Financial Help for Therapy

 

 

Kiddos’ Clubhouse Foundation had a very successful 2009 in terms of our vision that “children with special needs of all income levels and abilities have equal access to critical therapies needed to make their lives better.”  In 2009 we awarded 10 scholarships in the total of over $22,000 for use of therapies and equipment.  The ranges of the children who received the scholarships ranged from 2 years old to 20 years old.  The children were from all over the state of Georgia – Savannah, Lilburn, Lawrenceville, Douglasville, Lithonia, Adairsville, Leesburg, Snellville and Acworth.  Some of the children awarded were from families who applied for the second and third time.

We are looking to keep the number of scholarships going if not more this year.  I have attached the flier to pass out to families who might need it.  The application is online at www.kiddosclubhousefoundation.org as well as to print, fill out and send in.  If you or any of the families have any questions about how to fill the application out or questions about the foundation, they can call 678.527.3224 x11 or email:  foundation@kiddosclubhouse.com for assistance.

Kiddos’ Clubhouse Foundation is awarding up to $2,500 scholarships to families who demonstrate the financial and therapeutic need for their children.  Our goal is to provide a scholarship each quarter.  The money can be used to pay for therapy services anywhere or therapy equipment.  We all know families who have struggled to pay for therapy and have had to stop due to financial reasons.  The application can be accessed on the web site:  www.kiddosclubhousefoundation.org

The deadline for the next scholarship is March 31st, 2010.  We have had past recipients use the monies for music therapy, ABA, speech therapy, occupational therapy, medical equipment and therapy equipment.

Please pass this information along to anyone who could benefit from the scholarship monies.  I have attached a single sheet to provide to parents with the basic information.  If there is a family that does not have access to a computer and needs an application, please have them call 678.527.3224 x11 and we will get an application mailed out to them.   If anyone needs help filling out the applications, please have them call 678.527.3224 x11.  If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at:  bdevore@kiddosclubhouse.com

For all the Directors of Special Education, this would be great information to provide to your ISTs.

Thank you!!

Brett

Chronic Illness Lecture

I attended the first segment of a three part lecture on Chronic Illness last month and thought I might pass along the information.

Down syndrome is not a chronic illness, it is simply a collection of characteristics that people with the chromosomal abnormality have in common - some are physical characteristics, some developmental. Even though some health issues are more common in the Down syndrome population, people with Down syndrome are generally just as healthy as your typical individual.

Nevertheless,  I wanted to attend this lecture in order to learn more about how to support people with chronic illnesses. There are a couple people I try to pray for because I know they have been coping with illness on a long-term basis, but I had not known how best to help them. What I didn't realize was that several aspects of the lecture would really hit home for me, as someone who has a child with consistent medical and developmental needs.

For those of you in Atlanta, I would definitely recommend attending the second and third segments of this lecture, whether or not you have a chronic illness. It will open your eyes to what other people may be going through and how you can help. Even if you didn't go to the first session, you'll still be able to pick up and follow along without problem.


Snapshots of a Life: A Perspective on Chronic Illness - a 15 year-long struggle shared by Andrea & Tim Kay

• Tuesday, January 19, 2010 at 7:00pm -                         REALITY  of chronic illness
• Thursday, February 18, 2010 at 7:00pm -                     RELIEF in the battle
• Saturday, March 20, 2010 at 10:00am -                        REDEMPTION and hope for the future

Westminster Presbyterian Church
1438 Sheridan Road, NE
Atlanta, Georgia 30324
For more information, please call 404-478-0437

Update on Chase

We took Chase to the doctor today and it turns out he has pneumonia and an ear infection - no wonder he's not too happy! We're starting him on antibiotics and hopefully he'll respond quickly, otherwise we'll have to go in for a chest xray. Because of Chase's hypotonia, it's hard for him to cough up gunk and it just settles in his chest.

Here are some specific ways you can pray:

- that Chase would respond to antibiotics and the pneumonia would clear

- that he would not be further disadvantaged through missing a week of therapy and that be would still make progress towards our primary goal of having him crawling by his birthday (3/10)

- that chase would be well in time for us to leave them with the grandparents and go on a trip just Scott and I (2/18-2/22)

- that Chase's blocked tear ducts would clear up as his sickness resolves so he doesn't have to have them lanced by the opthamologist (a procedure common with kids who have ds)

Thanks for your prayers and encouragement!

