Welcome to “On the Horizon”

Issue 86:  Treating Feeding Difficulties in the School Environment

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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Solutions

A Note from Nicole: Holidays

Idea of the Week:  Obstacle Course

Feature Article: Treating Feeding Difficulties in the School Environment

The Horizons Team Recommends: Schooling Minds®; Horizons Workshops

Upcoming Events: CORE Approach Parent Teleseminar; Family Fun Night

Hi Everyone!

I hope this finds you having a great start to your week!  It’s hard to believe that Thanksgiving is next week, especially with the warm temperatures we’ve been having over the last few days.  It’s really rare for my kids to be outside playing without coats in the middle of November!  After the cold wet fall we’ve had I guess we’ll take what we can get.  I heard Christmas music on the radio the other day.  Does it seem like they start that earlier and earlier every year or what?!

This week I’m thrilled to announce the release of our new resource site for education professionals called Schooling Minds.  Our site for parents, called Raising Minds, was released a few months ago and has been a hit with families.  Through Schooling Minds we are providing a way for professionals working in schools to have 24/7 access to articles, videos, audios, ideas, research, and more to help them focus on incorporating principles of remediation into their work with students.  Head over and check out the site at www.SchoolingMinds.com.  We’ve piloted the site with the educators who attended our Extreme Makeover workshop this past summer and they are loving it!

We will not be publishing a newsletter next week due to the holiday.  Happy Thanksgiving to all of you in the States, and we’ll see you in 2 weeks!

Looking to the horizon,

Obstacle Course

Now that it’s the time of year where your kids are playing inside more, why not create an obstacle course for them to go through?  A larger space in your home is the ideal place to set this up.  When creating an obstacle course think of putting different challenges in it so that there are many different things to do.  Think of creating things where you can go up, things that you can go down and things that you can go through.  Don’t forget to make it a fun experience and have a fun thing to do at the end!

Treating Feeding Difficulties in the School Environment

By: Erin Roon, MA CCC-SLP

There are many children within the school environment that have feeding difficulties.  For these children, the task of eating lunch and snack at school is a daunting one.  However, lunch and snack time can present the perfect opportunity for addressing feeding difficulties if given the necessary attention and intervention.

A team collaboration framework is necessary for the design and implementation of a successful feeding therapy program within the schools, with many people and steps involved.

Who is involved?

• The child is the primary person involved.
• The student’s family is a key player in the success of the program.
• The school based speech/language pathologist or occupational therapist is typically the person responsible for designing and overseeing the feeding therapy program.
• Teachers and paraprofessionals play a major role in the direct implementation of the program.
• There may be other school personnel involved for each individual child and his/her needs, such as an autism teacher consultant, school social worker, special education teacher, principal, and/or cooks in the cafeteria.
• Outside team members may include the child’s physician, nutritionist, psychologist, speech/language pathologist and/or occupational therapist.

Continued…

Within this one site you will find EVERYTHING you’re looking for related to:

• Neurodevelopmental disorders—including Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, PDD-NOS, ADHD, Bipolar Disorder, Nonverbal Learning Disability, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Learning Disabilities, Developmental Delays, Mental Impairment, Speech and Language Delays, Feeding Disorders, Sensory Processing Disorders, Epilepsy, Cerebral Palsy, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Tourette Syndrome, and many others
• Child development
• Educational strategies and treatment options
• Balancing the needs of all your students

Schooling Minds™ is the go-to place for professionals like you!

HorizonsDRCWorkshops.com

You Have Questions.
We Have Answers.

Join us for learning experiences designed to provide you with the information, tools, and motivation you need to make a meaningful difference in the lives of individuals with autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders.

Horizons Workshop Opportunities

• Evaluating for Autism: The Nuts and Bolts of Quality School-Based Autism Spectrum Disorder Evaluations

• Autism in the Classroom: Simple & Effective Strategies to Learn Today and Use Tomorrow

• Day of Change: A Groundbreaking Workshop for Parents of Children with Autism and Other Neurodevelopmental Disorders

• Extreme Makeover: Autism Education Edition

For more information, click here

Please join us!

• CORE Approach Parent Teleseminar: Topic-Anxiety with Nicole Beurkens as the guest speaker
  (Horizons Families Only)
  Thursday, November 19, 2009 from 11:00-12:00 PM EST
• Workshop – Autism in the Classroom: Simple &
  Effective Strategies to Learn Today and Use Tomorrow
  Friday, November 20, 2009
• Workshop – Day of Change: A
  Groundbreaking Workshop for Parents of Children with Autism and Other Neurodevelopmental Disorders
  Saturday, November 21, 2009
• CORE Approach Parent Teleseminar: Q&A with Michelle and Courtney
  (Horizons Families Only)
  Monday, December 7, 2009 from 1:00-2:00 PM EST
• Family Fun Event: Holiday Santa Event – Santa, cookies (sugar & gluten-free), crafts, games, and more!
  (Horizons Families Only)
  Friday, December 11, 2009 from 5:00-8:00 PM EST
• Holiday CAMP: This is a great opportunity to let the kids come and enjoy some time away while you finish up holiday shopping or preparations that are more easily done without them!
  Children ages 4-12 with neurodevelopmental disorders.
  Monday, December 20, 2009 from 9:00 AM-1:00 PM EST
• Holiday CAMP: This is a great opportunity to let the kids come and enjoy some time away while you finish up holiday shopping or preparations that are more easily done without them!
  Children ages 4-12 with neurodevelopmental disorders.
  Monday, December 21, 2009 from 9:00 AM-1:00 PM EST
• Workshop – Evaluating for Autism: The
  Nuts and Bolts of Quality School-Based Autism Spectrum Disorder Evaluations
  Thursday, Feburary 11, 2009
• Workshop – Autism in the Classroom: Simple &
  Effective Strategies to Learn Today and Use Tomorrow
  Friday, March 12, 2009
• Workshop – Day of Change: A Groundbreaking Workshop for Parents of Children with Autism and Other Neurodevelopmental Disorders
  Saturday, March 13, 2009
• Extreme Makeover: Autism Education Edition
  August 4-6, 2010