In honor of my family getting a puppy 2 weeks ago, I thought I'd post this link on how animals can help children with special needs:
Animal Assisted Therapy for Special Needs Children
When I worked at a rehab hospital for adults with neurological injuries I really enjoyed seeing the trained dogs come in and mingle with the patients. So many of the adults were so happy to see the dogs, and it was amazing how some of them tried to move an injured arm or speak more around the pet! I've also seen this same effect with children with special needs. Even children with only developmental delays do well with dogs. A few years ago I was working with a 16 month old boy who wasn't walking; he had mild sensory modulation problems, but other than that just a delay with walking and talking. His mother adopted a 2 year old dog, and guess what, the boy began walking and talking within 3 weeks of the family getting the dog. These two were best buddies, and it was so amazing to see how this gentle dog helped this boy. The little boy was motivated to walk so he could keep up with his best friend! I have many stories about how dogs, cats, and horses have helped the children I work with. I would love to hear your stories too!
Monday, April 25, 2011
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
ZERO TO THREE: Sleep Challenges in Infants and Toddlers: Why It Happens, What to Do
Whether it be from my friends or parents of children I work with, I get asked a lot of questions about how to help babies and young children sleep better. Here are some good ideas on the challenges of sleep:
ZERO TO THREE: Sleep Challenges in Infants and Toddlers: Why It Happens, What to Do
I've been lucky that my son slept through the night (7 hours or more) by 6 weeks of age and my daughter slept through the night by 8 weeks of age. Unless they were sick or teething, they have been excellent sleepers. Of course, there has been the occasional night mare or delay tactics in going up to bed, but overall I've been lucky in the area of "sleep". My husband and I put the children down at the predictable time of 7:30 for my son (he'll be 3 years old in June) and 8:00 on school nights for my 7 year old daughter. They have the potential to get 11 hours of sleep at night on a weekday, and then my son may or may not also take a nap at preschool or home (depends on if it is a day I work). For that age group children need 10-14 hours of sleep in a 24 hour period, and my children get that. So often, a child's behavior problems or school difficulties can be lessened by making sure they have a proper amount of sleep...notice I didn't say the problems vanish, just maybe lessen depending upon the child.
Feel free to post sleep problems and solutions that you have had with your child or a child you work with!
ZERO TO THREE: Sleep Challenges in Infants and Toddlers: Why It Happens, What to Do
I've been lucky that my son slept through the night (7 hours or more) by 6 weeks of age and my daughter slept through the night by 8 weeks of age. Unless they were sick or teething, they have been excellent sleepers. Of course, there has been the occasional night mare or delay tactics in going up to bed, but overall I've been lucky in the area of "sleep". My husband and I put the children down at the predictable time of 7:30 for my son (he'll be 3 years old in June) and 8:00 on school nights for my 7 year old daughter. They have the potential to get 11 hours of sleep at night on a weekday, and then my son may or may not also take a nap at preschool or home (depends on if it is a day I work). For that age group children need 10-14 hours of sleep in a 24 hour period, and my children get that. So often, a child's behavior problems or school difficulties can be lessened by making sure they have a proper amount of sleep...notice I didn't say the problems vanish, just maybe lessen depending upon the child.
Feel free to post sleep problems and solutions that you have had with your child or a child you work with!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
