Many people in the world have special needs and disabilities. Often disabilities arise from brain and nervous system dysfunctions. These changes can be caused by genetic mutations and/or tetragons, which are factors that lead to the malformation of an embryo. Even small changes to brain structure and genetic makeup can lead to one developing a disability. Research has found that many patients with learning disabilities have structural differences in their brains when compared to neurotypical people.

Numerous structural differences that have been found between those with disabilities and those with “normal brains.” Researchers have discovered that the amount of grey and white matter can be different in people with impairments. People with dyslexia have less grey and white matter in the left parietotemporal area, which is involved in comprehending written and spoken languages, leading to language deficits. Kids with ADHD and other attention disorders also have differences in their brains. Their frontal lobes, which control behavior, decision-making, and emotions are often smaller and wired differently. The parietal lobes which have been found to support math can also be less active in some children with these disorders. These are just a few of the structural difference that can be present in people with disabilities.

Genetics can also play a big role in the development of disabilities. Autism and Down Syndrome are two disorders that occur as a result of genetic defects. Scientists think it is likely that a couple of genes interact to cause Autism, as they have not been able to pinpoint a single cause. Children who have relatives with Autism are more susceptible to the disorder, hinting at its genetic basis. Down syndrome also has a genetic basis as the majority of Down syndrome cases are caused by trisomy 21, where an individual has three copies of chromosome 21 instead of two. These minor changes to the genetic makeup of individuals cause them to go on to have a wide range of disabilities, and often the same mistake does not lead to the exact same disability in varying individuals. While science has come a long way, there is still much we do not know about these disorders.

Recently neuroplasticity, the capability of the brain to rewire itself and form new neural connections, has become a big topic in the Neuroscience community. The brain’s plasticity has many implications, an important one being the potential to improve the symptoms of various disabilities. In order to form new connections, one has to constantly work to strengthen them. While changing the brain takes a lot of time and hard work it is possible. In order to establish change the brain has to be in the right state. It has been found that the more incentivized one is to cause change the more change will be seen. While neuroplasticity is not a hard and fast cure for disabilities it is a potential way to alleviate symptoms and could help to open the door for new treatment options.

While those with special needs face some limitations they are also gifted in many areas. Those with disabilities often think in novel ways as they have a unique perspective on the world that those without disabilities do not have. This perspective allows them to interact with the world in a method that allows hidden talents to surface. One example of this is many individuals with autism have different niches and special abilities. Recently an autistic artist, Stephen Wiltshire, went viral for his ability to draw major cities completely from memory. Derek Paraviccini has learning impairments and is completely blind but even still he is a musical genius. These two people are not exceptions, and it is not only those with autism who have special talents. While more research needs to be done to figure out what causes these hidden abilities in those with disabilities it is clear that our friends with special needs are very talented.

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Further reading:

• http://www.ldonline.org/article/14907
• https://www.britannica.com/science/neuroplasticity
• http://www.mychildwithoutlimits.org/understand/autism/what-causes-autism/
• https://www.thebestbrainpossible.com/the-10-fundamentals-of-rewiring-your-brain/
• http://nypost.com/2016/03/13/theres-a-link-between-autism-and-genius/

Renee Pickett is proof that if you don’t give up on your goals, they will come true. When Pickett was a kid, doctors told her that she would need a walker and should never be apart of intense activities. She did not let that hold her back and was strong enough to overcome the fear, frustration and sadness that came with her journey. She started doing physical therapy and slowly progressed with her health.

Pickett is now a mother, personal trainer and master trainer by Zumba Fitness. Zumba is a high intensity workout with synced music that combines weight, muscle conditioning, and cardio. She went from being told she should never be a part of intense activities to training others to be healthy and strong.

Pickett believes that the key to overcome any health challenge is to keep moving despite all of the challenges you face. She is an empowering, cheerful woman who always has a smile on her face.

“The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams. No challenges should stop you from unlocking your gift. We are all special and unique. Set goals, achieve, progress,” Pickett said.

