Autism Insurance Reform Is Signed Into Law By Lt. Governor Brian Calley!

When: April 18th, 2012

Where: The Governor’s Mansion – Lansing, Michigan

F.A.Q. Regarding The New Laws

The Three New Michigan Autism Insurance Reform Bills

S.B. 981

S.B. 414

S.B. 415

MIRS BREAKING NEWS: Autism Insurance Reform Package Clears Senate — 1:15 p.m.

The Senate today passed a three-bill package on autism insurance coverage championed by both Gov. Rick SNYDER and Senate Majority Leader Randy RICHARDVILLE (R-Monroe).

The bills are SB 0414, SB 0415 and SB 0981. SB 0414 passed 29-9, with all the no votes coming from Republicans. SB 0981 passed 28-10.

Sen. John GLEASON (D-Flushing) lauded Lt. Gov. Brian CALLEY, whose daughter has autism, for taking the lead on the effort.

“You have become the face of this issue . . . because you were bold enough, really courageous enough, to put your family issues before 10 million Michiganders,” Gleason said.

The package moved out last week from the Senate Health Policy Committee (See “Autism Coverage Bills Sent to Senate Floor,” 3/8/12).

Senate Appropriations Chair Roger KAHN (R-Saginaw) lost amendments to the bills that would sunset the proposed law on Jan. 1, 2015.

“What is so difficult about a sunset?” he asked. “It allows us the opportunity to revisit the issue.”

On SB 0981, Kahn’s amendment capped spending at $30 million. He said it would limit “the amount of damage this bill will do in attempting to do good.” That also failed.

He raised his concerns about revenues coming in below estimates, as he’s done for several years. He said the bills are “important to me,” but it’s important not to “rob” those suffering from ailments like hemophilia from funding, as well. He said that the administration’s estimate could be low, arguing that similar legislation cost $80 million in Minnesota.

“Members should know this is an increase and ongoing cost, undefined but certainly increasing substantially,” Kahn said.

Richardville won amendments to each bill that would make the law go into effect on Oct. 1.

SB 0415 sponsor Sen. Tupac HUNTER (D-Detroit) said today “marks an important milestone in the Senate, but more importantly, for Michigan families.” He said he was approached five years ago by a constituent whose child has autism, which inspired him to introduce legislation.

An attempt by Sen. Rebekah WARREN (D-Ann Arbor) to add mental health parity to the bill via a substitute was shot down on a 18-20 record roll-call vote. She said it would “enhance this compassionate legislation.” She said she is “proud” to vote for the autism

bills and isn’t trying to kill legislation, but she believes adding all brain disorders would make the bill better.

She said her sub provides “off ramps,” like in Arkansas. If there’s an increase of more than 1 percent in expenses for businesses, they can opt out.

Gleason said he backs parity because otherwise “we’re picking one kid over another. . . . Let’s not leave anybody behind. We shouldn’t. We shouldn’t.”

But Sen. John PAPPAGEORGE (R-Troy) said that lawmakers have to agree on a definition of mental health disorders. He said he was concerned that substance abuse could be included, something he said the state couldn’t afford.

Advocates argue that it would decrease expenses to businesses to include all neuropsychiatric disorders, but the Michigan Chamber of Commerce and labor groups have long opposed parity. The Snyder administration and Richardville also didn’t want that added to the package. Michigan is one of seven states without mental health parity.

MIRS has learned that Republicans like Sen. Judy EMMONS (R-Sheridan) were courted to introduce an amendment, but the Snyder administration voiced strong opposition.

The bills allow insurance carriers or third-party administrators to get reimbursements from the state for any autism-related claims, a compromise with business groups that have opposed the mandated health coverage. The bills create a $50,000 cap.

Under the package, the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) would be charged with creating and implementing an autism coverage incentive program through which carriers could seek reimbursement for paid claims.

LARA is also required under the bills to submit annual reports to the Legislature and the state budget office on funding the incentive program has awarded. Snyder has suggested that up to $15 million be deposited into the new state fund.

Read, then bookmark our Autism Insurance Reference Page to stay up to date as this battle continues in the MI House.

