People, places and information of interest to the special-needs community in L.A.
I Have a Child with Special Needs and Built My Own Good Life
Editor’s Note: Eraina Ferguson was a 20-year-old college student when she gave birth to her first child, Taylor, who was diagnosed with profound hearing loss and autism. While the diagnoses felt overwhelming, Ferguson decided she was not going to let the medical challenges stop her from pursing her goals while being the best parent she […]
Largest Study to Date links 102 Genes With Autism
The symbol for autism spectrum disorder has long been a puzzle piece, and a global team of researchers has come a little closer to understanding the shape of this puzzel, according to research published online in January in the journal Cell. In the largest genetic autism study to date, they identified 102 genes that appear […]
The Builder Bees Hive Offers Fun and Friendship for Girls
Orley Garber’s daughter had a problem that’s pretty typical for those on the autism spectrum: she had trouble making friends. “From preschool, I felt like she didn’t have a place,” Garber says, “because she was really overwhelmed in mainstream settings and she just felt annoyed by ‘the boys who don’t listen’ in special-needs settings.” Around […]
Helping Puppies Become Guide Dogs of America
During the holidays, Guide Dogs of America (GDA) launched a hearty campaign to solicit donations and volunteers for the organization, one of the nation’s leading training and learning centers for guide dogs. And while the holidays are over, GDA officials hope you’ll keep its mission top of mind. Through the work of GDA volunteers, staff […]
Youth Cycling Association: Paving a Road to Cycling for All
Royce Felten is an endurance cyclist. That makes sense for so many reasons. At age 14, he has already battled and beaten Hodgkins lymphoma. He has also faced the many challenges that go along with being a person with autism. So, what’s a 100-mile bike ride? “I just like being on the bike for long […]
Carnival Cruise Line Earns Certifications to Assist Guests With Autism, ADHD, PTSD, Down Syndrome and Sensory Issues
Carnival Cruise Line has become the first cruise operator to be certified “sensory inclusive” by KultureCity, a nonprofit organization dedicated to accessibility and inclusion for individuals with sensory needs and invisible disabilities. Rollout of the program began in October with ships based in South Florida. It is scheduled to be implemented in the rest of the […]
Academy of Pediatrics Updates Autism and Developmental Delay Guidelines
The last time the American Academy of Pediatrics issued clinical recommendations on autism spectrum disorder, the prevalence of autism was calculated at one in every 155 children. Today, 12 years later, one in every 59 kids in the U.S. has autism and the academy has updated its recommendations. Much has happened in the field during […]
Real-world Training at Finn’s Bistro Empowers Students with Disabilities
At Finn’s Bistro, a coffee house on the campus of Willenberg Career and Transition Center in San Pedro, students with disabilities push their books aside to gain real-life employment experience as employed individuals. “Our students go through the application process and an interview and, based on their interest, start working on skills they would need […]
Could Cannabis Oil Help Children With Autism?
Offering her infant marijuana might have been the last thing Tracy Ryan expected to do, but after her 8-month-old daughter, Sophie, was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2013, everything changed. After much research, Ryan and her husband decided to put Sophie on a high concentration of CBD and THC oil alongside her ongoing chemotherapy […]
An Adventure Story About the Power of Family
The numbers are hard to imagine: roughly 30,000 of L.A.’s children are in foster care. It can be tough to get your head around the idea that all of these kids – many who are on the autism spectrum or have learning disabilities or other challenges – are in need of help at the most […]
Educators, mentors and advocates celebrate their diversity
Amy Faigin fell into advocacy at a young age, and into teaching by accident. “When I realized at a pretty early age that ableism existed, I was immediately angry about it,” says Faigin, who is autistic and highly gifted. “And I just have never been a person who could keep my mouth shut, so I […]
Sparking Hope: How One Project is Propelling Autism Research
Parenting a child with autism comes with a lot of questions. One chance for some answers: the SPARKforAutism Study conducted locally through UCLA. By sharing your family’s DNA with SPARK, you can help researchers understand more about autism, connect to a community of families with questions like yours, and learn valuable information about your child. […]
The Sasha Project LA: Art That Helps Heal
In some ways, Sasha Bogosian is like many 11-year-old girls you might meet. “I love unicorns and rainbows. My favorite colors are the rainbow colors. I like going to the movies with my friends. I like having sleepovers, going to museums, playing with my dog,” she tells me enthusiastically when we chat on the phone. […]
This Boutique Airline is Autism Certified
A couple of years ago, Alex Wilcox was on a business trip when he encountered a family with a child on the autism spectrum. The child was so distraught by the sights, sounds and overall airport experience that it was impossible for the family to board the plane. As co-founder and CEO of airline JetSuiteX, […]