Alena has had an avid love of learning from a very young age. As she got older, Alena realized she had a strong interest in the dentistry field. She started out as a dentist technician and quickly realized that she wanted more. Alena went back to school and got her doctorate degree and became a dentist. However, her thirst for knowledge was unsatisfied and Alena went to Boston University in order to receive postgrad specialization in prosthodontics and dental implantology. She then spent an additional five years at Boston University acquiring her Ph.D in dental implant biomechanics

In addition to learning, Alena has always had a love of horses. One afternoon while riding, she had an unfortunate accident. She fell off her horse and had to be transported to the ER for a broken spine. While in the ER, Alena got more bad news, the x-rays found a tumor and she was diagnosed with carcinoma on her C2 vertebrae. Not only did Alena have to deal with recovering from a spinal injury, she now had to fight cancer as well. During this time her only son had gone off to fight in Afghanistan. As a mother, Alena’s only thought was the well-being of her son. She feared that news of her having cancer would serve as a distraction to her son, in a place where distractions could very well get you killed. Alena then set a goal to beat her cancer by the time her son returned home from the war. While it was a tough battle, Alena put every ounce of her soul into it and never gave up hope as she knew she had to do this for her son. By the time her son returned home, Alena reached her goal and beat her cancer.

Alena went to the hospital for 21 broken bones, including another broken spine, and various organ failures. Her condition was so bad that she had to be flown to another hospital to receive treatment from more specialized doctors. In the beginning everything was painful, it hurt Alena to walk, sit, and lay down. Eventually Alena overcame her injuries and was put back together. While her body had been back together by western medicine, Alena was still in a lot of pain. While in Latvia she encountered a Shaolin monk who helped her to fight her final battle. The monk taught her the ways of Qigong which was the key in getting rid of her remaining pain.

On July 19, 2017, I had the pleasure of interviewing Nikki Johnson. Her story is very astonishing and she has overcome many obstacles over the past 20 years. I was very grateful that Nikki decided to share it with us.

At the age of 20, Nikki was a junior attending Virginia Commonwealth University. Having loved art her whole life she decided to major in graphic design, this way she could be an artist while still making a decent living. The summer before Nikki’s junior year, Princess Diana died in a drunk driving accident, and because of this Nikki decided to stop drinking. On the one day she made an exception, everything changed.

It was Nikki’s roommate 21st birthday and she wanted her two best friends to join her for a night of celebration. Nikki’s roommate worked at a bar downtown, and she convinced her coworkers to turn a blind eye to her underage friends. Throughout the night, Nikki consumed a lot of alcohol, which had a large effect on her due to her period of abstinence and the diet she was on. At around 1:30AM, Nikki stumbled to the bathroom and on her return fell down the stairs, highlighting her inebriation. The bartender gave her some water and told them to leave at 2:00AM. Unfortunately, with the alcohol in her system Nikki did not realize the dangers of driving and she stumbled out to her car to drive home. While she was supposed to drive home alone, her two friends got into a fight with their boyfriends and they then begged her for a ride. Nikki agreed and they drove off.

They were then involved in a horrific accident, the car had a head on collision with a stationary object. The front passenger died immediately from an air bag breaking her neck, while the remaining two had extensive injuries with Nikki’s being the worst. The car was completely crushed and the roof had to be removed in order to get Nikki and her roommate out. Nikki was in a coma for 3 months and doctor’s told her parents that she would not make it out alive. Despite the odds, Nikki made it out of her coma. Doctor’s then told Nikki’s parents that she would be a vegetable for the rest of her life and she would never be able to walk again. However, again and again Nikki fought the odds and regained her strength. While in the hospital Nikki had to undergo 13 extensive surgeries and rehabilitation. She had to learn everything all over again, from walking to talking, but in the end her hard work payed off.

Nikki still has substantial brain damage,  physical and mental impairments. She still can not remember the 5 years of her life between her junior year of high school and her junior year of college. Despite this, she is doing amazing for someone who was told that they would not live. Today, Nikki has not given up her dreams of being an artist. She continues to paint and create new artwork. Nikki also uses her experience as a way to warn others about the dangers of drinking and driving, and the dangers of alcohol in general. It was a wonderful experience for me to be able to hear and learn from Nikki’s experience and I hope you felt the same way.

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Anastasia Martynova is the founder of Your Sunshine, which is based on the discovery of “inner sunshine.” Discovering your inner sunshine should bring out joy, cheer, and greater potential from within. Martynova founded the organization to make the dreams of children, youth and adults with special needs come true by unfolding their talents and creativity.

Martynova grew up as a child with special needs so she knows what it feels like to be different from others. While facing her own challenges, she developed a compassion towards all individuals with special needs. She is now devoted to programs and curriculum for people with special needs to develop skills, talents and lasting friendships.