Or continue to stay in the conversation by “like”‘ing our FB page here  -My Great Kid FB ! and following us on Pinterest – Autism Insurance Legislation

February’s Lights Up, Sound Down Family Sensory Friendly Movie

Canton Cinema

Saturday Feb. 19 - Gnomeo and Juliet – 9:15am

Come Join Us This Saturday To Enjoy This Great New Family Movie!!!

I came across this idea over at “Good Housekeeping” and thought it was a great twist on the classic Christmas cookie idea plus it’s a GREAT little project to do with the kids.

Check out the link for the recipe and the “how to”.  Then, if you’re brave enough to try it,  let us know how it came out … include pictures!

Christmas Cookie Jigsaw Puzzle

As a special “thank you” to all of our friends and in honor of Autism Awareness Month (and oddly enough Stress Awareness Month – coincidence that these two are both in the same month?) we are offering the following

My Great Kid – Help My Kid Giveaway

What are we giving away …….

Understanding Your Child’s Test Scores WebEx CD Training (link)

• This is a great example of the phenomenal work that Peter Wright and the folks at Wrightlsaw do.  I’ve included a link above to the Wrightslaw website for a full description of the program but as the title suggests this is a 1.5 hr training – taken from Mr. Wright’s live training – that teaches parents HOW to truly understand their child’s test scores.  There is no part of the process that is more important to ensuring your child gets an appropriate IEP than truly understanding these scores.  Too often parents (myself included initially) make decisions based on what we think these scores and tests mean without ever full understanding what we’re seeing.  Surprisingly,  quite often many of the professionals at the schools don’t understand how to properly read and interpret these tests and scores either.  Learn how to generate better IEP’s with better goals and learn it all …. for FREE!

Special Education Law & Advocacy Training WebEx CD Training (link)

• Can’t make it to a live training with Peter Wright, or one of his associates, or have you been to one of his trainings but need a review (come on you can admit it,  they cover A TON of material and odds are you missed a couple of things) then this CD is what you’re looking for.  It is a 6 1/2 hour training presentation on CD ……. and we’re giving a bunch of them away for FREE!

When are we giving these FANTASTIC Wrightslaw products away?

• Every Friday throughout the month of April (9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th) we will be giving away a copy of the Wrightslaw “Understanding Your Test Scores” Training CD’s.
• Every Monday for the next four weeks (April 12th, 19th, 26th & May  3rd)  we will be giving away a copy of the Wrightslaw “Special Education Law & Advocacy” Training CD.

So, how will we choose the winners?

• Winners will be chosen randomly from those folks following us on Facebook and Twitter.
• So, if you’re following us on both Facebook and Twitter you double your chances of winning one of these great training CD’s.

We want to get the word out about this promotion to as many folks as possible SO we’ve come up with an ADDED bonus for those of you who are willing to help us.  On May 3rd the “My Great Kid” fan that has gotten the largest number of their friends to join us on Facebook and Twitter will get a special bonus prize …

• A copy of the “Understanding Your Child’s Test Scores” Training CD
• A copy of the “Special Education Law & Advocacy” Training CD
• A VIP Package to our Wrightslaw Special Education training (TBD)
  • 2 FREE Tickets to the conference
  • 2 Reserved Seats :  First row, smack in the center

How will we know who has sent us the most?

After your friends join our conversation via Facebook and Twitter, have them either drop us an email or send us a direct message via Twitter that says :

“My Friend Friend’s Name sent me!” (obviously, replacing the “Friends Name” part with your friends actual name).

HOWEVER, only names sent to me via DIRECT MESSAGES or EMAIL will be counted.

How do you send a Direct Message ~ easy:

• Twitter – In the status box they type  “D + username + message” so it would look like this “d mygreatkid AutismASK sent me!” (check this link for more info)

Email – This one is even easier send me an email Steve@MyGreatKid.com and throw the same message in the subject field  “My friend Friend’s Name sent me!”

SO, as a quick review we’ll be giving away:

• 5 Wrightslaw “Understanding Your Child’s Test Scores” Training CDs
• 5 Wrightslaw “Special Education Law & Advocacy” Training CDs
• 2 Tickets to our Wrightslaw Special Education Training (TBD)

AND ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS

• Fan us on Facebook
• Follow us on Twitter

Do both and double your odds of winning.  Does it get any easier than this?

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P.S.  – If you’ve got an IEP coming up soon and you can’t wait to see if you win one of these great training tools go to the Wrightlsaw site right now and purchase a copy for yourself.

