2024 Featured Artist Layla Crehan
Hello! My name is Layla, I’m an athlete, advocate, actor, artist, philanthropist and I’m autistic with anxiety disorder. My dream is to be a beacon of hope for others facing similar challenges. Art has been my lifeline, my sanctuary. I have been using art to express myself and to help calm my anxiety for all […]
2023 Featured Artist Zofia Perez
I am Zofia. I am 20 years old. I like to be called Lady Zap. I am an autistic entrepreneur and also with Down syndrome. I am the visionary behind, MySensoryArt.com, which sells handcrafted Sensory Wands I design to help people with stress and anxiety. I co-host a YouTube Channel, Zofia’s Sensory Spin, with my sister, Jemma, that unboxes […]
Support individuals with additional needs as you support your local businesses
Right now the additional needs’ community is full of stress and anxiety. It’s the process not the outcome that helps alleviate stress and anxiety. That is one of the reasons we want artists to get involved and not worry if they will win one of the top prizes. With that mission in mind, we came […]
A Success in My Life Journey
Hello! My name is Hannah Rose Kandel. My family and friends sometimes call me Hannie or Rosie, but I also like to be called HannieRosie. I’m 27 ½ years old and live in Naples, Florida. I’d like to share with you some recent steps I’ve taken toward an office job and a bright, fulfilling future. […]
Vision and Additional Needs: The Missing Link
The fact that you are on this site means you are searching for help. Hopefully, I can provide you with some answers. How important is it that you have your child’s vision checked? It might interest you to know that 70% of the brain utilizes vision; that is why any neurological or developmental delay can […]
How love started a company
Additional Needs, Inc. all started with one question to a friend, “Do you know of a place or an activity I can volunteer for?” The answer, “yes” started me on my additional needs journey. I started to volunteer for Art Fest Naples which benefited individuals with autism and their families that received services from Eden […]
My Transition from Dan Marino to STARability
I went to the Dan Marino 10-Month program from August 28, 2017, to my graduation on June 28, 2018. The program I chose to do was called the Microsoft Office Specialist track. I received my national certification in Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook. I lived with my life coach, Kris, in Miami, where I worked […]
As time goes on!
Our lovely eldest grandson has just had his twelfth birthday & is turning into a handsome boy, what a wonderful journey we have been on with him, with its highs & lows, us learning how to deal with a meltdown, him learning to live in a world he doesn’t totally understand, however, we wouldn’t change […]
It Takes A Village
Someone once said that it “takes a village” to raise a child. Nothing could be truer than this quote when you have a child with additional needs! I was lucky enough when our daughter was diagnosed on the autism spectrum in 1993 that I knew ONE other person who had a child on the autism […]
Nanor’s Tale: A Story of Unconditional Love for My Grandson with Autism
It was Father’s Day 12 years ago that our daughter and son-in-law told us we were to become grandparents for the first time, there was excitement, joy and anticipation awaiting his arrival. He was two weeks late and had a very traumatic entry into the world, being finally delivered by emergency C section. He was […]