The steps of job seeking are challenging for any candidate: preparing a polished resume; communicating with potential employers; participating in what can be a rigorous or stressful series of interviews. It is easy to imagine how challenging this process can be for a young adult with autism. Research has shown that employment rates are lower for young adults on the autism spectrum than those who are not. An American Academy of Pediatrics study from 2012 found that only 55% of young adults with autism had held a paid job during the first 6 years after completing high school.

There are foundations and organizations across the country that are actively working to change this statistic. The Atlantic reported in July that the Dan Marino Foundation is helping young adults with autism train and prepare to enter the workforce. The foundation, based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is focused on “empowering individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities.” In addition to helping students learn basic skills for the workplace and train for industry certifications, the Foundation is training young adults with the help of virtual job interviews, conducted by digital avatars on a large screen. This gives the trainees an unprecedented opportunity to practice engaging with and responding to an interviewer.

Learn more about the work of the Foundation and other programs in place to help young adults with autism navigate the workforce here. For resources that exist for young adults with autism and other special needs closer to home in Ohio, contact the caring team at Peak Potential Therapy.

The development of Google Glass, Google’s computerized headset that features a camera with a small display above the right eye, has long shown significant promise in improving the lives of children with autism. Researchers at Stanford University are currently conducting a study using facial recognition software that runs on Google Glass to see whether the software can help children with autism deal with one of their greatest challenges—reading emotions in the faces of others. The camera on the device is able to detect emotions like happiness or sadness and shows the corresponding words, or an emoji, on the glass display.

From an Associated Press article reporting on the study:

“The autism glass program is meant to teach children with autism how to understand what a face is telling them. And we believe that when that happens, they will become more socially engaged,” said Dennis Wall, whose lab is running the study.

Read more about the study and its potential to lead to an alternative therapy for children with autism here.

Summer camp is a wonderful experience for children that promotes independence and social skills development, as well as encourages them to try new things. At Peak Potential Therapy, we believe that every child should have the experience of summer camp, regardless of any special needs or disabilities. That’s why we coordinate special needs summer camps for children in the Greater Cleveland area through August, affording all children the opportunity to attend camp within a safe, therapeutic, and supportive environment.

These are just 3 of the many amazing benefits of summer camp for special needs children:

1. The opportunity to practice social skills. It is so important for children with special needs to have opportunities to practice communication and interaction with peers. Rather than lapse in this area of development during the summer, camp ensures that critical social skills development and growth continues throughout the summer. While children engage in typical summer camp activities, they are practicing these essential skills. They can progress and have success through the summer with the support of a speech therapist or behavior consultant.
2. The chance to experience a sense of pride and independence. During Peak Potential Therapy’s summer camps, children in S.M.I.L.E. Summer Camp™,Camp Suntastic™, and Preschool Camp A.B.C™ are presented with many new activities. Within a safe, caring environment with therapists and their peers, they can experience the pride that comes with trying a new activity. Whether it is going down a big slide at Twinsburg Waterpark or feeding long horn steer at Wagon Trails animal park, our older children experience the sense of self-pride and independence that comes when you step outside of your comfort zone and attempt something new and unfamiliar. The preschoolers in Camp A.B.C. also have opportunities to try new play-based activities with their peers.
3. The joy of having fun with peers. Above all, the most important benefit of summer camp is having a fun summer! Peak Potential Therapy’s summer camps designed for special needs children ensure that no matter their unique challenges, all children will experience that joy that comes from having fun with your peers.

Are you looking for a summer camp that is right for your child? Peak Potential Therapy offers S.M.I.L.E. Summer Camp™, Preschool Camp A.B.C™. and Camp Suntastic™. Find the summer camp that is the best fit for your child and schedule and register soon. Spaces remain for sessions this summer but will fill fast!

“Is my child autistic?”

If you are asking this question, you are likely experiencing a mix of emotions: anxiety, fear, curiosity, frustration. You are longing for an answer to your child’s struggles or behaviors. One place to start is with a self-evaluation of your child and his or her unique behaviors or potential symptoms. We do offer an Autism Screening Quiz that can help you take this first step in identifying behaviors in your child that are indicative of Autism.

