Written for fifth and sixth graders, this is the third in a series about Melody, now a teenager with cerebral palsy who utilizes a communication device to interact and participate. She is on her way to London!
Misty Campbell is parent of child with complex disabilities who wrote this book as a guide for other families to advocate for their own children with significant disabilities.
Written by Jessica Frew, this book is about her experiences growing up using a communication device, including the challenges she faced.
Going beyond ADA, this book provides practical tips, tricks and guidelines for people who are looking to build or renovate a home to be accessible.
Written by parents and clinicians, this helpful toolkit is designed to provide support and resources after the initial diagnosis of CP and beyond.
This powerful, practical book is meant to help children and adults have meaningful discussions about disability and ableism.
Speech impairments like dysarthria are common in children with cerebral palsy (CP) which can greatly affect participation across environments. Our study examined how speech impairment severity changes over time in 101 children with CP at 4, 6, 8, and 10 years of age.
When a person is looking for a way to communicate in alternative ways, they need to find something that really works for them. They need to try to find a voice that sounds natural. They want to try to find a way to be efficient. They want to be able to communicate as normally as possible, even though they're not using their biological voice.
Dysarthria is a motor speech disorder that affects how clear and understandable a person’s speech is. Between 50-90% of people with CP have dysarthria.
In Everything You Need to Know About Cerebral Palsy, Dion Pincus goes in depth about cerebral palsy to help teens with CP navigate adolescence.
Living With Cerebral Palsy by Paul Pimm describes the varying effects of cerebral palsy, how different people manage to live with this condition, and where to get more information.
Theodore "Armpit" Johnson tries his best to keep out of trouble after being released from juvenile detention. But it's hard to do when the only person who believes in you is your ten year old neighbor with CP, and people from the past are trying to get you back into bad habits.
The Summer I Got A Life by Mark Fink follows brothers Andy and Brad as they navigate love and adventure during one unforgettable summer.
In I Funny: A Middle School Story by James Patterson, middle schooler Jamie Grimm faces bullying and self-doubt as he chases his dream to become the world's greatest comedian.
Noah, a cello prodigy from a long line of musicians, wants to stick to tradition. Daisy, a fiercely independent disabled violinist, is used to fighting for what she wants and likes to take risks. But the two surprise each other when they play. They fall perfectly in tune.
You are Brave is a book for every kid who has ever thought, "What if I'm not brave enough?" It's about the courage we find within ourselves, and the wonderful possibilities that open up when we have the confidence to try something new.
In "Reaching For Sun" by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer, Josie Wyatt knows what it means to be different. Even if Josie wants to forget that she was born with a disability, her mom can't seem to let it go.
Medicaid Waivers, Katie Beckett or TEFRA are all forms of benefits that an "waive" medicaid financial restrictions for parents of children who have a developmental disability acquired prior to the age of three. Kidswaivers.org has provided a comprehensive, interactive website of all available medicaid waiver programs by State across the US.
In the sequel to best selling "Out of My Mind" heroine Melody a year older, armed with confidence and is ready for adventure!
Pediatric critical care physician and ethicist, Dr. Jane Lee was accustomed to caring for children with severe disabilities and felt comfortable helping families navigate the "system". That is until she has her own complicated delivery leaves her second child with a severe brain injury, she finds that everything she learned about disability and personhood as a physician and ethicist is no help as a parent.
Many people do not know the difference between SSI and SSDI. It can be very confusing for a family or individual to understand what is available, and whether they will qualify. Very often, the recipients and their families do not even know which benefits they are receiving. But it is important to understand some basic information about government benefits. This post will focus on the two most common government benefits and give you a brief overview of how they work.
Setting up a Third Party-Special Needs trust as part of estate planning is essential if the individual with a disability is or may be eligible for means-tested government benefits. A properly set up Third Party Trust ensures that the funds left to the individual, whether through gift or inheritance, are not considered countable assets when applying for means tested benefits
In 2014 the Achieving a Better Life Experience Act was passed. The ABLE account is a tax-advantaged savings account for individuals with disabilities. The individual with the disability is the account owner and anyone can contribute to the account – the account beneficiary, family, friends, even a Special Needs Trust.
A special needs trust is a written legal agreement that enables an individual with a disability to qualify or remain qualified for means tested government benefits, such as medicaid, SSI or even medicaid waivers.
CPF Executive Director Rachel Byrne and speech therapist, Kristen Allison, PhD, CCC-SLP discuss communication and Cerebral Palsy.