P.S.S. – Speaking of Facebook, if you’re not already following Wrightslaw on Facebook get yourself over there quick and join the conversation.

** The CD’s are free but there will be a nominal charge for shipping (i.e.- all you have to pay is the actual shipping or postal charge, we’re not going to do that informercial “shipping and handling” thing where they charge you for shipping and $50 for handling)

This week on “The My Great Kid Radio Show” we will be interviewing Dr. Peter Green , Professor of Clinical Medicine and the Founder and Head of the Columbia University Celiac Disease Center.

• Articles from Dr. Green

Dr. Green is one of the top Celiac specialists in the world so if you, or someone you love, either has or you think may have Celiac Disease you can’t afford to miss this show!

• What Is Celiac Disease
• Symptoms of Celiac Disease
• Celiac Disease Symptoms Checklist Test

Celiac Facts & Stats (via CeliacCentral.org)

• Celiac disease is an autoimmune digestive disease that damages the villi of the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food.
• One in 133 Americans have celiac disease.
• Three million Americans across all races, ages and genders suffer from celiac.
• 95% of celiacs are undiagnosed or misdiagnosed with other conditions.
• 10 years is the average time a person waits to be correctly diagnosed.
• 17% of celiac patients have an immediate family member who also has celiac.

• Celiac disease can lead to a number of other disorders including infertility, reduced bone density, neurological disorders, some cancers, and other autoimmune diseases.

• $5,000-$12,000 is the average cost of misdiagnosis per person/per year of celiac, not including lost work time.
• There are NO pharmaceutical cures for celiac disease.
• A 100% gluten-free diet is the only existing treatment for celiac today.

• A positive attitude, 100% of the time, helps celiacs create a gluten-free lifestyle for themselves and their affected family members.
• 500,000 new celiac diagnoses are expected to occur in the next 5 years thanks to efforts to raise public awareness of celiac disease.
• The gluten-free marketplace is expected to reach $1.7 billion by 2010 thanks to new vendors manufacturing better tasting and more affordable products.

Our Guest: Sir Ken Robinson, Expert on Creativity, Education & Human Potential

Listen to our interview with Sir Ken ~ HERE (or visit the link on the bottom of this post to listen and download the interview)

We live in a country with a broken educational system.

Now, factions on all sides of the issue will point at each other and say the blame for the system’s failure rests with :

• The teachers
• The unions
• The politicians
• The parents
• Too much technology
  • (it shortens your attention, ruins your spelling and rots your brain …. you know that right?)
• Too little technology
  • (how can school “A” compete with school “B” when school “A” has all those computers, smart boards, internet connectivity, etc.)
• Too little money
  • (funny that while we spend more money on education than in the past nobody ever argues there’s too much money)
• Too much testing
  • (never time to teach ’cause we’re always having to teach for the test)
• Too little testing
  • (how can we know what works unless we have more outcome based testing)

But rarely does anyone come along and point out that maybe part of the problem isn’t all the pieces of the system as much as it is the system itself.

That’s part of the theme we explored with Sir Ken Robinson, an internationally recognized expert on education, creativity and human potential.

Now, normally that’s the kind of introduction you give someone who might be bright but is also magnificently boring.  That’s not the case with Sir Ken Robinson (the boring part…not the intelligent part). When I first heard his TED presentation (highlighted below) I was blown away.

Time after time throughout his presentation he made points that seemed to be specifically targeted at many of the frustrations and struggles that I’d been having with my own son and his education.  But beyond my son it was also the frustrations that I witnessed first hand with children we were working with who showed remarkable brilliance, talents and gifts yet somehow were being put in boxes by their schools for a lack of “educational ability”, “attention” and “control”.

While Sir Ken’s speaking style is a casual, conversational style wrapped in frequent colorful anecdotes and self-deprecating humor it all is done to create a framework for his many critical, insightful and at times biting points, including:

From his TED Talk

“We are educating people out of their creativity.”

“It’s education that’s meant to take us into this future that we can’t grasp.”

From an excellent piece he wrote in the Huffington Post:

The future for the American Dream is not the materialist coma that Edward Albee parodied in the 1960s, for which we’re now receiving the check. It has to be the wide awake dream of people like Martin Luther King — a passionate vision of social equality and personal possibility, of economic responsibility and cultural respect. Realizing this dream means thinking in radically different ways about ourselves and our children, about our relationships with the earth itself and about the billions of other people who are clinging to it with us.

