Summertime is full of fun, relaxing activities and some much-needed free time for your child. But for a child on the autism spectrum, leaving the routine and consistency that school provides can be a tough transition. The best way to help your child adjust to summer is by setting a summer schedule that includes some activities that you know they will enjoy. Here are some great ideas for activities that you can incorporate into your summer routine that also provide learning and social skill-building opportunities:

1. Create some fun water games.
   Sometimes the best way to “chill out” in the summer is with some refreshing water activities. From filling up water balloons for a toss to playing in a sprinkler, water provides some tactile stimulation while providing opportunities to socialize with other children.
2. Go to a movie.
   When the sun is high, and the temperature is up, sometimes the cool environment that a movie theater provides is the perfect escape. Your child will have great social opportunities as well, from talking to the ticket taker to ordering a snack, there are many chances to practice verbal exercise and cue awareness.
3. Set up an arts and crafts station.
   Whether you do it inside or outside, having an area specifically designed for creativity will give your child a chance to express non-verbally with their projects, and then verbally as they describe what they’ve made. It’s not about a specific project – just provide the supplies and see where their imagination will take them.
4. Go on a scavenger hunt.
   Imagine the fun of going on a scavenger hunt in the park on a bright sunny day. You do all sorts of learning adaptions, from finding items in a certain shape to finding a certain number of items. There are many great ways to use this fun activity as a way to learn.

If you are looking to keep your child’s development going over the summer, remember that at Peak Potential Therapy, our ABA therapy sessions and speech-language therapy sessions run all summer long and all year long.  We’ve also got exciting summer camp opportunities to make sure that our clients are enjoying their summer and moving in the right direction developmentally.  To learn more about summer activities at Peak Potential Therapy, contact us today!

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The summer sun is finally here in Northeast Ohio, and we’ve got to enjoy it while it lasts! However, if your child has sensory issues, it might not all be fun in the sun. Sometimes it doesn’t take much to overload the senses, and when your child is at the beach or the pool, there can be a lot of stimuli to process. Here are some tips that you can incorporate into your summer routine to help ensure sensory success for your child.

1. Lotion up BEFORE you leave the house.
Applying sunscreen can be a tough activity for a child with sensory issues. With all of the activity at the pool or the beach, it can be overwhelming to tackle such a tall task. If you apply before you leave the house, not only are there less competing stimuli, but the lotion can dry, and when you get to the beach it will be less likely to attract all of that sand and dirt that can stick to freshly applied sunscreen.

2. Consider using traditional sunscreen lotion, rather than the spray-on applicators.
Spray-on sunscreens can be tacky to the touch and can cause some unsettling sensations when applied. Some children are comforted by the massaging action of applying a traditional lotion. Your child will let you know what is more comfortable; go with whatever makes the process easier for everyone.

3. Allow your child to wear water shoes when walking on sand.
If you think sand is hot on your feet, then it feels like walking on hot coals to a child with sensory issues. We should all be more diligent when walking on hot sand because it can damage the skin, but it can also be mentally taxing on a child with sensory sensitivity. Not only that but when sand gets between the toes and causes discomfort, that can be another trigger for the child.

4. Find the right swimsuit for comfort.
Sometimes baggy or loose-fitting trunks can be uncomfortable for boys, and they might have more success in brief or boxer brief style trunks. For the girls, sometimes the feeling of wet fabric on the belly can be unsettling, so they might prefer a two-piece for comfort. As with the sunscreen application, find out what works and go with it!

5. Be sensitive to the smell of chlorine.
Many people love the smell of chlorine, but to a child with sensory issues, the smell of chlorine is akin to inhaling straight bleach. If your child is sensitive to the odor, try a pair of nose plugs. If that doesn’t help, head to the beach and avoid the pool altogether.

Peak Potential Therapy wants you and your children to have a wonderful summer with lots of fun. If you are looking for activities for your child, visit our page to take a look at our summer camp schedule, and remember that our ABA therapy sessions and speech-language therapy sessions run all year long! Contact us today to find out about all of the great activities that are waiting for your child at Peak Potential Therapy!

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We always hear that music is a universal language, but is that true with young people that have difficulty communicating?  If someone struggles with other forms of language, is music any different?  The answer is an emphatic YES.

