Category: Developmental Differences
Sorting out Attention Deficit Disorder and Sensory Processing Disorder
While ADHD and Sensory Modulation Disorder (SMD) share many overlapping symptoms, there are some symptoms that are more pronounced in each disorder. A recent article published in the Research in Developmental Disabilities Journal* compared the behavior and physiology of children with ADHD, SMD, and dual diagnoses. They found that all these groups had greater levels of sensory, attention, activity, impulsivity, and emotional challenges than typical peers, but some symptoms were ...
Posted on May 13, 2013 at 6:00 AMSensory Integration and Mental Health
Could your child’s behavioral issues actually be problems with sensory integration?
Most people don’t ever think about the work our brains do to organize and interpret all of the sensory information going in—sight, sound, touch, body awareness, movement, gravity. Most children develop this ability in the course of ordinary childhood activities. But others encounter “traffic jams” in their brains which lead to sensory integration issues.
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A Long and Winding Road – The Journey to Find Services for my Son
I think I knew something was different about my son when he was 2 1/2. His baby sister had been in our house for 6 months and he was still mad about it. His behaviors seemed out of the norm. He had unusually long tantrums, and was aggressive for a little guy but in a way he seemed unable to control. In retrospect, I should have known something was up when he was a baby -- he had a super hard time settling down, sleep was erratic and sometimes getting to sleep, traumatic. But I was a new mo...
Posted on February 08, 2013 at 6:00 AMParents, Heal Thyself
I have seen remarkable progress in increasing overall functioning, in children with developmental differences ( anxiety, ADHD, sensory integration disorder, autism spectrum disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, etc.) by targeting and enhancing emotional regulation skills in their parents. In other words, by assisting parents in learning how to decrease their reactivity to their children's ineffective behaviors, these behaviors are no longer reinforced and instead parents empha...
Posted on February 06, 2013 at 6:00 AMMaking Choices for Twins with Developmental Differences
When I first found out in 2002 that I would be having twins, I felt overjoyed and grateful like I had never felt before. I dreamed of how it would be having them in matching twin outfits, taking perfect walks in the park, traveling to visit relatives and everything working in tandem just as planned. I did not know that they would nap at different times, feed at different times and do almost everything at different times. The one thing they both seemed to do together all ...
Posted on February 01, 2013 at 6:00 AMLearning Difficulties: How do you know?
How do you know if you or someone you love has a learning difficulty? What are some of the symptoms? These are questions that I frequently hear, and the following cases and their symptoms may sound familiar to you.
Luke, Michael and Sarah were students I worked with because of their difficulty with reading. While Luke was reading, he would often skip over words, or sound out the same word multiple times in a paragraph. He could not get a passing ...
Posted on January 29, 2013 at 6:00 AMThat "One Kid"
Have you ever been at a playground, a classroom or a family event where there's that "one kid" who a little over-aggressive, pushing other kids, knocking down another child's projects or looks like they’re in 6th gear? And like me, have you judged this behavior saying to yourself, “That kid needs more discipline," or "What horrible parents. I'd knock some sense into that kid if he was mine." We’re all a little guilty of these thoughts....
Posted on January 24, 2013 at 6:00 AMFresh from the Forum: Developmental Differences Support
Are you the parent of a child with a developmental difference or delay? Or maybe your child is still very young, yet you're scratching your head wondering if his/her behavior is "normal" and trying to seek out advice?
NPN's discussion forums are chock-full of posts on topics ranging from speech delays to sensory processing disorder. Particularly when it comes to diagnosing, treating, and nurturing kids with developmental differrences - such as speech/motor delays...
Posted on January 17, 2013 at 6:00 AMNurturing a Child on the Autism Spectrum - Our Family's Story
So, on a cold day back in February of 2012, my wife urged me to come along with her to this big Developmental Differences Resource Fair she had read about somewhere in the city. We live in Berwyn, so that pretty much meant that I would have to actually have to change from my comfy clothes on my day off and bundle up in order to brave the harsh Chicago environments (including traffic) to drive out to this fair. Uggghhh….I thought. As, we drove out there we talked about getting ...
Posted on January 10, 2013 at 6:00 AMNPN's 2nd Annual Developmental Differences Fair is Feb. 10!
NPN proudly presents our 2nd Annual Developmental Differences Resource Fair! This event was created to help parents of children (from birth through 8th grade) with a range of developmental differences - developmental delays (i.e., speech, motor skills), sensory processing disorder, autism, ADD/ADHD, PDD-NOS, mixed receptive-expressive language disorder, Down Syndrome, physical disabilities, and more.
Where: Gordon Tech High School, 3633 N. California Ave., Chicago
When: Sunday...
Posted on January 03, 2013 at 6:00 AM