Welcome to “On the
Horizon”

Issue 52: A Journey Through Infant Development: The Ninth Month

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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Fun Ideas

A Note from Nicole: A Bitter Sweet Moment; Finalizing Summer Camps

Idea of the Week:  Hat Day

Feature Article: A Journey Through Infant Development: The Ninth Month

The Horizons Team Recommends: Learning
as we Grow; CORE Approach Program

Upcoming Events: Sibshop; CORE Approach Parent
Teleseminar

Hi Everyone!

I can’t believe it’s the middle of March already – where does the time go?! My husband and I are finishing paperwork to enroll our youngest son in kindergarten next year, and our daughter in preschool. It doesn’t seem possible that our days of having at least one child home all the time are coming to an end. There’s both a sense of freedom and a sense of sadness that comes with that, as I’m sure many of you can understand.

We’ve had a busy week around our office finalizing summer camp plans, and the information on 2009 options will be available on our website this week.

It will be June before we know it, and we know many of you like to get your summer plans in order early! If you haven’t yet, make sure you hop online and reserve a copy of our new book Learning as we Grow. The
books will be ready to ship by the end of this month, and we want to
make sure our clients and subscribers get the first opportunity to
order.

In our feature article this week, Michelle takes us on the next segment of
her 9-month-old son’s journey of development. The spotlight is on
co-regulation and the critical foundation it creates for future
development.

Looking to the horizon,

Hat Day

Have everyone wear a hat for the day. Find some silly hats in your house and see how goofy you look! Maybe you can stack 5 hats on your head at once or trade hats and wear someone else’s hat for part of the day. There are so many things you can do when wearing hats. It will be fun to see what creative and fun idea your family comes up with on Hat Day!

A Journey Through Infant Development: The Ninth Month

By: Michelle VanderHeide, BSW

It is the dance of life, the basis of human interaction. It’s about moving fluidly through our interactions. It’s not about an outcome, but the process in which we get there. It’s about doing it together. It’s the give and take. It’s the responses given to our actions and/or words. It’s co-regulation. By 9 months of age, a child spends a majority of the day engaged in co-regulation. My son is now 9 months old, and our interactive dance is becoming more fluid as we continue this journey.

You are the joy of our lives, the spark in our day. The joy you bring to our family is indescribable. Unlike when your sisters were babies, we are trying to slow down how fast you are growing. We want you to remain a baby forever, as you are the final baby of the family; and yet you seem to be growing twice as fast as your sisters.

You have so many games that you love to play. You’ll crawl (yes, you are crawling now!) behind a chair, and then peak your head out when you see that I’m looking. I smile, then you smile back and hide again. It’s only a moment later when you slowly peak your head back out, and start to giggle as I give you a funny face.

You are eating more and more foods! You make so many people laugh as you take a bite, and then quickly open your mouth for another bite. You’ll sit there with your mouth open staring at me until I get that spoon filled with more food back to your mouth. It can’t come fast enough! If I stand up to go get something, you scream like you are going to starve. I know you are about done eating when you grab at the spoon as though it’s a toy and not a shoveling device.

Continued…

Learning as we Grow

You’ve Been Asking For It – The Resource for Applying Principles of Remediation in School Settings is Finally Here!

This long-awaited book is written for parents and
professionals who want to be more effective in their work with students
who have neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism.

You will learn how to:

• Identify the core features of neurodevelopmental disorders
  that create communication, learning, and relationship challenges for your students
• Shift from a mindset of working around deficits (compensation) to correcting the root issues that create obstacles for your students (remediation)
• Modify your communication to promote your students’
  communication and thinking abilities
• Identify the unique strengths and obstacles of each student
  in order to determine appropriate placement and programming
• Achieve meaningful outcomes for students that allow them to
  reach their greatest potential

For more information, click here

CORE Approach Program!

Finally – Hope and Real Improvement is Possible for
Individuals with Autism and Their Families!

If your child has been diagnosed on the
autism spectrum, or with a related neurodevelopmental condition, you
simply cannot afford not to investigate the CORE Approach Program. If you are
ready for a change; ready to step away from the status-quo; ready to
stop doing things that aren’t getting you where you want to be; ready
to really understand the core deficits creating obstacles for your
child; ready to significantly impact your child and your family for the
better – then you are ready for CORE Approach.

Watch the video and learn more here

Please join us!

• CORE Approach Parent Teleseminar: Sensory Processing Strategies with Sarah VerMerris, OT (Horizons Families Only)
  Thursday, March 19, 2009, 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM EST
• Horizons Parent Chat: Objective Support with Michelle & Courtney
  (Horizons Families Only)
  Monday, March 30, 2009, 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM EST
• Sibshop – Horizons Sibling Network
  Open to everyone!
• Saturday, May 16, 2009, 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM EST
• Sibshop – Horizons Sibling Network
  Open to everyone!
  Saturday, July 18, 2009, 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM EST