Patty Shukla has over 20 years of experience as a music educator, and she’s seen the difference music has made in the lives of her students, especially those on the autism spectrum.

“The fact is that nearly all children have an inherent love of learning about and making music. From singing to dancing to playing musical instruments, kids of every description and from every walk of life just naturally seem to gravitate toward music.

But who really seems to get a giant educational benefit out of music? The very beautiful, very special set of promising minds that make up today’s growing autism community.”(excerpt from https://www.eparent.com/exceptional-blog/music-therapy-and-autism-does-it-work/)

So, we are clear that you can use music as a part of speech therapy to connect with kids, but how?  Here are some fun ways to incorporate music into your learning routine:

1. Make musical instruments and use them as you sing songs.
   They can be simple creations. Water bottles filled with a few beans make great shakers.  Old coffee cans make great bongos.  There are many options to create, but you can use these moments as opportunities to gauge listening and word identification skills.
2. Use simple drumming to help with retention and word recognition.
   Have your child play the drums and then practice concepts like starting and stopping, tempo changes; fast and slow – even act out an emotion by pounding on the drum, can or even a table top.
3. Play some hot potato.
   Pass a bean bag back and forth as music plays. When the music stops, have the child with the bean bag say a favorite word, or tailor it, so they have to name their favorite color or food.
4. Use music as a reward.
   If you have a child who loves music, reward their behaviors with opportunities to play instruments, sing a favorite song together or listen to their favorite song.
5. Get creative.
   There are many ways to incorporate music into your therapy sessions. Think outside of the box for ways that you can help your child find a voice with music.

Peak Potential Therapy is committed to helping your child find their voice.  We incorporate innovative ideas and techniques like music therapy into our sessions and plans so that your child can connect in ways they feel comfortable.  Contact Peak Potential today and let us expand your child’s world through ABA therapy!

Sensory techniques are a huge part of every speech therapy routine.  Few things pique the senses like movement.  An article from the American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that using physical activity in the teaching of academic lessons is a new, effective way of learning.  That same way of learning applies to speech and ABA therapy as well!

Here are some ways to get your student moving while they learn:

1. Use charades to act out different sporting events.
   Kids in Cleveland love Lebron James and Fransisco Lindor, so if your student is into sports, have them act out the moves that those athletes display during their games.
2. Tape worksheets to the wall and have your students stand while completing the tasks.
   If you have a smartwatch, you know it is constantly reminding you to stand.  The action doesn’t seem like it has much motion involved, but just standing up instead of sitting down can help reinforce learning in a whole new way.
3. Use activities to develop sequence patterns.
   Reinforce sequence and order of events by giving a set of actions and making sure one action is done before moving to the next.  For example, tell your student to do “2 hops after they touch their toes once” to see if they can master the sequence.
4. Go outside and play I Spy.
   Just being out of the room and looking at nature can spark the imagination, and I Spy is a great game to build recognition and cognitive skills.
5. Reward behavior with movement breaks.
   As a student finishes an activity or completes a task, reward them with a quick “dance party” or “nature break.”

The world is truly your classroom when you incorporate movement with learning.  At Peak Potential Therapy we know how important creativity is to your student’s development.  Contact us to learn more about how we use movement to help our students reach their peak potential!

It can be hard for a parent to admit that something isn’t right with their infant.  No one wants to think about the possibility of their child having a learning or social disorder, so it can be very easy to ignore warning signs or chalk them up to excuses or rationalize behaviors, even though it’s obvious that something is different about your child.  Autism treatments and therapy programs are more effective if started before your child is three years old.  That means you need to be diligent early in his or her life to help your child get the help needed to adapt to the conditions that are present in development.  Early warning signs for autism start as early as 1 year old.

Are you sensing something is not right, but you can’t put your finger on it?  Here are some early things to look for in your infant’s behavior that can help you determine if it is time to take our online evaluation for assessment:

Where is the smile?
Your baby should be responding to many stimuli with a smile. If your child is not expressing joy facially, this can be an indicator. When you smile at your baby, he or she should smile back.

