Medical/Health Resources
Buddy Break – Respite in McHenry County
Nathaniel’s Hope Buddy Break is a free respite opportunity for McHenry County parents of children who have a physical, cognitive, medical or other hidden disability, a chronic or life-threatening illness, or are medically fragile.
It is provided through First Church of Crystal Lake and Options & Advocacy for McHenry County. The program gives each child a trained “buddy” to be by their side for three hours of one-to-one attention and kid-centered activities. The program is open to children with special needs ages 2 – 16 and their siblings ages 4 – 11.
To register or for more information, please visit the Buddy Break webpage or contact Susan Perkins at (815) 477-4720, ext. 255, or susan.perkins@opad.org.
Candor Health Education is a nonprofit organization that provides students, their trusted adults and communities programs and resources on puberty, sex education and substance abuse prevention.
Candor Health Education also offers in-person and virtual presentations with age-appropriate, science-based information to help students make informed decisions and understand how these things can impact their health.
Caring Conversations Toolkit for Families and Providers
The Pediatric Palliative Care Coalition (PPCC) offers a Caring Conversations Toolkit to help determine when and how to start a conversation about hospice or palliative care. Separate toolkits targeting the needs of families and providers are available.
Each toolkit offers a series of questions to consider in deciding if it is time to start a conversation about hospice or palliative care for a child with serious illness and how to navigate the discussion.
Caring for a Child with a Gastrostomy Video from St. Louis Children’s Hospital
The “Caring for My Child with a Gastrostomy” video from St. Louis Children’s Hospital provides information on understanding your child’s gastrostomy appliance and how to care for it at home.
This educational video focuses on the gastrostomy tube (g-tube), the gastrostomy button appliance and answering a variety of frequently asked questions.
“Caring for My Child with a Gastrostomy” is broken into segments and available in full. Be sure to select the appropriate video based on whether you want to learn about the gastrostomy tube (g-tube) or the gastrostomy button appliance.
CDC’s Developmental Milestones for Children
From birth to age 5, your child should reach milestones in how they play, learn, speak, act and move.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides developmental milestones checklists to help track your child’s development and act early if you have a concern.
The CDC also has a free Milestone Tracker App with photos and videos that illustrate each developmental milestone. You can use the app to track your child’s development and find out what to do if you have concerns.
ODH works to prevent secondary conditions. Mission is to maintain and improve the health of families, adults and children with disabilites
Find information related to clinical trials as well as new drug therapies recently approved by the FDA.
The Cerebral Palsy Foundation is a non-profit organization that aims to be a catalyst for creating positive change for people with cerebral palsy (CP).
The Cerebral Palsy Foundation website includes expert insights on what is CP and a fact sheet library on various topics.
Children with cerebral palsy have trouble controlling their movement. The condition is the most common disability that affects a child’s motor control.
Cerebral palsy usually is caused by a brain injury or abnormal brain development before birth or early in life. Genetic causes, although less common, can also play a role.
Healthy Children, the official parenting website of the American Academy of Pediatrics, provides an overview of what families need to know about cerebral palsy and how to help children who have it reach their full potential.
Cerebral Palsy Research Network
The Cerebral Palsy Research Network aims to optimize the lifelong health and wellness of people with cerebral palsy (CP) and their families through high-quality research, education and community programming.
The Cerebral Palsy Research Network website includes educational resources for the entire CP community to inform healthcare decisions, including a CP tool kit and a well-being guide for parents and caregivers.