The Community Sailing Center in Burlington offers an Adaptive Watersports Program (AWP). AWP supports individuals with cognitive or physical disabilities and uses adaptive teaching methods and specialized equipment to teach individuals to sail. They offer group recreational sailing, individual lessons, and kayak and canoe rentals. The Community Sailing Center also partners with Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports.
This is a useful link for getting some ideas about overall life-time costs for a child with Cerebral Palsy. You can also apply their ideas to other disorders. Their site also list some national resources that you might find helpful.
Danform shoes has done an incredible job at finding shoes that fit AFO braces. They will even order shoes they might not carry.
Danielle enjoys working with both children and adults with varying communication and swallowing disorders. She has a strong background in working with children who are on the spectrum. Although based in Montpelier, she works in Chittenden County a few days a week.
Darn Tough is a great sock for children who wear AFO’s and/or have sensitivity issues. Their socks are very soft and don’t hold in moisture. They also make a sock that is long enough to go under AFO’s and they come in fun designs! Check them out at http://darntough.com/kids.
Offers weekly classes and summer camps. Allows children to express themselves in an artistic way. The staff are amazing at accommodating kids who have special needs. One of the best summer camps my child has attended.
Dentably is a helpful resource for dental care guidance for caregivers of patients with Down syndrome.
“We like Dr. Strokoff at Timberlane because he’s super calming, he listens well and he’s very knowledgeable. He doesn’t just prescribe meds, he gives ideas”.
Earl’s does a fantastic job at adapting bikes for children with special health needs.
The Echo is a great place to be a member! The membership is affordable and makes a great Christmas or birthday gift! It is nice to have a place to go downtown with kids that you can stop in for an hour or so and then continue with errands or head to lunch or a park after! The bottom exhibit is always changing. There was an exhibit on feelings and emotions that was awesome. You could talk and see your speech light up, warm words like love were in red and cooler words were in blue.
They just added champ lane which is a small kids area but is well laid out and packs a lot into a small space! There is only once entrance so it is easy to stand right by it and let your kids safely explore. There is a really cool tunnel tree slide, a water table, a boat, a stage, a grocery store, kitchen, and lastly an animal hospital. There is also a small space for nursing and a somewhat quiet area with Legos and blocks.
I really like being a member as we can go their frequently enough that we both know the space and how to navigate it. I also like that if he is struggling we can leave without feeling like we didn’t get our monies worth! Visit the Echo Center for more information.
Wondering what to do with your children since school has been pushed back? Check out the cops that the Echo Center is offering. They also have some fun on-line activities and are offering free admission for a period of time.
ECHO also has noise cancelling headphones to access if your child has sensitivity to noise. And finally, if you want to explore the Burlington waterfront you can access the adaptable stroller that is at the ECHO center. This is for families to use free of charge!
Check out ECHO Center.
Edaville Family Amusement park has gone above and beyond to accommodate children with autism and/or sensory concerns. They have installed a quiet room for children to access, trinkets to help kids wait in line, and have put in a sensory friendly bathroom.
This is an incredible organization that offers several clinics a year for children and adults with disabilities. They run soccer clinics with the support of St. Michael’s College women’s soccer team and basketball clinics at Castleton State College. The clinics are very well run, safe, and fun!
The Luse Center provides speech-language pathology and audiology services to children throughout Vermont. They offer numerous services from speech and language assessments and programming, audiological evaluations, auditory processing disorders screening, and hearing aid evaluations.
The Epilepsy Foundation of Vermont is an incredible organization to access if your child has epilepsy. They provide a lot of information and offer support for families that are effected by epilepsy.
Essex Cinema offers “Sensory Friendly” movies throughout the year. They turn the sound down, keep the lights up, and let individuals move and talk as during the movie. These are a wonderful way for children to enjoy a movie in a stress-free environment.
Check out their latest movies: Sensory Friendly Movies
The Howard Center offers a Flexible Family Funding which provides financial support for children with special needs. The money is meant to be used for many things such as respite, summer camps, clinical services, or adaptive equipment. Families need to contact intake worker, Shannon Lowcock, to see if they qualify.
The Freedom all-terrain stroller is a great stroller that is capable of supporting a child or adult with special needs weighing up to 200 pounds. It folds pretty easily and comes with a swivel wheel to attach if needed. Click here for more information.
The Fun Zone offers children a bounce house, obstacle course, inflatable slide, ping-pong, small arcade and toys to play with. It is bright, clean, and wide open which makes it easy to spot your child. It also provides great sensory input on the inflatable objects. Visit The Fun Zone.