Martynova is a successful entrepreneur, teacher, and yoga instructor. She recently became certified in Strong by Zumba by Master Trainer Renee Pickett. This was at the One World Fitness Conference on Oct. 22. Strong by Zumba is based on high intensity interval training with synced music that combines body weight, muscle conditioning and cardio. Despite her challenges, Martynova remained strong and believed in herself, which helped her reach this impressive goal.

“It was a privilege to learn the life journey of Renee Pickett, who is one of the initiators of Strong by Zumba. She is dedicated to help others live a healthier and happier life,” Martynova said.

Renee Pickett from Strong by Zumba is a cheerful and uplifting person that always has a smile on her face.Despite her tough personality and success, she was told as a child that she would need to use a walker and give up any intense activities. Pickett never gave up on her dream and kept progressing with her health by working hard and doing physical therapy. She is now a mother, personal trainer, and Master Trainer by Zumba Fitness. She achieved all of this by overcoming fear and staying positive.

“The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams. No challenges should stop you from unlocking your gift. We are all special and unique.” Pickett said.

The key to overcoming a health challenge is to keep moving despite the challenges. Martynova and Pickett are perfect examples of staying positive and working hard to achieve life goals. Both of these women are successful despite the challenges they faced throughout their lives, and that should be motivation for anyone struggling to reach goals.

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While facing challenges daily growing up, she decided to change her outlook on life and achieve what others thought was impossible. Being a part of this music video was just one of her many accomplishments. Martynova is now a successful entrepreneur, teacher, and yoga instructor.

“I felt happy and proud that I was chosen during auditions and could participate despite my health challenges,” Martynova said.

Her passion for dancing started at a young age and has always been something she enjoyed doing. From dancing as a little girl, to becoming a certified Zumba instructor, it meant the world to her to be chosen to dance in this music video. As someone who has been excluded from activities in the past, Martynova explained that it felt amazing to not be labeled with disabilities and given the chance to perform and express her passion for dancing.

“Before coming to the auditions, I felt scared of the possibility of rejection but I decided to proceed and just give it a try,” Martynova explained.

As of 2012, over 38.4 million Americans, were living with a disability, according to the Annual Disability Statistics Compendium. The discrimination towards individuals with disabilities still continues to negatively affect the opportunities and lives of people with disabilities. Treating disabled individuals differently can give them a negative attitude towards others and life itself. It is important that we try to understand how disability discrimination is affecting other individual’s lives in a negative way. No one should be excluded from activities because they have a “disability.”

Anastasia Martynova is proof that nothing should stop someone from reaching their goals in life. Out of all the other people who auditioned to be in the music video, she was chosen. Here is a link to the video for those who want to check it out!

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By the end of the class, all children demonstrated immense interest to learn and they developed a deep connection to the Rose Quartz Singing bowl that they all played and listened to its special sound. They explored how to Use Sound and vibrational tools for their emotional wellbeing. The singing bowl is a highly effective tool to help children with focusing, relaxation, and concentration.

Based on Gene’s immense experience working with families, children, and individuals with special needs, she has witnessed the benefits of singing crystal bowls, such as relaxation, stress relief, reduction of anxiety, feelings of well-being and a greater sense of self-awareness.

Gemstones and crystals are a natural way to monitor our physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing. Children in particular have a profound connection with these natural crystals and gemstones and their healing properties, and these gemstones and crystals have been used in various cultures from China to India for thousands of years for their medicinal and healing properties. Each stone is known for it’s own unique healing property, and their various shapes, colors and textures all hold special meanings and powers that allow the gemstone or crystal to do their work.

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The first act of the night was a beautiful gymnastics performance by Mary Chen. Chen had decided to perform tonight because of her strong desires to build up communities and empower women to pursue their dreams no matter the obstacle that stand in the way. Following Chen’s performance Gordan came to the stage to share his journey of becoming a man when faced with man medical challenges. Gordon shared his story with the audience and also shared the amazing news that he will be headed off to college to double major in history and geography. His story truly proved that anyone has what it takes to make a dream come true. After getting a little geography lesson form Gordon the audience were astounded to find a cat on the stage. Anastasia had astounded all of us in her cat costume that evening showing us how movement, dance, and gymnastics can be used in a creative form of self-expression.

