case against seasoned professionals and bureaucrats representing school districts.  Speaker O'Brien's bill would shift the burden of proof onto school districts where it belongs.

 The time is now to urge your state representative to contact the Speaker's Office to sign on to these two pieces of legislation as original cosponsors before they are introduced.