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MattyBRaps 7 Year Old Rapper

Posted by Renee Burton Charlan on Oct 04 2010
Check out this super cute kid rapper's video and Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/MattyBRaps MattyB is 7 years old and since he was 5 years old he has wanted to be a dancer, rapper and actor. MattyB wants to have his own TV show one day in addition to continue being a musician. MarsRaps is MattyB's big cousin and is a big influence on MattyB.     MattyB also loves to draw, dance, play baseball and likes swimming and hanging out with his friends. He has 3 brothers and 1 sister and all the children are very talented and may appear in some of MattyB's videos.     These are clean family fun videos! Enjoy....

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Meet Punky, world's first cartoon with Down Syndrome

Posted by Renee Burton Charlan on Sep 29 2010
By Geraldine Gittens Wednesday September 22 2010 <!-- // authors --> A NEW Irish-made cartoon series has become the first television series in the world to have a main character with Down Syndrome -- and it is set to take the world by storm. The new RTE series Punky, which will be aimed at pre-school children, features a six-year-old girl who lives with her family, and encounters daily adventures like any other child. Gerard O'Rourke, from production company Monster Animation, says Punky is a playful little girl who overcomes many daily challenges, but she is slightly differently to other children. Already international TV companies from the United States, UK, and Australia are showing keen interest. Punky will be broadcast by RTE's Young People's Programming in the New Year, and it will feature 20 seven-minute-long episodes. "It's the first [series] where the main character has Down Syndrome, from all of our research to date," said Mr O'Rourke. "It was unique and scary to deal with the subject matter on a mainstream cartoon. Down Syndrome Ireland provided a great be...

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Building 'BRIDGES' to the special needs community

Posted by Nathan Charlan on Sep 26 2010
posted by: Sara Gandy, Ben McKee BROOMFIELD - Legacy High School seems like the perfect fit for Molly Perriman, seeing as she has already written her own legacy. It is not a selfish thing; instead Molly's legacy is all about changing the lives of others through meaningful relationships. Oddly enough, it all started while she was organizing something that, in retrospect, seems a bit superficial: homecoming court. "I was sitting at a table working on nominations, and a kid with special needs walked by. I called him and said, 'Hey, do you want to nominate someone?'" said Molly, one of the 2010 9Kids Who Care. "They were so excited to get a chance to nominate someone for homecoming royalty, I wanted to do more." Molly created BRIDGES (Building Relationships in Different Groups), which integrates mainstreamed students with special needs students at Legacy High School. "I love them so much. It cheers me up and puts me in a good mood every Tuesday morning. Everyone leaves in a good mood on Tuesdays," Molly said. Molly also created the Legacy Royalty Guard, which highlights spe...

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Special-needs children put extra pressure on working parents

Posted by Nathan Charlan on Sep 21 2010
By CINDY KRISCHER GOODMAN - McClatchy Newspapers ESPN commentator and former tennis star Mary Joe Fernandez remembers the day she learned her son had asthma. "It was like a wake-up call that threw me into action," Fernandez said. She realized she would need to become ultra-organized to keep up travel for her broadcasting job, find the best asthma treatments and manage her son's medical needs. "I came up with an action plan that I leave behind with his school, or baby-sitter, or my parents so when I travel they know what to do." Fernandez just recently started to talk openly about her son's illness, even during a recent tennis clinic for children at the U.S. Open in New York to raise awareness and empower other parents. Despite their fears about job security, more parents of children with chronic illnesses and disabilities are opening up - even at work. What they have going for them is strength in numbers: One in seven children under age 18, or approximately 10.2 million children in the United States, have special health care needs, according to Department of Health a...

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Tips for Flying Abroad for Travelers With Special Needs

Posted by Nathan Charlan on Sep 20 2010
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Sept. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- September and October, the traditional "shoulder season" between summer's high season and winter's low season, are good months for slow walkers and individuals with special needs to travel. There are fewer tourists overall, meaning more space on walkways and fewer lines for museums and other attractions. Prices drop, too, especially for international destinations.   If you are planning to take advantage of shoulder season to travel abroad, here are a few facts you should know before embarking on an international trip. Booking an International Flight: While U.S. regulations mandate that U.S. air carriers cannot refuse transportation on the basis of disability (except in extreme cases) these rules may not cover foreign air carriers serving the U.S. Non-U.S. airlines belonging to IATA (International Air Transport Association) voluntarily adhere to rules similar to those of the U.S.; however, smaller overseas airlines may not be IATA members. Check with all ai...

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11 Year Old Singer with Autism: Music Video Debut

Posted by Nathan Charlan on Sep 16 2010
September 15, 2010 by bernews Significant interest was shown in 11-year-old Malcolm Hollis yesterday as a result of the news that he would be opening for, and possibly singing with, Grammy award winning singer Toni Braxton on the closing night of the Bermuda Music Festival. In addition the young singer, who has autism, has released a music video as well as a sleek new website. Malcolm’s talent as a singer has only been recognized in the last two years. The son of Wendell and Margie Hollis, he was born in 1998 and on his second birthday his parents were concerned that he was not talking and showed signs of other developmental delays. As a result his mother took him to Miami Children’s Hospital where he underwent a number of tests finishing with an MRI. As a r...

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Release Your Potential Teleconference on Treatment options for Severe Spasticity

Posted by Renee Burton Charlan on Sep 04 2010
Release Your Potential Teleconference on treatment options for severe spasticity. Join Medtronic for a Release Your Potential teleconference, a nationwide program designed to educate people about treatment options for severe spasticity. During this 90-minute program you'll hear from a physician who specializes in spasticity management and an Ambassador (a person living with severe spasticity) who is receiving treatment to help manage severe spasticity. You may have severe spasticity or know someone with severe spasticity, a condition that does not allow you to voluntarily relax your muscles. Spasticity makes movement, posture, and balance difficult. It can affect your ability to move one or more of your limbs, or to move one side of your body. Spasticity is often associated with multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, stroke, spinal cord injury, and brain injury. While there is no cure for spasticity, there are treatments. Tuesday, September 7, 2010 7:00 pm Central Time Register online or call toll-fr...

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Special Needs Registry For Disaster Events

Posted by Nathan Charlan on Sep 03 2010
Friday, September 3, 2010; From: Aim West Milford In preparation for the 2010 Hurricane season, as well as any potential emergency event, the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management (OEM) has created a New Jersey’s Special Needs Registry for Disaster. This is a free, voluntary and confidential program designed to assist people with special needs who may find it difficult to get to safety in the event of an emergency. People with special needs, or caregivers on their behalf, are encouraged to register electronically, if possible, by accessing https://www.13.state.nj.us/Special Needs/. Alternatively, they can call New Jersey’s toll-free 211 telephone service. This service will register people, offer free translation and provide TTY Services for the hearing-impaired. Residents can also register at 21 county offices of emergency management via ready...

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