Issue 172: Help for the Holiday Hmm’s

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: Holiday Shopping
• Feature Article:
  Help for the Holiday Hmm’s
• Ask the Horizons Team
• Upcoming Events: Simple Solutions Seminar & Sibshop
• Recommended Resources

Hi Everyone!

With the holiday shopping season in full swing I’ve got a couple of great resources to share with you today.  The first is Michelle’s article featuring great gift ideas for the kids on your list.  If you need some new ideas or want to get some things the whole family can enjoy, check out her suggestions below. 

I also want to remind you that today is the last day to take advantage of our 50% off sale.  Until midnight Eastern time tonight you can order anything in our store and take 50% off the total purchase price by entering coupon code THANKS2011 at checkout.  We’ve got items for family members and teachers, and you can see everything in our store at www.AutismTransformationProducts.com

Enjoy the rest of your week!

Looking to the horizon,

Help for the Holiday Hmm’s

By Michelle VanderHeide, BSW

If your life is anything like mine near the holidays, it’ll probably sound a little like this: “Mom, can I get that for Christmas?” “I’ll put it on your wish list honey.” As the next commercial comes on, “Mom can I get that for Christmas?” “That does look like fun. I’ll put it on your wish list.” The television, newspapers, and billboards are inundated with advertisements for all the hot toys and gadgets for this year. As parents, aunts or uncles, and grandparents, it can be very overwhelming to know what gifts to buy that will be both fun and “educational.”  Knowing what gifts will be best for our children – that they’ll enjoy – leave many of us going “hmmm.”

Here are a few things to keep in mind when shopping for all children:

Click here to read the rest of this article…

Question:

My son used to eat macaroni and cheese on a regular basis, a week ago he refused to eat it and now says he doesn’t like it anymore.  He has a rather limited range of foods and now he won’t eat macaroni and cheese anymore.  How do I get him to eat it?

-Dave in Tulsa, Oklahoma

Answer:

Hi Dave,

What you are describing is a food jag.  Everyone experiences this at one time or another.  When we eat the same food over and over again we get tired of it and decide we don’t want it anymore.  The difference is in the severity of the jag.  For children with feeding disorders (very limited diets) food jags can be more permanent in nature, meaning it takes a great deal of work and typically feeding therapy to regain foods that are lost.  For children who would be termed picky eaters, meaning they have a range of foods in their diet, but a limited amount regaining lost foods can be a bit easier.  Sometimes by not eating the food for a period of time (a few weeks to a few months) can be enough to help your child want the food again.  If your child has a feeding disorder it may be time to contact a feeding therapist to work on expanding their diets and to work on regaining lost foods.

Take care,
Erin

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Upcoming Events

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

Autism Transformation for Educators Audio Program

From Frustrated and Overwhelmed to Overwhelming Success: 10 Concepts That Will Transform the Way You Understand and Teach Students with Autism and Other Neurodevelopmental Disorders

More Information >>

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