To try and provide more resources and reach more people, I've created a Sensory Steps Pinterest account. For frequent updates on a variety of information and resources, please check it out at
http://pinterest.com/sensorysteps/
Also, please feel free to check out SensoryStepsInc on Twitter at
https://twitter.com/#!/SensoryStepsInc
Any additional feedback or information you'd like to share would be greatly appreciated!
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Sunday, June 3, 2012
"Learn to Learn"
Sensory Steps, Inc.
At
Center for the Developing Mind
Presents~ the
Developing Min
GET READY TO LEARN…BY LEARNING HOW TO MOVE !
“Learning to Learn”-The Children’s Program
Sensorimotor Groups
Center for the Developing Mind Can Help you and Your Child Find Success!
What we are offering:
- A fun, “child-approved” movement program, combining specific sets of multi- sensory exercises, developed by an experienced pediatric occupational therapist.
- Includes approaches based on EDU-K/Brain Gym model developed by
Dr. Paul Dennison and the EFT/Emotional Freedom Technique developed by
Gary Craig.
What is the group schedule?
- Mondays, July 2nd -August 13th (8 weeks)
9:30am-10:30am Ages 3-5
10:45-11:45am Ages 5-8
12:30-1:30pm Ages 9-12
1:45-2:45pm Ages 12+ (Pending interest)
Who Should Attend?
- A Child Who:
- Has developmental challenges
- Has delays in the following: gross/fine motor skills; balance & coordination; motor planning; sensory processing & modulation difficulties; & has decreased self-confidence & social skills.
How with this program help my child?
- Through the joy of movement, this program will promote and develop
- sensorimotor skills
- sensory processing and modulation skills to build and strengthen the foundation for your child’s life-long learning.
How do I enroll my child in this program?
- Call Stephanie Puryear, OTR/L, Director of OT/PT at Center for the Developing Mind, directly at(323) 761-0262orCenter for the Developing Mind2990 So. Sepulveda, Suite 308Los Angeles, CA 90064(310) 444-0111 or (310) 652-7581Contact us as soon as possible space is limited!
Friday, May 4, 2012
What Parents Truly Want
If you ask most parents, what they truly want....most will have similar answers. As a parent, new or seasoned, what we really want is for our children to be healthy, happy, and thrive in their environment. Unfortunately, we cannot always predict or control the health of our children or how they are going to react and engage as they grow and develop. Regardless, of the unknown, our job as as parent or caregiver, is to try and minimize the stress and anxiety our children experience by setting consistent boundaries and guidelines related to their daily routines and constantly encouraging them with positive reinforcement. To do this, we need to create environments that are structured, allowing our children to feel safe and nurtured in a loving environment where their needs are being met, while simultaneously creating the opportunity and freedom for our children to explore and learn.
Although we must provide structure and boundaries, we more importantly need to follow our child's lead. They will show us, and it is our job to identify how to guide and lead them onto the next adventure so that they can learn and grow.
~Stephanie Puryear
Although we must provide structure and boundaries, we more importantly need to follow our child's lead. They will show us, and it is our job to identify how to guide and lead them onto the next adventure so that they can learn and grow.
~Stephanie Puryear
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Detailed Lisitng of iPad Apps Created by Therapists and Child Development Specialists
This is a very detailed list initiate and compiled by Jennifer Hembree with the help of many different specialized therapists.
Hopefully it a helpful resource to parents, grandparents, therapists, teachers, and anyone else working with kids.
- Touch and Learn Emotions: Child first identifies boys versus girls and adults versus children by touching the appropriate photographs. Then child identifies people according to emotions
-StoryPatch: Child makes a story with or without help by using the many available illustrations. It takes child through each step so the child can choose a story theme, setting, and characters. The child can upload photos, edit the text that is provided, or write his/her own text using the keyboard. The child cannot draw his/her own pictures. Story can be viewed on the computer and printed.
- StoryBuddy: Child makes a story by writing (using a keyboard), drawing, and or uploading photos. This app is more open ended then Story Patch and does not provide story themes, settings, or characters.
