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| Kids Like Me | 
Wheelchair Summer Camp: Best Thing to Happen to Me
There have been a few big moments that have transformed my outlook on living with a disability. One huge moment was wheelchair summer camp; or to be more specific Camp Courage. I didn't wanna go to camp. I bawled after my mom dropped me off; that's how much I didn't want to be there. My mom forced me to go, telling me it'd be good for me. Everything changed when I was having lunch on the second day and sitting across from who would turn out to be Gina, a blind girl who was adopted and originally from India. She became my second hand lady during that week of camp, showing me the ropes and introducing me to everybody. But the biggest thing she did was help me realize that I could find people in this new-to-me community who were OMG....cool. Summer camp made me go from hating my situation to realizing this "scene" could be fun!
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Kids Activities
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School Trips For Special Needs
School trips can provide a wonderful opportunity to make learning fun by taking kids outside their regular environments. They give a more interactive, hands-on experience that children may find more engaging and stimulating than their usual lessons. This 'broadening of the horizons' aspect can be especially valuable for children with special needs, but there may be extra issues you need to consider. These will depend on both the location and nature of the trip and the particular needs of your children. 'Special needs' is a very wide umbrella term and every child is unique. There may be accessibility issues for some, while others might need reassurance and guidance when taken out of familiar surroundings.
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Pediatric Therapy
|  The Power of Touch: Infant Massage
One of my new patients is a 9-month-old baby girl with big beautiful blue eyes, a gorgeous gummy grin, and major muscle tone. I set up a visit to have my colleague, who is a certified infant massage instructor, join us and provide some instruction to the family. Since the visit was more than a week away, my colleague sent some written materials with me for the family to read before the official instructional visit. On the day we arrived for the massage session, I saw something I had never seen before - the palms of the baby's hands, surrounded by open, relaxed fingers. I believe it may have had something to do with mom independently practicing infant massage techniques. But let's see if there is any research to support that. Benefits of Infant Massage |
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Safety News
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Altimate Medical Earns Governor's Safety Award
Altimate Medical was recently awarded the 2011 Minnesota Safety Council's Award of Honor for exceptional accomplishments in reduction of injuries and illnesses in the workplace and implementation of more than ninety percent of specified benchmarks. Altimate Medical received the Meritorious Achievement Award in 2009, the Outstanding Achievement Award in 2010, and the highest level Governor's Safety Award, the Award of Honor in 2011. Altimate Medical, Inc. is one of only forty-three employers who earned the Award of Honor for superior performance in workplace safety and health at the 2011 Governor's Safety Awards luncheon. Read Safety Award Press Release |
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Clinician Resource
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CELA 2012 - Continuing Education and Legislation Advocacy
In previous years our emphasis during CELA visits to our members of Congress was to educate them about Complex Rehab Technology. Complex power wheelchairs, highly configurable manual wheelchairs, adaptive seating and positioning systems and other specialized equipment (such as standing frames and gait trainers) are considered "Complex Rehab Technology" or CRT. This year (2012) CELA was different, the story had changed. Legislation was introduced by Congressman Joseph Crowley (NY- 07) on April 18, 2012, HR-4378, titled; "Ensuring Access to Quality Complex Rehabilitation Technology Act of 2012." This year we went to our members of Congress asking for co-sponsorship or a Senate companion bill to HR-4378. To read about HR-4378 and to find out what you can do to help move this bill toward reality I've included a link to the NCART website. More CELA Information |
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This newsletter is written specifically for special needs parents, teachers and pediatric clinicians. If you are interested in receiving the adult-focused newsletter, please Update Your Profile. Thank you!
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