No babble.
By the time your baby is a year old, he or she should be saying at least one word with meaning. You should also have been hearing babbling and cooing and seeing attempts to imitate facial expressions.

Poor eye contact.
At this age, one of the most common ways for babies to communicate non-verbally is simply to follow your voice and activity with their eyes.  In addition to eye contact, there should also be joint attention—in other words, your infant should follow your gaze and look where you are looking.

No gesturing.
Most babies start to wave bye-bye and reach for things by about 9 to 10 months.

Delayed motor development.
If your child isn’t crawling or rolling over when other babies their age are doing so, then it can be a red flag. All motor skills are expected within a few months of the “average” whether it is talking, sitting up or walking. If your child is more than 3 months behind the average, then there can be a significant delay in the one milestone or a red flag for a disorder. When in doubt, err on the side of caution and have your child tested by a professional for that area of concern. Don’t accept the excuses put in place by society or doctors such as boys develop slower; an only child doesn’t have older siblings to model; or she’s the last child so everyone does things for her, and so on.

Repetitive behaviors.
If your child is constantly repeating behaviors like stiffening their arms, hands or legs or making unusual movements with their hands or wrists, it can be a warning sign that they are on the spectrum. Your child might also be engaging in repetitive behavior such as spinning a wheel, flapping straps or strings, or being obsessed with circular (or any specific) objects. Children do go through phases where they have an interest or develop a new skill or fascination, but when the object or action becomes the focus no matter where they are, who they are with or what they are supposed to be doing, and it becomes disruptive or obsessive to the point they cannot engage in the actions they are supposed to or enjoy other things, then you should be aware that this is a red flag.

These are just a few of the signs that your child might be on the autism spectrum.  If you are concerned, take our online assessment quiz, and then follow up with our team at Peak Potential Therapy.  If your child is on the spectrum, our team is the best choice in Northeast Ohio for ABA therapy and speech therapy services.

If you are the parent of a child who was recently diagnosed on the autism spectrum or another disorder affecting the ability to improve on socially significant behaviors, your world just became a little more complicated. People with good intentions will pop up from every nook and cranny of your life to tell you what worked and didn’t work for their family and household when they went through the same situation. You’ll be overwhelmed by online research, and you’ll hear so many opinions that you might not know what to do next. It can be a very challenging time.

You’ll hear many myths presented as facts, especially when it comes to ABA therapy. We encourage you to do your homework and find a therapy method that is a good fit for you and your child. At Peak Potential Therapy, we believe in ABA therapy, and here are five truths that we support to debunk some of the misconceptions about this form of therapy and its benefits.

Truth #1: ABA therapy is not just a tool for autism.
The misconception is that this therapy method only helps children on the autism spectrum. ABA therapy applies to anyone who needs help with communication skills, social skills, academics, reading and other adaptive learning skills.

Truth #2: ABA therapy teaches in a natural environment.
There is another myth about ABA that it is done at a desk, in a sterile environment that doesn’t resemble a real-life scenario. This couldn’t be further from the truth. ABA therapy can take place in any environment and is ideal for helping to modify skills in real-time and in a real-world environment.

Truth #3: ABA therapy is not a flash-in-the-pan new approach.
Ivar Lovass started to apply some of the philosophies of B.F. Skinner’s work in behavior analysis to human subjects as far back as the early 70s. In 1981, Lovaas published “The Me Book,” which was a foundation in modern ABA therapy. There are traditional approaches and new approaches that lean more heavily on a Verbal Behavior approach, but they have been around for a long time now, and there is plenty of evidence to support their effectiveness.

Truth #4: ABA therapy is much more than “programming” responses.
Sometimes people assume that soliciting responses through conditioning will create automatic and robotic responses in children. ABA therapy teaches language skills in natural settings, and that decreases the probability of the responses being memorized and encourages them to be more organic.

Truth #5: ABA Therapy is unique for each child.
No two children are the same, and no two ABA therapy treatment programs are the same. ABA can be adjusted to suit the needs of each child and can be adapted to match their skill sets and needs accordingly.

Peak Potential Therapy is proud to offer ABA therapy to Northeast Ohio’s children with speech therapy and behavioral needs. Contact us today to see how we might be able to help your child reach their “peak” potential.