How Research Can Help Parents of Children with Autism Prepare for the Future
When I became a parent, my anxiety grew astronomically. Minutes after the births of my sons, I felt entirely responsible for the fate of these little human beings. I was the Earth and they were seemingly the Sun around which my every decision revolved. Parental worry is a common problem and it can take a […]
When Autism and Sleep Issues Collide
New parents expect to be sleep deprived – but they expect the sleepless nights to eventually end. For parents of children with autism, though, they don’t always. A study in the March issue of the journal Pediatrics found that children with autism are more than twice as likely to have sleep problems as those without […]
Kids Gym Provides Inclusion for Children – And its Owners
When Howard Luck was graduating from high school, his counselor told him that college would be way too demanding and that he should limit his career aspirations to bagging groceries at a local market. Howard has a variety of learning differences and had been in special education for much of his time in school. He […]
Despite Fire Devastation, Shemesh Enterprises Unique Culinary Program Continues
In the path of the Woolsey Fire that devastated our region in November was a unique occupational program, business and social enterprise that, thankfully, is already rising from the ashes. Shemesh Enterprises is many things to many people. To the farm fellows who work there – all young adults with disabilities – it is a […]
Social and Job Skills are the Focus of Center4SpecialNeeds Programs
The Center4SpecialNeeds, a nonprofit dedicated to providing resources, education and supports for children with developmental disabilities and their families, has sessions of two popular programs beginning in January. Kids/Teens Clubs offer activities designed to help improve children’s social skills and build self-esteem and confidence. The groups are co-ed and organized by age and abilities. Led […]
Course Offers Special-Needs Moms a Mindful Return to Work
Having a baby is a transformative experience, bringing intense physical changes and engulfing emotional ones due to the pending needs of this new human. The mind races from nesting to nursing to concern over who will care for this bundle of joy once parents return to work. These concerns are heightened when a child is […]
Defying Gravity and Disabilities with iFLY
Who hasn’t imagined what it would be like to fly? To break free of the bonds of Earth and float upward? The folks at iFLY at Universal Studios CityWalk have been making that happen for folks for more than a decade. For the past year, they’ve been flying those who not only want to overcome […]
L.A. Found Program Helps Locate Missing Persons with Disabilities or Dementia
Almost half of children with autism will at some point engage in wandering behavior – putting their lives at risk and their families and caregivers through a terrible ordeal even if they are safely found. One-third of all people in California with autism live in L.A. County, according to the Autism Society of Los Angeles. […]
Simple Questionnaire Helps Spot GI Problems in Kids with Autism
Children on the autism spectrum are four times more likely than other children are to have a gastrointestinal (GI) disorder such as constipation, diarrhea or reflux disease. GI trouble can cause problem behaviors such as anger and aggression, but can be tough to detect in kids on the spectrum. According to a study reported Oct. […]
USC Seeks Help with Studies of Assistive Robots
USC researchers are looking for families to help with two studies they are conducting to find ways that robotics technology might benefit children on the autism spectrum – or those with other disabilities. The first study looks at ways that robots might help promote development in infants with or at risk for Autism Spectrum Disorders. […]
Parental Love Wins in ‘Far From the Tree’
As parents, we hold grand dreams for our children – even while they are still in utero – but these dreams can become hindrances when they do not fit the people our children actually become. The new documentary film “Far From the Tree” explores families who have children with wildly different realities – autism, Down […]
An Autism Awareness Month Update
April is Autism Awareness Month, so we checked in with Gary Feldman, M.D., medical director of the Stramski Children’s Developmental Center at Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach, for an update on research, diagnosis and treatment. What’s going on in the field of autism research now that makes you feel most optimistic? Probably two […]
Local Kids Help Write and Illustrate Anti-Bullying Book
“I looked down inside my heart for friendship and love …” “Try not to let mean words get to you; they’re meaningless and a waste of energy. Don’t let bad people touch your heart.” “… if you really want to be happy, be kind, have a lot of friends, and follow your heart.” “When I […]
A Unique Academy Helps Kids on the Spectrum Transition to Adulthood
When you imagine the future for your child on the autism spectrum, do you imagine her or him using computer guided tools to create precision metal parts for aerospace companies? Maybe you should. In 2013, an organization called the Uniquely Abled Project sought to find out what people with developmental disabilities were good at. How […]
