On the Horizon – 02/22/2011

Horizons Developmental Remediation Center
On the Horizon
On the Horizon

Welcome to “On the Horizon”

Issue 137: More than Words

On the Horizon is an award winning weekly ezine for parents of children with developmental disabilities who want simple, effective strategies to reduce stress, support their child’s development, and improve quality of life for the whole family.

To keep receiving On the Horizon,
please add the email address “nicolebeurkens@horizonsdrc.com” to your safe address list.

In This Issue

New Ideas

A Note from Nicole: “Light Bulb” Moments

Idea of the Week:  Fruit Salsa

Feature Article: More than Words

The Horizons Team Recommends:  Do Something Daily

Allergen-Free Recipe of the Week: Tomato Soup

Upcoming Events:
Horizons Events, Teleseminars & Workshops

A Note From Nicole
Nicole Beurkens

Hi Everyone,

I love it when a plan comes together, don’t you?  In the last week I’ve had the pleasure of seeing some things click for families who have been struggling for a while.  They are seeing how all the parts of their child’s challenges fit together, and how focused work and intervention in one area impacts the others.  These “light bulb” moments are exciting to see, because I know that once parents truly understand how and why things work they are much more motivated to put forth the effort it takes to implement changes with their child.  Have you had any great “light bulb” moments lately with your child?

The article this week by Michelle focuses on a really important component of development for all children – nonverbal communication.  If you don’t already understand the importance of nonverbal communication for your child’s development, perhaps this article will provide a great “light bub” moment for you.  We’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences if you care to share them in the comments section beneath the article.

Make the most of your week!

Looking to the horizon,

Idea of the Week

Fruit Salsa

Fresh Fruit!

Take 1 Fuji apple – peeled, cored and diced, 1 cup sliced fresh strawberries, 2 kiwis, peeled and sliced, 2 bananas, peeled and sliced, 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg—mix this all together and chill in a covered bowl in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes.  This tastes best served with warm cinnamon & sugar tortilla chips.

Feature Article

Talking

More than Words

By: Michelle VanderHeide

I recently read the book “Growing Girls: The Mother of All Adventures”. Jeanne Marie Laskas, a mother of two little girls adopted from China, writes this story. What an adventurous life this family has, and what a fun book to read. Her writing style has kept me interested in what is going to happen next, as I’ve laughed with her and cried with her. She also adds an educational component, helping her readers understand the parents’ perspective of dealing with issues of adoption and language development. Her youngest daughter has apraxia, and portions of the story discuss the family’s journey to helping her daughter develop speech. Here is a segment from her book:

“She managed to communicate this wish to me with her eyes and her broken sounds and both of her arms gripping my thigh with joy. So much of language has nothing to do with words. Perhaps this is why I’m not more worried about Sasha’s speech disorder: I forget. Her lack of intelligible talking doesn’t get in the way of my knowing her, or loving her, or enjoying her company. When it comes to sociability, a language disorder is a remarkably surmountable obstacle.”

Read more …

The Horizons Team Recommends

Learn More Here

Do Something
Daily Calendar

Do you dread hearing your child complain, “I’m bored”?

Struggle to
think of something fun you can do together?

Have trouble squeezing one-on-one time with her into your
day?

That’s why we
created the Do Something Daily Calendar.
The Calendar offers a daily dose of inspiration and ideas
for spending time together–whether you have 60 seconds or 60
minutes.

For more information, click here.

NEW! Allergen-Free Recipe of the Week

Tomato Soup

Whether you have just started a special diet with your child or you have been following one for years, it can be difficult to come up with what to serve. We decided to try to make that just a bit easier by providing you with a new allergen free recipe each week.

While it is impossible to meet every person’s unique food sensitivity needs, we hope you will find these recipes helpful and delicious. Please feel free to adapt the recipes to meet your needs and taste buds; we do it all the time.  Enjoy!

Tomato SoupTomato Soup

From: page 204 of “Eating for Autism,” by Elizabeth Strickland, MS, RD,

This recipe is fashioned after Campbell’s tomato soup, which contains both high fructose corn syrup and wheat flour (at the time of writing). It takes just a few minutes to make this family favorite. For a richer flavor, 1 tablespoon oil plus rice milk may be substituted equally for all or part of the water.

Ingredients:

  • 1 6-ounce can tomato paste
  • 4 6-ounce cans water (filtered)

Get the complete recipe…

Upcoming Events

Please join us!

  • Rhythmic Movement Training Levels 3 and 4Hosted by Horizons

    See http://www.rhythmicmovement.com for details

    February 24th – 27th

  • Michigan Council for Exceptional Children annual convention in Grand RapidsNicole and Erin will be presenting

    March 3rd & 4th

  • It’s Your Time Conference at GVSU in Grand RapidsNicole and Erin will be presenting

    March 5th

  • Teleseminar
    Sleep Issues and Strategies with Nicole
    (Horizons Families Only)
    Thursday March 17th 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
  • Simple Solutions Seminar
    “End the Mealtime Madness: Feeding Strategies for Picky Eaters”
    (Open to Everyone)
    March 17th at Horizons from 7:00 – 8:30 PM
  • Bounce Party
    Saturday March 26
  • Autism Society of Wisconsin Annual ConferenceNicole will be presenting

    April 14th – 16th

  • Teleseminar
    Carschooling Ideas and Resources for Learning while in the Car
    Guest: Diane Flynn Keith
    (Horizons Families Only)
    Thursday April 21 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
  • Simple Solutions Seminar
    How to Set Limits Without Losing Your Mind
    (Open to Everyone)
    April 21st at Horizons from 7:00 – 8:30 PM

On the Horizon
is a weekly ezine for parents of children with developmental disabilities who want simple, effective strategies to reduce stress, support their child¹s development, and improve quality of life for the whole family.

Our mailing address is:

Horizons Developmental Remediation Center

3120 68th Street SE

Caledonia, MI  49316

Our telephone:

(616) 698-0306

Our email address:

info@horizonsdrc.com

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