Kindermusik Home | Toddler Preschooler Infant Children Music Classes

I'm a big fan of Kindermusik! I am lucky enough to live in a bigger city where there are multiple locations that classes are conducted. Their classes are so fun, and some include learning sign language!

Kindermusik Home | Toddler Preschooler Infant Children Music Classes

I have had many OT (occupational therapy) clients who weren't learning to talk with just speech therapy or developmental services, but did learn to speak after attending Kindermusik classes! Now, it is not designed just for the special needs child yet these children potentially can benefit greatly. One child I am thinking of who benefited is a child with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder), and at age 2 1/2 he was still mostly non-verbal except for saying "mama, dada, and hi". After attending a few Kindermusik classes he began humming, then with a few more classes he began to insert a few simple words into the song mixed in with the humming. At that time, he still was unable to express his needs and wants, but at least he was speaking! Then, during speech therapy sessions the therapist began to encorporate his favorite Kindermusik songs and instruments with more traditional therapy techniques. Within six months the child had a vocabulary of between 75-100 words, and was able to express some basic needs and wants...yeah! Once he turned three years old, he graduated the program (early intervention) that I work for so for a while I didn't know how he was progressing. Then, about a year later I saw him at a birthday party that my daughter was attending. I could not believe the difference in his language skills! He was not only expressing basic needs/wants and labeling items, but he was socializing with other children as long as it wasn't too loud in the room. Unfortunately, his sensory processing skills hindered his ability to stay in the room for some of the games and as the "Happy Birthday" song was being sang, but Wow had he made progress! I don't think Kindermusik cured all of this child's speech/communication problems, but it did jump start his ability to talk.

Tummy Time for Baby | Articles | Babies Today

Tummy Time for Baby | Articles | Babies Today

Gifts for Kids With Special Needs

It's that time of year already! Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, or any other holiday filled with gift giving, it is time to think about what to give your loved ones. This can be difficult when thinking of what to get a friend or relative with special needs. Here is a link filled with considerations for gift giving to children with Autism:

Gifts for Kids With Autism | eHow.com

Many of the parents of the kids I work with like to identify adapted toys in therapy catalogs as potential gifts. The families then provide their friends and relatives with links to the therapy companies' websites. This is especially a good idea when the child has physical disabilities that limit the way he can manipulate commercial toys found in local retail stores. Here are a few companies to consider purchasing special needs toys from:

For infants, toddlers, and preschool age children: http://www.beyondplay.com/index.htm

For children of all ages: http://www.southpawenterprises.com/

and http://www.pfot.com/ and http://www.therapro.com/

Mother-Infant Interaction: Achieving Synchrony : Nursing Research

I went to a conference today. I always love to learn new things, and then share the info. and resources with others. Found out today about this study on mother-infant interaction, and thouht I'd share:

Mother-Infant Interaction: Achieving Synchrony : Nursing Research

The smallest of interactions can make a difference. It might be as simple as picking up a baby when he's crying or it might be talking in a soothing voice to them as you give eye contact. But what ever the interaction, it is SO important to keep it positive.