Welcome to "On the Horizon"

Issue 176: My Dog’s Got a Canker Sore, and Other Random Comments…

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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• A Note from Nicole: Welcome to new families
• Feature Article:
  My Dog’s Got a Canker Sore, and Other Random Comments…
• Ask the Horizons Team
• Upcoming Events: Sibshop
• Recommended Resources

Hi Everyone!

I can’t believe January has come and gone already!  It’s been a whirlwind month as we’ve welcomed a record number of new families into our clinic family over the past few weeks.  We get such joy out of watching families take steps to improve the lives of their child/children and entire family.  It’s truly a privilege for us to partner with families and to do the work we do each day!

The feature article this week spotlights the importance of modeling social boundaries for our children.  Let’s face it – these boundaries are getting blurred more and more all the time with constant cell phone use, social media, etc.  Teaching kids what is and is not appropriate to share can be difficult.  Erin shares some tips for working on this issue with kids.

You will also want to check out the Ask the Horizons Team feature below for some resource recommendations on anxiety and sensory processing issues.

Enjoy the rest of your week!

Looking to the horizon,

My Dog’s Got a Canker Sore, and Other Random Comments…

By Erin Roon, MA CCC-SLP

“My dog has a canker sore.”  “My dad ran over the mailbox.”  “I named an alligator after my boyfriend.”  “Is she from here?”  “Can I touch her hair?”  This list could go on and on.  Why is it that random strangers feel compelled to ask personal questions that they wouldn’t even ask their own mother?  What makes people feel comfortable telling strangers about their problems?  When did we stop helping people understand social boundaries? 

This type of behavior is seen as cute or even funny in young children; but it quickly becomes uncomfortable as that child becomes a teenager, and yet it happens everyday even among adults.   I have had several of these instances in the last few days, where perfect strangers shared private information with me or asked me personal questions. 

Click here to read the rest of this article…

Question:

My family is interested in learning more about my son’s anxiety and sensory processing disorder.  Can you provide me with some good resources for family members?

-Kathy in Kalamazoo, Michigan

Answer:

It is great that your family is interested in learning more about your son’s difficulties.  My colleague Courtney wrote a great introductory article to anxiety disorders that can be found on our Horizons website, www.horizonsdrc.com under the resources section.  I would encourage your family to read this article.  A book you may want to read is Freeing Your Child From Anxiety by Tamar Chansky.   A wonderful website for sensory processing disorders is www.sinetwork.org.  This website is full of great information and articles on sensory processing disorders. 

I hope you find this information helpful,
Erin

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Upcoming Events

Sibshop
March 10, 2012 from 10am-2pm

Nicole will be presenting a seminar called “Autism and Other Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Practical Strategies to Improve Processing” in the New York City area March 14-16.

Nicole will be presenting a seminar called “Autism and Other Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Practical Strategies to Improve Processing” in the Indianapolis area April 18-20.

Recommended
Resources

Autism Transformation for Families Audio Program

Transform Tough Days With Your Child Into Great Ones: Five Simple Steps to Better Communication, Behavior, and Relationships

More Information >>