I learned pretty quickly that visits to a dentist were going to be a challenge for my son, Ian. I demonstrated the process over and over again. I helped him brush his teeth, encouraged him to brush his own teeth, tried different toothbrushes and toothpaste. I needed Bonnie.
Mantras, like positive affirmations, really do have power. Mantras are short, positive, instructive statements full of action words. We use them to quiet the mind and focus on thinking and action.
The challenges of toilet training can be magnified for families of children with Fragile X syndrome. It's not simply that toilet training is delayed, it often requires specific behavioral techniques that address their physical and behavioral phenotypes.
Let's discuss verbal perseveration (VP), a very typical and pervasive aspect of language in Fragile X syndrome. Does VP interfere with daily living and activities? You bet your boots it can!
As your child grows into a young adult, you may consider independent or semi-independent living settings. There are a variety of living settings across the United States for people with developmental disabilities.
Promising outcomes are continuing to develop using the cognitive phenotype to better understand how to best teach students with FXS.
Though males experience both greater frequency and severity of symptoms, females with FXS do present a variety of challenges as well. We take a look at what those are with Dr. Marcia Braden.
Dr. Yankowitz discusses the adult transitions you want to start planning well before your child ages out of services. Dr. Yankowitz has more than 30 years experience working with families of individuals with developmental disabilities.
Therapy is a fun, creative process – one of the reasons that we have been at this for so long! One of the challenges of being a therapist is staying on top of the ever-emerging intervention techniques that come into our practice and making them work for individuals with FXS.
Like many of you, I will always remember the day and time when I received the diagnosis of our son, Ian. Fragile X syndrome – never heard of it. These are the lessons my family has learned since that time.
You know your child best so you want to set up services that work for your child. This might look overwhelming, but if you take it one step at a time, you’ll do great!
Behavior management continues to be of tremendous importance to parents and professionals and understanding the etiology of behavior in people with Fragile X syndrome is critical when creating proactive strategies to successfully manage that behavior.
Kristin Burgess Watson highlights some common feeding difficulties ranging from over-stuffing to picky eating that individuals with Fragile X struggle with and suggests some strategies to make mealtime more successful for your family.
Visual supports help translate the environment and expectations to an individual with FXS without requiring direct processing of language. This type of information can be processed quickly. Visual supports remain present, so they can be referred to more than one time, whereas verbal directions might be heard and then forgotten. Learning to use visual supports can help alleviate anxiety for the person with FXS and frustration for the person providing support.
Toilet training continues to be an important issue for families who have children with Fragile X syndrome. There is hope for older children, but they require a different approach to toilet training.