-Toontastic: Child makes a talking cartoon by creating 5 scenes (the set up, the conflict, the challenge, the climax, and the resolution). The child can pick from illustrated setting and characters or draw his/her own. The child “animates” the cartoon by recording the story, moving the characters, and adding music. It can take a little while to create the cartoon but the end result is really cool
-Pennultimate: Child makes notebooks. Child can upload photos to the pages and draw or write (with a finger or stylus) on the pages.
- Storylines: 2 or more children create a silly story by passing the iPad back and forth. Each child adds a drawing or text to the last part of the story. It’s like the game of “telephone” with pictures.
-Monkeys pre school lunchbox: visual perception, counting, shapes, and colors.
-ABCpuzzles: helps your child develop critical thinking and mental reasoning skills thus expanding a very important part of their mind.
- Shape-O: an activity for preschool age kids that encourages "learning by doing" by integrating puzzles, shapes, words, colors and sounds
-Zoo Train: A fun & educational bundle of games for toddlers and preschoolers featuring two kid favorites: animals and trains! Kids enjoy learning as they play the 5 different games plus a bonus sticker activity.
- Peek-a-boo Barn: Work with your child to learn the names of animals and hear the sounds they make.
- Conversation Builder by Mobile Education Tools: Child practices conversation skills by recording a conversation with a pretend peer. Child can play back conversation.
- Story Builder by Mobile Education Tools: Child makes stories by answering questions about a picture. Child records and plays back story.
- Question Builder by Mobile Education Tools: Child answers what, where, how, and/or why questions about a picture by selecting the correct answer from 3 choices.
- ArtikPix: This app is for speech language pathologists (SLPs). The SLP uses this program with children who have articulation difficulties (difficulty producing a speech sound). The student can record words and sentences and hear his/her own voice. It includes flashcards with all the speech sounds.
- Model Me Going Places: Child reads, sees, and hears stories about children going various places like the doctor, the store, and the restaurant and behaving appropriately.
- Toca Boca Birthday Party: 1-3 people can have a virtual birthday party. The party includes selecting a cake, eating the cake, opening a present, pouring juice, drinking juice, and cleaning up.
- Toca Boca Tea Party: 1-3 people can have a virtual tea party. This is similar to the birthday party but you get to pour, spill, and clean up hot beverages.
- Toca Boca Doctor: Child plays doctor by fixing a variety of ailments from dirty teeth to misplaced organs.
- The feelings app from Communication crossroads: Go to Communication Crossroads website to view the tutorial. This app has 3 levels. Child identifies emotion and then picks appropriate coping strategies (e.g., When I feel bored, I can fidget) . Coping strategies can be pictures with text or just text.
- iReward Chart: Child earns stars toward a chosen reward by using appropriate behaviors.
- Touch and Learn Emotions: Child first identifies boys versus girls and adults versus children by touching the appropriate photographs. Then child identifies people according to emotions
Hopefully it a helpful resource to parents, grandparents, therapists, teachers, and anyone else working with kids.
Therapist Recommended ipad Apps:
- Two apps to check daily and they provide all of the apps that go on sale free for the day. One is called “Freebies” and the other Appshopper
- There are lots of book applications, I have toy story, a little critters story by Mercer Mayer entitle “the new baby” MeeGenius,
Cognitive
- PreschoolMM: nice older memory matching game for children
- ABC Magnets: is a picture of a fridge with tons of fridge magnets all over it kids scan the fridge for the letters find the requested letter, find the letters in their name, upper and lower case matching
- Baby Shapes: good for teaching shapes
- Kids simon says: it is for older children the children watch and listen to the animal sounds pattern and then press the animals in the correct order back.
-Photo Touch Concepts-Child identifies photos according to size and location. Helps with following directions and making comparisons.- Touch and Learn Emotions: Child first identifies boys versus girls and adults versus children by touching the appropriate photographs. Then child identifies people according to emotions
-StoryPatch: Child makes a story with or without help by using the many available illustrations. It takes child through each step so the child can choose a story theme, setting, and characters. The child can upload photos, edit the text that is provided, or write his/her own text using the keyboard. The child cannot draw his/her own pictures. Story can be viewed on the computer and printed.
