Nurturing in the Neighborhood Niagara University, the Niagara Falls City School District ,and Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center are bringing free early childhood activities to Niagara Falls! Activities include early childhood learning, early reading skills, food and nutrition, recreational fun, behavioral health, developmental screenings, social interactions, and more! A unique piece of ‘Nurturing in the Neighborhood’ is parent
Category: Autism
Kindercamp – for Children Entering Kindergarten
About Kindercamp Kindercamp is a program specifically designed to ease the transition for children (and their families) entering kindergarten. Kindercamp is embedded within a graduate course offered by the College of Education, and introduces children to various developmentally appropriate learning experiences and activities that build upon and strengthen skills necessary for kindergarten. Activities focus on
Moms of Children with Special Needs Retreat
What to Expect on an AMR Retreat Three nights of peace, sleep and friendship with other moms who already understand your challenges! Breakfast daily. Transportation and other meals extra. Total lodging cost only $200 per guest! Private baths. Completely casual, sleep as long as you want. Zero expectations of you. You don’t even have to
Families of young people with autism struggle with mental health needs
Teenagers and young adults with severe autism are spending weeks or even months in emergency rooms and acute-care hospitals, sometimes sedated, restrained or confined to mesh-tented beds, a Kaiser Health News investigation shows. These young people — who may shout for hours, bang their heads on walls or lash out violently at home — are
Thinking differently about autism, disability awareness
CAMPAIGN: Duchess County executive brings message of social acceptance to Niagara LEWISTON – Marc Molinaro, county executive of Dutchess County, came to Niagara University on Friday with an initiative that concerns not only his constituents but members of the community statewide. It’s called “Think Differently” and it attempts to break down the barriers for those
App helps those with special needs make friends
It’s not always easy to make new friends, especially if you’re living with a disability. Now there’s a new app that can make a difference in someone’s life. It’s called the Friendi app, and it connects parents of people who have special needs, so they can connect their sons and daughters with friends. The app
Cartoon in the works featuring heroes with disabilities
There is a new cartoon in the works for kids with disabilities. It’s called “Team Supreme.” Each member has an individual superpower, and it’s tied to their disability. The cartoon is still in the beginning stages. One character, Zeek, has autism. His power is the ability to slow time down to a snail’s pace, and
Understanding My Son on the Autism Spectrum When He Doesn’t Use Words to Communicate
My son and his classmates made their way from the doors of the school to the playground where parents gather to pick them up. My son let out a little groan and whine, which is almost always a prelude to tears. “What’s wrong? What happened?” My questions were met with silence. My son then got distracted
When I Realized Why My Son Melts Down at Home but Not at School
Tonight my son walked through the door from school, and immediately I knew. He didn’t have to say or do anything. I just knew. Call it mother’s intuition, or call it years and years of practice, but I knew something was wrong. It was the delayed effect. My son has had a tricky day at
Work Out of the Day for Autism
BUFFALO, N.Y. – April is National Autism Awareness Month and Harborside CrossFit hosted “WOD for Autism” Saturday morning. WOD stands for “Work-Out of the Day.” The goal was to create a fun fitness environment to raise awareness, money (and heart rates!) for a much-needed cause. Autism currently affects 1 in 68 kids in the United