For Parents of Teens With Autism, Optimism Buffers Stress
The fact that mothers of teens experience stress is no surprise to anyone who has parented – or even met – a teen. The fact that moms of teens who are on the autism spectrum or have intellectual disabilities face more stress than their peers with typically developing teens is also no great surprise. Studies […]
Kid Podcast ‘Brains On!’ Explores Down Syndrome
What do your kids know about Down syndrome? How about your kids’ friends and classmates? A great, age-appropriate way for them to learn more is via the “Brains On!” podcast produced by American Public Media – with writing and reporting from L.A.’s own Sanden Totten, formerly a science reporter at public radio station KPCC. In […]
Robotics Startup Creates Companion Helpers for Kids
In a bright co-working space in a building in Old Pasadena are the offices of a startup robotics and AI company. The scientists, engineers, artists and designers there have added a unique feature to their product-development lab: a playroom. But they aren’t just playing. They are working to change the lives of children – including […]
Dance/Movement Therapy Helps Kids With Autism Connect
The 5-year-old girl, diagnosed with autism, wasn’t used to connecting with people. She didn’t speak, made little eye contact and showed little physical awareness of others. She would sit near, even very close, to people without acknowledging them. Then Lori Baudino took her on a journey. Baudino, a Westchester-based clinical psychologist and dance/movement therapist, says […]
New Research and a Tourette Syndrome Update
A research team led by Massachusetts General Hospital, UCLA and the Tourette Association of America announced June 21 that it had identified rare mutations in two genes that significantly increase the risk for Tourette syndrome. The neurodevelopmental disorder effects as many as one in 160 children in the U.S. For an update on Tourette, we […]
Inclusive LA: Summer Camp for All Abilities
Christmas comes for two weeks every summer for 12-year-old Makenna Ito and her sister Lianne, 7. That’s when the girls, both born with a rare disorder called Cockayne syndrome, attend a special camp that brightens their lives. “Camp is a vacation for them. It’s their Christmas,” says their mom, Noreen, a fourth-grade teacher in Redondo Beach. Though both sisters are non-verbal, it’s clear that Makenna knows when they’re driving to camp. “She raises her hands in […]
Learning About Rancho History – and Service Dogs!
If your family is headed to one of the monthly Creation Station art workshops or other family events at Rancho Los Cerritos (4600 Virginia Rd., Long Beach; www.rancholoscerritos.org), keep an eye out for Marcia Harris and her canine companion. A longtime volunteer at the rancho, Harris also raises service dogs. Harris began volunteering at the […]
Out, About and Inclusive In L.A.
There was a time when “accessible” meant someone with a disability could get in the front door, and maybe up to the second floor – and after that they were on their own. These days, accessibility goes way beyond that, and many L.A. attractions are making it part of their mission. “Accessibility is more than […]
Disability In L.A.’s Multicultural Melting Pot
Visit the website of any of the county’s seven regional centers and a drop-down tab offers a list of more than 100 languages – from Afrikaans to Zulu – to help families connect with opportunities, information and services for those with disabilities. In a county as large and diverse as ours, this is hardly surprising. […]
Helping Kids With Autism Find Work
Joanne Lara sees too much of what she calls the “school-to-couch” model. “Fifty thousand kids a year in this country are graduating high school with autism, with no place to go,” says the executive director of Autism Works Now (AWN), an innovative nonprofit that teaches workplace-readiness skills. They end up on their parents’ couch […]
ABLE Plans Let Those With Disabilities Set Financial Goals
For most of us who would like to save up for something – a new computer, a college class, a trip or even retirement – all we need to do to get started is to open a bank account or take advantage of a retirement or college savings plan. Most people with disabilities don’t have […]
Matt Asner Becomes Vice President of Development For Autism Society of America
Matt Asner will join The Autism Society as National Vice President of Development, Autism Society President and CEO Scott Badesch announced Aug. 23. “We are thrilled to have Matt as part of the Autism Society family. His passion, energy and wonderful commitment to helping give all diagnosed with autism the maximum opportunities to reach their […]
Deaf Son’s Need Inspires Swim Shirt Company
Cole Sherman is profoundly deaf, has cochlear implants and loves to swim. “My son, he’s a water baby,” says Cole’s dad, Eric. For many years, water and the processors that implant users wear outside the body just didn’t mix. But in 2012, when Cole was 7, he got his first set of waterproof processors. The […]
Pam Lyn King: Coaching From the Heart
Pam Lyn King knows first hand what life is like for a special-needs family. Her younger sister, Kristol, was born with Down syndrome and autism. When Kristol died three years ago at age 20, King felt a profound void that she wasn’t sure how to fill. Landing a new job as an administrative specialist in […]