- StoryBuddy: Child makes a story by writing (using a keyboard), drawing, and or uploading photos. This app is more open ended then Story Patch and does not provide story themes, settings, or characters.
-Toontastic: Child makes a talking cartoon by creating 5 scenes (the set up, the conflict, the challenge, the climax, and the resolution). The child can pick from illustrated setting and characters or draw his/her own. The child “animates” the cartoon by recording the story, moving the characters, and adding music. It can take a little while to create the cartoon but the end result is really cool
-Pennultimate: Child makes notebooks. Child can upload photos to the pages and draw or write (with a finger or stylus) on the pages.
- Storylines: 2 or more children create a silly story by passing the iPad back and forth. Each child adds a drawing or text to the last part of the story. It’s like the game of “telephone” with pictures.
-Monkeys pre school lunchbox: visual perception, counting, shapes, and colors.
-ABCpuzzles: helps your child develop critical thinking and mental reasoning skills thus expanding a very important part of their mind.
-Paint Sparkles Draw: Paint Sparkles Draw introduces children to the names of all basic colors while developing their sense of vision and creativity.
- Puzzles HD: Let your child explore a bright, colorful and altogether magical world of both classical and special video puzzles where the puzzles comes to life on completion.- Shape-O: an activity for preschool age kids that encourages "learning by doing" by integrating puzzles, shapes, words, colors and sounds
-Zoo Train: A fun & educational bundle of games for toddlers and preschoolers featuring two kid favorites: animals and trains! Kids enjoy learning as they play the 5 different games plus a bonus sticker activity.
- Peek-a-boo Barn: Work with your child to learn the names of animals and hear the sounds they make.
- Peek-a-boo Wild: Work with your child to learn the names of animals and hear the sounds they make.
- Color SlapPs: Color SLapPs was created to help teach children identify the names of twelve different colors.
- ABA Flash Cards-Actions: At Kindergarten.com our flash cards are specifically created to stimulate learning and provide tools and strategies for creative, effective language building. Flash cards can be a great tool for fostering the mastery of new words, building vocabulary and conveying new concepts.
- Toddler Flashcards: Toddler Flashcards (by iTot Apps) is a great tool to help children (and even babies) learn basic words.
- Tap Tap Baby: is a wonderful app that has a number of screens (animal sounds, tapping for picture effects, etc.) This simple yet clever game will hold the attention of children ages 0 to 3.
- Kids Learning- Photo Touch Concepts: Photo Touch Concepts is an exciting educational game that helps your child rapidly learn to understand important concepts by sight, sound, and touch
- Peek-a-boo Guess Who?: Amazing animal sounds - Great educational experience for children to learn about different animals, and the real sounds they make
- Where’s Mommy?: "Where's Mommy" is a kid’s seek-and-match game that can be customized with your own photos and audio recordings.
Auditory
- BabyPianoHD: nice musical keyboard
- Snow Rattle: is my most favorite for children with special abilities, it is sun that dances around the screen and bumps into the sides and it goes to the tune of jingle bells. If you hit the sun the sun speeds up and moves faster. If you touch another spot on the screen something else will pop up so you can get a shift of attention.
-Sound Touch- Child touches a cartoon image of an animal, household item, musical instrument, or vehicle from a field of 12 choices. When child makes a choice, child sees and hears a real-life photograph. This helps with vocabulary. Adults can expand upon the game by talking about the items.- SoundTchLite: Similar to I hear EWE, you can play what animal makes this sound while you cover the screen and let them listen.
- Kids simon says: it is for older children the children watch and listen to the animal sounds pattern and then press the animals in the correct order back.
- Sounds: it is a game where you are given a choice of three things and you have to touch the one that made the sound given.
- Ilovefireworks lite (free): tap the screen and create a neat fireworks display, the longer you touch/press the screen the bigger the bang it simulates.
