In my post about buying used equipment, I forgot to mention something that helped me keep an eye on used equipment. http://www.google.com/alerts I created alerts for the equipment I was looking for, and then Google would email me every day when things came up. Here’s an example: site:craigslist.org pony gait trainer I typed that into [...]

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There were a few comments, here and on message groups, regarding my post on special needs equipment, so I thought I’d write a separate post to address those comments. On FUNDING The vast majority of equipment that I show listed here was purchased either with funding from insurance, state programs, or I purchased them used. [...]

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Below is a list of special needs equipment that we have used to help Nathan enjoy life to the max and help him access as much of the world as he possibly can. If you have any questions about any of the equipment listed below, don’t hesitate to leave me a comment! Dynavox Vmax with [...]

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I found this today and was incredibly intrigued by it: http://gear.ocztechnology.com/products/description/OCZ_Neural_Impulse_Actuator/index.html This is the type of technology that I’ve been waiting to hear more about for people with severe CP and locked-in syndrome. Something that reads their brain waves and translates that into physical actions. This was created by gamers but I can see its [...]

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I heard about the special needs Recaro car seat some time ago from another mom in one of my Yahoo groups. So we asked our DME supplier to bring one over so we could try it out. While we waited for funding, I decided one night to look around for similar car seats from the [...]

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This morning, the CEO of Aspen Seating and Nathan’s durable medical equipment rep came by the house to evaluate Nathan for an Aspen custom seating system. Tom was a pediatric physical therapist before he started his own company so he wanted to evaluate Nathan before moving forward on one of his custom chairs. After looking [...]

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The wonderful Sally gave this to Nathan as a gift when we met her in New York. Nathan LOVES LOVES LOVES his car. It worked well in this chair, but he also plays with it while on his back and while sidelaying. Maybe Sally can post a comment about how to make this adaptation? It [...]

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[simage=2004,max,n,center,left][simage=2003,max,n,center,left][simage=2002,max,n,center,left] I really like the way Nathan sits in this car seat, it’s GREAT! His back is straight, he’s upright, well-supported, and he seems very comfortable. Since it hasn’t been approved by insurance I haven’t put it in the car yet to protect it, so it was available while we were desperately looking for a [...]

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[simage=2014,max,n,center,][simage=2007,max,n,center,][simage=2012,max,n,center,][simage=2011,max,n,center,][simage=2010,max,n,center,][simage=2009,max,n,center,][simage=2008,max,n,center,][simage=2013,max,n,center,] And Belle..well..she was the cheerleader!!! He had a BLAST BLAST BLAST and will be returning tomorrow for some more skiing!

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I often hear parents having issues with their child’s AFO’s.  We have NO problems with Nathan’s AFO’s, so I wanted to share what they look like.  We had a hard time finding shoes to fit that weren’t too big, we finally found a pair at Stride Rites which was only 1 size bigger.  We took [...]

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We are trying out the Thevo Twist wheelchair and the Recaro swivel car seat for Nathan: So far I really like both of them! The Thevo Twist is pretty light, the chair comes off the base, it is easy to push, it tilts and reclines, and Nathan looks pretty comfortable in it. He will have [...]

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Here is a list of apps that we are trialing for Nathan. I will write reviews about them soon. We the the adding applications on this site. Category:EducationBooksGamesEntertainmentUtilitiesMusicMedicalArtAssessment ToolsAssistive Technology and AccessibilityCommunicationPhotographyReference Application Name: Description: Cost $: Are you human? Added Applications 1Toddler Counting –$0.99 –Category: Education v1.2, Seller: Nat Brown (4+) If you are [...]

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I’m updating from nathan’s iPad. I’ve been geeking out! I realized you can downdload and watch movies on the iPad. This is great for Nathan! Once he learns how to navigate the Ipad, it means he will be able to select directly what he wants to watch! So after paying for a movie through iTunes [...]

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I work as an internet marketing consultant. I work every chance I have in between therapies and appointments. So when the IPAD came out I figured it was a great investment for me so I can work while at doctor’s appointments, while waiting for Nathan to finish his therapies, etc. Little did I know that [...]

