Inclusive Fun for Kids With Special Needs

Parents who have kids with special needs quickly discover that the majority of playgrounds were not designed to accommodate all children. Here is a brief list of places to play, and have fun, that do include kids who have special needs. We need more of these! Sky High Sports is an indoor playground with plenty of trampolines to bounce on and some foam pits to jump into. The Sky High Sports in Naperville, Illinois, sets time aside for kids who have special needs. On the first Tuesday of every month, from 3:00 in the afternoon until 6:00 in the afternoon, … Continue reading

Celiac Disease, Autism, PTSD, and More!

This week, the Special Needs Blog included a wide variety of topics. There were blogs about Celiac Awareness Day, things that may cause autism, PTSD, a special needs friendly playground, support groups, and a bizarre story about involving an isolation room. These blogs went up between September 10, 2012, and September 15, 2012. September 13 is National Celiac Awareness Day National Celiac Awareness Day is a day to honor the birthday of Samuel Gee MD, the pediatrician who published the first clinical description of celiac disease. It is also a day to bring awareness to what celiac disease is, and … Continue reading

Sky High Sports Has Time for Kids With Special Needs

Sky High Sports is an indoor playground that is located in Illinois. The unique part of this particular fun center is that it has tons of trampolines that have been designed for kids to jump up and down on. The first Tuesday of every month is set aside for children who have special needs to enjoy the playground. Depending on where you live, playgrounds designed for kids who have special needs may be few and far between. Not all indoor play facilities have owners who have a good understanding of what they need to do in order to accommodate all … Continue reading

Visual Dysfunction: More than Meets the Eye

I know what you’re thinking: My child can see perfectly. I can skip this blog. But there’s more to vision than just seeing. Children with sensory integration dysfunction often have problems processing visual information, even though they can “see.” (If you have concerns about your child’s basic ability to see properly, click here.) I often notice that my son Kyle will put objects close to his eyes when he’s playing or thinking. Kyle has normal vision but I believe he is under-sensitive to visual stimuli. That means he craves visual input, and so he watches video clips repeatedly, creates movement … Continue reading