Diversity.  We all know the obvious forms of diversity; race, nationality, gender, socioeconomic status, general background, etc. But, lately I find myself discussing a lesser known type of diversity; neurodiversity.  Neurodiversity is the concept that neurological differences (e.g., Dyspraxia, Dyslexia, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Dyscalculia, Autistic Spectrum Disorders, etc.) are respected as any other human variation.  Therapy Center of Buda has always embraced diversity and we celebrate the diversity of our families.  We don’t believe in “cures” and we don’t preach “looking normal.”  In fact, suppressing the communicative efforts, including stims and non-verbal forms of communication have long been proven to be counterproductive to overall communicative and daily living success.  Rather, listening to each individual and their wants, desires, requests, and rejections is a way to honor their communication styles.   

I played the video game Fortnite the other day with my teen grandson. As an educator, I’ve worked with thousands of kids with ADHD, social skills issues and similar challenges. And I wanted to know more about how Fortnite might affect them.

Fortnite is an online, multiplayer shooter video game. It’s free and can be played on a computer, on a gaming system like the Xbox, or on a mobile device. The most popular game mode is Battle Royale, where 100 players drop onto an island, try to find construction materials and weapons, and fight each other to be the last person (or team of people) standing. Players can talk to one another, and each game lasts 20 minutes. To get a sense of what it’s like, imagine an arcade version of the film The Hunger Games.

Fortnite has taken the world by storm. An estimated 50 million people play. There are news reports of kids playing at all hours of the day, late at night, and even under their desks at school. And many experts have weighed in on whether the game is good for kids.

by Bonnie Landau | Advocacy, IEP, Infographic, Special Ed Law

The IEP Team is suppose to help support your child, but sometimes their approach can be misleading. Knowing the law is key when advocating for your child. In my book, Special Ed Mom Survival Guide, I spend considerable time helping you learn about the law and how to apply it. In attending many IEP meetings as a special education advocate, I realized that the schools don’t quote the law when the deny services. Their information is hidden in messages that sound legitimate.
Here are 12 phrases I often hear that are really the IEP Team’s way of skirting around their obligation to provide services.

Having a child with special needs can be an emotionally, physically, mentally, and financially draining on a family. When diagnosed with a significant impairment like a genetic syndrome (e.g., Down Syndrome, Trisomy 13, XXX Syndrome, Marfan Syndrome), a congenital anomaly (e.g., Autism Spectrum Disorder, Cleft Lip/Palate, Encephalopathy, Spina Bifida, Encephalopathy), or an acquired syndrome (e.g., Traumatic Brain Injury, Cerebral Palsy, Aphasia) parents are inundated with doctor appointments and recommendations for therapies, medications, follow-ups, etc. In a perfect world, insurance would pay for everything recommended by a medical professional and we wouldn’t worry about the rising costs of said care. But, unfortunately that isn’t our reality.

Have you heard that we are EXEMPT from the mandated Superior/COFK program?!

Siblings of children with special needs have their own challenges.  People who grow up with a sibling with special needs are often equipped with amazing qualities like patience, kindness, empathy for others, and loyalty, all amazing traits for anyone to have. Here are some terrific books to check out if you love a sibling of a child with special needs.
                                                                                    *Click on the desired book cover for more information*

TRUTH. Our words matter; chose them wisely. 

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is combined array (a.k.a. spectrum) of disorders which were formally diagnosed separately as Autism, Asperger's Syndrome, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder, not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS).
 
People with ASD may have difficulty in the areas of social skills, communication, self-care, sensory integration, fine/gross motor skills, and behavior. These difficulties can range from mild to severe  A person on the spectrum might be non-verbal and unresponsive to their name or speak eloquently and possess an extensive vocabulary and early literacy. Knowing the signs of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is the first step to early identification.  


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Some of the most noticeable symptoms of ASD, according to the CDC are:

Well, friends...it's about that time of year...to start planning for the summer months!  We all know what that means...SUMMER CAMPS! It's often a challenge to find reliable and vetted summer programs for our special little ones...fortunately for us, our friends at AISD did the leg work for us! Click the photo below to download your copy.  As always, if you have ANY questions feel free to email, call, or visit with me.

All of us at TCOB are heartbroken to hear of the ongoing events in Austin (and Schertz) with the explosive devices.  We have a safety protocol that was established prior to these events and we will continue to honor those safeguards.  There is no direct threat to our facility; however, we ask our families and our community to remain vigilant and aware of your surroundings.  Please report any suspicious activity or packages/items to authorities immediately by calling 911.  As these events continue to occur it is important that we educate our children and also find ways to talk to them about what is happening while not traumatizing them and making them fearful to step outside of their home.  Our friends at The National Child Traumatic Stress Network published the following (unedited) document on how to talk to children about bombings.  We though it was a good time to share with our families and those beyond our walls.  Sending love to all those victimized.                                               

March is Trisomy awareness month, so it’s a perfect time to explain “what is trisomy?” Most people have 23 pairs of chromosomes, for a total of 46 chromosomes total.  Trisomy is a genetic disorder in which an individual has an extra chromosome (partial or whole). Early identification is important in order to best evaluate, treat, and monitor for any possible developmental deficits or possible medical complications.  Educating others of trisomy is important to not only provide a better understanding of the syndromes but to reinforce the notion that early intervention is vital for academic and social success.

