Wednesday, May 16, 2007

WeBehave.com Offers Resources for Children with Special Needs

WeBehave.com offeres some interesting resources for children with special needs.

Check out their section at WeBehave.com

Products Feature:
- Videos
- Books
- Clothing
- Laces
and more


Where Parents Teachers and Caregivers Shop
Special Stuff for Special Needs



Learning Videos
for Special Kids
Informative! Effective! Soothing! Appropriate for children with learning disabilities like Autism, Down Syndrome, Asperger's, Cerebral Palsy, Dyslexia, etc.

To find out more about these helpful videos, click here.
Special Needs Videos for autism down syndrome aspergers cerebral palsy dyslexia

Special Needs Books for physical disabilities ADD ADHD autism 
down syndrome epilepsy cerebral palsy Spina BifidaBooks & Stuff for Kids with Special Needs (their Parents and Siblings, too)
Lively, heartwarming and supportive -- these books and products help kids with special needs feel good about themselves, and provide valuable insights for their family members, too! Click here for more.
Behavior BeastsGreat behavior management, emotional growth and character development program.
To find out more, click here.

Adaptive Clothing
Adaptive clothing that can make your life a little easier -- like bibs to protect clothing from spills and ponchos that cover you and your wheelchair.

Find out more about our helpful adaptive clothing here.


adaptive clothing for the disabled
'Lastic Laces
These elastic no tie shoelaces are a boon to the elderly and physically challenged. You lace them once and never again. The elasticity built into these coiled shoelaces keep shoes snug on feet, yet stretch so it's easy to take shoes on and off.

See more about our great elastic shoelaces here.


elastic shoelaces for the Disabled
careCare
From Special Toddlers to our beloved Seniors, you'll find these products a blessing!!

Click here for great products that help you through the daily routine.

Need Special swim wear or incontinence products? Click here.


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Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Malaysia Metabolic Society is ONLINE




What is Malaysia Metabolic Society (MMS)?


Malaysian Metabolic Society was founded at 22nd July 2005. It serves as a central network for the advocacy and effective coordination of all viable efforts to sustain a better quality of life for the individuals with inborn errors of metabolic (IEM) diseases in Malaysia.


Why setup MMS?


The objectives and aims of MMS are:


  • To give support and help the children, teenagers, adults and families affected with IEM diseases including medical care, rehabilitation, education and career.
  • To provide accurate & latest information on IEM to all the members. We also promote public education and raise awareness by the help of media and radio.
  • To form a network among the members whose families are affected by IEM.
  • Our society are ready to work together with pharmaceuticals agencies & research companies in developing new drugs to diagnose and prevent IEM diseases effectively and able to improve the quality of life for all patients affected with these disorders.
  • To conduct fund raising in order to support our activities as mentioned above.


Click here to learn more about - IEM (Inborn Error Metabolism)



Malaysia Metabolic Society's Webpage



Sunday, May 06, 2007

Better Hearing & Speech, Resources on Sale by Speechelp



The month of May has been dedicated to promote better hearing and speech internationally by Speech and Language Pathologists and Audiologists.

In conjunction with this, SpeecHelp is having some offers, discounts and rebates.

RESOURCES FOR SALE
1 st May-31 st May 2007
Shop for your clients, families and friends!
Visit the Speech Shop for more information on discounts


SPEECH ASSESSMENT SUBSIDIES
1 st May-31 st May 2007
This year, SpeecHelp is happy to provide a 50% assessment subsidy for all children or adults with • Down Syndrome • Those afflicted with difficulties of the Cleft Lip & Palate and other Craniofacial challenges

All assessments are by appointment only.
Please contact the SpeecHelp Clinic at 03-7954 2288 to book your appointment today.
Visit us at www.speechelp.com




The SpeecHelp Team SpeecHelp Therapy & Resources Sdn Bhd

Your One Stop Speech Spot www.speechelp.com
No 20, Jalan Bukit,
Section 11/2
46200 Petaling Jaya,
Selangor
Malaysia
Tel/ Fax 03- 7954 2288



