All parents are looking for ways to maximize their children’s educational experience. As a parent of a child with special needs, you are likely focused on more than academics. You have probably met with speech, occupational, and physical therapists, classroom teachers, and behavior specialists. They have given you advice on how to work with your child and areas you can target at home. All this advice is great but can be overwhelming. Now your child’s teacher tells you she will be attending a mainstream class with 25 peers and you’re not sure where to shift your focus. These tips will help you support your child at home as she begins her new experience at school.

Academics
Read, read, and read some more! Reading is the most important area you can work on because your child needs to read in a number of situations. Speak with your child’s teacher about his reading level and materials and strategies you can use at home. He may be working on a specific book or program. He may use a shield so he can focus on one line at a time. Make sure you know what he has done at school to avoid confusion. Many parents find it difficult to maintain their child’s focus because reading is a challenging area but it is crucial to make reading fun. Words are everywhere! Have your child read signs and posters when out in the community. Take turns reading every other page in a book before bed. Ask him to read labels on snacks. When he reads, praise him! Offer a special reward for reading, something he only gets after reading with you. Motivation is important to keep him working on an area that can be very frustrating.

Organization
Organizing herself and her belongings is an important piece of attending a mainstream class. Your child needs to organize her materials in her backpack and desk, on top of her desk while she works, and while moving throughout the hallway and class. The pace of a mainstream class is fast and being prepared will help your child maintain the pace with her peers. Have her carry items in the grocery store and help her organize them in her arms so she doesn’t drop them. Help her organize her backpack before school and adjust items so they all fit. When doing homework, make sure she folds her notebook back and exposes only the page she is writing on. Being able to organize her items will allow her to focus on the lesson and social interactions in class.

Independence
The less your child needs an adult to prompt him, the more seamless his experience will be in the mainstream. Start fostering independence in activities such as packing up his backpack, self-care skills, and eating. Make sure he can open his own juice box, snack bags, and lunch box. Make sure he retrieves and cleans up all materials during meal time and work time. The less he needs an adult to help him, the easier it will be for him to participate in class activities.

Socialization
Borrow siblings, neighbors, and friends’ children! Practice playing games, taking turns, and sharing toys and materials.  You may want to explain to the peer models you are using that your child is still learning how to do each of these things. Tell them “Everyone has things they are good at and things they are still learning how to do. Henry knows a lot about animals and he is learning how to make friends.” They don’t need any more information that that and sometimes acknowledging your child needs help will help them understand their role.

Preparing your child for an experience in the mainstream class can seem overwhelming; there are so many nuances that can’t be taught. Following these guidelines will give your child more than academic skills- it will make them a more confident, independent learner. The less your child has to worry about the “small stuff” the more time she has for academic instruction and establishing connections in the mainstream setting.

Continue to communicate with the classroom teacher regarding her progress in the mainstream setting. Let the teacher know you would like to reinforce skills taught at school in the home. As always, open and continuous communication will ultimately benefit your child, especially as she takes this big leap into a new setting.

Jennifer Cerbasi teaches at a public school for children on the autism spectrum in New Jersey. As a coordinator of Applied Behavioral Analysis programs in the home, she works with parents to create and implement behavioral plans for their children in an environment that fosters both academic and social growth. In addition to her work both in the classroom and at home, she is also a member of the National Association of Special Education Teachers and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Parents of every background, religion, and nationality have one common wish for their children: to remain healthy throughout their lives. Unfortunately, many parents are forced to face their worst fears when a child is diagnosed with a medical condition that requires ongoing treatment or specific care. This could include seizure disorders, diabetes, or life-threatening allergies. It could also include a developmental disability such as autism, in which case your child may not be able to communicate his pain or discomfort. Regardless of the condition, there are certain steps parents of children with specific medical needs should take to ensure proper care and immediate action.

Fill out school and activity medical forms in detail.
You may think these forms get stored away, never to be referenced again. School nurses, educators, and instructors will read these forms to make themselves aware of your child’s specific conditions and learn about their responsibilities regarding your child’s care. Ask to sit down with this person so you can go over the form together in case they have any questions beyond what is printed. These forms are also crucial for substitute nurses or teachers, in case your child requires care while under their supervision.

Provide your child with proper identification.
Some conditions could render your child without the ability to communicate to emergency medical responders. Consider various types of identification, such as necklaces, bracelets, or shoe tags that list the condition, doctors’ or parents’ phone numbers, or medication. Consider which one best fits your child’s needs. If your child will be spending a lot of time swimming at camp, the shoe tag may not be best as she won’t have her shoes with her most of the time. Younger children may fare better with a bracelet over a necklace as the necklace may be uncomfortable. Ask your child’s pediatrician about pertinent information to be printed on the identification tag.

Train everyone who works with your child.
This means bus drivers, camp counselors, coaches, scout leaders, babysitters, and religious education teachers. Explain to your child that you are doing this in order to keep her safe, not to parade her special needs. Knowing that everyone is prepared to help her should make her feel safe but keep in mind it could make her feel like she is in an unwanted spotlight. Consider speaking with her close friends about her needs so they can be aware of warning signs she is in danger. Be sensitive to your child’s feelings about her condition but assure her you are acting in her best interest. Have these conversations discreetly and remind caregivers of their commitment to confidentiality. Caregivers will have access to only the information that will keep your child safe.