All of this is the work of education. Not the sort of education we have now. The present system was designed for 19th century industrialism and it’s overheating in a dangerous way. Reforming education isn’t enough. The real task is transformation. America urgently needs systems of education that live and breathe in the 21st century. This is a large task and it can’t be put off.

I remember being told that Americans don’t get irony. I never believed that, but I had the proof it wasn’t true when I came across the education bill, No Child Left Behind. Whoever thought of that title clearly gets irony. The fact is this legislation is actually leaving millions of children behind. I can see that’s not a very attractive name for an education bill — “Millions of Children Left Behind” — but it’s closer to the truth and less ironic.

His problems with NCLB …

…the problems with NCLB are much deeper than money. The whole premise of the act is deeply flawed. It’s based on the fatal idea that to face the future schools just have to do better what they did in the past: they simply have to get back to basics and raise standards. Schools, and policy makers, should get back to basics. They should aim to raise standards too. Why would you lower them? But what are the basics now, and which standards should apply?

I said that the premise of the act is flawed. Actually there are three flawed premises. First, NCLB promotes a catastrophically narrow idea of intelligence and ability. The result is a terrible waste of talent and motivation in countless students. Second, it confuses standards with standardizing. The result is that schools across the country are becoming dreary and homogenized. And third, it assumes that education can be improved without the professional creativity and personal passion of teachers. The result is that too many good teachers are streaming out of the very schools that urgently need them to stay. All of this is holding America back in a world that’s moving faster than ever.

More From Sir Ken Robinson

• Sir Ken Robinson – Facebook
• Sir Ken Robinson – Twitter
• Sir Ken Robinson – You Tube

Two Great Presentations By Sir Ken (longer than his TED Presentation)

• Sir Ken Robinson – “A New View of Human Capacity”
• Sir Ken Robinson – UCLA Hammer Lecture Series

The Huffington Post Piece Referenced Above

• Transformation Education? Yes, We Must – Huffington Post Article

Great books by Sir Ken (click the book for more information or to order the books)

Our interview with Sir Ken Robinson on “The My Great Kid Radio Program” :

We’ve had the good fortune to have special education attorney Wayne Steedman provide us with high quality, professional answers to complicated special education law questions (IEP, ESY, LRE, AYP, MET, NCLB … if all these letters are leaving you feeling l-o-s-t, check out our “Special Education Terms” section of the Education tab) on our show as part of our “Wrightslaw Tip Of The Week” feature since shortly after the show started.

After a bit of tweaking with our schedules we were finally able to get him on the show live for a more in depth discussion…

Mr. Steedman is a practicing educational law attorney and founding partner of Callegary & Steedman and special education law trainer for Wrightslaw Special Education Law Training, more from his official bio:

Wayne Steedman is an attorney and founding partner in the law firm of Callegary & Steedman.

Mr. Steedman’s practice is devoted primarily to the representation of children with disabilities. He has represented his clients in administrative due process hearings and state and federal courts.

In addition to a law degree from the University of Maryland, Mr. Steedman has a Masters Degree in Social Work. For several years, he served as a Due Process Hearing Officer in special education cases. He is an active member of the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA).

Mr. Steedman is the author of “Advocating for Services: Legal Issues Confronting Parents and Guardians” in Growing Up with Autism: Working with School-Age Children and Adolescents.

Wayne and Pete Wright (Wrightslaw.com) have worked together since Wayne’s successful decision in Gerstmyer v. Howard County Public Schools. In Gerstmyer, the Judge found that a Montessori School was the appropriate placement for a child with dyslexia, a language learning disability. Read about this case in Parents of Dyslexic Child Reimbursed for Tuition at Montessori School.

We first met Wayne at a Wrightslaw Special Education Training that he was conducting in Toledo, Ohio a couple of years ago.  Not only did we learn a lot from him that weekend but we were also impressed with his down to earth ability to help parents (like us) understand what the law means (in non-legalese) for our children.

On January 24th, 2010 we interviewed Mr. Steedman and spoke to him about the importance of tracking your child’s progress towards their educational goals over the course of the year, and what to do if your child ISN’T making appropriate progress.

