Issue 170: Fun Family Activities for Any Occasion

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: Thank You Sale
• Feature Article: Fun Family Activities for Any Occasion
• Ask the Horizons Team
• Upcoming Events: Simple Solutions Seminar & Sibshop
• Recommended Resources

With the Thanksgiving holiday rapidly approaching here in the US, it’s a time of year for us to be thankful for the many blessings in our lives.  One of the things my team and I are so thankful for is your presence in our lives throughout the year.  We are grateful for your support and for allowing us to share in your lives each week.  

As has become an annual tradition at this time of the year, we are holding our “Thank You Sale” starting right now.  However, this year we are gifting you with a huge 50% discount on all the products listed on our products site.  From now through midnight Eastern on 11/24 you can take advantage of ordering any or all of our products for 50% off.  To use the discount you must enter the coupon code Thanks2011 at checkout.  Head on over to www.AutismTransformationProducts.com to order as many items as you’d like for yourself and for gifts.  It’s our “thank you” to you!

After you’re done shopping the sale, don’t forget to check out the featured article this week about fun family activities.  You can also get a little definition of “remediation” in our Ask the Horizons Team feature below.

Have a week filled with gratitude!

Looking to the horizon,

Fun Family Activities for Any Occasion

By Courtney Kowalczyk, M.Ed.

Since weather is an unpredictable phenomenon in life, I have begun to appreciate a variety of activities that I can do with my family whether we are stuck indoors due to rain or snow, extreme hot or cold.  Although it is hard to find an activity that they whole family can enjoy together, it is not impossible.  Here are a variety of ideas that you can use when you are stuck indoors with your family, and unsure of what to do.

• Play “Simon Says” or “Hide-And-Go-Seek.”  All too often, I forget about these fun games that I used to play as a child.  The best part is, you don’t need to have any materials in order to play them.  Simon Says and Hide-And-Go-Seek are wonderful games for the whole family that even teens can enjoy!
• Look at old photo albums together.  It is fun to reminisce about past experiences and trips.  It is especially fun when parents pull out their wedding or college photo albums, as our kids seem to get a real “kick” out of them.

Click here to read the rest of this article…

Question:

This may be a silly question, but what does the word “remediation” mean?  I see you reference it in some of your articles and online, but I’m not sure I know exactly what it means.

Thanks – Jenna in Vermont

Answer:

Hi Jenna,

It’s not a silly question at all!  Remediation means correcting a deficit to the point where it no longer creates a barrier for an individual on their path to obtaining a satisfying quality of life.  The process of developmental remediation allows individuals to have a do-over for the important developmental milestones that may have been missed along the way.  Remediation goes beyond compensations and gets to the root of the problems.  The focus of remediation is to fix the underlying problems the individual is having and not just to make the surface look better.  The reason you see the word remediation come up a lot in our articles and posts is because it is at the heart of what we do.  Our goal is to help resolve the core issues that create challenges – to remediate them so they aren’t obstacles anymore.

I hope that helps!

Courtney

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Upcoming Events

Simple Solutions Seminar
November 17, 7-8:30PM via teleseminar
Don’t Forget About Me: Supporting Siblings of Children with Special Needs
Click here for more information.

Horizons Holiday Party
December 10, 2011, 2pm-5pm
For Horizons families only
Call the office to RSVP

Sibshop
January 14, 2012 from 10am-2pm

Recommended
Resources

Learning as we Grow

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

More Information >>

REMEMBER! Use the coupon code Thanks2011 to receive 50% off this product!