Fun, Functional and Safe Ways to Make Meal Prep Therapeutic For You and Your Child

By Denise Meissner
Occupational Therapist, mother of a child with Autism, and creator of QCharm Portable Visual Cueing System.

What do you think a TV talk show or DIY show might look like if the celebrity had to prepare the meals and then clean up the mess…all while caring for children with autism?!

During times when my son with autism wants to “help” me in the kitchen, I imagine Rachel Ray or Martha Stewart incorporating Applied Behavior Analyses and Picture Exchange Communication Symbols throughout their shows. But the reality is that parents must be creative if trying to have a fun kitchen experience while involving their special needs child.

When I learned how to cook, I was not taught how to simultaneously manage the behaviors of a child (or more than one child) who was throwing a tantrum, throwing food, or throwing a punch. So here are some tips that I’d like to share and that I think will greatly improve the home care experience for parents and special needs children.

As an Occupational Therapy Student (back in 1990), I spent 3 months working with children with autism and I found myself feeling overwhelmed, frustrated and exhausted. During this internship, I learned how to use daily tasks, such as meal prep, to help children explore and tolerate various tastes and textures, to encourage them to use both hands together, and to help them improve their ability to focus on a task or work through episodes of frustration. I was supposed to help them reach out of their comfort zone, but in reality they stretched me out of mine.

Ironically, I now have a child with Autism and he too has pushed me out of my comfort zone…thank goodness! Through my son’s behaviors, communication and supervision needs I have been given plenty of opportunities to learn new and exciting ways to work with him, to interact with him and to cherish him.

Today I would like to give you a few ideas that might help you interact, protect and cherish your child when you are in the kitchen:

1. Colors make sense: While researching paint colors for our kitchen and dining room areas, I learned that yellow is excellent for improving concentration, mental alertness, and mood. I even read that yellow is used in rooms to help those with dyslexia. Since we use our kitchen for both meal prep and scheduling, we did indeed paint our kitchen yellow.

2. Smells make scents: Because the sense of smell part of the brain (olfactory) is connected to the emotional center of the brain, aromas have a strong impact on our moods. There are several ways in which you can create a pleasant kitchen environment (to encourage you and your child to get in and stay in the kitchen), such as using flameless candles or plug-ins, scented pine cones and potpourri, air fresheners, odor eliminators, and even odor eating trash bags.

3. Stimulators: Whether your child craves sensory input or avoids textures/colors/ aromas, visual cues can help your child participate in meal prep (and eating). My home trainer and I set up several series of 4-5 visual cue cards in order to show different parts of one task, desired behavior before-during-after a task, rewards for positive behavior efforts, and to show how to be safe and why. To make the cues readily available yet decorative, I placed the cue cards in picture frames. You can easily place cards in the plastic frames that magnetically hang on your fridge. This also keeps the cards clean and in shape.

4. Simulators: To help your child practice slicing, cutting, peeling, serving and handling food items, you can use sets such as “Classroom Play Food,” “Cutting Fruit Plate,” “Birthday Party,” “Peel ‘N’ Play Veggies,” Slice n’ Serve Pizza,” “Hook n’ Loop Sandwich,” and “Cutting Food Box.” I discovered these sets in the catalog Beyond Play (www.beyondplay.com). These sets also give your child a chance to work next to you while you prepare a meal, which has two benefits: a) your child can observe and copy your behaviors and b) you can keep your child safe.

5. “Pairing” knife: To safely engage your child in meal prep, pair this task with something your child enjoys. For example, my son prefers to use “grown-up” utensils and I prefer that he not slice off his fingers. To make us both happy, I use Pampered Chef’s “My Safe Cutter” ($3.00).

6. Carry Out: If your child receives physical, occupational or speech therapy, you may have a home program to carry out so that learning and progress can occur outside of the clinic or school. Work with your therapist(s) and find ways to incorporate the program into the daily routine, rather than adding to your routine. For example, if your therapist wants your child to improve hand coordination, help your child wheel barrel walk to the kitchen (to improve shoulder strength and stability) and then give your child small food items to manipulate.

We can’t always afford a sitter to care for our children so we can prepare meals in peace. But we can use meal prep to foster our child’s development and help us enjoy time spent out of our comfort zones.

