Welcome to “On the Horizon”

Issue 138: Five Tips for Parents

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.

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New Ideas

A Note from Nicole: Like-Minded Professionals

Idea of the Week:  Jenga

Feature Article: Five Tips for Parents Making School-Related Decisions

The Horizons Team Recommends:  Do Something Daily

Allergen-Free Recipe of the Week: The Man Quiche

Upcoming Events:
Horizons Events, Teleseminars & Workshops

Hi Everyone,

My colleagues and I had a wonderful experience last week attending four days of rhythmic movement training seminars we hosted here locally.  One of the best things about attending these kinds of trainings is being in a room with like-minded professionals for a few days.  Not only was the content of the courses beneficial, but rejuvenating to be around people who “get it”.  We are very excited to start implementing these new ideas and movements into our work with families.

The featured article this week is one I wrote about school-related decisions.  Even though it’s only the beginning of March, IEP season is just around the corner and many parents will be faced with making placement and service decisions for next school year.  In this article I share some of the things I find myself talking about with parents most often when it comes to school-related decisions.  I hope they provide some food for thought, and encourage you to share your thoughts and ideas in the comment section beneath the article when you click through to read it online.

Just a reminder that our next Simple Solutions Seminar is coming up on March 17, and we hope those of you who are in our area of Michigan will be able to attend.  Check out the details below in the calendar section to see the details and upcoming topics for these monthly seminars.

Have a wonderful week!

Looking to the horizon,

Jenga

Jenga is a simple block game that provides many different opportunities for parents and children to explore together.  You can play the game according to the rules, or you can add some fun variations to the game.  Roll a dice and what every number shows up is the number of pieces you need to remove from the tower.  Write actions on the Jenga pieces for you to act out, something funny for you to sing or say, or even a question for you to answer.  The Jenga pieces could be colored and you could draw a slip of paper with a color and a number on it and that is the color you have to remove along with the number of pieces you also have to take.  Have fun coming up with your own ways to play!

Five Tips for Parents Making School-Related Decisions

By: Nicole Beurkens, PhD

School-related decisions seem to be an ever-present issue for all families, but especially for families with a child with unique learning needs.  Here are some tips I find myself frequently providing parents in regards to their child’s education:

Very often parents are concerned with getting more services for children.  However, sometimes the opposite issue arises and parents feel that a service being provided is not of benefit to their child.  Just because a service or option is available doesn’t mean you have to take it.  Go with your gut feeling and do what you believe is right for your child.  If you don’t think the speech sessions are helping then stop them.  If you don’t want the weekly home visit from the early intervention specialist then don’t do them.  If you think your child needs to be home with you rather than at school for some of all of the day, then do it.  Do not allow what “other people” say or do to steer you in the wrong direction with your child.  Do not allow “the professionals” to over-ride your own good judgment about what your child needs.  Don’t be afraid to go against the grain or make a different choice in the best interest of your child and family.

Read more …

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.

The Man Quiche

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!

The Man Quiche

From “Eating Well with IBS,” by Kate Scarlata, R.D., L.D.N on page109

Ingredients:

• 1 9-in store-bought piecrust
• ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese, grated
• 5 slices of turkey bacon cooked and cut into 1-in pieces
• 3 chicken sausages; cook and cut into bite-sized chunks

Get the complete recipe…

Please join us!

• Michigan Council for Exceptional Children annual convention in Grand Rapids

  Nicole and Erin will be presenting

  March 3rd & 4th

• It’s Your Time Conference at GVSU in Grand Rapids

  Nicole and Erin will be presenting

  March 5th

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

  Nicole 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