http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/10/apples-assistivetouch-helps-the-disabled-use-a-smartphone/

So glad to see the front story on my iMac newsletter is about apps for special needs. For those reading this post, what apps do you use??

http://www.southernliving.com/

I have been drooling over the pages of this month's Southern Living issue. With its photos and recipes I can almost smell Thanksgiving coming off the pages. Plus, my mother-in-law is in my kitchen cooking up a storm...and she is a Southern Living expert. What are your secret recipes???

Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake...Yum!

http://adrianna-prosser.com/mambots/content/jw_allvideos/templates/Default/nfprjw.htm


For those of you who are like me...you like both pecan and pumpkin pie but can't afford eating 2 slices of pie...here is a recipe that looks delicious. It's a combo of the 2 pies so you really can have both pies in one slice! One of my favorite things to do is to combine 2 items or ideas to create a 3rd/unique item or idea. (That is how I came up with the QCharm System...I combined the fashion of the yellow wristband with the function of the visual cues to create the QCharm Portable and Visual Cue System.) http://www.qcharm.com

http://www.therapals.com/

Congratulations to Mollie...creator of Therapals, for being recognized as an "emerging leader." She is extremely innovative and motivated and I strongly recommend her site therapals.com. She has also featured QCharm and I hope that together we can greatly improve our outreach efforts to help those who live with special needs. If you want more information on Therapals or QCharm, please visit our websites or contact me via this blog. I look forward to hearing from you. Plus, if you have a website that serves members of the special needs community, please let me hear your story. 

Taming temper tantrums: Are you doing it wrong?

Taming temper tantrums: Are you doing it wrong?

When I saw this segment on the Today show, I thought: It's about time we saw the Positive Support technique on TV. As an Occupational Therapist, I have been blessed to receive education on this technique and have been thankful for my son's Autism that mandates we use the most effective techniques. Check out this segment and let me know your thoughts.

http://www.therapals.com/

For Professionals and children of special needs, I highly recommend this website Therapals.com. I just attended the workshop (at the Texas Occupational Therapy Assoc. conference) and was completely inspired by the creator (Mollie). This site is an innovative resource the includes a friendship section and a therapy activity section...both of which are so cool! Try it!!

When Being an Entrepreneur Isn't Sexy

When Being an Entrepreneur Isn't Sexy

I'm composing this post on my iMac...which makes me think of Steve Jobs...and how he lived his life courageously. Being an entrepreneur is something I became once I realized I needed to provide my QCharm Portable & Visual Cueing System to other caregivers. I look up to people like Steve Jobs because when I see what type of obstacles he overcame (including being fired from his own company), I get a reality check and reference point. Just because I have obstacles to overcome and challenges to be creatively solved, doesn't mean I am the only one who has been in any given situation. Being a parent of a child with Autism is often times isolating. Being an entrepreneur of a small business can also be isolating. Combine the 2 and it's easy to feel like you're the only one who has faced uncertainty, steep learning curves & feelings of inadequacy. Steve Jobs was quoted as saying (paraphrased) is that we are on this planet to "make a dent in the universe. Otherwise, why be here." If I could make even a microscopic dent in our universe, I would be pleased. I started my journey (of making a dent) by creating the QCharm and forming QCharm, LLC. I thought those were the 2 finish lines. It's becoming clear to me that they were just the starting lines to a journey that would eventually lead me to blogging, publishing articles (http://www.autismcommunitymagazine.com), and public speaking on life and lessons learned as someone who is both a mom and an Occupational Therapist. I can give insights from both sides of the child-with-Autism equation: as the caregiver and as the professional. If you are a caregiver of a loved one with special needs, I would love to hear from you. What lessons have you learned? What unexpected joys has your loved one brought to you? If you are a therapist/medical professional, I would love to hear your opinions and stories of working with a caregiver. (Being a medical professional can also be isolating and "isn't [always] sexy.") If you are an entrepreneur, I am very interested in your stories of working through challenges. What was one of your most creative solutions??? Thank you, Steve Jobs, for not only revolutionizing our technical world, but also our creative thinking model.