Resources for you.......

Each month, Family Voices Indiana provides the families we serve with a summary of the month’s hottest items. If you missed us on Facebook, here is the latest!

Awareness:

August celebrated:

World Breastfeeding Week, August 1-7. Learn more about the benefits of breastfeeding here.

National Community Health Center Week, August 5-11. Learn more about community health centers and how they strive to improve access to care.

Spinal Muscular Atrophy month. Learn more here.

 

Family Voices:

We rely heavily on the voices of self-advocates and families of individuals with special health care needs to affect change. Additionally professional opinions and expert advice and analyses often further advocacy efforts. Here we recap some of the most commented on and shared blogs and articles posted to our Facebook site.

It’s never too early to prepare your child for adulthood. This article highlights how taking baby steps will prepare you and your child to meet major milestones.

Our readers enjoyed this inspirational story about Team Hoyt. Watch it, and remember, “you can do anything you want to do as you make up your mind you can do it.”

This blog post highlights ten myths about IEPs. There are also several other posts highlighting back-to-school topics. Be sure to check out our Facebook page to prepare for your next case conference and make this back-to-school transition a smooth one.

Oscar Pistorius, a South American Olympic runner, inspired the world this summer as he took to the track on his “blades.” Read his story here.

"Chances are that at some point your child will have a classmate with a disability. Just as you guided your very young child when he or she began to befriend others, you can encourage your child to learn about and be a friend to children who have disabilities." Many readers “liked” this article.

 

Training and Learning Opportunities:

Family Voices works to fulfill our mission of empowering families by providing you with educational opportunities and resources. Check our website frequently for learning resources by visiting: http://www.fvindiana.org/training. This month, we shared the following on Facebook.

 “The Bright Futures for Families Pocket Guide puts highly relevant health promotion material in an easy to use, accessible format. The guide facilitates communication between families and providers and strengthens parent-provider relationships.” This small, fun, easy-to-use book is designed to help families support health and wellness for their children at every age. For more information and to order copies of the Pocket Guide, click here.

Be sure to protect your child’s total wellness in his IEP. This post empowers parents to make protection from bullying part of the IEP.

DDRS is making many changes. Stay updated by following our blog.

Do you need help with an insurance appeal? Read this article and call us (317.944.8982) for additional assistance.

This link takes you to the Archived IUSM Pediatric Grand Rounds Sessions. The live activity takes place every Wednesday from 8:00am to 9:00am at the Riley Outpatient Center (ROC) in the Auditorium. The live event is recorded every week.

If you find Medicaid confusing, you’ll love our new training, All Kinds of Medicaid. You can access the webquest on our site, familyvoices.org/training.

Visit the Sibling Support Project to learn how you can support your children as they support their sibling with special needs. This article highlights the top ten books for these siblings to read.

 

Newsworthy:

Family Voices also uses our blog and Facebook page to keep Indiana families updated on legislation as well as public and private policies affecting families of children and youth with special health care needs. 

Some of August’s hot topics were:

Learn how Medicaid Expansion, a provision of the ACA ruled optional by the Supreme Court, not only serves the medically fragile but also the states that support the initiative, visit this blog.

Flu season can hit children with special health care needs harder than others. Read this article about how kids with neurological conditions are at higher risk for flu death.

The Darrell Gwynn Foundation’s Wheelchair Donation Program is actively seeking wheelchair recipients. The foundation donates brand new, highly customized manual and power wheelchairs to children and adults who have been denied by Medicaid, Medicare, private insurance companies, or those lacking insurance coverage.

Have you struggled during shopping trips with your child? If so, read this about one mom’s success and the debut of Caroline’s cart.

 

Requests for Collaboration:

Family Voices always encourages followers to use their voice to affect positive change to our systems, public and private policies. Here’s how you can use your voice.

Are you a sibling of an adult (18+) with autism or Down syndrome? Would you enjoy contributing to scientific knowledge by describing what it has been like for you to have an adult sibling with autism or Down syndrome? A study is being conducted through the Department of Psychology at IUPUI. For more information, please contact the co-investigator, Teri Belkin, at tbelkin@iupui.edu. You may also take this confidential survey.

The Yes I Can! Awards recognize the accomplishments of children and youth with exceptionalities. Thousands of children and youth have been recognized since the program’s inception in 1982. Learn more about the nomination process here.

Visit this link if you are interested in participating in IU Health’s Customer Advisory Group.

If you are interested in participating in a study investigating the link between autism spectrum disorders and family history of psychiatric disorders, please email the researcher, Jenna Cacciola at cacciolaj@uindy.edu or access the survey.