New program 2nd Sunday of month at Great Explorations for Kids with Special Needs

Here’s a fun event for families with children with special needs at the Great Explorations Children’s Museum. It’s the second Sunday of the month.

Time: 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
Date: Second Sunday of each month except May 2015 (2015 dates: January 11, February 8, March 8, April 12, June 14, July 12, August 9, September 13, October 11, November 8, and December 13.)
Location: Great Explorations Children’s Museum
Cost: $5 per person and FREE for Great Ex members.
Register/Info: (727) 821-8992, ext. 209

Great Explorations Children’s Museum Website

In January, Great Explorations launced their new Great Connections program, a monthly event especially for children with special needs and their families. On the second Sunday of each month, Great Explorations will close to the general public from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., modify lights and sounds, and provide a “cool down” room for families who need to take a break.

Address:
Great Explorations Children’s Museum
1925 4th Street North
St. Petersburg, FL 33704

Horses and Therapy with Saddle Up

Are you looking for somewhere to go with your child this weekend? Pinellas Park has a wonderful place called Saddle Up Riding Club, Inc. It is located at 9301 62nd Street in Pinellas Park, FL. The phone number is 727.520.3132. This is a place you can go to learn about horse and have fun riding them. They offer lessons on the weekend. Check out there levels of classes. It’s called Barn Time for Kids. They also have birthday parties at the farm for kids. Kids with disabilities are welcome to enjoy the fun.

For more information visit their website.

Services for children with special needs in Florida

When you find out your child has special needs, looking for services for your child can be daunting. Who do I contact? Where do I start? Just some of the questions you may be asking. In Florida there are special education services that your child may be eligible for. Here’s a article that may help point you in the right direction of these services. Click here for more information.

Places to take the kids this holiday season that are autism friendly

Did you  that more than 25,000 people live with autism in and around Tampa Bay. The University of South Florida has a community-based project called The Center for Autism & Related Disabilities (CARD) that provides information and consultation to individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders and related disabilities. They have a fabulous website full of information and a variety of resources, materials, online trainings and tutorial and even community events.

There is a special section called Autism Friendly Business Directory. This is where they give you a list of businesses that are autism friendly including restaurants, entertainment, faith based organizations, health & wellness, travel, public parks and recreation and others.

Maybe you are looking for places to take the kids this holiday season. If you go on the website at http://card-usf.fmhi.usf.edu/index.html you will find Dinosaur World, Lowry Park Zoo, Great Explorations Children’s Museum, Glazer Museum, Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) and The Florida Aquarium.

Maybe you are thinking about staying at a hotel on the beach or in Tampa. There are several hotels including the TradeWinds Island Resort on St. Petersburg Beach, the Crowne Plaza Tampa Westshore and Wyndam Hotel Westshore. You can also book a vacation with ASD Vacations and be linked with a personal special needs travel agent.

When you click on the links to the locations you want to visit, you will find a page with information for adults and then pages you can review with your child prior to visiting the location. This is to help your child so they have advance knowledge of rules and potential sensory issues.

If you are a business or you know of a business that wants to become a part of the CARD Business Directory, you can go onto the website or call 813-974-2532.

I would love to find out what you think about this program and if this helps you with your planning for fun adventures with your child. Email me at scottrussell@tfamail.com or comment below.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

October is a special month of awareness

October is an awareness month for Down Syndrome.

Did you know that one in every 691 babies in the United States is born with Down syndrome, making Down syndrome the most common chromosomal condition?. In every cell in the human body there is a nucleus, where genetic material is stored in genes.  Genes carry the codes responsible for all of our inherited traits and are grouped along rod-like structures called chromosomes.  Typically, the nucleus of each cell contains 23 pairs of chromosomes, half of which are inherited from each parent. Down syndrome occurs when an individual has a full or partial extra copy of chromosome 21.

As part of the Awareness of Down Syndrome, there are Buddy Walks throughout the country. The Buddy Walk® program was established in 1995 by the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) to promote acceptance and inclusion of people with Down syndrome and to celebrate Down Syndrome Awareness Month in October. The name Buddy Walk® promotes inclusion between friends of every ability.

There are Buddy Walks taking place throughout the United States. In the next few weeks there are several in Florida. Click here to find out more.