- Sound Shaker: It lets children create and play with chime, whistle, drum, barnyard animal and mystery sounds by simply tapping and tilting. Repeated taps generate new sounds, while longer taps grow sounds and trigger surprise animations. Tilting makes sounds spin and collide in whimsical combinations.Visual
- Butterflieslite: I use this app to test for tracking, color preference, shifting attention
- First Look: is a nice black and white picture application, plus story books
- eFlashEnglish: I use this app when I’m trying to figure out what types of pictures a child can see, or recognize, I may find similar pictures and present them on smaller regular cards so I would say the child could see these exact pictures on my I pad because it was illuminated but could/ could not see the details on a laminated sheet. Also just good for single presentation pictures.
- Snow Rattle: is my most favorite for children with special abilities, it is sun that dances around the screen and bumps into the sides and it goes to the tune of jingle bells. If you hit the sun the sun speeds up and moves faster. If you touch another spot on the screen something else will pop up so you can get a shift of attention.
- I hear Ewe: is great for determining PEC symbol sizes for children, scanning, and image detail
- ABC Magnets: is a picture of a fridge with tons of fridge magnets all over it kids scan the fridge for the letters find the requested letter, find the letters in their name, upper and lower case matching
- aXylophone: is a really colourful and easy to use tap touch musical application for children with limited movement.
- Day-Night...Black white: good app for looking at opposites, supplement with concrete examples as well.
- Ilovefireworks lite (free): tap the screen and create a neat fireworks display, the longer you touch/press the screen the bigger the bang it simulates.
Language
- Language Builder by Mobile Education Tools: Child uses a sentence to describe a picture. Children can record and play back their sentences.- Conversation Builder by Mobile Education Tools: Child practices conversation skills by recording a conversation with a pretend peer. Child can play back conversation.
- Story Builder by Mobile Education Tools: Child makes stories by answering questions about a picture. Child records and plays back story.
- Question Builder by Mobile Education Tools: Child answers what, where, how, and/or why questions about a picture by selecting the correct answer from 3 choices.
- ArtikPix: This app is for speech language pathologists (SLPs). The SLP uses this program with children who have articulation difficulties (difficulty producing a speech sound). The student can record words and sentences and hear his/her own voice. It includes flashcards with all the speech sounds.
- Word SlapPs: Word SlapPs is used to teach vocabulary words specific to your child’s world with images that you choose. Upload and save your images into customizable categories and pair them with your own recorded questions.
- Tap2Talk: turns ipad into an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device- ABA Flash Cards-Actions: At Kindergarten.com our flash cards are specifically created to stimulate learning and provide tools and strategies for creative, effective language building. Flash cards can be a great tool for fostering the mastery of new words, building vocabulary and conveying new concepts.
- Toddler Flashcards: Toddler Flashcards (by iTot Apps) is a great tool to help children (and even babies) learn basic words.
-Choice Board Creator: It is an excellent tool to train and prepare users for more sophisticated communication devices via an easy, simple-to-use choice-making platform.
- Baby Word (by blue onion): Baby Word help your babies and toddlers learn how to make words from letters.
-Talking Tom Cat: Tom is your pet cat, that responds to your touch and repeats everything you say with a funny voice
Fine Motor-
- Wheels on the Bus HD: elicit reach, finger isolation, controlled movement etc. Wheels on the Bus is a fun, interactive musical book, based on the popular children's song.
- Itsy Bitsy Spider HD: elicit reach, finger isolation, controlled movement etc. Itsy Bitsy Spider is based on a popular song, but this new app is even more interactive and has more educational activities to engage children.
- Old MacDonald HD: elicit reach, finger isolation, controlled movement etc. Old MacDonald is a musical book with 12 colorful pages of fully interactive, original illustrations.
- Fish School HD: elicit reach, finger isolation, controlled movement etc. Children will love to learn while playing with colorful schools of fish which magically transform themselves into different letters, numbers, shapes, colors and more.