Most common Trisomy disorders:

The term “stutter” is terribly outdated and oftentimes negatively viewed, rather I like the term “disfluent speech.” It is important to remember that we all have moments of disfluent speech, that doesn’t necessarily mean we all need speech-language therapy to address it.   The line that we draw to determine if therapy is recommended is the impact the disfluent moment have on one’s life, the severity/ frequency/duration of disfluent moments, and the accompanying tension with the disfluent moments.

Some of the most common types of disfluent speech include:

• Single word repetition (e.g. “I I I I I want a hamburger.”)
• Phrase repetition (e.g.,” I want a ham-ham-hamburger.”)
• Blocking (e.g., “I want a ham (pause) burger.”)
• Prolongation (e.g., “I want a hammmmmmmburger.”)
• Avoidance (avoiding saying word/s because the speaker anticipates a disfluent moment)
• Fillers (inserting words/sounds to offer the speaker more time to prepare for what they are saying; "like, "uh", "and".)
  

Sometimes I get the questions “why isn’t she talking yet” or “will he ever talk?”  In these moments it’s important to explain the communication pyramid.  The skills at the bottom of the pyramid (purple and blue) must be acquired before the skills at the top can be.  This is why we have to address play skills and receptive language before we can expect them to use sentences or master a conversation.

Do you have your tickets to the Day Out With Thomas yet? Don't worry,  we have you covered! We have TWO tickets to this awesome event we will give away this Friday (September 29, 2017) at noon. Want to throw your name in the drawing? All you have to do is write a review for TCOB on Google, Facebook, Yahoo, etc. Each review that gets posted gets entered to win (This means you can be entered several times if you post on different sites)!

DAY OUT WITH THOMAS TICKET includes a scheduled 25 minute train ride (October 1, 2017 at 11am) behind Thomas the Tank Engine, all day admission to the Day Out With Thomas events at the Burnet Community Center, and the following activities:

• Photos opportunities with Thomas the Train and Sir Topham Hatt
  *Photo packages can also be purchased by on-site photographer
• Rock climbing wall
• Inflatable Cranky the Crane
• Miniature golf
• Thomas Imagination Station of interactive play
• Temporary tattoo station
• Arts and crafts at Imagination Station
• Traveling balloon twisters
• Wooden Thomas play station
• Live children’s musical performances
• Storytelling and videos
• Magician
• Gift shop

http://www.austinsteamtrain.org/special-events/day-out-with-thomas/
 
**The winner will be announced via our Facebook page and the winner MUST pick up their prize by 6pm Friday September 29, 2017 at our office location (photo identification MUST match the name of the person shown online as the reviewer).**

Don't we all want to give a synopsis of our kiddos for their teacher/s at the beginning of the school year? Basically give them a resume of likes/dislikes/what works and doesn't? Well, you are NOT alone! We made this handy PDF to fill in the blanks and even add a photo of your child.  When you meet the teacher/s, aides, therapists, or even babysitters just hand them this "All About Me" page so they are sure to know all about your kiddo.  Download is available for FREE, just click the Download File button below and start filling in the blanks!

About 54 million Americans, one out of every five people, have a disability.  The language we use and the meanings we attach to those words mold the views of ourselves and others.  Using a diagnosis as a defining characteristic is a form of prejudice and fuels negative attitudes towards differently abled individuals.  People first language respectfully emphasizes the person before a diagnosis or disability.  It eliminates stereotypes and generalizations by focusing on the person rather than the disability.  Let’s lead by example and educate those who are unaware. What we say matters.

Talking to our kiddos about their day at school is important.  “Did you have a good day?” seems to be the automatic question we all ask, but it is important as parents to elicit more of a response.  We want kiddos to learn to tell us about things, not just answer questions with one word (close ended questions).  Let’s find some open ended questions that get our kids communicating with us! 

Read on for some sample questions.

Halloween is a really fun time…for most kiddos. But for those having difficulty with communicating, trick-or-treating can be very difficult task and so stressful that some will exclude themselves from enjoying such an activity.  We truly believe that although we all may have differences these are simply that and we must find different ways to include all children that would like to participate.  One of our therapists came up with this simple craft you can do at home WITH your child to help give him/her a voice to be included in trick-or-treating. 

Did you know that Therapy Center of Buda offers Autism Testing?  Our Certified Autism Specialist and your pediatrician work together to collect all necessary data to identify if your child is on the Autism Spectrum. 

We will provide you a comprehensive report and explain the outcomes. If needed, our specialist will personally provide you with recommendations and access to local, state, and federal resources that may help your child. Call us today for more information!

What you should know:

1. We utilize the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS-2) a well know diagnostic tool to identify Autism in children and adolescents.
2. Before we administer the ADOS we conduct a comprehensive speech-language evaluation.
3. Testing is conducted over 2 consecutive days.
4. Parents remain in the room and participate in data gathering!
5. We bill your insurance!
6. We test individuals 12 months to 21 years old.
7. Your pediatrician must support the testing (meaning if you are utilizing your insurance benefits they must send a prescription indicating ADOS testing is recommended).
8. Not only will you get a comprehensive report following your visit/s, but our specialist will personally provide you with recommendations and access to local, state, and federal resources that may help your child.