Welcome to “On the Horizon”
Issue 51: Building Competence
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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Spotlighting Competence
 A Note from Nicole: Amazing
Response to the New Book; Parent and Children Feelings
Idea of the Week: Fingerprint Rainbow
Feature Article: Building Competence
The Horizons Team Recommends: Learning
as we Grow; CORE Approach Program
Upcoming Events: Sibshop; CORE Approach Parent Teleseminar
Hi Everyone!
What an amazing response we have had to our new book over the past week! Thank you so much to all of you who have contacted us to express support and excitement about the book. We can’t wait for you all to read it and let us know what you think. Click here to get information about the contents of the book and how to order.
Erin’s feature article this week about building competence is an excellent reminder about the important of parents and children feeling secure and capable. Some of the behaviors we see children exhibit are really related to feelings of insecurity and incompetence. This week’s article provides some information on identifying the cycle of incompetence in children and tips on how to break the cycle and promote competence.
I hope you have a great week!
Looking to the horizon,
Fingerprint Rainbow
Use finger paint and your fingers to make a rainbow using a variety of colors. If you use light-blue colored construction paper it will look like your rainbow is in the sky. Add clouds to the end of your rainbow by putting the side of your fist in a blob of white paint and onto the bottom of the rainbow. Another way to add clouds would be to glue cotton balls to the ends for a more fuzzy cloud look. Whatever way you do it you’ll have a unique looking rainbow!
Building Competence
By: Erin Roon, MA CCC-SLP
Competence is a word I use a lot in my day to day work with families as an CORE Approach consultant. Not many sessions go by in which we don’t talk about their child’s feelings of competence or incompetence. Many people do not stop to think about feelings of competence in themselves, let alone in their children.
I never used to think about competency/incompetency, at least not in personal terms. I just knew that there were times when I felt really good about my ability to do something. At other times I didn’t want to do something, because I didn’t think I was very good at it. We all have areas in which we feel really competent, and other areas where we feel incompetent. Put me in a room with a child for an hour, and I feel competent to build rapport at some point. We may even establish some co-regulation and a shared experience. I thrive in this type of situation. On the other hand, put me in a room with ten adults that I don’t know very well, and all I want to do is leave. I don’t feel very competent in my abilities to socialize with groups of people outside of my family, close friends, or profession. I avoid those types of situations when possible.
The funny thing about competence/incompetence is that you can see it manifested in people’s behavior. When people are feeling competent about their skills or abilities in a given activity, they are relaxed, happy, and more willing to participate. Things seem to go smoother, and the result is usually positive. When moments of competence are spotlighted, those memories are stored and can be used later to build new areas of competence.
Learning as we Grow
You’ve Been Asking For It – The Resource for Applying Principles of Remediation in School Settings is Finally Here!
This long-awaited book is written for parents and professionals who want to be more effective in their work with students who have neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism.
You will learn how to:
- Identify the core features of neurodevelopmental disorders that create communication, learning, and relationship challenges for your students
- Shift from a mindset of working around deficits (compensation) to correcting the root issues that create obstacles for your students (remediation)
- Modify your communication to promote your students’ communication and thinking abilities
- Identify the unique strengths and obstacles of each student in order to determine appropriate placement and programming
- Achieve meaningful outcomes for students that allow them to reach their greatest potential
For more information, click here
CORE Approach Program!
Finally – Hope and Real Improvement is Possible for Individuals with Autism and Their Families!
If your child has been diagnosed on the autism spectrum, or with a related neurodevelopmental condition, you simply cannot afford not to investigate the CORE Approach Program. If you are ready for a change; ready to step away from the status-quo; ready to stop doing things that aren’t getting you where you want to be; ready to really understand the core deficits creating obstacles for your child; ready to significantly impact your child and your family for the better – then you are ready for CORE Approach.
Watch the video and learn more here
Please join us!
- Sibshop – Horizons Sibling Network
Open to everyone!
Saturday, March 14, 2009, 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM EST
- CORE Approach Parent Teleseminar: Sensory Processing Strategies with Sarah VerMerris, OT (Horizons Families Only)
Thursday, March 19, 2009, 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM EST
- HANDLE® Intermediate Training
April 6-11, 2009 and May 4-9, 2009
- Sibshop – Horizons Sibling Network
Open to everyone!
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM EST
- Sibshop – Horizons Sibling Network
Open to everyone!
Saturday, July 18, 2009, 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM EST
See our Event Calendar for more details…
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