Teaching kids with special needs to swim is not only a good idea, it’s essential. Swimming lessons help kids with special needs in a number of key areas, including greater muscle strength and physical endurance, increased flexibility, more...
More What some people don’t necessarily know about movement activities is that they not only aid fine and gross motor development, but also stimulate attention, cooperation, sensory processing, visual skills, speech and language development, and...
More Anyone who has taken a guitar lesson or picked up the instrument knows it’s not necessarily an easy one to play. Many people have dreams of being a rock star, and with two chords, you can be a rock star for children.
More The American Youth Symphony performed their first of three concerts in the Elfman Project, a series that features the work of beloved film composer Danny Elfman. The audience was a varied group of AYS members, the player’s families, UCLA...
More Developmental delays, communication difficulties and/or motor planning and sensory processing challenges can impede a child’s ability to express himself. Traditional therapies focus on helping the child to overcome these deficits. We may...
More It’s no secret that a traditional martial arts program is one of the best extracurricular activities a child can participate in. For children with special needs the benefits are invaluable because of the inherit structure and discipline the...
More What are the benefits of yoga for children with special needs? What is a special needs yoga class like? Is your child expected to lie still on a mat? These are questions that Alex Newell, voted LAFamily.com’s Yoga Teacher of 2010, is happy to...
More Since it began five years ago, the Special Needs Ice Hockey program in Panorama City, California, has provided an opportunity for kids and adults with developmental disabilities to learn and play hockey. Until just six months ago, it was the only...
More My son, Miguelangel, is 3 months old. He has Down syndrome and was born prematurely. I started him on a daily yoga practice when he was a month old, and I am pleased with the results.Many families with special children are embracing alternative...
More Not every 13-year-old girl with a powerful singing voice gets the opportunity to record it on an album. It is even less likely that she would have a single written for her by a noted producer. Rarer than that is when that girl wants to give a...
More Thanks for coming back to my monthly article for children with special needs and karate. I hope to bring you closer to understanding the multitude of benefits the martial arts bring to our children. Over the years I’ve found myself answering the...
More Jerry is a tall, lanky 19-year-old with autism and gastro-intestinal issues. He began coming to YogAbility, a nonprofit organization, 10 years ago. He used to have frequent tantrums, screaming fits, and wore a protective helmet. Since he began...
More David Andrews, age 18, wears number 40 on the Germantown High School basketball team, just outside of Memphis, TN. Much like the Knick’s Jeremy Lin, Andrews spent quite a bit of time warming the bench during his team’s games before ever getting...
More Ten-year-old Cooper is teaching his twin brother to play Hot Cross Buns on the piano. Cooper, who has Down syndrome, has been playing the piano since he was 8 ½ years old. I ask him how his brother is doing. Cooper says: “I showed him how...
More Today I’d like to bring your attention to martial arts programs that may be available to your child during their day before they even get home!
More Most parents are aware that swimming is a lifesaving skill that must be taught at an early age. Sadly, drowning remains the second leading cause of unintentional injury-related death for children between one and fourteen years of age, and...
More School Based Programs Revisited My last article spoke briefly about afterschool enrichment programs as well as curriculum based programs during the school day. I’d like to discuss more about afterschool enrichment programs this month and next...
More Many parents of special needs children lament their children being left out of sports programs and other games at school. While many schools are supportive of the mainstreaming and inclusion method for education, special needs children are...
More I hadn’t written a single song in my life when I decided to become a music therapist, nor did I have plans to do so. But plans change, especially when I started working with children who were diagnosed with autism.
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