Welcome to “On the Horizon”

Issue 98: Nonverbal Communication: What’s it all about?

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Great Ideas

A Note from Nicole: Celebrating a Birth!

Idea of the Week:  Magazine Collage!

Feature Article: Nonverbal Communication: What’s it all about?

The Horizons Team Recommends: Parent Success Cards; Workshops

Upcoming Events: 
RDI® Parent Teleseminar; Parent/Family Presentation

Hi Everyone,

I never pass up the opportunity to snuggle with a baby, and I had the chance to do just that last week.  Courtney and her husband welcomed their son into the world on Thursday evening, and he is beautiful.  We have all been eagerly awaiting his arrival (no one more than Courtney of course!), and are so happy that he is finally here.  I enjoyed some time at the hospital with them last Friday, and Courtney and the baby are both doing very well.  At our office we love new babies not just because they are so cute and snuggly, but because they provide us with opportunities to watch the amazing process of human development from birth forward.

This reminder is for all you procrastinators out there who don’t register for things until the last minute!  Our next workshops for professionals and parents are coming up in less than three weeks and I would love to see you there.  Professionals will be spending the day with us Friday 3/12 and we will be spending the day with parents/family members on Saturday 3/13.  You can get details on attending this event live and/or purchasing the event recordings by going to www.HorizonsDRCWorkshops.com!

Erin’s feature article this week covers the important topic of nonverbal communication.  The development and necessity of nonverbal communication is something I find many people do not understand.  A definite must-read!

Have a fantastic week!

Looking to the horizon,

Magazine Collage!

Get everyone to help gather old magazines that can be cut up.  Go through the magazines and cut out pictures or words that are meaningful to each of you.  For example, if your child enjoys being outdoors cut a picture out of the woods or equipment one would use outside (e.g. a tent, football, soccer ball).  You can include favorite foods, characters, and whatever else you find.  Put the pictures together on tag board, construction paper, or the refrigerator, and admire all the similarities and differences among your family members.

Nonverbal Communication: What’s it all about?

By: Erin Room, MA, CCC-SLP

Communication is critical to continued human development throughout our life span. It is what allows us to share thoughts, feelings, wonderings, and knowledge with others. Whether you are a verbal or nonverbal communicator, the vast majority of communication we do is through nonverbal channels.

So if nonverbal communication makes up a substantial portion of our communicative experience, what does it involve? Many of us associate facial expression and gestures with nonverbal communication, but these are not the only two types involved. There are, in fact, eight different types of nonverbal communication:

• Facial Expressiond
  This makes up the largest proportion of nonverbal communication. Large amounts of information can be conveyed through a smile or frown. The facial expressions for happiness, sadness, anger, and fear are similar across cultures throughout the world.
• Gestures
  Common gestures include pointing, waving, and using fingers to indicate number amounts.
• Paralinguistics
  This includes factors such as tone of voice, loudness, inflection, and pitch. Tone of voice can be powerful. The same sentence said in different tones can convey different messages. A strong tone of voice may indicate approval or enthusiasm, whereas the same sentence said with a hesitant tone of voice may convey disapproval or lack of interest.

Continued…

HorizonsDRCWorkshops.com

You Have Questions.
We Have Answers.

Join us for learning experiences designed to provide you with the information, tools, and motivation you need to make a meaningful difference in the lives of individuals with autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders.

Horizons
Workshop Opportunities

• Evaluating for Autism: The Nuts and Bolts of Quality School-Based Autism Spectrum Disorder Evaluations

• Autism in the Classroom: Simple & Effective Strategies to Learn Today and Use Tomorrow

• Day of Change: A Groundbreaking Workshop for Parents of Children with Autism and Other Neurodevelopmental Disorders

• Extreme Makeover: Autism Education Edition

For more information, click here

Parent Success Cards

For RDI® Program families, these cards provide reminders of the main principles of RDI® such as the importance of experience sharing, guiding, slowing down, staying focused on the marathon, finding small moments for remediation, and much more. You will find them an invaluable source of inspiration and guidance as you focus on remediation.

Set of 50 heavyweight full-color cards in a sturdy box with lid – $24.95

Purchase the set or view more samples here

Please join us!

• Free Presentation hosted by Wycoff Wellness Center:
  Topic: Simplify Your Parenting: What Most Experts Don’t Know About How to Make Parenting Children With Autism Easier 
  Thursday, February 25, 2010 from 7-8:30PM EST
• RDI® Parent Teleseminar: Q&A with Michelle and Courtney
  Topic: School
  (Horizons Families Only)
  Monday, March 1, 2009 from 1:30-2:30 PM EST
• RDI® Parent Teleseminar: Topic: Q & A with Dr. Wycoff
  (Horizons Families Only)
  Thursday, March 18, 2010 from 11:00-12:00 PM EST
• Workshop – Evaluating for Autism:
  The Nuts and Bolts of Quality School-Based Autism Spectrum Disorder Evaluations 
  
• Workshop – Autism in the Classroom:
  Simple & Effective Strategies to Learn Today and Use Tomorrow 
  Friday, March 12, 2009
• Workshop – Day of Change:
  A Groundbreaking Workshop for Parents of Children with Autism and Other Neurodevelopmental Disorders
  Saturday, March 13, 2009
• Extreme Makeover:Autism Education
  Edition
  August 4-6, 2010