The next inspiring performer to come up to the stage was Jenna. Jenna is both blind and is autistic, however, she doesn’t stop her disabilities from pursuing her dream. Jenna graced us with her amazing voice in singing two pieces for us, one of them being “Ave Maria”. Jenna definitely showed us what she could do and she is a true gift to the rest of the world.

After Jenna’s performance was over the audience was visited by a few Disney princesses. Ana (Frozen), Tiana (Princess and the Frog), and Belle (Beauty and the Beast) surprised the audience and there were nothing but smiles in the room. The children were overcome with joy at the sight of their favorite movie characters brought to life. One of the amazing performers from the show, Jacob, was the happiest of them all claiming Ana to be his ‘girlfriend’. Jacob was one of the last performers on the show and he left with a bang. Jacob played his Indian DHOL drums and electronic percussion to ‘Despacito’ and an Indian Bollywood favorite.

After Jacob’s stellar performance on the drums, we heard another amazing jazz performance on the saxophone by Joshua. Joshua is a man who expresses himself through his music despite of his autism. He plays in the church and in a band called Music Workshop, which is a special needs band. He’s been playing the saxophone as well as the clarinet since he was eleven years old. He astounded the crowd with his skills on the saxophone and definitely impressed the princesses.

The next performer coming to the stage was little Dima. Dima is very bright and a musically inclined pianist. He is very passionate about his music. Through his strength and determination, he was able to stay motivated and become very advanced in his skills. Dima played two wonderful pieces for us and proved just how talented and advanced his is on the piano.

Lastly, we had Sarah Jacobs come up to the podium to give an inspirational speech to the audience. She moved the audiences’ hearts as she talked about her experience with a child who had special needs and how that experience changed her life. At the end of the show the adults and kids were allowed to get on the dance floor and play games with the princesses. It’s safe to say that this is a talent show that no one will ever forget.

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Practicing yoga can help kids become more confident and strong within themselves. Yoga helps both strengthen the body and because of this kids have a sense of strength within themselves which builds their confidence level. Also, because yoga helps in developing the body kids will have a better posture and their breathing methods will improve. Yoga is often underestimated by most as a simple stretching method, but it’s so much more. Yoga can be used for building body strength and talking through the exercises with your child could even improve their body awareness as well as coordination. As kids build strength and become more self-aware of their beings they will gradually start to become healthier and you will see an improvement. Kids will be able to maintain a healthy weight, digest food better, breathe easier and protect their bones and joints.

Yoga can improve kids involvement in the classroom and with their peers. In order to effectively succeed in the practice of yoga, there has to be a sort of focus there. Yoga forces kids to focus on not only themselves but also their surroundings. Due to there being no other outside distractions such as television, video games, tablets and so on kids are focused on only themselves and what they can hear around them. Kids will gradually become more attentive and have more involvement not only as they practice yoga but also in the classroom and with their peers.

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First, make sure your child has the necessary gear to keep them safe this season and make sure that they can put it on right. Sometimes certain gear is overlooked by parents because of the ‘feeling’ that they have of it being unnecessary. It cannot be stressed enough how important sports gear is. Sports gear is not something that is optional unnecessary. The gear that is given or listed for your child are pieces of gear that is being used to protect your child’s body from harm or serious injury. Not giving your child the proper gear needed for their sport can cause permanent damage and serious injury at a young age. Even though it is unlikely that a child has a serious injury at a young age it is still very possible. That possibility is low but it is still enough to be concerned and buy the right material for your child.

Secondly, keep track of any medical problems or injuries your child has had because they may affect them during the season. This tip is important from the beginning to the end of the season. You need your child’s medical record at the beginning of the season to make sure they are eligible for the sport and find out if they need any special gear for their bodies. Typically, at the beginning of the sports season your child has to go to the doctor for a physical and having your medical records can make this go a lot easier and more smoothly. Another reason it’s important to keep track of your child’s medical records/ injuries is because throughout the season keeping track of your child’s injuries could protect them from further bodily harm and treating/ catching something early through their records could protect them and keep your child out of harm’s way.

Lastly, talk to your child about the dangers of playing sports and elaborate on how they can be more careful while participating in sports. Talking to your child and informing them about the dangers of the sports they are participating in is not to scare them out of playing sports or to keep them from being active. Letting your child know the dangers of sports can make them more aware and cautious of their movements when they play. Talking to them could also get them interested in also learning more about the dangers and sharing them with their team making the other kids just as aware and cautious. This is just a step further in making sure your child is safe when they step on the field this season.

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