Welcome to “On the Horizon”

Issue 119: 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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Tools for Development

A Note from Nicole: Time for Back to School

Idea of the Week:  Magazine Collage

Feature Article: Building Competence

The Horizons Team Recommends: Do Something Daily

Allergen-Free Recipe of the Week: Bacon Muffins

Allergen-Free Product of the Month: KinniTOOS Chocolate Sandwich Crème Cookies

Hi Everyone,

This past weekend my husband and I took our kids on a little
back to school shopping trip.  We went to the Detroit area and spent the night at a hotel so the kids could swim and have some fun.  After finding shoes, clothes, and supplies (times four), we are all set for them to start the new school year!  It was good to have one last little get-a-way before the busy school season begins again.

In this week’s feature article Erin writes about the importance of building competence in children.  We all feel better about ourselves when we are successful and feel like the challenges we face are manageable.  Read on for some ideas to instill a greater sense of competence in your children.  Speaking of Erin – she’s in Ethiopia this week to finally bring her baby daughter home.  We are all so excited for her!

Make it a great week!

Looking to the horizon,

Magazine Collage

Get everyone to help gather old magazines to cut up.  Go through the magazines and cut out pictures or words that are meaningful to each of you.  For example, if your child enjoys being outdoors cut a picture out of the woods or equipment one would use outside (e.g. a tent, football, soccer ball).  You can include favorite foods, characters, and whatever else you find.  Put the
pictures together on tagboard, construction paper, or the refrigerator and admire all the similarities and differences among your family members.

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.

Read more …

Bacon Muffins

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. In addition to the weekly recipes, we will be highlighting a specific allergen free product of the month. Enjoy!

Bacon Muffins

(From Cooking with Coconut Flour by Bruce Fife, N.D. pg 68)

Ingredients needed:

eggs, bacon drippings or coconut oil, salt, coconut flour,
baking powder, crisp bacon, sharp cheddar cheese

Get the recipe …

KinniTOOS Chocolate Sandwich Crème Cookies

Gluten Free, Casein Free, Lactose Free, Peanut and Tree Nut Free

Please join us!

• Horizons Family Teleseminar
  (open to Horizons client families only)

  Topic: Insurance Issues – Expert Advice for Securing Financial Support for the Treatment of Autism and Other Special Needs
  Guest – Christina Peck, CPC

  September 16 from 9:15 AM – 10:15 AM

• Horizons Family Field Day
  (open to Horizons client families only) Call the office to RSVP
  September 18