Education
Through our education program, Breathe with MD, Inc. has developed a movement of proactive individuals and families affected by Neuromuscular Disease (NMD) who are informed about breathing muscle weakness. In addition to this website, we curate, create, and post educational content on our social media platforms. We also send our email list subscribers a monthly update with tips, news, and offerings relevant to respiratory involvement in NMD.
Through our education program, Breathe with MD, Inc. has developed a movement of proactive individuals and families affected by Neuromuscular Disease (NMD) who are informed about breathing muscle weakness. In addition to this website, we curate, create, and post educational content on our social media platforms. We also send our email list subscribers a monthly update with tips, news, and offerings relevant to respiratory involvement in NMD.
In its second year, our online course, "Breathing Muscle Weakness 101," in the CourseNetworking (CN) platform, was developed specifically for those living with a known or strongly suspected NMD, i.e. Muscular Dystrophy, Spinal Muscular Atrophy, Congenital Myopathy, or other conditions under the "MDA USA umbrella of muscle diseases" and loved ones of those individuals, (i.e. parent, guardian, sibling, spouse, significant other, or partner). Our 2025 course will include a new lesson published for participants approximately every three weeks and offer self-paced learning through mid-November, 2025.
Participants will learn, among other key topics, what happens to cause respiratory involvement in NMD, appropriate management and intervention options for breathing and coughing weakness, and what may help to avert pulmonary decline. They will gain the knowledge and confidence to engage in medical self-advocacy (speak up) in scenarios where clinicians who are inexperienced in NMD may prescribe dangerous or unhelpful interventions.
A course community will allow course participants to communicate with the course instructor, Breathe with MD, Inc. board members, and their peer classmates. Lesson-specific polls will provide additional opportunities to engage with course content. An optional course quiz will test course-takers' knowledge.
Participants will learn, among other key topics, what happens to cause respiratory involvement in NMD, appropriate management and intervention options for breathing and coughing weakness, and what may help to avert pulmonary decline. They will gain the knowledge and confidence to engage in medical self-advocacy (speak up) in scenarios where clinicians who are inexperienced in NMD may prescribe dangerous or unhelpful interventions.
A course community will allow course participants to communicate with the course instructor, Breathe with MD, Inc. board members, and their peer classmates. Lesson-specific polls will provide additional opportunities to engage with course content. An optional course quiz will test course-takers' knowledge.
"Breathing Muscle Weakness 101" Course Requirements -
Optional Considerations for the Course -
New Course Account Policy for 2025:
An individual who has not logged onto their course account 45 days after the "Set up your CN account for Breathing Muscle Weakness 101" email was sent to their provided email address will have their course account inactivated/removed from the course. If the individual still wants to take the course, they will need to submit the enrollment form again to request another account. If an account is available, an account email will be sent to them. This policy ensures the fair distribution of our limited number of purchased course accounts. Please direct any questions to Info@breathewithmd.org.
- Ability to read written English and hear and understand spoken English
- Access to a desktop computer, laptop, or notepad device with audio (The course may be accessed from a smartphone, but course content may be difficult to see.)
- Internet access capable of streaming videos
- Ability to log onto a provided URL (web address) in an Internet browser such as Google Chrome, Safari, Microsoft Edge, etc. with a provided user ID and self-created password
Optional Considerations for the Course -
- Ability to join a live Zoom meeting with or without camera
- Ability to print lesson slides and supplemental materials for future reference
New Course Account Policy for 2025:
An individual who has not logged onto their course account 45 days after the "Set up your CN account for Breathing Muscle Weakness 101" email was sent to their provided email address will have their course account inactivated/removed from the course. If the individual still wants to take the course, they will need to submit the enrollment form again to request another account. If an account is available, an account email will be sent to them. This policy ensures the fair distribution of our limited number of purchased course accounts. Please direct any questions to Info@breathewithmd.org.
Note: Attempts to request a course account from the Breathe with MD, Inc. course page on the Course Networking website will fail. All course accounts must be requested through the form at the "Enroll Now" button above and will be sent to the enrollee in 48 hours or less.
Our organization further supports our mission through the following.
Support
Outreach
Supplies Distribution
Pulse Oximeters
Mentoring
Support
Outreach
Supplies Distribution
Pulse Oximeters
Mentoring