While he’s a special education attorney, much of the advice he gave is useful for the parent of any school age child – special education or not.

While this country’s special education system has many weaknesses and deficiencies one of it’s great benefits (at least potentially great), is the emphasis on closely monitoring student progress.  I say “potentially” because for many children this “progress monitoring” is done in such a generic, biased, sloppy manner that it has little value.  However, for the children whose parents are educated and advocate strongly for their children this monitoring has tremendous potential for real understanding and progress.

Disappointingly though, this same degree of monitoring and exploration is not done with ALL of the children in the school.  However, by using some of the practices and methods we discuss in our interview you can improve your child’s educational experience and insure that they’re truly making the progress that they should be (and know what to do if they’re not).

In addition to tracking your child’s progress we also discussed requirements for Extended School Year services and how to insure that the professionals working with your child are properly trained and qualified (automatically assuming that they are isn’t a good strategy).

In the second part of the show we spoke with Matt LaFontaine from the LaFontaine Automotive Group about automotive safety and automotive tips including getting the answer to a question we’ve had for a while about those “hydrogen” inflated tires.

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Articles Written By Wayne Steedman

• 10 Tips: How to Use IDEA to Improve Your Child’s Special Education Program
• Independent Educational Evaluations: What? How? Why? Who Pays?
• How to Request a One-to-One for Your Child
• Going on a Discovery Mission Behind “Enemy Lines

More Links For Wayne Steedman

• Wrightslaw Training Program Speakers – Bio of Wayne Steedman, Esq.
• Callegary & Steedman, P.A.
• Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA)

Nitrogen Tires

• Pros, cons of using nitrogen in tires
• Consumer Reports Cars Blog: Tires – Nitrogen air loss study
• Consumer Reports Cars Blog: Nitrogen in tires – Q&A
• Nitrogen in Tires : Information about Nitrogen Tire Inflation News, Benefits, Generator Dealers, Location Finder & More
• The Straight Dope: Is it better to fill your tires with nitrogen instead of air?

We use Nitrogen in our tires and I’d say it does seem to make a slight difference, however, we also are members of Costco and get it done for free.  Would we do it if we had to pay for it?  Probably not ….. unless it was really cheap.

When bad things happen who survives ….. and who doesn’t?

When life caves in around you who bounces back ….. and who collapses under the weight?

Why can a tragedy hit a family and one sibling self-destructs while the other one thrives?

Why do some folks seem to get all the breaks while others seem to live under a black cloud?

We just got confirmation that this weekend our guest will be Ben Sherwood author of the book “The Survivor’s Club” who will be able to help us answer some of these questions and more.

I started reading his book about a week ago and a half ago and it quickly bounced the other books I was reading out of the rotation (generally I try to read about three to four books at a time).

Knitting needles through hearts, mountain lion attacks,  getting hit by a 20 ton truck, getting ejected from an F-15 at supersonic speed (769 miles per hour) and enduring g-forces of nearly 9,000 pounds and living to tell about it are the kinds of stories that have a tendency to catch your attention.

The most fascinating thing about the book though isn’t the superhuman stories (actually it turns out they’re not superhumans) or the fantastic survival facts (you’re more likely to survive a heart attack in a Las Vegas Casino than a hospital) but the very real ideas and time proven concepts that you can use to improve your odds of surviving and thriving when bad things happen.

Now granted, the odds are that most folks reading this are not going to get attacked by a mountain lion or have to eject from a jet but the interesting part of the book is that many of the same tools that allow folks to survive those kinds of scenario’s are equally applicable in less dramatic scenario’s.

In a day and age where it seems like we can’t escape the bad news, bad economy, everything causes cancer, world gone crazy (earthquakes, hurricanes, blizzards, flooding) atmosphere, a book that teaches us how to survive and thrive in every situation is probably a good investment ….. and a heck of a read!

Even better though is the very real implications this has for those of us who have, or work with, kids.  Imagine if you could help THEM develop the traits, characteristics and mindset to survive the bumps (BIG and little) that life’s going to throw at them.  Afterall, what kind of job as a parent (or adult in general) are we doing if we DON’T teach our kids those kinds of things?

But don’t take my word for it, check out our interview this Sunday morning on “The My Great Kid Show” with author Ben Sherwood and judge for yourself.