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Saturday, May 05, 2007

Maycare Mother Day Special for Mobility Aids


Maycare Mother Day Special


Promotion until 15 June 2007



* Resource Centre for all your Healthcare Needs & Moblility Aids *



Tango Power Wheelchair - RM 7650

Reclining High Back Wheelchair - Special Price


Alcare Lumbar Support - RM 119


and more






Services Provided by Maycare


- Wheelchair Rental

- Bed Rental

- Physiotherapy Consultation Services





HOT LINE

Shah Alam - 603 5510 8990
Bangsar - 603 2283 2990
Penang - 604 210 8990
Johor Bahru - 607 335 5990







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Friday, May 04, 2007

Talk on Postural Control, Arm & Hand Strength - 19 May

19 MAY 2007 - SATURDAY

POSTURAL CONTROL, ARM AND HAND STRENGTH

Brief overview:

Conducted by 2 therapists, you will take home knowledge on:

  • What is occupational therapy and who needs it?
  • What is postural control? Why is it important?
  • Normal development of arm, who will have weak arms and how to spot them
  • Normal development of normal grip patterns, how to identify abnormal grips, effects of pinch & grip strength in a person’s life and lots of
  • Activities to improve arms and hand strength

Speakers:

This session will be conducted by US trained Ms Minnie Tam and UK trained Ms Yam Pui Fun.

Ms Tam, a registered Occupational Therapist in the US, worked for a year in San Francisco. She started her career in adult-care; however, she has since dedicated her attention to children. Today, based in Cheras, Ms Tam has close to 10 years of pediatric experience.

Ms Yam obtained her BSc in Occupational Therapy from UK. Upon graduation, she ventured into private practice and to date, has more than 6 years experience working with young children.

Specially organized for parents, teachers, medical students and anyone involved with special-needs children.

This half-day talk will be held:

On: 19 May 2007

At: Sau Seng Lum Dialysis & Stroke Rehab Centre

Add: Lot PT 39480, Jln Industri PB3, Tmn Industri

Pusat Bandar Puchong, 47100 Selangor

Time: Registration starts at 9.00am

Session 1 : 9.30am – 10.40am

Tea Break : 10.40am – 11.00am

Session 2 : 11.00 – 12.15pm

Q & A : 12.15pm – 12.30 pm

Fees : RM60.00 per person ( RM45.00 for students )

Please note that in the event of cancellation, we are unable to entertain any request for refund. Thus, substitution of participant is strongly encouraged.

Register/Payment:

Please send Registration Form together with cheque ( with name and contact number written clearly on the reverse) made payable to : Glen Stream (M) Sdn Bhd or

direct debit into Hong Leong Bank account #19400009994. Kindly fax bank-in slip (with Registration Form) to confirm registration.

Please note that seat is confirmed only upon receipt of payment.

Organised by: Glen Stream (M) Sdn Bhd.

Founded by 2 mothers with sp-needs children, GS retails educational toys, teaching material and therapy tools, and also organizes seminars and workshops on a regular basis.

Glen Stream (M) Sdn Bhd

38, Jln Sri Petaling 1, Sri Petaling, 57000 Kuala Lumpur

Tel/Fax: (03) 9058 8014

Mobile : 012 372 3776 & 016 917 9955



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Wednesday, May 02, 2007

FGA Support Group - Mothers' Day Thanksgiving

FGA Support Group for Parents of Children with SpecialNeeds is hosting a Mothers' Day Thanksgiving Tea to honour all special mums, details are as follows:

Date : 6 May 2007 (Sunday)

Time : 2.30 - 6.00 p.m.

Venue : FGA, Main Building, Basement 6-9
Lot 689, Taman Goodwood,
Jln Kuchai Lama, Off Jln Kelang Lama
58200 K.L.


We have invited Stella Chan and family as our guest
speakers and they have lined up an interesting
programme for us.


