Are our lives funnier with witnesses? Families of children with special needs may find resilience and survival sometimes depend on our ability to find more humor in ordinary situations and family events, especially when stress and unexpected emergencies collide with expectations and traditions.

Parent-Child Interaction Therapy teaches useful strategies and effective skills to parents whose children have aggressive, rebellious or otherwise challenging behaviors, to help children in difficult situations establish or rebuild relationships, and to bring some peace and comfort to the family.

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

Children with special needs often learn new games at summer picnics, parties and on vacation visiting relatives just like their mainstream brothers and sisters. It is delightful when we see any child teaching their cousins, neighbors and classmates games that are cooperative as well as competitive.

Families of children with cerebral palsy, Down syndrome or other conditions may be unfamiliar with the use of orthotic shoe inserts that help beginning walkers learn how to take their first steps and retrain older children and teens how to walk without causing lifelong discomfort and pain.

The Winter 2008 Linkages Newsletter features a focus topic on Oral Health for Children with Special Health Needs, with resource links for dental professionals outlining appropriate treatment, establishing better dental health habits, and preparing children and families for office visits and care

The Nintendo WII video gaming system can be used by children, teens and adults with injuries or disability, for physical therapy and rehabilitiation as well as entertainment. Student programmers have created software making the Nintendo Wii remote (WiiMote) functional for people with disabilities.

Nick Jonas of the Jonas Brothers band announced he had developed insulin dependent diabetes in 2007 when he was 14 years old. He raises awareness about type one diabetes, encourages other teens and children with juvenile diabetes, inspires self-expression and supports fundraising for research.

Keep informed of current issues and resources for children and families, updates on new Special Needs Children articles, current discussions at the SNC Forum, and Bella Online sweepstakes