About Special Needs
About Our "Human" Business
"Special needs" is an all encompassing term used in this context
with respectful consideration of the dignity of individuals.
The core of my practice is working with the disabled population:
developmentally, mentally, & physically and in any combination
thereof.
My degree, certifications, sports background and continued
educational pursuits provide me with the opportunity to not only
develop my personal athleticism ( I practice what I preach) but to
bring the most up-to-date information and training methods to ALL
different populations. I work, mostly, one on one but also provide
exercise "group" format to the special needs populations.
With this country's predisposition to obesity, and the inherent
difficulty that many who are otherwise "disabled" have with exercise
and activity, I feel it is necessary to place an emphasis on this area
of my practice.
I am especially looking for great ideas and resources for special
needs children to become more active and more social within their
communities- in addition to Special Olympics, Adaptive Physical
Education school-based classes, and Shea Therapeutic Riding
Center. Please contact me with any additional information or for a
particular need and I will post it here.
As physical therapists entrusted with peoples' sensitive medical
histories and intimate LIFE details, we have an ethical duty and a
professional duty (with respect to licensure) to be thorough and that
includes DOCUMENTATION where applicable. To this end, I also
serve as a consultant to various organizations and groups for
utilization and record(s) review including testifying in legal
situations.
UPDATES:
This article was posted regarding autism and
insurance: click here. Then, in the LA Times
3/10/09, this article was developed: "California
regulators said Monday that insurers must
provide speech, occupational and physical
therapies to their autistic members but rejected
pleas to require insurers to cover the cost of
behavior therapy that aims to help patients live
in society..." click here for the full article.
Also in autism related news, Fox LA ran a story
[3/10/09] on how older men (>50yrs) tend to
father babies with lower IQ's than their younger
counterparts due to older spermatozoa. And
that this same factor has also been attributed to
higher rates of autism (something I had heard a
few times in conversations with fellow
healthcare practitioners.) Some positive news:
brain IQ's were said to be HIGHER in older (aged
at the time of birth) mothers.
-------------
A universally accessible playground
opened in Lake Forest 10-08. The first of
its kind and sure to be a big hit. I have not
had the opportunity to visit yet, but have
heard good things from those who have.
HOW EXCITING!!!
-----------
I very frequently perform evaluations of infants to identify
possible developmental delays. In addition to standardized
testing, a large part of the assessment is observation of
functional "habits" and the environmental situation. At times,
disabilities are obvious to all parties, but what if they are mild or
difficult to recognize? On occasions I've actually seen normal
behavior and development appear to be a disability! Not all issues
present themselves early on but if they do, early intervention can
make the difference to lessen the severity and impact on future
development.
EVERY being is different and I always say, "Your mileage may
vary," but this is an informative list to indicate a possible delay
(as printed in the "Advance for Physical Therapists & PT
Assistants, 8/27/07, pg 22. :
3 months: The child is not startled by sounds and does not seem
to follow moving objects with his/her eyes.
6mos: Inability to lift the head or roll over.
9mos: The child is unable to sit up without assistance and has
difficulty grasping and picking up objects.
12mos: ...Has difficulty crawling or cannot maintain an
independent sitting position without using his/her hands.
15mos: Inability to stand alone or hold a cup.
18mos: ...Cannot walk without assistance, cannot speak multiple
words.
24mos:...cannot follow simple directions, walks on toes
36mos: ...Frequent falling, speech is not understood.
----
I'm still gathering fitness and exercise
resources (besides myself...) for the
Orange County area. Contact me with
recommendations!
----
Worthy of Mention
The office of the Surgeon General recently issued the "People's
Piece"- a companion document to its Call to Action to Improve
the Health and Wellness of Persons with Disabilities. The
People's Piece provides facts about disabilities, health and
wellness tips for people with disabilities, and personal health and
wellness stories from people with disabilities. The Call to Action
was released in July of 2005. The four goals of the call are:
to increase understanding nationwide that people with
disabilities can lead long, healthy, and productive lives;
to increase knowledge among health care professionals and
provide them with tools to screen, diagnose and treat the whole
person with a disability with dignity;
to increase awareness among people with disabilities of the
steps they (or their family) can take to develop and maintain a
healthy lifestyle; and increase accessible health care and
support services to promote independence for people with
disabilities.
PT Bulletin, September 2007
"Special needs" is an all encompassing term used in this context
with respectful consideration of the dignity of individuals.
The core of my practice is working with the disabled population:
developmentally, mentally, & physically and in any combination
thereof.
My degree, certifications, sports background and continued
educational pursuits provide me with the opportunity to not only
develop my personal athleticism ( I practice what I preach) but to
bring the most up-to-date information and training methods to ALL
different populations. I work, mostly, one on one but also provide
exercise "group" format to the special needs populations.