A little bit about Ben Sherwood ….

Ben Sherwood is a bestselling author, award-winning journalist and executive director of TheSurvivorsClub.org. From 2004 to 2006, he worked as executive producer of ABC’s Good Morning America during the two most successful seasons in the program’s history. Sherwood guided prize-winning coverage of the tsunami in Southeast Asia, the devastation of hurricane Katrina, and the presidential election of 2004.

From 1997 to 2001, Sherwood served as senior broadcast producer and senior producer of NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw.

From 1989 to 1993, he worked as a producer and associate producer at ABC News PrimeTime Live with Diane Sawyer and Sam Donaldson.

Sherwood’s new book, The Survivors Club, is a non-fiction exploration of the science and secrets of who bounces back from everyday adversity and who doesn’t; who beats life-threatening disease and who succumbs; and who triumphs after economic hardship and who surrenders.

In January 2009, Sherwood founded TheSurvivorsClub.org, an online resource center and support network for people surviving and thriving in the face of all kinds of adversity.

A graduate of Harvard College and a Rhodes Scholar, Sherwood earned masters degrees in history and development economics at Oxford University.

He lives in Los Angeles with his wife Karen Kehela Sherwood and their son Will.

Ben Sherwood Links

• The book – “The Survivor’s Club”
• The website – The Survivor’s Club – The Place for Surviving & Thriving
• Facebook | The Survivors Club
• Ben Sherwood

• IHOP Free Pancake Day 2010

• What could this mean for education  Can a Mid-Day Nap Make You Smarter?

”The brain’s ability to learn information is not stable across the day,” Walker tells WebMD. The area of the brain that stores memories may get ”clogged up” as the day goes on, akin to a full email in-box on your computer, he says.

Napping at midday, when the brain’s ability to learn may have deteriorated, may clear the brain’s memory storage area and make room for new information, Walker says.

• Lawmakers tweet up a storm in D.C. – latimes.com – okay this may be easy to write this off in the “so what” category … but more open communication means easier access to our lawmakers, which means you have a quicker route to give feedback … if you choose to

• ‘Diabetic effect’ in dolphins offers new hope for type 2 diabetes cure

• Pediatricians call for a choke-proof hot dog – they are a choking hazard, but do we really want to redesign the hot dog?

Better yet, the academy would like to see foods such as hot dogs “redesigned” so their size, shape and texture make them less likely to lodge in a youngster’s throat. More than 10,000 children under 14 go to the emergency room each year after choking on food, and up to 77 die, says the new policy statement, published online today in Pediatrics. About 17% of food-related asphyxiations are caused by hot dogs.

“If you were to take the best engineers in the world and try to design the perfect plug for a child’s airway, it would be a hot dog,” says statement author Gary Smith, director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. “I’m a pediatric emergency doctor, and to try to get them out once they’re wedged in, it’s almost impossible.”

• Eureka_Brain_680626a.jpg (5244×3484)
  • This brain diagram is a cool visual of the different parts of the brain and what they are responsible.

AUTISM & CHILDREN WITH CHALLENGES

• Autism Moms Have Stress Similar To Combat Soldiers

• Autism Reshaping Grandparent Role, Survey Finds – Disability Scoop

• Teaching autistic child at home | | HeraldTribune.com

• Love hormone may help autism symptoms | Reuters

• Google SketchUp lets children with autism create – Salt Lake Tribune
  • Google SketchUp – this is a really fun program!

• Learning to Navigate the Learning Disabilities System – What To Do If You Suspect Learning Disability – NYTimes.com – good, basic article my only addition is that this advice isn’t limited to just suspecting a learning disability but also if your child is simply having trouble in school

• A Road Map to Help Parents Deal With the Financial Burden of Autism – NYTimes.com

• Prior Written Notice (PWN) is a Powerful Tool When Skillfully Used – Wrightslaw
  • Wrightslaw – How to Use a Parent IEP Attachment by Judy Bonnell

OLYMPIC ATHLETES INSPIRED BY BROTHERS WITH CHALLENGES

• Always-smiling brother with cerebral palsy is inspiration for gold medallist

• Kevin Pearce Injured Snowboarder – this was a great video played last night on the Olympics about snowboarder Kevin Pearce