Special Needs

Follow links or download articles below OR click here to read articles on this blog about Special Needs.

Note: If you think your child might have a learning disability or special need, please have him/her seen by a pediatrician and an educational psychologist. Other specialists like pediatric neurologists and/or pediatric psychiatrists may also need to be seen in order to get an adequate diagnosis.

Web Links followed by Articles

Web Links:

Online Video about Autism Spectrum Disorders and Asperger’s Syndrome http://noelpiper.com/2010/04/10/for-anyone-who-cares-about-someone-with-autism-or-aspergers/

Read about an excellent movie about Temple Grandin’s life dealing with Autism/Asperger’s Syndrome: http://www.amazon.com/Temple-Grandin-Claire-Danes/dp/B0038M2AZA

Freaks, Geeks, Asperger Syndrome (Read this book online; written by a 13 year old boy with AS)

http://flappinessis.com/2011/12/20/11-things-ive-learned-since-becoming-a-special-needs-parent/

http://www.uniquelygifted.org/

http://exceptionalities.wikidot.com/

http://www.ldonline.org/ Finding help regarding learning disabilities and ADHD.

http://www.dyslexia.com/

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/aspergers-syndrome/DS00551

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/aspergerssyndrome.html

http://www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer?pagename=life_aspergers

Focus on the Family Practical Parenting Helps

Focus on the Family: Transitions

Insight for Living: Special Needs, Exhausting and Painful experiences

http://chosenfamilies.org/

Articles:

Note: Click on the article link, then click on the document icon to download the document.

Brain Development of Youth (download)

Brain Development of Youth (read online)

This article is a review of a video lecture by Dr. Amen. It discusses how a child’s brain develops and how to enhance brain development. It also discusses the effects of healthy eating, stress, sports injuries, etc.

Developmental Delay, Learning Disability (download);

Developmental Delay, Learning Disability, or Neurological Disorder (read online)

This article discusses the differences between developmental delays, learning disabilities, and neurological disorders.

Eating Disorders (or scroll down to read this article below)

Educating Children with Dyslexia (download);

Educating Children with Dyslexia (read online)

Educating Children with Asperger Syndrome (download);

Educating Children With Asperger’s Syndrome (read online)

Overachievers and Underachievers (download);

Overachievers and Underachievers (read online)

Central Auditory Language Processing Disorders (download);

Help for Children with Central Auditory Language Processing Disorders (read online)

Diagnosing ADD and ADHD (download);

Diagnosing ADD/ADHD (read online)

Helping ADD and ADHD Students Learn Effectively (download);

Helping ADD/ADHD Students Learn Effectively (read online)

Homeschooling Children with ADD, ADHD, or ODD (download);

Homeschooling Children with ADD/ADHD and/or ODD (read online)

Helping Kids Be Overcomers (or click here to read online)

Brain Exercises and Midline (download);

Brain Exercises and Midline (read online)

Helping Students with Learning Challenges (download); Helping Students with Learning Challenges Be Academically Successful (read online)

Recognizing Special Needs (or scroll down to read below)

Tips for Preventing Anorexia and Bulimia (download);

Tips for Preventing Anorexia and Bulimia (read online)

Teens in Isolation (download); (read online)

Teaching Reading and Phonics to the Older Child or ESL Student (download); (Or, read online)

Other Articles to read online:

Authentic Hope: Life-Changing Answers–June 2010 update

Addendum to Empowering Mothers: The symptoms of Attachment Disorder

Is it Just a Phase? (Or, does my child have a life-long learning challenge?)

Speech Resources

Recognizing Learning Disabilities

How We Learn and How We Teach

Speech Development

Raising Girls

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Recognizing Special Needs

Delana S

Many times students in home school and national school environments have learning needs or special needs that go undiagnosed.  Oftentimes, this is because those of us working with these students do not know the signs to look for.  We just think our child or student is going through a phase or is just being “difficult.”  Recently, I received an email about telling the signs of a stroke.  It amazed me that the lady herself and those around her had no idea that she had just suffered a stroke, resulting in her death just hours later.  Had they known a few simple things to do/ask, they may have saved her life.  While diagnosing learning needs is not a life or death matter, it may mean the difference between teaching and learning versus beating yourself up over failed attempts and numerous frustrating encounters for you and your student.  The good news is that parents—being closest to the situation—are often the first one to realize a need exists.

According to Paul Burden in his book Classroom Management, “a specific learning disability is a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or using spoken or written language.”  He goes on to explain how this can manifest itself as “an impaired ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematical calculations.”  (Burden, 2006).  Just because a person has a learning disorder, does not mean they have low intelligence. Many have average or above average intelligence, yet a discrepancy lies between one’s ability and one’s actual performance in a classroom.  Burden groups learning disabilities into four main difficulty areas:

Learning and Academic Difficulties

v     Memory, attention, and organizational difficulties;

v     Perceiving, processing, remembering, and expressing information;

v     Reading difficulties;

v     Writing and expressing ideas in print;

 

Language and Communication Difficulties

v     May use immature speech patterns;

v     Experience language comprehension difficulties;

v     Have trouble expressing themselves;

v     May have difficulty learning new vocabulary, following directions, understanding questions, pronouncing words;

Perceptual and Motor Difficulties

v     May have difficulty recognizing, discriminating, and interpreting visual and auditory stimuli;

v     Difficulty copying from the blackboard or following multi-step directions;

v     Have trouble paying attention to relevant stimuli;

v     Get frustrated working on a task for a sustained period of time;

v     May also have difficulty with fine and gross motor movements;

 

