Paraprofessionals, aides, classroom volunteers and other adults often work with our children in mainstream and special education classrooms, resource rooms, school libraries, cafeterias and playgrounds.

Use of restraint boards or passive restraints for medical or dental procedures can be frightening and traumatizing for patients with developmental disabilities and those who are unable to communicate due to injury or illness. It is insulting to Native Americans to refer to these as Papoose Boards.

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.

In 1995, Sandra Jensen was initially denied a heart/lung transplant because she was born with Down syndrome and medical professionals felt she would be unable to manage post-operative care. In 2012, a young patient with intellectual disability was denied a kidney transplant even with a family donor

Parents of chidren who reflect the diversity of our communities are working to raise awareness of cultural and personal sensitivities that their families experience. Sometimes this advocacy effort is condemned as unnecessary or ridiculous 'political correctness' by those who feel threatened by it

The National Down Syndrome Society has established criteria to evaluate companies that develop non-invasive prenatal diagnostic tests for Down syndrome. Advocates are encouraged to contact the company currently promoting one of the first of these to be available, Sequenom.

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.