Welcome to “On the
Horizon”
Issue 64: A Journey through Infant Development: One Year!
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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Understanding Child Development
 A Note from Nicole: Saga of Parenthood
Idea of the Week: Sidewalk Chalk Drawings
Feature Article: A Journey through Infant Development: One Year!
The Horizons Team Recommends: Extreme Makeover: Autism Education Edition; Do Something Daily Calendar
Upcoming Events: CORE Approach Parent Teleseminar; Sibshop
Hi Everyone!
It’s the beginning of the workweek and I don’t feel like I had a weekend! We ended up in the hospital suddenly on Friday night with my oldest son, who needed surgery to remove his appendix. Needless to say it was a whirlwind and we didn’t get much rest since then. He is now back home recovering well, and I’m trying to catch up with sleep and everything else. Just another chapter in the saga of parenthood!
This week’s feature article is an exciting one, because Michelle sums up the first year of development for her son. He recently celebrated his first birthday, which means she has been observing and writing about his development for a whole year. It’s a rare opportunity to have all that
documented, and this week she provides a summary reminder for us all. She has promised to write occasional articles updating everyone with new important milestones.
Summer vacation may be here, but it’s not too early to be learning new things to make next year even easier and more effective for you and your students. Our Extreme Makeover: Autism Education Edition Workshop is happening at the end of July, and we don’t want anyone to miss out. Over the three days teachers and other education professionals will have the opportunity to learn about an implement strategies that will change the dynamic of their classrooms and therapy sessions in many important ways. It’s going to be a great learning environment, with lots of fun thrown in as well! Click here for details on the event
See you next week!
Looking to the horizon,
Sidewalk Chalk Drawings
Use sidewalk chalk to make different drawings along the sidewalk or on your driveway. You can trace different objects, including people! You can write messages, play games (like hopscotch or tic-tac-toe) or just doodle. See how creative you can be with all of the different colors of chalk that there are. This is a great activity that everyone can do
together.
A Journey through Infant Development: One Year!
By: Michelle VanderHeide, BSW
It seems like only yesterday that I started this series on infant
development, and now my baby boy has turned a year old. It is fun to
look back and reflect on how much has changed from one year ago. No
year is like the first in the amount of growth and development a child
makes, although the next several years are still critical and substantial in human development. Instead of writing about what I saw in his development over the past month, I’m going to reflect back and
summarize my son’s development during the past year.
The first month: I was worried about how I could find more love in my
heart for another child. The minute you came into our lives that worry
was gone – you stole all of our hearts! You are so small, unresponsive,
needy, and very fought over. Everyone wants to hold you as you have
become a very important part of our family. Basically, all you do at
this point is eat and sleep; but you are a very content baby. The joke
is that as we carry our car seat from place to place, we are afraid
that we are going to leave you behind one of these days because you are so good.
The second month: You began to smile this month! What a beautiful
thing. It takes a lot of effort at this point, but its well worth the
time to get it. Now that I am getting a smile, I’m already anticipating
the next thing – a giggle! You are trying to giggle, and will grunt and
move around when being tickled; so I know it won’t be long now!
Extreme
Makeover: Autism Education Edition Workshop
July 29-31, 2009 Grand Rapids, MI
Put together the soaring increase in students diagnosed with autism and related impairments, a group of dedicated educators seeking solutions to the challenges they face daily, a team of been-in-the-trenches experts, three days of amazing content and hands-on experience, and what do you get?
An amazing 3-day workshop that will transform
how you understand and educate students with autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders.
Click here for more information!
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.
$19.95 (Per Calendar) Calendars are assembled by clients in our
EmployAbilities program. $1.00 from every calendar will be donated to FARR.
For more information, click here.
Please join us!
- CORE Approach Parent Teleseminar: Gayle Noble, Author of It’s All About Attitude: Loving and Living Well with Autism
(Horizons Families Only)
Thursday, June 18, 2009, 11:00AM to 12:00PM EST
- CORE Approach Parent Teleseminar:
Q&A with Michelle & Courtney
(Horizons Families Only)
Monday, July 6, 2009, 1:30PM to 2:30PM EST
- Extreme Makeover: Autism Education Edition
July 29-31, 2009
- Sibshop – Horizons Sibling Network
Open to everyone!
Saturday, July 11, 2009, 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM EST
- Summer CAMPS – Zooming into Summer
CLOSED
July 6-9
- Summer CAMPS – Hawaiian Luau
CLOSED
July 13-16
- Summer CAMPS – Lions, Tigers, & Bears–Oh My!
Open to everyone!
July 20-23
- Summer CAMPS – All About Me
CLOSED
July 27-30
- Summer CAMPS – It’s A
Bug’s Life
Openings in AM only
August 3-6
- Summer CAMPS – Wild,
Wild West
CLOSED
August 10-13
- Summer CAMPS – Under The
Sea
Openings in PM only
August 17-20
- Summer Program –
Collaborate and Create!
Open to everyone!
Session 1: July 7-July 23
- Summer Program –
Collaborate and Create!
Open to everyone!
Session 2: July 27-July 30
- Summer Program –
Collaborate and Create!
Open to everyone!
Session 3: August 4-August 20
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