St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner!

As with any holiday, it provides us with some great opportunities to get creative with EIBI and ABA techniques.  Here are some great ways to mix a little Luck O’ the Irish in with your daily routine:

-Read a Book

Reading a book can help with sound correspondence, sequencing and comprehension. Literacy and letter recognition are key components of success with ABA therapy.

“The Night Before St. Patrick’s Day” by Natasha Wing and illustrated by Amy Wummer is a wonderful place to start.  This is the story of two children (Tim and Maureen) who stay up late the night before St. Patrick’s Day setting traps to catch a leprechaun.  The next morning, as their mom is preparing green eggs for St. Patrick’s Day, they are shocked to find that they actually caught a real-life leprechaun. Now all they need is a Pot O’ Gold!

-Make Some Art

Creative art projects are a great way to help your student work on fine motor skills, creative expression, following direction, and if done in a group environment, they can be a great way to further social skill development.

This easy to set up shamrock project is a great way to work on all of those skills! Cut out some construction paper shamrocks and cover one side with glue from a glue stick.  Take some sheets of green construction paper, rip off small pieces and crumple them up and cover your shamrock in green.  You’ll get a beautiful piece of art, and your child will love the sensory activity of tearing the paper.

-Have a Lucky Charms Hunt

There are wonderful activities that touch on math and sorting skills.  If you can find activities that incorporate skills like counting with matching and sorting, your students will benefit in multiple ways from a single activity!

Our little treasure hunt will sharpen all of those skills at once.  Give each child a bag of Lucky Charms cereal and a sheet that has columns for each of the various kinds of marshmallows (you’re probably reciting the commercials in your head as you read this!).  Have each child sort all of the marshmallows from the cereal first, then count how many of each type of marshmallow was in the bag.

Peak Potential Therapy is all about helping our students learn and play with ABA therapy. Discrete trial therapy is not the only way to work with students on the autism spectrum.  We’d love to see you at our center.  Contact us today to see what programs might be a good fit for your child, and have a great St. Patty’s Day!

Your Summer Just Got WONDERful!

Camp Wonder is now full for 2018.

Peak Potential Therapy is pleased to announce another WONDERful way to learn and play with ABA: Camp Wonder, our new summer camp for 2018!

Our new summer camp is designed for your child, ages 6 to 10, who would benefit from a small group setting with direct instruction from our wonderful team of intervention specialists.  Using ABA therapy techniques, our team will help your child improve social skills, communication, and behavior techniques, gain independence and improve academics.   Exciting weekly themes will help your child engage and participate in activities that help them learn while having a great time.  Our daily schedule will give them many opportunities to explore, experiment, develop problem-solving skills, and most importantly, create friendships!  We’ll have fun exploring science with great experiments.  We’ll have great social skill building team projects.  We’ll get creative with art projects and so much more!

Camp Wonder makes it easy for you to get your child involved with our flexible scheduling program.  You can register for individual weeks or the entire six-week program.  We also have additional services available like before and after camp care, a progress report and a photo album (additional fees apply).  If your child exhibits aggressive behaviors, is non-verbal or has multiple disabilities, they are still included in the fun—we can provide additional aid to help them enjoy our camp (again, additional fees apply). With our ability to bill to County Boards of DD, Autism Scholarship Program, Jon Peterson Scholarship, school districts for ESY, Insurance, PASSS, plus a list of full scholarships and grants on our site, we help make sure that Camp Wonder is affordable for every family!

Space is limited.  To ensure that we are getting each child the attention they deserve, we limit our camp to six campers per week. Our staff includes an intervention specialist and an aide to ensure that we are maintaining three kids to one adult ratio.  We want to see your child at camp this summer, so start by making a $100 deposit and filling out our easy, online registration form.  All of your child’s supplies, visual schedules, transition supports and daily data collection are included with tuition.

So what are you waiting for?  Sign your child up for Camp Wonder this summer, and enjoy our wonderful way to learn and play with ABA!

Camp Wonder is full for 2018.

 “At 2 I knew something was wrong.  No eye contact, no baby babble, sensory issues.  I could clearly see issues, and by age three there was no doubt he was on the spectrum.”

