| As I slowly and painfully type out each word in | | | | focused on what is most important, the kids. |
| this article today, I suddenly have a deep | | | | Being rushed is distracting, frustrating, and |
| appreciation for special needs and disabilities. | | | | non-productive on so many levels so avoid it at all |
| Yesterday I badly bruised my wrist on my | | | | costs if possible. |
| dominant hand. Suddenly, my world has changed | | | | 6. Bring a list of the certain sounds, or words you |
| and simple tasks that I was once able to do are | | | | will be working on with your child. You can play |
| now on hold until the wrist heals. It makes me | | | | wonderful games such as word search to see if |
| think about my 5 year old daughter, an amazing | | | | you can find those words in your surroundings |
| little being who has overcome much more | | | | while out and about. You can also make your own |
| devastating obstacles than this. She has survived | | | | word bingo game, or picture cards which is a fun |
| 7 surgeries, cardiac issues, multiple G.I. issues, | | | | way to reinforce those sounds/words. We are |
| illness, food allergy reactions, feeding tubes, | | | | working on mastering the 'T' and 'D' sounds |
| oxygen, colostomy, and so on. All the while with a | | | | presently. So simple tasks like brushing our 'Teeth' |
| pleasant disposition and an inner determination to | | | | at the hotel can be turned into an educational |
| succeed, and survive. She is a true hero to me | | | | therapeutic training session. Be sure to repeat the |
| and I am motivated by her drive, her strength, | | | | words several times to reinforce them into your |
| and her joyful disposition. | | | | child's vocabulary, "Let's brush, brush, brush our |
| We are now entering a healthy part of her life | | | | teeth. Teeth, teeth. Look at your teeth! Pretty |
| where we can focus on all the various therapies | | | | teeth. Your teeth are pretty now. All done!" |
| such as speech. I have worked with a few | | | | 7. Make good use of your surroundings to |
| speech therapists, and found that some are more | | | | enhance your child's development. Swimming pools |
| motivated than others. Wanting the best for my | | | | are great at hotels. Besides being very clean in |
| family, I was able to research and find one of the | | | | most cases, they are also much less crowded |
| best speech therapists for my little one. Since our | | | | unlike public swimming pools. If your child has a |
| family travels a lot, I needed a custom speech | | | | low immune system like ours does, this is one |
| program that would be flexible, yet effective in | | | | way we can all enjoy swimming without all the |
| advancing our daughter into a blossoming chatty | | | | virus illness after affects that come from |
| Cathy. This is what we came up with: | | | | swimming in public swimming pools. Splashing and |
| | | | swimming are not only fun for kids, but use gross |
| 1. When traveling on vacation, bring your camera | | | | motor skills which combined with speech therapy, |
| and photograph everything. Then down load and | | | | helps to advance your child's development. |
| print out the pictures, cut them to size and insert | | | | 8. What kid doesn't like to jump on hotel beds? It |
| them into little photo albums (save money and | | | | seems to be an instinctual behavior. Our kids see |
| purchase the photo albums from the dollar store). | | | | a freshly made hotel bed, and simply have to |
| 2. Your child will remember the events from your | | | | jump on it every time. So we take advantage of |
| trip, and be highly motivated to speak about the | | | | this exciting moment to advance our special need |
| photos. Be sure to take photos of subjects that | | | | child's speech, as well as physical therapy |
| you want to focus on, useful words that need to | | | | development by filling her vocabulary with more |
| be learned first such as: open, close, help, hot, | | | | fun words that can be repeated for |
| cold, etc. | | | | reinforcement - Jump, Jump, Jump! |
| 3. Keep your descriptions of the photos simple, | | | | 9. I am not one for TV time at a hotel, but they |
| one word or two word descriptions. Work | | | | seem to always have a TV in every room we |
| patiently with your child until he/she can repeat | | | | have stayed at. So try to keep the TV off as |
| the word(s) clearly. Use a magnified mirror so | | | | much as possible. When it's time to wind down, |
| they can watch their mouth as they talk. You can | | | | we will pay to watch a kid's movie before |
| also make a 'phone' made from plumbing piping | | | | bedtime, but that is it. TV is only a distraction that |
| that they can hold one end up to their ear, and | | | | takes away from quality time, and quality therapy |
| the other to their mouth to hear the word clearly | | | | with your child. |
| as they speak it (make the 'phone' with one 4 | | | | 10. Enjoy your time with your kids. Having a |
| inch long plastic pipe, and two elbow pieces). Then | | | | disability can be an advantage if you change your |
| build on the sentence one or two words at a | | | | perspective. Strive to achieve success through |
| time. | | | | fun interaction and play. Being on vacation, |
| 4. Traveling with your kids can be a whole lot of | | | | whether for a week, or weekend offers so many |
| fun. Stay organized, and you will be able to | | | | advantages, that you may find yourself getting |
| provide a rich learning environment whether you | | | | away more and more, while watching your child's |
| are in your car, at the hotel, or out sightseeing. | | | | development advance by leaps and bounds. |
| Take advantage of all these wonderful moments | | | | Enjoy your time with your kids and turn tasks, |
| to fill your child's vocabulary with rich, colorful, and | | | | chores, and responsibilities into enjoyable, |
| exciting words. Let the enthusiasm spill out of you | | | | educational, and developmentally successful time. |
| and it will spread to your child. | | | | They will cherish the memories, and you will have |
| 5. Don't rush. If you have an itinerary, be sure to | | | | accomplished amazing tasks to help them become |
| allow yourself extra time to get to your | | | | functioning adults when they are all grown up. |
| destination such as an airplane, bus, boat. Extra | | | | Life's a journey, be happy traveler. |
| time means Mom and Dad are relaxed, and | | | | |