To enjoy fun, functional and portable visual cues-no matter whose kitchen you’re in- please visit www.qcharm.com. Let us create our patent pending wristband/removable charms kits for you. (200 Boardmaker images available. Website to be updated.)

NAET & Nutrition for ASD Children

By David Sontag, L.Ac, A.P. L.N.C

Many times, parents have shown up in my office with their child having been told, “Your child is autistic and nothing can be done.” Some children are subjected to endless invasive procedures that either produce no result or, at best, a transitory result that leads nowhere. Then the child is placed in various programs to improve language and social skills etc., which are worthwhile.

When coupled with a child’s debilitating “additional” comorbid symptoms, a worthwhile educational intervention can often increase the child’s emotional stress - to the maximum. This can result in a child that increasingly acts out in inappropriate ways. Many parents place their child on various supplement plans that have great potential. Unfortunately, all too often, I feel these supplement plans are excessive, such that a child is taking too many micronutrients daily.

Many alternative practitioners have come to realize that rather than treating the primary symptoms of ASD first, it is the treatment of the “addition” and underlying manifestations that bear the most fruit. While one cannot ignore primary symptoms like head banging, as we must act to protect the child from self-injury, in my experience, effective treatment of the comorbid allergic symptoms and gastrointestinal (GI) issues are vital if any progress is to be made.

To be clear, it does not matter how many supplements one gives a child if they have poor gastrointestinal health. A child with ASD needs supplementation for sure, but the only supplements a GI compromised child “needs” are ones that can help to return them to optimal GI health. Until that time, most if not all, the rest are wasted and may even add to the GI problems.

Tied into poor GI function, and just as important, are a child’s allergic or sensitivity issues. Not only can allergic symptoms make your child miserable in uncounted ways, they can also be part of the cause of poor GI function.

A child that is plagued by GI issues (i.e. diarrhea, pain, etc.) and is constantly assaulted by various symptoms of allergic origin, can clearly be driven to distraction. Both issues need to be treated concurrently and that is where I start with all spectrum children that enter my practice.

I have been practicing NAET (Nambudripad Allergy Elimination Technique)) since 1996 and have treated many children with ASD, PDD and AD(H)D. Many, if not most, of these children have benefited from being treated with NAET protocols. I know that many parents are skeptical as to what NAET has to offer their child, so I provide a free consultation to help patients understand this uniquely effective treatment.

The genius of NAET is that it integrates the energetics of an allergic substance into the treatment that helps the body normalize the irritating allergic reaction, such that it no longer upsets the normal flow of the body’s energy. The end result is the child no longer reacts negatively to the allergic substance, becomes less distracted and regains focus. This results in allowing the child to pay more attention and to learn with greater ease.

Over time, the normalization of GI tract function and the elimination of irritation caused by allergies or sensitivities allows many children to regain focus, have more eye contact and become more involved in their surroundings.

David Sontag, L.Ac, A.P, Licensed Nutritionist & Certified NAET Practitioner, has a private practice located in North Miami Beach, Florida. He offers a free consultation to help parents decide if their ASD child can benefit from GI normalization and NAET.

Please call 305-949-2990 or email him at acudoc@bellsouth.net for your free consultation.

Hyperbaric Therapy - Center for HOPE

By the South Florida Center for H.O.P.E.

Autism is a neuro-developmental disorder currently affecting as many as one out of 150 children in the United States. Characterized by impairments in social interaction, difficulty with communication, restrictive and repetitive behaviors, it affects children from all socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds. Previous to the 1990s, autism was considered a rare condition occurring in approximately one in 2,500 children.

However, according to the U.S. Department of Developmental Services, the prevalence of Autism spectrum disorders increased 556 percent from 1991 to 1997 and is now more common than childhood cancer, cerebral palsy, Down’s syndrome, spina-bifida, and cystic fibrosis. In addition, it is found throughout the globe and the occurrence worldwide is increasing 33.8 percent per year.

Autism is not completely understood, but now we are beginning to unravel some of its mysteries. Ongoing clinical research reveals that reduced blood flow to certain areas of the brain, most notably in the temporal areas, specifically relates to deficiencies in language comprehension and auditory processing. Reduced blood flow also affects areas of the brain that regulate behavior, communication and social interaction, which correlates to clinical features associated with autism.