Putting People With Autism To Work, Now
Each Thursday evening six young adults gather around a large table in an office off Ventura and Reseda boulevards and work to hone their employment skills. Because these individuals have autism, their chances of finding meaningful employment aren’t great. While 50,000 18-22-year-olds with autism graduate from public schools in the U.S. each year, the employment […]
Keeping Bloodhounds On the Scent of Missing Kids
Around half of all children on the autism spectrum will wander toward something that interests them, or bolt away from something that is bothersome. And because they have little sense of danger, this wandering can take them away from their caregivers and into unsafe situations. These children often go missing, and according to the National […]
Pairing Special Needs Families With Quality Providers
Need a restaurant recommendation? Try Yelp. A plumber? Angie’s List. And if you’re looking for a reliable service provider for someone with special needs, you can turn to Love My Provider (www.lovemyprovider.com), a fee-free website specializing in therapeutic services such as Applied Behavior Analysis; occupational, physical and speech therapy; summer camps and day programs. The […]
USC Telehealth Offers Free Help For Special-Needs Caregivers
Mary Ann Frattarole thinks it was early 2012 when she started getting desperate calls from parents and caregivers of children and adults with special needs. “I got some heart-wrenching calls from parents that had a special-needs child,” she says, including one mom who also had a husband with a disability for whom she was the […]
A Conference To Talk About Typing
Larry Bissonnette and Tracy Thresher both have limited speech due to autism, and when they were growing up, this meant they were labeled “retarded” and excluded from regular education. But their lives were turned around when, as adults, each learned to communicate by typing. Bissonnette, 52, and Thresher, 42, eventually embarked on a world tour […]
For Autism Initiative, Sesame Street Looks to Our Neighborhood
TV’s “Sesame Street” has long been populated with flightless birds, singing frogs, cuddly monsters and children of all sorts. And as the number of children diagnosed on the autism spectrum continues to grow in the world at large, they are coming to Sesame Street as well. To help out with the “Sesame Street and Autism: […]
13-year-old Chef Cooks With Food Greats at Autism Speaks Gala
By the time Chase Bailey was 10, he was hooked on cooking shows. He discussed best methods for caramelizing onions with his mom and filled the family DVR with recipes for pizzas baked in brick ovens and tortillas filled with mahi mahi and mango-radish salsa. At 11, he started his own cooking blog, followed by […]
New Online Autism Training For Babysitters Available
All parents want their child’s babysitters to be well prepared – able to keep their child entertained, handle the after-school or bedtime routine and deal with whatever challenges or emergencies might come up. For parents of children on the autism spectrum, there’s a new online tool available to help prepare sitters for the unique challenge […]
Help Group Summit Focuses on Autism, Learning Disabilities and ADHD
A two-day conference featuring leading experts in research and best practices in the assessment and treatment of autism, learning disabilities and ADHD is set for Oct. 23 and 24 at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. The Help Group’s Summit 2015 is designed for educators, clinicians/therapists and parents. Speakers include experts from UCLA, UC […]
Summer@ETTA Gets An ‘Official’ Visit
Last week a number of local elected officials visited Summer@ETTA, ETTA’s specialized summer program for individuals with disabilities. ETTA provides a full spectrum of services for adults with special needs. ETTA serves people with developmental disabilities and their families, with services including residential housing, case management, employment training and placement, educational services and social services.
A Boy and His Dog Share Love and Therapy
Eight-year-old Daron, of Van Nuys, has a tight knit family. They have been through a lot together. Daron has cerebral palsy and needs a lot of support, but his parents, Hagop and Armine, and his older sister, Ani, are devoted to him. They will do just about anything to make Daron smile. That is why […]
ETTA Expands Day Program Offerings for Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
ETTA’s Isak Boruchin Adult Day Program opened in September with three clients, and has exceeded expectations by growing to 14 clients in the first year. The program provides safe, meaningful and purposeful volunteering, job development, skill building, and recreation activities for adults with disabilities at sites within their local community. That growth will continue, as […]
Special Needs Conference Focuses On Balance For Families
For Navah Paskowitz, “Bringing Balance,” the theme of the conference she is organizing for parents and siblings of children with special needs, is personal. “It really came out of my own family,” Paskowitz says. “We have a heavy load, my husband and I.” Paskowitz, executive director of corporate development and program director of The Friendship […]
Angel City Games Bring Adaptive Sport To L.A.
