| Kids Activities | 
Create Your Own Easy Grip Crayon
If you have younger kids, changes are you have some broken crayons lying around your house. Creating colorful crayons is a fun kids activity that makes great use of all those leftover crayon pieces. Another plus, this activity uses items that you already have around the house ... no shopping required. The end result is an easy to grip rainbow crayon that is perfect for kids of all abilities! Just add a large pieces of white paper or one of the pages from our Capable Kids Coloring and Activity Book and presto, your child has a new activity to do while standing! Make Crayons
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Kids Like Me
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I Need a Hero!
We look around ourselves for people who provide inspiration and support. Children in particular are shaped by the role models in their lives. But what if most of the models in a child's life don't look like them, or move the way they do, or face the same kinds of challenges they do in everyday life? There are amazing writers, activists, speakers, pageant winners, scientists, educators, and athletes with disabilities for children to look up to: Nick Vujicic, Harilyn Rousso, Hilary Lister, Christy Brown, Darcy Pohland, Joe Hayward, and Nick Scott to name a few. If a child in your life has a strong interest area, it could be a life-altering experience for him or her to connect with an adult with a disability working in that field. Network with others who face the same issues, troubles, and triumphs as your family does. At the very least, you and the special child in your life will know that you are never alone!
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Adaptive Sports
|  Don't Forget The Lawn Games
The grass is more than just a big, boring place of green space. It's a playground waiting for you, and wheelchairs are more than welcome! But you need to know which games to play for guaranteed fun. No one likes playing a game they can only half-ways participate in. There are a zillion games you can buy for your backyard, but there are only a few that are especially awesome! I've chosen three of my favorite garden games, some of the oldest ones you can find, that are totally wheelchair accessible! Find Fun Lawn Games |
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Special Needs Parenting
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Coaching Kids With Disabilities
For the past ten years I have been a life coach to many people, with and without disabilities, including kids ranging from ages 9-18. Whether you have a disability or not, these are critical years when it comes to personal development. What I have noticed, is how much more of a transition it is for those kids who grow up with their disabilities. It is a tough time and we, as parents, need to be even more sensitive when it comes to our children with disabilities. Create a safe and secure environment for your child to feel his or her feelings and process them. They need to know that what they are experiencing is perfectly natural/normal and that they are a person with a disability, but their disability is not what defines them. Keep the lines of communication open, which means being a great listener and also a supportive talker, and help them find that place of acceptance within themselves. Enjoy the journey! More Parenting Advice |
Clinical Resources
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Leaving the Wheelchair Behind - Amber's Story
In this video, school physical therapist Laura Krueger tells the success story of one of her middle school students. When Laura first met Amber, who has Spina Bifida, she had just gone through a growth spurt causing extreme tightness in her knees and legs. Amber was using her wheelchair more and more for mobility and walking with her crutches less. Laura incorporated a standing program into Amber's school routine and she began gradually standing in study hall for about fifty minutes every day. Standing allowed Amber to bear weight and give her knees a good stretch. Laura began noticing the benefits; it was improving her range of motion, strength and endurance! Today, about a year and a half after starting her standing program, Amber is walking the long halls in school each day using only her crutches! What a compelling standing success story! Watch Video
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