Other characteristics of autism are cerebral inflammation, nerve inflammation and increased levels of oxidative stress (abundance of heavy metals in the brain). Other suspected causes of the condition are:

·

Vaccinations (preserved in mercury)

· Environmental Toxins

· Lack of glutathione

· Yeast

· Viral infections

· Foods containing Genetically Modified Organisms

· A hiatal hernia disrupts protein digestion

· Type A milk protein

There are many types of autism, however the three main types are:

· Autistic Disorder or True Autism, which impairs social interaction and is the most serious and results in stereotyped behaviors, interests, and activities

· Pervasive Developmental Disorder (P.D.D.), commonly referred to as atypical autism and less serious than true Autism. People with this type of autism tend to think literally, and do not understand humor.

· Asperger’s Disorder (High Functioning Autism), is characterized by impairments in social interaction and is the least serious.

One of the most effective therapies in treating children with autism and other neuro-developmental disorders is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT). Clinical studies show HBOT has been used successfully, at varying pressures, to treat a range of conditions by increasing the blood flow to the brain and reducing oxidative stress. Each HBOT treatment involves breathing 100 percent oxygen (air we normally breathe consists of 21 % oxygen) in a pressurized cylindrical acrylic chamber for a regulated and prescribed amount of time.

The therapy plan includes depth of pressure, length of treatment time and frequency of treatment, and is prescribed by the attending hyperbaric physician. HBOT has a cumulative effect and current treatment protocol for autism requires 20 to 40 sessions or “dives”. Sessions are done five days a week for at least four weeks.

HBOT is a commitment for both the parents and the autistic child. It requires faithful dedication to keeping appointments for the entire course of treatment. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is a medical modality that has been in existence since 1936. Through the efforts of a handful of dedicated health care professionals HBOT has escalated from obscurity to an accepted therapy in mainstream medicine.

Among those health care professionals is Hope Fine RRT., CHT founder of the SOUTH FLORIDA CENTER FOR H.O.P.E. (Hyperbaric Oxygen Producing Environment) a premier free standing center, located in Deerfield Beach, Florida. Hope has dedicated herself for the past 25 years to providing the highest quality of health care and has an extensive background in Respiratory Therapy & Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy. South Florida Center for H.O.P.E.’s staff physician is on board to oversee and evaluate patient treatment progress.

South Florida Center for H.O.P.E. is a provider for most major managed care insurance companies. In many cases private insurance pays for HBOT. South Florida Center for H.O.P.E. prides itself in being one of the first free-standing Hyperbaric Oxygen facilities to receive reimbursement for treatment of Autistic patients.

* Besides HBOT, South Florida Center for H.O.P.E. recommends the following on an ongoing basis:

· ABA (applied behavioral analysis)

· Gluten free/Casein free diet.

These three pieces of the Autistic “puzzle” work together in the fight to overcome this disorder.

The Centers insurance specialist’s are highly skilled in the strategic process involved in filing claims. In addition, they assist each and every patient with their insurance needs from start to finish.

Patient Coordinator is available for a free consultation.

*A not-for-profit fund has been established to help low income families pay for Hyperbaric Oxygen therapy and ABA.

For more information on the fund, please see their website at www.fundforhope.com.

South Florida Center for H.O.P.E., Inc.

1898 Suite H West Hillsboro Blvd. Deerfield Beach, Florida 33442

Local (954) 571-9392 – Toll Free (866)-473-4673 (HOPE)

Email hbotx@bellsouth.net

More information is available on the Website: www.sfcenterforhope.com

Does it Truly Matter if There’s Gluten, Casein, Dyes or Other Allergens in my Skincare and Bath Products?

By Christine Gillund
In The Potter’s Hand Inc.

Well, does it matter? Absolutely, and here’s why:

· Skincare products, along with any troublesome allergens they contain will easily transfer to your mouth from your hands, hair, face and lips. They also transfer from the skin or lips of anyone else that you kiss.

· Gluten, casein, dyes, chemicals and allergen proteins will absorb directly into your body through cracked skin, cuts, rashes or from shaven areas.

· If you use bath products with gluten, casein, dyes or any allergen to which a child is allergic, they remain in the bath water and will most likely ingested during the bath. For children, the unintentional transfer of these materials to their mouth is a daily problem as they put their hands in their mouth, lick their arm or chew on a strand of hair.