Socio-Emotional and Behavioral Difficulties

v     Signs of a poor self-concept;

v     Task avoidance;

v     Social withdrawal, loneliness, frustration, and anxiety;

v     Fail to predict consequences;

v     Poor social skills and possibly fail to interpret social cues;

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Eating Disorders

Delana S

Reading through old editions of Interact Magazine, Winter 2003 stood out as critical information.  It is full of articles on eating disorders, anorexia, bulimia, prevention, signs and symptoms, and testimonies of TCKs who have struggled with this.  Below is a summary of these articles

You may think that raising teenagers outside of the Western culture would protect them from facing struggles with eating disorders. Don’t be deceived! This is real and really does affect girls everywhere.  TCK Anna shared with Interact Magazine: “…in middle school…I really began to feel pressured to lose weight.  Although, I have never been overweight, I began to constantly tell myself that I looked ugly and fat.”  Anna expressed that her problem began as a child when she emotionally struggled with joking comments from friends and siblings about her weight and appearance.  During her sophomore year of high school she began to skip meals, weigh herself constantly, and talk herself into believing she wasn’t hungry.  At age sixteen she went from 135 pounds to 98 pounds in a matter of weeks.  She emphasizes that anorexia is not just a physical illness, but a mental one:  “You get to the point where no logic or statistics will make you believe that you are good enough.”

Dick Potter shares his family’s struggle with anorexia with Interact Magazine:  “I wanted to help, but I was struggling with my own anger toward (my wife), because I felt she was more responsible for our daughter’s condition than I was.  I was angry at my daughter for becoming ill, and angry at God for letting this happen at this time.  What had gone wrong for our daughter?  Where was the Lord, and what was He doing about this?”  Dick shared their entire story, but what really stood out to me were the lessons they had learned.

1. Our work overseas is a family affair.  It is not just my work or my wife’s work.  Our children and their needs are an important part of my work while on the field.  This sounds so basic that it should not need to be said.  But in the midst of serving, parents can forget the needs of their children, and as I did at first, see them as a hindrance or obstacle to the work.
2. The Lord is more interested in my wholeness and that of my family than what I am “doing” for Him.
3. We developed more open and healthy communication patterns within the family.

Professor and psychiatrist John Powell shares that “prevention and early detection are crucial in reducing the psychologically and physically destructive course of eating disorders.”  He also states that up to 15% of all anorexics die because of complications they face due to starvation.  Girls can lose hair on the top of their heads, lose their periods, and gain chest hair.

Note:  Though mostly in girls, these diseases can show up in boys.  If your child has one or more of the symptoms in the above box, don’t hesitate to get help!

Symptoms of an Eating Disorder

(Combined lists from Interact Magazine and internet)

The Anorexic Individual:

1.  Dramatic weight loss in short time period

2.  Diets, even though very skinny (reaches weight goal and sets another for further weight loss)

3.  Does aerobic exercises for more than 1 hour/day

4.  Obsessed with appearance, claims to feel fat

5.  Avoids eating in front of or with others

6.  Menstruates erratically or loses periods altogether

7.  Appears depressed much of the time

8.  Eats small amounts of food and may cut it into miniscule pieces (pushes food around on plate)

9.  May binge and purge

10.  Complains of feeling bloated or nauseated

11.  Overuses laxatives, diet pills, diuretics

12.  Insists on being the best in everything

13.  Makes abusive remarks about self

14.  Weighs once a day or more

15.  Fainting, shortness of breath, chest pain, dizziness

The Bulimic Individual:

1.  Binges regularly

2.  Purges regularly by vomiting (or by abusing diuretics, laxatives, or excessive exercise)

3.  Leaves the table for the bathroom after meals

4.  Diets/exercises often but retains or regains weight

5.  Eats enormous portions but doesn’t gain weight

6.  Appears depressed much of the time

7.  Steals, or abuses drugs or alcohol

8.  Has scars on the back of hands from forced vomiting

9.  Feels out of control

10.  Extreme weight fluctuation is common

11.  Sneaks food

12.  Over concern with body shape and weight

13.  Complains of weakness, fatigue, and abdominal pain

(A physical exam might show loss of tooth enamel and enlarged salivary glands, as well as malnutrition—dry skin, swelling of legs and feet, changes in hair and nails.)

What You Need to Know About Christian Teens and Eating Disorders

http://christianteens.about.com/od/advice/a/eatingdisorders.htm

It Can Happen to Christian Teens—1 in 100 have it

http://christianteens.about.com/b/2006/11/29/anorexia-and-bulimia-it-can-happen-to-christian-teens.htm

 

 

Helpful Links for Eating Disorders:

http://www.mtsu.edu/~countest/eating.htm

http://www.hipusa.com/eTools/webmd/A-Z_Encyclopedia/anorexiatreatment.htm

Support group:

http://www.angelfire.com/amiga/anorexiasupport/egroup.html

Links to Treatment Centers:

http://www.angelfire.com/ms/anorexianervosa/treatment.html

http://www.brookhavenhospital.com/

http://www.pinerest.org/services/outpatient/eating.asp

http://www.healthyplace.com/Communities/Eating_Disorders/Site/transcripts/eating_disorders_treatment_centers.htm

Books Recommended by CBD:

Hope- Help & Healing for Eating Disorders: A New Approach to Treating Anorexia, Bulimia, By: Gregory Jantz

Starving: A Personal Journey through Anorexia By: Christie Pettit

Breaking Free From Anorexia and Bulimia By: Linda Mintle

God Hunger: Breaking Addictions of Anorexia, Bulimia, and Compulsive Eating By: Desiree Ayres

The Pursuit of Beauty: Finding True Beauty That Will Last Forever By: Katie Luce

Standard Deviants School, Human Nutrition Module 10: Weight Control and Metabolism, VHS

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