Profile of Stella Chan

Being a parent of a child with special needs and realising the fact that parents are the first and
major support of any child, Mrs Stella Chan-Cheong quit her job in 1995 to dedicate herself to seeing her daughter Charmaine be what and who she is today.

Since Charmaine’s birth 17 years ago, Stella has been actively involved in a parent support group headed by Pn Kamariah Amin which meets once a month. She was also a committee member of the Kiwanis PJ Down Syndrome Parent Support Group and initiated a protem
meeting to form the National Down Syndrome Association of Malaysia. In March 2002, together with Professor Dr Madya Aishah Adam she initiated the formation of KSSD-HUKM (Kumpulan Sokongan Sindrom Down)- a one-stop-centre, so called 'Down Syndrome Clinic', parent support group and resource library at HUKM, Cheras.

Then in August 2005, together with a group of parents, she initiated an informal gathering of all
ex-students and parents of Kiwanis Down Syndrome Centres with the desire to start an alumni to help graduates live productive lives and create an environment and opportunities to develop their potential and abilities to the fullest.

She started' "CHIT-CHAT@TMLC', which is a free community service at Taman Midah Lutheran Church(TMLC) to meet and help other parents of children with special needs put in
that extra effort and walk that extra mile to ensure that their special children lead a normal life.

With the millenium challenge of 'Changing people's perspective of a person with Special Needs’ and turning the upside of 'Downs', together with Charmaine, both mother and daughter volunteer their services every Saturday at TMLC, every working Saturday at HUKM and once a week at the Kajang Children's Special Centre which offers early intervention programs, day training and work skills training programs for people with learning difficulties, workbase at Malaysian Care and supported living weekend program with Dignity & Services.


TESTIMONY
My Story by Mrs Stella Chan-Cheong

Before joining Taman Midah Lutheran Church (TMLC), I was from St Gabriel's Anglican Church in Sungei Besi where I lived and grew up. I attended Sunday School since Primary One. I also heard a lot about Jesus at Bukit Bintang Girls' School but only accepted the Lord when I was in Secondary One.

My youth days found me very active and involved in the Church Youth Fellowship, Music Ministry, Choir, member of The Singing Saints, Captain of the 2nd KL Girls' Brigade Company and a teacher in the Sunday School. As home was very near the Church, you could literally
find me there most of my free time.

I was still very active with Church activities during my working days until I became a tour leader with Reliance Travel. Due to frequently leading tours overseas, I found that I couldn't fit into Church and the people any more. Slowly I drifted away and backslided with a different lifestyle altogether. I had a good career and income. I found that I did not need God then. I was in spiritual silence until 1989 when Charmaine was born. It was a 'turning point' for me and the awakening of my spiritual life.

Charmaine was certainly a blessing in disguise! As the saying goes, 'There is a purpose for everything'. I believe there is also a purpose for Charmaine to be given to us and her birth is no coincidence but according to God's plan.

Not only has she been a joy and blessing to people around her, she has certainly brought our
family much closer and changed our lifestyle and attitude especially towards people with Special Needs and learning difficulties.

You can contact: Mrs Stella Chan-Cheong at
012-2987801 / chitchatsc@yahoo.com

We warmly invite all parents with special needs' children to celebrate Mothers' Day with us. Please do feel free to invite your friends who have special needs children to join us too!

Kindly RSVP by 2 MAY 2007 to facilitate our planning.
For more information, please contact Wai Sze at 016-3400849, Jill at 016-3944206 or email to
kwaisiong@yahoo.com.my


www.fga.com.my
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United Voice : Train Them, Don’t be Overprotective

Let go. Despite its implied simplicity, this is perhaps the most difficult thing for a parent whose child is intellectually impaired.

“Don’t be too overprotective or your child will have no future,” said Juan Fang, a homemaker.

Fang’s 28-year-old daughter Felicia is intellectually impaired, and “letting go” was what Fang had done over the years to teach Felicia independence and maturity.

The family had uprooted from Kuala Terengganu to the capital a few years after learning of Felicia’s condition so that she could have a better future.