Bath and hair products that run down the face and lips, or are rinsed off into the tub water also pose a great problem; what mother has not caught their child sucking on a wash cloth, drinking bath water or putting tub toys and fingers in their mouth?

Adults find it easier to control the unintentional exposures from skin care and hair care products containing these unwanted particles, however It’s not always necessary to ingest gluten, casein, dyes or allergens for symptoms to occur. Chemical compounds applied to the skin in the form of lotion, soap or other skin care products can be absorbed through the skin and affect the body, just like medications that are administered through a patch. Larger molecules like proteins from allergens can make their way into your body if the skins protective barrier is damaged. Examples of this would be if you have dry cracked skin, scrapes or have recently shaved.

The best advice is to evaluate your specific situation; if things are going well, then this may be a non-issue for you. If you are struggling despite your best efforts, then a change to gluten-free, casein-free and dye-free skincare products may be the help you need.

You will want to consider making these changes for everyone in your household.

Conventional lotions, soap, shampoo, conditioner, lip products etc, normally contain gluten, casein or dyes and it’s not an easy task to identify those that do from those that don’t. It is difficult to even find companies that will give you a complete list of ingredients or even know what potential allergens their products contain.

In The Potter’s Hand offers three lines of gluten-free, casein-free, allergen specific skincare, bath, baby and spa products, with full disclosure of all ingredients to help the Autism, Celiac, Chemical Sensitivity and Allergy communities. The product lines are Dakota Free Products, Millennial Essentials and Gluten-Free Savonnerie.

More information can be found online at DakotaFree.com and GFSoap.com

Art Therapy: How Can It Help Children with Autism?

By Peg Dunn-Snow, www.ArtTherapyforChildren.com

Art is a normal childhood experience that provides hours of independent, enjoyable experiences. Art promotes a means of communication and illustrates what children understanding about themselves, others, and their environment. Using common yet personalized symbols, young children draw what they know.

Therapy is an activity that supports and helps individuals and families accept and transcend the unexpected “Ifs in Life” (to borrow from a popular insurance tag line)

Art Therapy is not yet a household word so what is it and how can children, especially those diagnosed with autism, benefit from this hybrid profession of art and therapy?

Art Therapy Training Defined

Art therapy is an established health profession represented by the American Art Therapy Association since 1969. Using art materials often yields self awareness that leads to changes in behavioral, cognitive, and affective responses to stress or complex situations. The art therapist can provide support to individuals, couples, families, and groups depending on the therapist's clinical training.

Today training as an art therapist is comparable to other mental health professions, including counseling, clinical social work or marriage and family therapy. Art therapy is a Masters level entry profession with training and national board certification, requiring supervision before and after graduation.

For more information about the profession of art therapy as well as online resources on art therapy and autism please consult the following websites

www.americanarttherapyassociation.org

www.art-therapy.us

Advantages of Art Therapy

1. We think in images … therefore art stimulates the creation of new images and ideas that promote the creative process both narrowly in an artistic way and broadly in a creation of solutions in living.

2. Art is another Language… that is used less often to communicate and therefore is not as easily controlled. Unexpected thoughts and feelings can burst forth in a picture or a sculpture and often form the beginning for insight, learning and growth.

3. Artwork is permanent…and is not subjected to distortions of memory. It remains the same. It can be viewed intact weeks and months later. Reviewing their artwork can help individuals develop new insights over time.

4. In art experiences and relationships occur in space …and are not limited to time. All at once the present time can be portrayed in artwork as it is influenced by past experiences and future wishes.

5. Art promotes more open and revealing discussions…as individuals are more comfortable talking about their artwork than having a face- to- face discussion with another person.

6. Art can be used in daily living…and individuals are taught how to use art therapeutically to help themselves after therapy sessions end ( Wadeson, 1980)

Principles of Art Therapy When Working with Children

· All children are reachable

· Making art is a normal activity for children

· Art therapy assessments are used to discover children’s strengths

· Follow the child’s lead. Children know what they need and want to communicate about.

· Provide children with good enough art materials and protect their artwork as you would protect them. Honor their artwork and view it as an extension of the child.

· Parent involvement is a necessity

Evaluating Strengths

The biggest benefit of art therapy is its ability to highlight children’s strengths. Following good teaching principles, art therapy supports what a child can do and how to tailor each child’s treatment for developing additional skills for learning and living. In the case of children diagnosed with autism those developing skills have three areas of focus: language development , a sense of self, and sensory integration to help children strengthen their gross and fine motors skills, build relationships with others, and help them relate to their world and their environment (Betts, 2005).

