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Dr. Donia Fahim

Jan 14
0

Focusing on the ‘Now’

By | Dr. Donia Fahim Blog, Parenting Tips, Podcast | No Comments
special-needs-children

Let’s Talk About Super Special Kids & Cake Podcast [Episode 001]

Life is full of worries. We worry about the mortgage, we worry about our health, we worry about the bills. The list is endless. Once you become a parent, worrying about your children probably takes up the most amount of room in your mind. This is especially true; when caring for a special needs child. However, most people will also agree that worrying is not constructive and doesn’t solve any problems. Rather, we should try to look at solutions and ways to achieve this.

I have many parents with …

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Dec 18
0

Tips for Toilet Training Children with Special Needs

By | Dr. Donia Fahim Blog, Parenting Tips | No Comments

As mentioned in a previous post, Providing Structure is Critical, when teaching even the most basic skills and habits to children; but this is especially true for children with special needs. By putting in place a clearly defined process for even simple tasks, like these tips for toilet training, your child will be able to more easily understand what is required and is far more likely to develop good habits for following through.

Even something as straightforward as going to the toilet requires a clearly defined process to make it easier for your child to learn this important routine.…

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Dec 11
1

How to Choose a Preschool for Children with Special Needs

By | Dr. Donia Fahim Blog, Parenting Tips | No Comments

While US federal laws requires that accommodations be made to educate children with special needs in all public schools across the country, many other countries have followed the lead on this. When it comes to educating pre-school children the regulations are not as stringent and, when it comes to choosing a preschool for children with special needs, great care should be taken to ensure you find the right place for your child.

When I worked in Africa and the Middle East, at a time when we were establishing the guidelines for setting up early intervention programs and inclusion practices during …

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Dec 04
0

Holidays Can Be Stressful for Children with Special Needs

By | Dr. Donia Fahim Blog, Parenting Tips | No Comments

While most of us experience increased joy and happiness during the end-of-year celebrations, the holidays can be stressful for special needs children. Crowded spaces, flashing lights, lots of noise, meeting strangers, hugging, change in routine, and sheer chaos can be a recipe for stress and sensory overload for them, at this otherwise happy time.

As the parent, guardian, or caregiver of special needs child, you will need to be flexible with your ideas of what your family’s holiday celebrations should look like. The ritual and traditions you remember from your childhood may not be the best choices for your own …

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Nov 27
1

Teaching Math Concepts to Children with Special Needs

By | Dr. Donia Fahim Blog, Tips for Parents and Teachers | No Comments

While language and auditory processing deficits can affect the ability to learn language, they can also hinder your child’s ability to understand abstract concepts and to master the problem solving skills conveyed when teaching math concepts. Children with special needs may have receptive or expressive language problems that can substantially affect their learning and ability to express what they do not understand, or to show how they solved problems.

Words and phrases we use every day, will have very different meanings when it comes to numbers and mathematical operations. When you say to your child, “I’m just in the middle …

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Nov 19
1

Setting Up a Home Therapy Room/Corner

By | Dr. Donia Fahim Blog, Tips for Raising Children | No Comments

The colder months can mean spending a lot more time at home. But this doesn’t have to be boring for you & your child. Why not try setting up a few things right in your home?

How to Set Up a Home Therapy Room

Creating a simple shelf with a few items on it can be a great way to introduce stories and songs to your child. Perhaps you and your child could spend some time here just before bed which could be a wonderful opportunity to make mundane routines more fun and educational!

Here’s an example of a home …

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Nov 01
0

Tips to Reinforce Speech and Language Therapy at Home

By | Tips for Parents and Teachers | No Comments

Even if your child has not been diagnosed with specific speech language challenges, as a parent or guardian, you are the person who knows best if he or she would benefit from speech and language therapy. With that in mind, there are a number of ways for you to reinforce the work your child is doing in therapy to help build your child’s communication skills; or things you can do in the interim if you are waiting for an assessment.

Language building is essential during the first years of a child’s life, as this is when most of the pathways …

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Oct 23
0

For Special Needs Children, Providing Structure is Critical

By | Tips for Parents and Teachers | No Comments

Providing structure is important for every child but, for children with special needs, providing structure is essential for their learning experience. The designation “children with special needs” is for children who may have challenges which are more severe than the typical child and could possibly last a lifetime. These children will need extra support and additional services, as well as a clearly structured home life.

Consistent routines and clear expectations – a consistent, organized, clearly defined daily plan – will help create order and add structure to your child’s day, as well as your own. Things go more smoothly when …

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Oct 11
0

Speech and Language Therapy – Why Does Speech Language Therapy Work?

By | Dr. Donia Fahim Blog, Speech & Language Therapy | No Comments

Human beings have long been curious about how the brain works, wondering about the structure and function of this most remarkable part of our bodies. Ongoing research has only recently revealed many secrets of the brain, with many more to be learned, of course. For parents of special needs children, this research has offered wonderful insight into how we can use speech and language therapy to improve communication and behavioural challenges.

speech-and-language-therapy-for-childrenYou may have heard the brain referred to as being “plastic”. Of course, we all know that is not what the brain is made of but, brain plasticity, or …

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Oct 05
0

Delayed Speech Development – Why Does My Child Talk But Not Communicate?

By | Dr. Donia Fahim Blog, Speech & Language Therapy | No Comments

While the stages of speech and language development are the same for all children, the age at which children develop them can vary significantly. As a parent or guardian, if you know what’s considered “normal” in speech and language development, and what’s not, you will be better able to figure out if there’s cause for concern about delayed speech language development – or if your child’s speech and language skills are developing on schedule.

How Are Speech, Language and Communicating Different?

  • delayed-speech-development-in childrenSpeech is the ability to articulate and produce sounds and knowing which sounds are used for a given language
…
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