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
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
Here’s an interesting article from the Parenting Special Needs magazine about Tai Chi and children with learning disabilities. It can help reduce anxiety and enhance the mood of children. Click here for the article.
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.
Here’s a wonderful article by Jennifer Rava, MS, BCBA, the owner of Engage Behavior Health.
The Holiday season is a time when most of us want to focus on traditions, friends, and family. In the process, we have to turn our schedules upside down and our days become filled with excitement and sometimes chaos. For children who depend upon daily routines and careful planning of activities, times of fun and excitement can become moments of anxiety and stress. Here are some tips on how to stay focused and enjoy each moment!
Start by taking time to set your own expectations for the day. What are your main goals? Don’t try to do more than the goals you set.
Don’t try to please everyone. Let your family and friends know what your goals are for the day.
Bring along an activity bag that your child can play with while you are busy.
Provide lots of reinforcement throughout the day.
Pace your holiday activities and take breaks before your child gets overwhelmed.
Bring items your children can use to cool down and relax with in a quiet room.
Have their most preferred foods available.
Practice, practice, practice! Role-play family traditions, use video-modeling and social stories to help prepare your child for the big day.
Try to keep to your daily routine as much as possible. If your child eats dinner at 5:00 but your family is planning to eat at 6:00. Have your child eat at 5:00 and use their activity bag while the family eats at 6:00.
Take care of yourself. Try to avoid being overloaded with obligations. If you feel stressed, it can increase the pressure and tension on your children. Remember to have FUN!
About Engage Behavioral Health
Engage Behavioral Health, is a leading provider of Applied Behavior Analysis and Applied Verbal Behavior services. Engage’s unique, collaborative approach brings parents and health care providers together to provide treatment within a safe, natural environment. Through research-based, data-driven methods, Engage focuses on the needs of both individuals and their families. For more information, please visit http://www.EngageBehavioralHealth.com. Follow on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/EngageBehavioralHealth, or on Twitter at @EngageGroup_ABA
The Annual Family Café provides a unique environment where families can connect with peers, commercial service providers, and public entities. The Family Cafe believes well-informed people make the best possible decisions for themselves and their loved ones. I was a part of this wonderful networking event. This event attracts close to nine thousand people.
If you are interested in speaking during a breakout session in June, they are accepting proposals now. They are also looking for people who want to have booths at the event. Click here for more information.
Have you ever thought about adopting a child? How about a special needs child? The term, “special need” is a broad term used to describe children or youth in foster care with a medical, physical, or emotional disability based on birth family history. Traditionally, these children have been harder to place in foster or adoptive homes. However, experience shows that many children with special needs can be placed successfully with families who want to care for them. You can find out more at Florida Department of Children and Families. Click here for more information.
Here’s information on the 2nd annual Special Needs Struggling Learner Homeschool Conference on November 21-22, 2014 at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando. The 2013 Conference was a huge success with several hundred attendees from all over the country.
The FPEA strives to serve all homeschool families and those interested in homeschooling. We believe every child should learn without boundaries.
The FPEA serves thousands of homeschooling families in Florida, and beyond, delivering a wealth of support, guidance and information to both new and longtime home educators. The “FPEA Experience” involves a banding together of homeschoolers to accomplish the task of developing academic and personal excellence by sharing resources, creating connections, enhancing relationships and breaking down barriers. Acknowledging there is no one “right” way to educate, the FPEA acts as an ambassador and champion, serving and protecting the rights and choices of all homeschoolers.
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.
4 Special Needs 