(posted by a parent on a blog at www.babycenter.com)

Many parents can relate to that feeling of desperation.  Something was different about the way your baby responded to sensory cues.  Your baby wasn’t acting like some of the other children in the play area.  You didn’t know what exactly it was, but something was unique.  Then the reality hit, and you realized that you needed to confirm what you were thinking:  Your child is on the autism spectrum.

Believe it or not, three years old is a late start for optimal therapy with Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention(EIBI).  A study by the New England Center for Children showed that “90% of toddlers who entered therapy programs before their second birthday showed significant gains” and the same was true for 70% of the toddlers who started therapy between 24 months and 36 months.

This study and many other studies conducted since it was completed have confirmed that EIBI significantly helps children with autism function better with social interaction and helps them adjust to sensory rich environments with more success than children without the help of EIBI therapy.

But why?  What is different about EIBI from other therapies?

To start, it is based on ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) techniques.

ABA had success when applied to adults and older children with autism, but when it was adapted and applied to infants and toddlers in the form of EIBI therapy, its impact was even more impressive.  Applying the techniques when the child is at that very impressionable stage of learning gives EIBI a huge advantage.

EIBI helps children establish context around learning.

ABA therapy centers more on learning definitions. For example, you might say, “Hand me the truck,” and the child would then hand you a card with a picture of a truck on it. But just because the child was able to identify the object didn’t mean that the child had functioning abilities to apply what they had learned in other settings.  EIBI connects definitions to verbal and non-verbal cues so that a child can not only tell you what a truck is, but they can express when they want to play with one, or where the truck can be found when its put away at the end of the day.  EIBI broadens the scope of the child’s world.

EIBI starts a process that continues throughout a child’s behavior therapy for life.

A 1985 study published by the Princeton Child Development Institute concluded that “60% of the children with autism enrolled in the program before age five had improved enough to be successfully mainstreamed, not just included.” Enrolling a child in EIBI therapy early and then continuing with other therapies as he or she grows older and progresses gives a child on the spectrum an advantage versus those who don’t benefit from early diagnosis and intervention. It is a foundation that can be built on as the child continues with education and therapy.

It all starts with diagnosis.  If you feel like the parent in the first paragraph, take this Early Intervention Quiz to assess if your child would be a good fit for an EIBI therapy program.  The earlier you start, the better chance your child has to learn techniques that might empower him or her for life.  Peak Potential Therapy applies EIBI to help our clients get off to a better start in life, facilitating the greatest results for your child.  Contact us today to find out how we can help your child reach his or her peak potential.

Peak Potential Therapy is always looking for ways to help your child receive the most assistance they can qualify for to continue their progress and growth.  The Jon Peterson Special Needs (JPSN) Scholarship Program is an exciting opportunity for your child to receive financial help to pay for the services that are listed in their Individualized Education Program (IEP).

Thanks to the passage of House Bill 49, there are no deadlines for applications, and you can apply year- round.  Students can receive up to $27,000 in aid, but to receive the full benefit, they must be enrolled for the entire year.  The funds awarded start with the fiscal year on July 1, however with the passing of the bill, families can apply anytime, and the amount will be prorated.

Any student who has been identified as a child with a disability and for whom the district has created an IEP can qualify for the JPSN scholarship program. Kids with any disability—from a basic articulation disorder to those with multiple handicaps—can access funds through the JPSN.  Funding is appropriated on a sliding scale based on the educational diagnosis listed on the ETR. The student must also have a current IEP from the district of residence that is finalized, and all parties, including the parent, must agree with the IEP and sign it. However, if there is a behavior or skill not addressed in the IEP, but it can be justified, the IEP can be modified without repercussion from the school district.

This scholarship is unique in that all students, from those eligible to enter kindergarten to those in their senior year of high school, are eligible to participate in the program if they meet all other program requirements.

There are many organizations throughout our area that are eligible providers for the scholarship program’s approval, and we are proud to say that Peak Potential Therapy is one of them.  For a full list of eligible providers, visit The Ohio Department of Education website and type in your location information.

If you have any questions or need help with your application, contact our team at Peak Potential Therapy.  We’d be more than happy to assist you in getting your family the help you need!