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Welcome to “On the Horizon”
Issue 148: Parenting Strategies That Work
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.
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 A Note from Nicole: Being a Mother
Idea of the Week: Plant a Vegtable Garden
Feature Article: Parenting Strategies That Work
The Horizons Team Recommends: The Autism Transformation for Family
Upcoming Events: Workshops/Conferences
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Hi Everyone,
A belated Happy Mother’s Day to all of our wonderful readers who are mothers, as well as those of you who take a mothering role with children in your life! It was a beautiful weekend here in West Michigan, and we were able to spend some time outside. I love reading the cards my kids make in school, even though one of my sons told me that he would have put something different on his card than what the teacher made them write. Maybe I don’t want to know what he would have chosen to write if it was up to him!
Speaking of Mother’s Day, we are still running our Mother’s Day sale that started late last week. In case you haven’t heard about the details, you can get 20% off your entire purchase in our store through this Friday 5/13. Simply enter the coupon code MOM2011 at checkout and the discount will be automatically processed. If you’ve been thinking about ordering something, now is the time to do it.
My feature article this week is a continuation of last week’s article about safe behavior in public. The article last week definitely sparked some conversation on our blog, and I appreciate people taking the time to comment. This week I share some important concepts and strategies for helping children develop safer and more appropriate behavior. There are many other techniques to share, but these are some basic elements to start the process. Feel free to comment on the article and share other things that have worked for your family!
Enjoy the week!
Looking to the horizon,
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Plant a Vegetable Garden
Find a small area of your yard where you could grow some vegetables this summer. Go to a local store and buy seeds or small vegetable plants and plant them in your garden. Take care of them and watch them grow over the summer. When it’s time, pick your vegetables off the plants and enjoy eating them. |
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 Promoting Safe and Appropriate Behavior in Public: Parenting Strategies That Work
By: Nicole Beurkens, PhD
The previous article explored the developmental problems that can occur when children in public are placed on leashes as a substitute for developing safe and appropriate behavior. While there may be a number of seemingly legitimate reasons for parents to use these devices with both typically developing children and those with special needs, leashes should not be considered appropriate long-term solutions. As an alternative, here are some strategies parents can use to help their children develop awareness and appropriate emotional and behavioral regulation in public environments:
1. Stay calm – This is a cardinal rule for parents in all situations with children, and it definitely applies here. The more upset and emotional the parent gets when a child is not listening or behaving in public, the more the child will act out and become emotionally and behaviorally dysregulated. Parents need to take a deep breath, keep an even-toned voice, and stay in control of their own emotions and behaviors. If the parent is overly fearful about something dangerous happening to the child, that fear must be addressed prior to taking the child out in public. For parents who experience significant anxiety in these situations, it will be best to have another adult with you until you feel less anxious. Children can sense anxiety and stress in parents, and this causes them to become more emotional as well. Staying calm, cool, and collected regardless of what the child is doing will be essential for making progress.
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 The Autism Transformation for Families
Transform Tough Days With Your Child Into Great Ones: Five Simple Steps to Better Communication, Behavior, and Relationships
In the Autism Transformation for Families Audio Program you will learn
five simple but powerful concepts to help you permanently impact your
child’s communication, behavior, and relationships for the better. You
will learn how to change aspects of yourself and your style of
communicating and relating in order to change the way your child
responds to you and the world around him/her.
If you are the parent, adult family member, or other primary caregiver
of a child of any age who has autism or another neurodevelopmental
disorder, then this program is for you.
For more information, click here
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Please join us!
- International Meeting for Autism Research
(IMFAR)
Nicole will be presenting her research San Diego
May 12-14
- TeleseminarSelf-Care and relaxation strategies for parents (with Jenny Fenig)
Thursday May 19th
at 11am-12pm
- Simple Solutions SeminarBeneath the Surface: The Truth
About Friendships and Social Skills
Thursday May 19th at
7-8:30pm
- AutismOne ConferenceNicole will be presenting
Chicago – May 25-29
- Parent Education Day (workshop)(for Horizons families only)
Saturday June 25
- MAGIC Foundation Children’s ConventionNicole will be presenting
Chicago – July 14-16
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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
Copyright (C) 2010 Horizons DRC All rights reserved.
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