-Paint Sparkles Draw: Paint Sparkles Draw introduces children to the names of all basic colors while developing their sense of vision and creativity.
- Doodle Buddy: Finger paint with your favorite colors and drop in playful stamps. Connect with a friend to draw together over the Internet.
-My Coloring Book: My Coloring Book is a fun coloring activity for all ages. It has a variety of bright colors to use and show off your creativity.
Social/Emotional-
- Toca Boca Birthday Party: 1-3 people can have a virtual birthday party. The party includes selecting a cake, eating the cake, opening a present, pouring juice, drinking juice, and cleaning up.
- Toca Boca Tea Party: 1-3 people can have a virtual tea party. This is similar to the birthday party but you get to pour, spill, and clean up hot beverages.
- Toca Boca Doctor: Child plays doctor by fixing a variety of ailments from dirty teeth to misplaced organs.
- The feelings app from Communication crossroads: Go to Communication Crossroads website to view the tutorial. This app has 3 levels. Child identifies emotion and then picks appropriate coping strategies (e.g., When I feel bored, I can fidget) . Coping strategies can be pictures with text or just text.
- iReward Chart: Child earns stars toward a chosen reward by using appropriate behaviors.
- Touch and Learn Emotions: Child first identifies boys versus girls and adults versus children by touching the appropriate photographs. Then child identifies people according to emotions
References:
http://itunes.apple.com
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Human Roots....a Little Bit of Kindness Goes a Long Way....
I don't normally read email forwards, forward them onward, or include them with anything. But this email was different, and the story was so touching that I thought I would include it in my blog. I am not sure of the author, but from his message I do believe he would like it passed forward to those you know.
Something to think about......
Two Choices
What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line, there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the same choice?
At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves children with learning disabilities, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question:
'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does, is done with perfection.
Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do.
Where is the natural order of things in my son?'
The audience was stilled by the query.
The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, who was mentally and physically disabled comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat that child.'
Then he told the following story:
Shay and I had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' I knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but as a father I also understood that if my son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
I approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning..'
Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a team shirt.. I watched with a small tear in my eye and warmth in my heart. The boys saw my joy at my son being accepted.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three.
In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as I waved to him from the stands.
In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again.
Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat.
At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game?
Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball.
However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make contact.
The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed.
The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.
The game would now be over.
The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman.
Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game.
Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out of reach of all team mates.
Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, 'Shay, run to first, run to first!'
Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to first base.
He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled.
Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!'
Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the base.
By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball. The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to be the hero for his team.
He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions so he, too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head.
Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home.
All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third! Shay, run to third!'
As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!'
Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team
'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world'.
Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making me so happy, and coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
AND NOW A LITTLE FOOT NOTE TO THIS STORY:
We all send thousands of jokes through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending messages about life choices, people hesitate.
The crude, vulgar, and often obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message Well, the person who sent you this believes that we all can make a difference.
We all have thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural order of things.'
So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people present us with a choice:
Do we pass along a little spark of love and humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little bit colder in the process?
A wise man once said every society is judged by how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
You now have two choices:
May your day, be a Shay Day.
MAY GOD BLESS EVERYONE WHO DECIDES TO PASS THIS ON IN MEMORY OF SHAY.............
Something to think about......
Two Choices
What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line, there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the same choice?
At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves children with learning disabilities, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question:
'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does, is done with perfection.
Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do.
Where is the natural order of things in my son?'
The audience was stilled by the query.
The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, who was mentally and physically disabled comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat that child.'
Then he told the following story:
Shay and I had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' I knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but as a father I also understood that if my son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
I approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning..'
Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a team shirt.. I watched with a small tear in my eye and warmth in my heart. The boys saw my joy at my son being accepted.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three.
In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as I waved to him from the stands.
In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again.
Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat.
At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game?
Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball.
However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make contact.
The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed.
The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.
The game would now be over.
The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman.
Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game.
Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out of reach of all team mates.
Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, 'Shay, run to first, run to first!'
Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to first base.
He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled.
Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!'
Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the base.
By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball. The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to be the hero for his team.