Some Art Activities and Techniques that Parents Can Use Language Development

· Traditional Language Development Materials (Example: Sequencing Cards)

· Language Experience Stories

· Read-A-Loud Stories

· Singing

· Rhymes and Poetry

· Puppetry

· Developing a Sense of Self

· Following the Child’s Interest

· Self Portraits

· Photographs of Self in Collage Artwork

· Three-Dimensional Life Size Portraits

· Mask-Making

Developing Sensory Integration and Building Relationships

· Finger-painting in the shower

· Sandplay

· Water-play

· Cut and Paste Art Activities (Example: Magazine Collage)

· Papier-mâché Art Activities

· Still Life Drawings

· Traditional Childhood Activities (Card and Board Games, Tic Tac Toc, Hop Scotch)

· Photographs of Self and Others to Teach About Feelings

· Interactive Scribble Drawing

· Corresponding by Email

· Annual Arts and Crafts Projects That Establish Family Traditions During Holidays

Peg Dunn-Snow may be reached at (305) 542-4033.

One Parent’s Story on the Benefits of ABA and Special Needs Programs

Managed and owned by Michael Moed for the past seventeen years, Friendly Tire has emerged as one of the top used and new tires facilities in all of Broward County. Through hard work and much experience, Moed has built the Friendly Tire business into prominent status in the discount tire industry. He is also the father of three boys, Seth, Ryan, and Aaron and one daughter, Sydney. The Moed family became aware of autism when his youngest son, Aaron, was diagnosed with a mild case of autism at the age of 2 in 2003.

Moed has been around the tire business since an early age. His father owned a tire store of his own, where he worked at and gained much valuable experience in the field that would later lead to success with his very own store not too many years later. Moed learned his strong work ethic and responsibility from his father while working for his father. Now with Friendly Tire, Moed carries along those strong morals and applies them to his own business that has held its own and become very successful.

Aaron’s family became determined to do everything they could to support Aaron and help him get better as much as possible. Even till this day Aaron goes through many speech, behavioral, and occupational therapy sessions. The hard work represented by Moed in his occupation highly resembles the family’s determination to make Aaron’s life better.

Before Aaron was diagnosed with autism, the family knew nothing about it. When Aaron was first diagnosed, they received much information from Nova Southeastern University Card Services. As Aaron was already receiving speech therapy, the family added on Applied Behavior Therapy (ABA) as recommended by his preschool teacher and speech therapist.

Nova aided the family in finding a private ABA therapist who started working with Aaron when he was 3 years old. The therapist was instrumental in Aaron’s progress as it was through her work that Aaron started to talk and follow 1-2 step directions. In time the family started to see progress in other areas and realized the potential that Aaron had inside of him. It became clear how important therapy is to a child with autism. Following the addition of ABA, the family also added occupational therapy to Aaron’s program.

Occupational therapy is generally a very important part of an autistic child’s program. Currently Aaron receives ABA therapy for eight hours week at Behavior Analysis. After the initial private therapist that Aaron first worked with, the family had a tough time searching for a new one that was just as effective. They experienced ones that just didn’t care about their jobs and ones that cared way too much but only because of the monetary value of it. Like the movies, it turned out that the sequel did not end up being as good or close to the first.

As a family, they were left clueless and they were not sure what to do in order to aid Aaron. Michael and his wife, Debbie, began to search for different special needs educational options. The task became difficult as it was soon to be discovered that there were such a limited amount of schools for special needs children and that the remoteness of the locations were less than favorable.

His parents eventually found a suitable education and finally Aaron began his education at a preschool program held at the Atlantic West Elementary public school of Broward County schools. He then went to a private school with a small amount of children that did not turn the way they expected it to. Once Aaron got older and entered elementary school age, they decided to send him to the special needs program at Parkside Elementary School where he still attends today.

The Moed family has tried to help Aaron in all aspects including joining different organizations such as the National Autism Society, Autism Speaks, and the Autism Society of America. Aaron also participates in a program called the Friendship Circle, which is a program that offers free events for special needs children in which they are partnered up with a teenage volunteer. The program is run by the Chabad of Parkland. He has also participated in sports leagues for special needs children where the sports included baseball. Aaron’s family does activities with him daily such as going outside and playing soccer or even just going to get groceries. Everyone in the family has sacrificed a great deal in order to make Aaron’s life the best it can possibly be.

