Welcome to “On the Horizon”
Issue 13: Food Jags: What are They and How do you Prevent Them?
On the Horizon is a 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.
Ways to improve your quality of life!
 A Note from Nicole: HANDLE® News, CORE Approach Workshop, Food Jags
Idea of the Week: Crazy Eights
Feature Article: Food Jags: What are They and How do you Prevent Them?
Featured Resource: Feeding Calendar/Journal Set
Featured Program: Summer Camps 2008
Upcoming Events: Parent Teleseminar Tonight, Upcoming CORE Approach Workshops
To keep receiving On the Horizon, please add the email address “nicolebeurkens@horizonsdrc.com” to your safe address list.
Hi Everyone!
This past weekend we had the awesome opportunity to host a HANDLE® conference here at our facility. For those of you who don’t know, HANDLE® stands for Holistic Approach to Neurodevelopment and Learning Efficiency and provides a set of guiding principles that encourage an understanding of the underlying neurodevelopmental reasons for behaviors. It aims to improve individual functioning by strengthening sensory-motor pathways required for more efficient learning, movement, and engagement with the world and other people. We use the HANDLE® approach with the majority of our clients at Horizons, and it’s a very natural fit with the CORE Approach program. I had a great time spending the weekend with Horizons parents and staff members, as well as some area professionals. There were many stimulating discussions, and I know everyone left with a new perspective and lots of new ideas. Thanks to all of you who attended for a wonderful weekend!
I want to make sure you all know that Dr. Steven Gutstein, founder of CORE Approach and the Connections Center in Houston, will be in Lansing, MI on June 13 and 14 to present his introductory workshop on the Relationship Development Intervention (RDI)® Program. If you’ve never heard him speak in person before, I highly recommend it. For those of you who may have attended a seminar with him in the past, this is an updated and revised presentation to reflect the current status of the research literature and evolution of the CORE Approach program. Many of our staff members and parents will be attending, and I hope you will attend as well. It’s going to be a fabulous 2 days of learning, “aha” moments, and connections with parents and professionals. I know you will find it worth your time and financial commitment. To get more details and sign up for the conference click here.
Do you have a child who tends to prefer a single food almost exclusively, and then suddenly decides to never touch it again? This is called a “food jag,” and Erin’s feature article this week provides some helpful information and strategies for dealing with them. I know you’ll find it helpful.
Looking to the horizon,
Crazy Eights!
Crazy Eights, similar to Uno, is a great game to play with just two people or with the whole family. To begin, the dealer deals out seven cards to each player. The rest of the cards go facedown in a draw pile. The top card from the draw pile is turned up and placed in a discard pile. The person with the closest birthday begins the game by discarding a card from his/her hand that matches either the suit (hearts, diamonds, club, spade) or the rank (one, two, three…) of the top card in the discard pile. For example, if a seven of hearts is turned up, then the player will have to either play a heart card or a seven. If a player is unable to play a card, then he/she must draw as many cards from the draw pile until able to play. The number eight card of any suite is considered a wild card. A player can play this card at any time to change the suite of the game. The first player to use up all his/her cards wins. Experiment with variations – change the number card that is considered wild (ex: Crazy 10’s!), the person with the most cards at the end wins, etc. Go crazy!
Food Jags: What are They and How do you Prevent Them?
By: Erin Roon, MA, CCC-SLP
What is a food jag? Children with feeding difficulties tend to eat the same foods every day, even at every meal. Typically they require that the foods be prepared in the same way each time. For example, your child may only eat a hot dog for lunch every day. S/he will only eat the hot dog if it is a specific brand, boiled on the stove, and put on the plate with the ketchup (specific brand) not touching it. This example demonstrates a “food jag.”
So what is the big deal if my child eats the same thing every day for lunch? The biggest problem with food jags is that eventually your child will become bored or burned out on his/her preferred foods. Once a child with feeding difficulties neglects to eat a preferred food, it is usually lost from his/her food repertoire for good. The practice of eliminating foods from his/her diet may then continue until there are only a handful of foods left to him/her.
How can you prevent a food jag from beginning in the first place?
Explorations in Eating Calendar and Journal
$19.95 (Per Calendar) or $34.95 (Per Calendar and Journal) Each day has ideas to expand your child’s diet and food preferences. Calendars are assembled by clients in our EmployAbilities program. $1.00 from every calendar will be donated to FARR.
Click on the image below to visit our store!
Summer Camps 2008!
Your child is going to LOVE the exciting adventures we have planned for this summer! Each week we will explore a different theme together, complete with lots of opportunities for movement, music, problem solving, working together, and indoor and outdoor fun. Our camps are design to offer a fun, safe, and therapeutic environment for children with developmental disabilities to engage with peers, try new things, and retain skills over the summer months. A low staff to child ratio ensures that everyone is supported. Principles of the Relationship Development Intervention (CORE Approach) Program are integrated throughout all activities, which provides oportunities for campers to improve communication, increase competence, enhance regulation, and build relationships.
For a brochure, click here
For a registration form, click here
To sign up online, click here
Please join us!
- Parent Teleseminar – Cooking with Mary
For current clients only
Tuesday May 20, 8:30 PM to 9:30 PM EST
- Parent Chat – Great Books to Read for Kids & Adults
For current clients only
Tuesday June 3, 8:30 PM to 9:30 PM EST
- Relationship Development Intervention (RDI) ® Program 2-Day Workshop
June 13 and 14 in Lansing, MI
Click here for more information or to register.
- SibShop – Horizons Sibling Network
Open to everyone!
Saturday June 28, 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM EST
- Beginning CORE Approach 4-day Parent Seminar – Lansing, MI
November 10-13
Registration and Location Information To Be Announced…
See our Event Calendar for more details…
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