Have a family emergency plan.
Some children have medical conditions that require a call for emergency medical attention. Create a plan for this occurrence and practice with your family frequently. Make sure everyone has a job in case your child requires immediate medical attention. Jobs could include opening the front door for emergency responders, calling a neighbor or other adult family member, or gathering all the siblings in another room. Seeing a family member in need of emergency care can be frightening but having a plan will reduce everyone’s anxiety.

Ask your child’s pediatrician or specialist for important tips to share with those working with your child. He may have brochures to share or other printed materials to provide your child’s caregivers and educators.

Communicate with your child about his condition but don’t make it the only topic of conversation. It is important for your child to be educated about his needs but it should never define him. The most important thing for you to remember is he is a child first. Never address him as “diabetic” or “autistic.” He is a child with diabetes or a child with autism. Addressing him this way is a sign of respect for him as an individual.

Having a child with ongoing medical needs can be frightening and stressful for a parent. Being prepared and informed will make you empowered and able to care for your child. Educating people who interact with your child will make you secure about her care in your absence and, for any parent, that feeling is priceless.

Jennifer Cerbasi teaches at a public school for children on the autism spectrum in New Jersey. As a coordinator of Applied Behavioral Analysis programs in the home, she works with parents to create and implement behavioral plans for their children in an environment that fosters both academic and social growth. In addition to her work both in the classroom and at home, she is also a member of the National Association of Special Education Teachers and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

When I talk to cancer patients and survivors alike, I’m always inspired by their motivation, optimism and undeniable will to carry on the fight to beat their disease. Learning of a cancer diagnosis is a very hard thing for both the patient and the family.

But it’s especially hard when that patient is a child. These children face challenges on a level that most of us will never experience in our lifetime. And trying to explain to a child that they have cancer is a devastating task for both parents and health care providers.

Now imagine trying to explain a cancer diagnosis to an autistic child who now has to deal with the strict regimen of cancer therapy. His survival is completely dependent on the compassion and commitment of his parents, as well as the health care team that’s treating him.

Click here to read the report.

This is why I’m so outraged that a 9-year-old autistic boy has died from non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Jeremy Fraser lost his battle with cancer after his mother allegedly failed to provide him with the medications that he so desperately needed. Non-Hodgkins lymphoma is a very treatable cancer, but it requires adequate treatment that could range from months to a year. In fact, doctors had given Jeremy a 92 percent cure rate — assuming his mother would do her part in helping him complete treatment.

According to the reports that I have read, Jeremy was heading in the right direction, but was supposed to follow up at home with a very crucial phase in the treatment. But after his mother canceled a dozen chemotherapy appointments, and neglected to fill at least half of the prescriptions vital to the success of Jeremy’s treatment, he was returned to the hospital with only a 10 percent chance of survival — and in the end, it was too late.

I’m certainly mad at the lack of parenting skills that Jeremy’s mother has shown, but I don’t know if I should also be mad at the health care center that was treating him. Where was the follow up? Why not try to find out how this child is — especially if he has missed several appointments for chemotherapy treatment?

A child with cancer has died — not because if his disease — but because the negligence of the adults that should have been looking out for his well being. May God bless him and keep him safe.

There has been a lot of confusion about what may have happened to kill Jett Travolta, the only son of John Travolta, so suddenly at only 16 years old. This confusion is not surprising. It happens every time that we the public mix with what is essentially a private matter. Prurient public curiosity aside, somewhere in here may be a message about the need for compliance with seizure medication, a particular problem among adolescents, where medications are about 66 percent effective. There have been some reports that Jett’s medication may have been stopped because it wasn’t working. It is not yet clear whether the parents’ belief in scientology kept them from seeking other treatments, or whether that would have made a difference in controlling Jett’s seizures.

For what it’s worth, here is my take on Jett Travolta’s tragic death:

1. It is unlikely that Kawasaki’s disease (an inflammatory disease of blood vessels that also causes fever, lymph node swelling, and rashes) played a direct role in Jett Travolta’s tragic death. Though this rare disease (4,000 cases per year) can affect the heart, and also cause seizures, it is also generally cured or in remission by age 5.
2. It has never been confirmed that Jett Travolta suffers from autism, an illness which is characterized by difficulty relating to others. Autism does not cause seizures, though the incidence of seizures is 4-32 percent in autism and only 0.5 percent in the general population.
3. Patients with epilepsy have a mortality rate 2-3 times that of the general population. Epilepsy-related causes of death in this population account for 40 percent of the deaths.
4. Death from epilepsy frequently involves problems with breathing due to obstruction of the airways, buildup of fluid in the lungs (pulmonary edema), or a cardiac arrhythmia resulting from a surge of hormones that accompanies a seizure. (the autopsy would not show an arrhythmia but would show damage to the heart or a problem with the lungs)
5. Sudden, unexplained death in epilepsy accounts for 8-17 percent of these deaths.
6. But in Jett Travolta’s case, news reports would suggest that the most likely causes of death would be trauma-related (hitting his head on the bathtub during the seizure, or drowning). If a blow to the head caused bleeding in the brain, the autopsy will show that.

Dr. Marc Siegel is an internist and associate professor of medicine at the NYU School of Medicine. He is a FOX News medical contributor and writes a health column for LA Times, where he examines TV and movies for medical accuracy. Dr. Siegel is the author of “False Alarm: The Truth about the Epidemic of Fear“ and “Bird Flu: Everything You Need to Know About the Next Pandemic.”  Read more at www.doctorsiegel.com