Bilingual families whose child with Down syndrome or other developmental disability has also learned a second or third language have demonstrated the importance of giving every child the opportunity to grow up bilingual or multilingual

Children with special needs can be especially anxious and confused about how their lives will change before the first week of school in a new grade, including how they will get to school and back, and where they will spend their days.

Children deserve to be offered pain relief for childhood blood draws, injections, bone marrow aspiration, laser treatment and other medical procedures that may create more fear and anxiety than the injury or illness being treated. Some are: EMLA disks, Ametop gel, Numby Stuff, and vapocoolant sprays

Pain management for children with chronic medical conditions and others who need blood draws, bone marrow aspiration, central or PICC lines, IV sticks, or port access may experience less pain, fear and trauma using numbing agents and techniques to avoid or relieve anxiety and distress

Beautiful dolls and toys that demonstrate the diversity of the children in our communities have been available for many years, and should be found and enjoyed in classrooms, daycare and our children´s toy collections. Some parents have found dolls with disabilities to be offensive representations.

Children with physical disabilities should have accessible playgrounds in their communities and schools. We find great designs in accessible playgrounds and play areas in communities of all sizes, and we can also learn from the shortcomings we find in our own neighborhoods and local schools

Every child deserves accessible playgrounds and naturally integrated play areas in their classrooms or schools. Families of children with disabilities find that local playgrounds and school play areas can be made accessible with a bit of community effort, at reasonable cost, with benefits for all.

Grandfathers and great uncles can make a world of difference in the lives of children with special needs, whether they are supporting dads, or taking on some of the responsibilities of fathers who are away from home

When a newborn is diagnosed with Down syndrome, parents may be told about the challenges the baby and family may encounter months or years later, when they deserve more than anyone just to bask in the glow of their baby´s first days and weeks.

Children with special needs have shown great success in learning to print and write in cursive when given the support, encouragement and tools that should be readily available to them as well as their mainstream classmates