Brain Gym Workshop

There was a great article in the Down Syndrome Assoc. of Atlanta's last newsletter (click HERE to read) about Montessori education, a method of teaching that was initially begun to help children with Down syndrome. This form of education is very individualized and follows each students' interests rather than your usual classroom where the whole group of students is taught the same topic simultaneously by one teacher. Instead, students are guided at their own pace by "guides" (not teachers) and by their peers. This form of teaching is used today both with typical children as well as children with special needs.

A friend emailed me after he read the article and saw many similarities between the things discussed in the article and the family's observations of their young son with Down syndrome. The family was able to get in touch with the author of the article, Ms. Marie Sneed, and their conversations were very helpful because of Ms. Sneed's background regarding Montessori methodology as well as her personal experience with a grandson with DS.

Ms. Marie Sneed will be giving a workshop in Atlanta in late February and early March to talk about how some of the tools used in Montessori education can help kids with special needs, especially regarding sensory issues. This workshop seems to be extremely helpful not only for techniques to be used in a classroom setting, but also at home.

Learn specific ways to prepare and use Montessori materials, adapt some
sensory activities, and include Brain-Gym based movement and music:
♦ to calm children
♦ help them focus
♦ improve their coordination
♦ and facilitate their learning.


Go home with dozens of practical solutions and strategies for children who:

• are not able to sit still or roll on the floor
• seem clumsy or bump into tables
• move too quickly or have trouble calming down at bedtime
• chew on their clothing
• have trouble processing sensory information
• need a lot of review and practice to retain information
• cannot wait to run and swing on the playground
• have trouble relating to other children

For more information on attending this workshop, entitled "Movement, Balance and Sensory Regulation for the classroom and at home",  please contact Marie at (404) 846-6517 or (404) 213-5199 or montessoriRSG@bellsouth.net

Teen Cheerleader with DS + Update

"Teen with Down syndrome cheers on her high school's sports teams, just like her sisters before her" - click HERE to read the article

 I just love these stories where I am reminded how many possibilities there are for Chase and how wonderful and inclusive others can be. They always make me so excited to see what Chase will do! Not that I'm hoping for him to become a cheerleader :) but I'm sure his future will be fulfilling for him and for all of us!

 

 In other news, Chase is crawling....backwards! It's driving his therapists crazy (it keeps him from bearing weight on his arms) but it is so much fun to watch him going all over the place!! 

L-Carnitine

We have been giving L-Carnitine to Chase for a while, but apparently it has more benefits than we originally realized. We started giving Chase this amino acid as a natural way to strengthen the muscles inside his body to reduce constipation. It worked, which was wonderful! But I read today that L-Carnitine additionally can slow down brain deterioration, improve mental function and delay Alzheimer's. (Issues which are important to those with Down syndrome) Read more about this by clicking HERE. The article I am linking to cites the many resources that supports this theory, which I appreciated as well.

Rahm Emanuel and the "R-word"

Rahm Emanuel, the White House Chief of Staff, was quoted by White House staffers in a Wall Street Journal article this past week of saying "f-ing retarded" in regards to a proposed plan of which he disapproved. This saddening use of an epithet which many have be campaigning to eliminate is just the second strike by the Obama administration against people with special needs, as Obama previously made jokes about the Special Olympics while appearing on the Jay Leno show. (He compared his low bowling score to the Special Olympics on national TV)

Special Olympics chairman Timothy Shriver responded to Rahm Emanuel's language in a LETTER to Emanuel in which he explained how his words perpetuate the stereotypes and ostracism of the disabled, and are “just as painful as any number of racial or ethnic slurs, jokes or taunts that society has committed to eradicating from our lexicon.”

It is painful to hear many people within the general public use the "R-word" as a slur in their everyday language to describe things negatively, but it is even more appalling that the President and his own staffers are doing the same thing in public and on television. Speech like this does nothing to create an atmosphere of acceptance of people with disabilities or any kind of differences.

For info on Special Olympics’ “Spread the word to end the word,” campaign against the use of the word “retard” - click HERE.

To read about Rahm's later apology to Shriver, click HERE.