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I wanted to share another adaptation that I am really happy with. I found this through an ad on facebook and decided to check it out. I am really glad! Even though Nathan keeps his hands fisted, when he wants to hold something, he lets go. This is the dystonia – his brain sends the [...]

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The Ability Expo this weekend … TOTAL SUCCESS! We got there early Saturday morning thinking we would need the entire day…it turns out we didn’t. The expo has a LOT of stuff but I think it’s mostly geared towards adults with disabilities. They had a few things for children but not too much – it [...]

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Comes the high Remember this post, where I was complaining about Nathan not doing anything when I put him on the kidwalk? Aheeeem. He’s not strong enough to make it move on his own yet – as he stepped I pushed the walker to go along with his movements. But he was also going uphill [...]

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Guess what? I found out today that there is a size 2 Merry Muscles! How very cool is that? Here’s the link: Merry Muscles for Special Needs So for all of you who were interested but were worried that it would be too small for their child -worry no more! We’re sending ours back so [...]

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We finally set up the merry muscles bouncy thingymajigy for Nathan. Thanks uncle Brian for helping set this up! It was a bit of trial and error to get this to work for Nathan. It has a nice tall back so he can lean back on it and still use it, but his head kept [...]

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I found this on Brextin’s blog: HuggaBebe Oh how I wish I’d had this when Nathan as smaller! I think now he’s too big for it, bummer. But I wanted to share it here because it’s SO COOL!

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I found this article and thought it was very interesting: Encouraging Exploration What I have learned about brain development supports this theory, as in the early stages of development children learn through exploration and a good supportive walker gives them this possibility. Just wanted to share, especially for moms of younger kids – in the [...]

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I saw this on one of the Yahoo groups I read: Chunc Wheelchair Here are pictures of the little girl in the wheelchair. It looks really cool!

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Here is a better view of the role of the winbo in our house: I know I know this goes against what the swing is for…but he LOVES it! It’s his favorite way to be on the wingbo! And the best thing of it all is…. he’s also being therapized! Swinging is GREAT for vestibular [...]

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We finally setup Nathan’s wingbo swing properly and it is AWESOME! I have to say that it has rapidly become my favorite device. When we first put him in it yesterday Nathan wasn’t all that happy. He’s a bit whiney as you can see, and just not too happy. But today we figured out how [...]

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Well lately I am running out of things to say. Life has settled down considerably so I don’t have much to report. Today was a rough rough day with the Medek exercises. Nathan is outraged that we are doing these at home and didn’t want to cooperate at all. But thanks to the encouragement of [...]

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I’ve been thinking a lot about closure. About how I need closure to Nathan’s “sick a lot” days. About how I need closure to my earlier “do a lot of everything but not enough of anything” approach. And most importantly, I need closure for the things that happened to Nathan when he was just born. [...]

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Another very cool thing about his walkers – Nathan can now stand up and play with toys. Of course he can also sit and play but I think it’s important for him to experience the world from different angles. Here are some pictures of him today in therapy and playing with a toy and a [...]

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The guys from the Australian Institute for the Achievement of Human Potential told us lots and lots of intense swinging is important for Nathan. It will help to stimulate his vestibular system, which will improve many things like balance and coordination. Since it’s now pretty cold and hard to go use a swing outside, we [...]

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It ocurred to me today as I had Nathan in the Kidwalk that typical kids learn to walk by trail and error, they stand, step and fall thousands of time. WIth Nathan it’s different as he doesn’t need balance, but still, I love that I am “teaching him” to walk every time we go out [...]

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Well, I did it. I got over my fear and took Nathan in the Kidwalk to Toys’R’Us. I’d been wanting to do it but quite honestly, I was afraid. Afraid of the looks we would get, afraid of how people would react. So far we mostly manage to go unnoticed as Nathan’s wheelchair looks like [...]

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Well today was not a good day for the Kidwalk: Tommorrow I hope to report that he was happier in it. Day by day, right

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