About Special Needs
About Our "Human" Business
"Special needs" is an all encompassing term used in this respect
WITH respect and dignity considerations.
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 (gotta practice what I preach ya'll)
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.
UPDATES:
Happy SPRING! 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.
It's 2008! Can you believe it? Did you and your
family stay active over the "season"? I sure hope
so! Need some help in executing those fitness
resolutions? Drop me a line! It's all about quality not
necessarily quantity. That being said, many families
have health/wellness accounts or yearly deductibles
and may have exhausted themselves with year-end
appointments. I'm not just a professional; I'm a
consumer too! Thankfully I have the background to
decipher those crazy bills and E.O.B.'s that are
coming in along with all the year-end statements.
Make sure that you fully understand what it is that
you are being charged for as these days the
information stays on your permanent record. I know
I've been finding mistakes in the usual standard of
care...how about you?
----
Dec '07*~*Happy almost holidays!
I'm still at work 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
--Amen!
"Special needs" is an all encompassing term used in this respect
WITH respect and dignity considerations.
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 (gotta practice what I preach ya'll)
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.
UPDATES:
Happy SPRING! 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.
It's 2008! Can you believe it? Did you and your
family stay active over the "season"? I sure hope
so! Need some help in executing those fitness
resolutions? Drop me a line! It's all about quality not
necessarily quantity. That being said, many families
have health/wellness accounts or yearly deductibles
and may have exhausted themselves with year-end
appointments. I'm not just a professional; I'm a
consumer too! Thankfully I have the background to
decipher those crazy bills and E.O.B.'s that are
coming in along with all the year-end statements.
Make sure that you fully understand what it is that
you are being charged for as these days the
information stays on your permanent record. I know
I've been finding mistakes in the usual standard of
care...how about you?
----
Dec '07*~*Happy almost holidays!
I'm still at work 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
--Amen!
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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...