“For Felicia to learn better and catch up in school, I made flash cards to help her. I didn’t give up,” said the soft-spoken Fang.

Today, Felicia is an office assistant at St Paul’s Anglican Church, Petaling Jaya. She has worked there for the last six years.

“She’s more confident and independent since she started working and interacting with people. Over the years, I had to let go bit by bit, or the family’s sacrifices and move to KL would be in vain,” said Fang.

Selangor Social Welfare Department statistics reveal that the registered number of those with intellectual impairment or learning disability in the state from 1998 till today stands at 13,924.

According to officer Eny Edayu Mat Ali, the actual figure is higher.

“The increase in the number of intellectually impaired from 2005 to 2006 alone, is significant – about 58%,” she said.

While the department has no records on the intellectually impaired who are currently employed, it admits they face a greater, if not the same challenges in getting job placements, no thanks to society’s prejudices.

“It’s even more difficult now than before,” said St Paul’s Day Training Centre (centre for people with intellectual disabilities) co-ordinator A. Annamaney.

Eny agrees, adding that the physically disabled have a better chance at employment than the intellectually impaired.

“Malaysian society holds very distorted views on disability. People are more
willing to employ the physically disabled as their limitation is physical,
whereas the intellectually impaired are just dismissed as cacat or
retarded.”


This has caused even high-functioning slow learners – who are capable of basic clerical, administrative and computer work, as well as despatching and packaging in an ‘open’ (real world) environment – to be mislabelled as unproductive.

“Given early intervention, those with learning disabilities can communicate,
think for themselves, and know how to be responsible in life and the workplace,”
said Eny.


Realistically speaking, seamless integration between regular society and the intellectually impaired community still appears a far-off goal.

“Japan was exposed to intellectual impairment at the same time as Malaysia, but Japan is far ahead of us today,” said United Voice co-ordinator Yeo Swee Lan.

United Voice is a self-advocacy society of persons with learning disabilities in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur.


United Voice's Website - http://www.unitedvoice.com.my/


Download United Voice's Jan's Newsletter - here


Source

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Breakthrough in Detection of Metabolic Disorders

Universiti Sains Malaysia’s Do- ping Control Centre (DCC) has made a break-through by being the first in the country to commercially introduce a screening test to detect 25 metabolic disorders in a newborn baby.

USM vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dzulkifli Abdul Razak said yesterday the screening, known as Newborn Screening (NBS), was a test that helped doctors diagnose some of the metabolic disorders a newborn baby might have.

“This acts as a precautionary and pre-ventive step. The test can be performed on a baby as early as the first 48 hours to 72 hours after birth.

“This early detection followed by prompt treatment, can help avert mental retar- dation, severe disability and even death,” he said at a press conference to announce the introduction of the screening test.

Prof Dzulkifli added that DCC was ready to introduce the service with immediate effect to the public.

Early detection:Prof Aishah posing next to a poster on the NBS test developed by the centre.
DCC director Prof Aishah A. Latiff said the centre began research on NBS in 2000 and succeeded in creating the test in 2003.

She said the NBS and related services were currently available at the Institute of Medical Research (IMR), which was conducting a two-year pilot programme at 10 government hospitals. The project is expected to end this August.

Prof Aishah said the DCC had invested a total of RM4.5mil on three highly sophistica-ted tandem mass spectrometers to carry out the analysis.

“The DCC has adequate instrumentation and personnel to handle between 300 and 400 samples per day and therefore, is in the position to accept samples nationwide,” she added.

Prof Aishah said the test required a few drops of blood, obtained from a gentle prick on the baby’s heel, which were then dropped onto a filter paper and sent to the laboratory for testing.

“The results will then be despatched back to the doctor attending to the patients three days later,” she said.

DCC Metabolic Services head Dr Adi Tan Abdullah said babies must be referred by a medical doctor for the NBS and each basic test would cost RM85.

DCC has begun analysis on samples from its teaching hospital – Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM) – in Kubang Krian, Kelantan, he said.



Source

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