Ezra Frech, a Sports Illustrated SportsKid of the Year nominee in 2014, was born with no left knee or shin bone and only one finger on his left hand. And though he had his leg amputated below the knee at age 2 ½, nothing has slowed him down. When his leg was amputated, doctors were […]
Jennifer Jones: Raising Awareness for Kids With Special Needs
Jennifer Jones never thought of herself as a community activist, but when her 15-year-old son, Dylan, was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder 11 years ago, Jones’ course in life took a profound turn. The mom of two was working as a graphic and product designer and first became involved with Autism Speaks as a parent […]
L.A. to Host 2015 Special Olympics World Games
Los Angeles will play host to as many as half a million people this summer as we welcome athletes and fans from all over the world for the 14th Special Olympic World Games, taking place July 25-Aug. 2. Seven-thousand athletes with intellectual disabilities, coached by 3,000 coaches, will compete in 25 sports at all different […]
Temple Grandin to Appear at Club Nokia
One of the rock stars of the special needs world will take the stage at Club Nokia May 20 – along with a host of musical, celebrity and other guests – to raise awareness about the lack of jobs for young adults on the spectrum, and to benefit a new pilot program designed to help. […]
Breaking the Sound Barrier for Children Born Deaf
Almost immediately after she was born, it became apparent that Angelica Lopez was deaf. Her parents, Julie and Santos, learned sign language and started making the heartbreaking, but necessary, adjustments to their daughter’s special needs. Last summer, they learned of a device called an auditory brainstem implant (ABI), still in the testing phase, that might […]
UCLA Researchers Hope to Make Earlier Autism Detection Possible
Early detection is the key to helping children on the autism spectrum realize their full potential. Experts tend to agree that autism can be reliably diagnosed at age 3, when symptoms are present. Infants’ behavior is much more limited, making earlier detection a challenge, but researchers at UCLA are hoping to learn enough to change […]
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Studying Tummy Troubles and Autism
Research has shown that children on the autism spectrum experience more, and more severe, stomach problems such as constipation and bloating than other children their age do. If your child is one of them, you might be interested in a study being conducted by the special needs researchers at the Boone Fetter Clinic at Children’s […]
Brain Training Technique Holds Promise For Kids With Special Needs
Using three short learning sessions with hour-long breaks in between could help children with fragile X syndrome remember material as well as typically developing children, according to neurobiologists from UC Irvine. A genetic condition, fragile X causes intellectual and developmental disabilities, and is associated with autism. People with fragile X typically struggle learning new skills […]
Brain Balance of Brentwood Now Open
Nothing is more painful than to watch your child struggle. Difficulties in school, trouble making friends, tantrums and meltdowns are tough to observe, especially when you know that, underneath it all, you have a great kid. At the new Brain Balance Achievement Center of Brentwood, professionals work to address these challenges facing kids with special needs […]
Young Artists Pitch In On Vintage Mural
Once upon a time, driving down Whitsett Avenue in North Hollywood meant a trip through orchards filled with orange trees, with the occasional billboard adding color and excitement. The orange groves are long gone, and for years the stretch of Whitsett between Sherman Way and Saticoy became an area of blight. A lengthy community clean-up […]
Stepping Up To the Plate For People With Autism
Danny Gott is 21 and has loved farm animals since he was a little boy. Danny also has autism. In honor of their special son, Danny’s parents, Cathy Gott and Jim Gott – former pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers and current pitching coach for the Anaheim Angels – founded Danny’s Farm in 2007. The […]
Local Scout Stands Tall Despite Challenges
Spencer Gates, a high school senior, has a condition that makes it difficult for him to walk more than a few steps, but he didn’t let that stop him from running with his passion for helping the community through Boy Scouts. The Boy Scouts of America, Los Angeles Area Council (LAAC) serves more than 13,000 […]
Pujols Steps to the Plate for Special Needs
Albert Pujols has left an indelible mark on the game of baseball. Over the past 13 years, first with the St. Louis Cardinals and now with the Los Angeles Angels, Pujols has been one of the top hitters in the game and among its best all-around players. His two World Series rings – earned with […]
Kole Kodimer: A Westhills Champion
A baseball league for kids with special needs that started as an 11-year-old boy’s Bar Mitzvah project has, in just two short years, developed into a family and community passion. Guaranteed to make you smile, the Westhills Champions baseball league has become a point of community pride. The athletes, whose physical and mental limitations vary, […]
Steve Everett: Power(ful) Soccer Role Model
Steve Everett plays and promotes power soccer, where adults and kids play together from their power wheelchairs, and learn powerful lessons. by Christina Elston When Steve Everett talks about the sport of power soccer, played in power wheelchairs, he makes it sound fun. “We have these guards on the front of our chairs. They almost […]