He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions so he, too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head.
Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home.
All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third! Shay, run to third!'
As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!'
Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team
'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world'.
Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making me so happy, and coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
AND NOW A LITTLE FOOT NOTE TO THIS STORY:
We all send thousands of jokes through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending messages about life choices, people hesitate.
The crude, vulgar, and often obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message Well, the person who sent you this believes that we all can make a difference.
We all have thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural order of things.'
So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people present us with a choice:
Do we pass along a little spark of love and humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little bit colder in the process?
A wise man once said every society is judged by how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
You now have two choices:
May your day, be a Shay Day.
MAY GOD BLESS EVERYONE WHO DECIDES TO PASS THIS ON IN MEMORY OF SHAY.............
Friday, April 20, 2012
Earth Day
Earlier today, I made mention that this month is Autism Awareness Month. True, it's Autism Awareness Month, but today is an incredibly important day: Earth Day; and this should not be discounted.
We need to remember to take care of the only Earth we have. In our attempts to do so, I truly believe this may help with trying to curb and decrease the number of children and families being affected by the Autism epidemic.
Learn more about Earth Day, and how we can take action to take care of our home.
http://www.earthday.org/
Also, a fun side-note, for a fun family activity...please go to the movie theater today and see the Disney Chimpanzee movie. My 6-year old and his entire school went for a Whole School Field Trip that included Kindergarten through eighth grade to see this movie, and I took our 3-year old son to see it earlier this morning. This movie is fun, educational, and moving. Chimpanzee is a truly moving and inspirational story about how special and intricate our ecosystem and the forces are within.
We need to remember to take care of the only Earth we have. In our attempts to do so, I truly believe this may help with trying to curb and decrease the number of children and families being affected by the Autism epidemic.
Learn more about Earth Day, and how we can take action to take care of our home.
http://www.earthday.org/
Also, a fun side-note, for a fun family activity...please go to the movie theater today and see the Disney Chimpanzee movie. My 6-year old and his entire school went for a Whole School Field Trip that included Kindergarten through eighth grade to see this movie, and I took our 3-year old son to see it earlier this morning. This movie is fun, educational, and moving. Chimpanzee is a truly moving and inspirational story about how special and intricate our ecosystem and the forces are within.
Autism Awareness Month
April is Autism Awareness Month.
The statistics from the Center for Disease Control are astounding. The results now indicate that 1 in 88 children will be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and 1 in 54 of those children are boys.
New CDC Autism Statistics
Attached is the link to Autism Speaks, which provides important information and resources regarding early signs of autism.
Autism Speaks-Signs of Autism
If you have any concerns that your little one may be showing any signs that they may be having trouble with their development, please seek help and intervention as soon as possible. Early diagnosis and intervention services, including: occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, and clinical developmental psychology are integral components of helping children make great strides in their development and overall progress.
It is also imperative that we find a way to get involved and try to find a cure for autism. Attached are links that help encourage ways to help.
Ways to get involved:
http://www.autismspeaks.org/ways-give
http://www.autism-society.org/get-involved/donate/
Please don't ignore what is going on. Most likely you know or you will know someone that has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Let's all work together to try and make a difference.
The statistics from the Center for Disease Control are astounding. The results now indicate that 1 in 88 children will be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and 1 in 54 of those children are boys.
New CDC Autism Statistics
Attached is the link to Autism Speaks, which provides important information and resources regarding early signs of autism.
Autism Speaks-Signs of Autism
If you have any concerns that your little one may be showing any signs that they may be having trouble with their development, please seek help and intervention as soon as possible. Early diagnosis and intervention services, including: occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, and clinical developmental psychology are integral components of helping children make great strides in their development and overall progress.
It is also imperative that we find a way to get involved and try to find a cure for autism. Attached are links that help encourage ways to help.
Ways to get involved:
http://www.autismspeaks.org/ways-give
http://www.autism-society.org/get-involved/donate/
Please don't ignore what is going on. Most likely you know or you will know someone that has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Let's all work together to try and make a difference.
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