Special Update on Special Needs : Orlando Family Magazine

According to the Centers for Disease Control, about 1-in-68 children are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a group of developmental disabilities that can cause significant social, communication, and behavioral challenges.
The number of U.S. children with ASD has soared approximately 30% in the past 2 years. ASD is almost 5 times more common among boys than girls.
A new study claims to show for the first time that autism begins in the womb. The research has found that children with ASD may have irregular clusters of neurons in the brain and that these abnormalities can be traced back to prenatal development.
Recent data has shown that pregnant women with bacterial infections diagnosed in the hospital had a 58% higher risk of delivering a child with ASD.
Children with a particular gene variant who are exposed to air pollution also appear to be at a higher risk of developing ASD.

Down syndrome, a condition in which a person has an extra chromosome, occurs in about 1 out of every 700 babies.
There are three types of Down syndrome ─ Trisomy 21, Translocation, and Mosaic ─ though the physical features and behaviors are similar. About 95% of people with Down syndrome have Trisomy 21 (each cell in the body has 3 separate copies of chromosome 21 instead of the usual 2 copies).
Women who are 35+ are more likely to have a child affected by Down syndrome. However, the majority of babies with Down syndrome are born to mothers less than 35 years old, due to the much greater number of births among younger women.
Scientists are exploring how to “shut down the extra chromosome” responsible for causing the condition and have identified a compound that can bring dramatic improvements in learning and memory.

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of disorders that affect a person’s ability to move and maintain balance and posture. CP is the most common motor disability in childhood, affecting 1-in-323 children in the U.S.
Cerebral palsy is more common among boys than girls.
Many children with CP also have at least 1 co-occurring condition, including epilepsy or autism.
Localized botulinum toxin (BOTOX) injections are among the new CP therapies and have become a standard treatment in children with spastic movement disorders.

The City of Kissimmee, with the help of Florida Hospital and Kissimmee Utility Authority, is leading a community project to build Osceola County’s first inclusive playground for people with special needs, capable of hosting more than 150 children. The boundless public park will be sensory rich, rigorous, and challenging to accommodate individuals with physical, developmental, cognitive, and sensory disabilities.
The hereO GPS watch is the world’s smallest real-time GPS tracking device designed for children ages 3+. As a device valued by parents of children with special needs, partial proceeds benefit Autism Speaks.
Award-winning author/autism advocate Emily Iland, M.A. and Joey Travolta, autism filmmaker & brother to John Travolta, co-created BE SAFE, a dynamic video-modeling curriculum to instruct teens and adults with disabilities on how to interact safely with the police.
Quest, located in downtown Orlando, has a one-year training program called Project SEARCH that provides competitive employment opportunities to high school students with disabilities.
Gatorland is launching Screamin’ Gator Accessibility Zip Line, a boundless zip line for participants with disabilities to experience a safe, unique, and exhilarating flight high above the “Alligator Capital of the World!”