Special Needs

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Most people with Angelman syndrome, a rare neurogenetic disorder, have very limited speech or no speech at all. If you’re the parent of a young child with Angelman, you may be wondering how you can help your child learn to communicate, since speech is not going to be their main way of communicating. Here are a few suggestions to get you started. ...

Whether you have concerns about your child’s hearing already or haven’t even considered there might be an issue, these 10 indications of hearing loss can help you determine if it’s a good idea to follow up with a hearing test. ...

Parents want the holidays to be a fun time for kids, but sometimes it seems almost impossible to manage their behavior around this time of year. When your child starts to act out of character, they are probably just overstimulated — taking in too many sights, sounds and smells can be overwhelming for little children. Keep these things in mind to help reduce holiday meltdowns. ...

Northcoast Corn Creations, a gourmet popcorn shop located in Willoughby, provides employment training opportunities for students with autism and developmental disabilities. The shop offers a safe, constructive worksite for students who need to learn employability skills outside of the classroom.  ...

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Joint attention — the ability to shift your attention between an object or event and your communication partner — is a skill that many children who are on the autism spectrum do not develop on their own. If kids are only focusing on one thing at a time, they aren't learning to communicate with others about shared experiences, to read facial expressions and understand gestures, or picking up new vocabulary and concepts. ...

Paraprofessionals, or “teacher’s aides” as they often are called, work alongside licensed teachers to give students additional attention and instruction. These team members are relied upon to play a more important role in a child’s special education experience than many people think.  ...

Commonly referred to as hypernasality, velopharyngeal insufficiency is a resonance disorder (how the cavities of the mouth and nose affect the way speech sounds) that results from too much air moving through the nose during speech. Learn about the causes, symptoms and treatment of this disorder. ...

Hearing aids and cochlear implants are both electronic devices that help improve hearing. How they do that is what makes them very different. Although both types of devices work best for people with permanent hearing loss, cochlear implants are traditionally recommended for people with severe to profound hearing loss, while hearing aids are recommended for people with mild to severe hearing loss. Learn more about the differences here. ...