With this country's predisposition to obesity, and the inherent
difficulty that many who are otherwise "disabled" have with exercise
and activity, I feel it is necessary to place an emphasis on this area
of my practice.
I am especially looking for great ideas and resources for special
needs children to become more active and more social within their
communities- in addition to Special Olympics, Adaptive Physical
Education school-based classes, and Shea Therapeutic Riding
Center. Please contact me with any additional information or for a
particular need and I will post it here.
As physical therapists entrusted with peoples' sensitive medical
histories and intimate LIFE details, we have an ethical duty and a
professional duty (with respect to licensure) to be thorough and that
includes DOCUMENTATION where applicable. To this end, I also
serve as a consultant to various organizations and groups for
utilization and record(s) review including testifying in legal
situations.
UPDATES:
This article was posted regarding autism and
insurance: click here. Then, in the LA Times
3/10/09, this article was developed: "California
regulators said Monday that insurers must
provide speech, occupational and physical
therapies to their autistic members but rejected
pleas to require insurers to cover the cost of
behavior therapy that aims to help patients live
in society..." click here for the full article.
Also in autism related news, Fox LA ran a story
[3/10/09] on how older men (>50yrs) tend to
father babies with lower IQ's than their younger
counterparts due to older spermatozoa. And
that this same factor has also been attributed to
higher rates of autism (something I had heard a
few times in conversations with fellow
healthcare practitioners.) Some positive news:
brain IQ's were said to be HIGHER in older (aged
at the time of birth) mothers.
-------------
A universally accessible playground
opened in Lake Forest 10-08. The first of
its kind and sure to be a big hit. I have not
had the opportunity to visit yet, but have
heard good things from those who have.
HOW EXCITING!!!
-----------
I very frequently perform evaluations of infants to identify
possible developmental delays. In addition to standardized
testing, a large part of the assessment is observation of
functional "habits" and the environmental situation. At times,
disabilities are obvious to all parties, but what if they are mild or
difficult to recognize? On occasions I've actually seen normal
behavior and development appear to be a disability! Not all issues
present themselves early on but if they do, early intervention can
make the difference to lessen the severity and impact on future
development.
EVERY being is different and I always say, "Your mileage may
vary," but this is an informative list to indicate a possible delay
(as printed in the "Advance for Physical Therapists & PT
Assistants, 8/27/07, pg 22. :
3 months: The child is not startled by sounds and does not seem
to follow moving objects with his/her eyes.
6mos: Inability to lift the head or roll over.
9mos: The child is unable to sit up without assistance and has
difficulty grasping and picking up objects.
12mos: ...Has difficulty crawling or cannot maintain an
independent sitting position without using his/her hands.
15mos: Inability to stand alone or hold a cup.
18mos: ...Cannot walk without assistance, cannot speak multiple
words.
24mos:...cannot follow simple directions, walks on toes
36mos: ...Frequent falling, speech is not understood.
----
I'm still gathering fitness and exercise
resources (besides myself...) for the
Orange County area. Contact me with
recommendations!
----
Worthy of Mention
The office of the Surgeon General recently issued the "People's
Piece"- a companion document to its Call to Action to Improve
the Health and Wellness of Persons with Disabilities. The
People's Piece provides facts about disabilities, health and
wellness tips for people with disabilities, and personal health and
wellness stories from people with disabilities. The Call to Action
was released in July of 2005. The four goals of the call are:
to increase understanding nationwide that people with
disabilities can lead long, healthy, and productive lives;
to increase knowledge among health care professionals and
provide them with tools to screen, diagnose and treat the whole
person with a disability with dignity;
to increase awareness among people with disabilities of the
steps they (or their family) can take to develop and maintain a
healthy lifestyle; and increase accessible health care and
support services to promote independence for people with
disabilities.
PT Bulletin, September 2007
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- http://tash.org/index.html
- karateforall.org
- ustoogymnastics.org
- bigfungymnastics.com
- rideyourhorse.com (714)
292-3563 - spiritleague.org
What are your thoughts on Yoga
for special needs? Have you had
experience with classes or a
particular teacher?
Here are some items to have in your
home that are easily suited to
exercise for kids (at all levels!):
skateboards, jump ropes, coffee
cans, balls and big therapy balls,
hula hoops, disposable shoe covers
(for carpet skating), snow sledding
discs, Playskool's step 'n ride,
balloons...
home that are easily suited to
exercise for kids (at all levels!):
skateboards, jump ropes, coffee
cans, balls and big therapy balls,
hula hoops, disposable shoe covers
(for carpet skating), snow sledding
discs, Playskool's step 'n ride,
balloons...