The future for Aaron is appearing to be brighter as time goes on. Aaron’s attendance at a typical camp this summer, combined with his new therapies will help with his progress and add to the potential for more classroom mainstreaming. Active treatment is worth it and the benefits derived from it are vast.

Michael Moed is the owner of Tire Service - www.FriendlyTire.net.

Financial Planning For Families With Special Needs Children

By Robert Weisbein, President of Complete Financial

Financial planning for families with special needs children is complex and very different from the typical planning of ones own retirement and estate.

Structured properly, it can assure that a child retains the same quality of life that his parents provided. But if the financial and legal arrangements are mishandled, a well-intentioned parent could destroy a son or daughter's eligibility for essential -- and expensive -- services.

Social Security provides special-needs individuals with money for food, shelter, clothing and medical care. Having even a modest amount of assets in their own names can cut them off from benefits.

The complexity of laws and the emotional issues are the biggest problems for special needs families – resulting in a failure to plan. The federal law says if you leave a person with special needs with more than $2,000, they'll automatically lose benefits. It kind of paralyzes people to not doing any planning.

But without proper planning, a family member with special needs could become a ward of the state after his parents' death.

While every family's situation will be unique, there must always be a special needs trust, a letter of intent, a trustee and a guardian.

The special needs trust is a special trust with one purpose: to leave assets to care for a loved one while protecting his eligibility for government benefits. It needs to be drawn up by an attorney with background in that area.

We stress that special needs planning requires a qualified team that includes a family member, a social worker or medical professional to discuss ongoing care needs, an attorney and a certified public accountant.

Don't make the mistake of using a relative or friend if that person lacks the proper experience.

Ask the attorney and CPA how many special needs trusts they've handled in the past year, what percentage of their client base is special needs families, and how well-versed they are in government benefits eligibility.

This kind of estate planning is different. Here, oftentimes, you need to create money, not preserve it. It's also critical to alert extended family members about the existence of the trust.

Funding options

When considering funding sources for the trust, parents not only have to consider their own longevity for retirement, but the potential life spans of their children.

Your decisions for what happens to them depend on knowing very well could be there long after you are gone. You're not dealing with a 12-year-old. Your planning has to take into consideration not just your supporting you in retirement for 25 years or more but for the support of your child for this life expectancy which may be many years beyond that.

The most common source of funds in a special needs trust is life insurance. We recommend a second-to-die, or survivorship, policy, which only pays out when both named policyholders die and, thus, is more affordable than regular policies.

We caution against considering a house or an individual retirement account as the principal asset funding the trust.

You have to make sure your retirement is set first. How will you be able to help your special needs child if you can't take care of yourself?

For those parents who can afford it you may want to consider an immediate annuity. You take a lump sum of money and give it to an insurance company in return for a lifetime income, no matter how long your child lives.

Letter of intent

The letter of intent is your instructions to the trustee and the guardian on how you want your child cared for when you're gone. It's not a legal document, so it should be witnessed and notarized. If the child has cognitive ability, he should be involved in drafting the letter.

It should be specific, and cover such issues as health care, education, living arrangements and religious preferences. If your child loves baseball and you want him to be able to go to every home game, this is the place to discuss that.

Share it with the guardian because it tells them what you expect. When you just ask, 'You're always going to make sure Johnny's taken care of, right?' it's very vague. The name and address of physicians, areas of specialty, doctors you never want them to go back to, put that in.

Choosing who will care for your child

In addition to establishing and funding a special needs trust, the most critical decisions for parents are the selection of a trustee and a guardian. The trustee will have control over the child's money and its investment; the guardian will be responsible for his day-to-day care, including life-and-death medical decisions. It's vitally important because "when someone turns 18, they're a legal adult whether they function as one or not.

Some families may decide to use the same person as trustee and guardian; most choose two people, or may use a family member as guardian and a financial institution as a trustee. Since the individuals will have responsibilities to the child for his lifetime, successors need to be selected as well.

Once a trustee and a guardian have been selected, it's important to review the plan on a regular basis, or at least after a major life event, such as a marriage, divorce, a job change, or the birth of a child. – www.cfinc.net