The most common signs of Autism relate to the following:

• Communication: Your child may have difficulty communicating with you and your family, or his or her peers, or may be entirely nonverbal.
• Repetitive Behaviors: Your child may have obsessive tendencies when it comes to routines or keeping to a set schedule for his or her actions. Or perhaps your child will repeat saying the same word, or performing the same action, over and over.
• Social Behaviors: Your child may struggle with touch, such as holding someone’s hand or being hugged, as well as struggle to engage in conversation. He or she may disengage from peers in a social setting.

Observing these behaviors does not immediately equate a diagnosis, rather it suggests that your child should have an evaluation by a developmental pediatrician, a psychologist or a team of professionals at a specialty autism clinic such as Rainbow Babies. As you navigate a possible Autism diagnosis, remember that there are many caring, compassionate individuals, including the therapists at Peak Potential Therapy, who want the very best for your child. If you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to contact Peak Potential Therapy.

A few weeks ago, we received a note from a parent whose son was preparing to attend a horse camp at Fieldstone Farm. The parent noted how our therapists were able to help her son work through his anxiety to reach a point of being comfortable with riding and interacting with horses. She noted once her son was able to get on the horse, he loved the activity. But, it was not possible without the therapists at Peak Potential Therapy using a variety of techniques to help her son work through his anxiety.

Children with special needs often struggle with stress and anxiety. Anxiety may keep your child from joining in with other children who are playing, stop him or her from trying a new activity, or even prevent him or her from being willing to taste a new food. At times, this struggle to cope with anxiety may feel like an enormous roadblock for your child and your family. Fortunately there are ways that you can help your child deal with anxiety and stress. These are just a few of the strategies we use at Peak Potential Therapy:

• Visual Supports: Many children with special needs are very strong visual learners. Communicating a process, such as getting on and riding a horse, or caring for a horse, can be done with visual supports, such as a visual schedule or a custom My Social Stories book.
• Peer Modeling: Using this technique, a child who is struggling with anxiety and hesitating to participate in an activity can watch a peer participate and model the appropriate behaviors.
• Modeling Self Talk: The therapist working with a child can use self talk to describe each step he or she is taking. For example, if the therapist is working with a child to overcome anxiety to ride a horse, she may describe approaching the horse, feeding the horse an apple or petting the horse’s nose, and so on.
• Transitions: This is a classic area of struggle for children on the Autism spectrum. It could be as simple as changing activities, like going from reading books to playing with blocks, or a change in the child’s schedule. Or, it could be a huge ordeal to change classrooms and get a new teacher from year to year. Our therapists help children learn how to handle these types of transitions.
• Positive Verbal Support: Consistent praise can be a very powerful motivator in helping a child work through anxiety and reach a goal. Verbal praise is more effective when coming from an individual that a child has built a relationship with.
• Time: While one child may need just one visit to a horse farm to feel ready to ride a horse, another child may need a dozen visits. Every child is unique.

If your child is struggling with anxiety, contact our team today to learn more about the available therapies and services offered at Peak Potential Therapy.

Often, parents will speak to one of our speech language pathologists, asking whether their child’s struggle with language development warrants speech therapy, or, at the opposite end of the spectrum, if speech therapy will help their nonverbal child. At Peak Potential Therapy, we strongly believe in speech-language therapy as a benefit to all children, whether they are struggling with speech rhythm, such as stuttering, or have an inability to make speech sounds. These are just a few of the primary benefits for children:

• Speech therapy gives children a voice. If a child is nonverbal, and has difficulty producing any sounds at all, they lack a voice and a way to communicate. Through speech therapy and forms of aided communication, like technology communication devices, children learn a way to communicate with their parents and family members.

• Speech therapy teaches children expressive language skills. Speech therapy is not only about the physical ability to speak, but about language. When we communicate with others, we use so much more than simply words—we communicate through eye contact, facial expressions, gestures, and so on. When children learn these methods of communication, they can more easily communicate with and understand those around them.

• Speech therapy promotes self-confidence. When a child struggles with a speech disorder or delay, they likely also struggle with a lack of confidence and self-esteem, especially in situations with their peers. Working with a speech language pathologist, a child will gain an ability to communicate, giving them more confidence to engage and interact with peers.

To learn more about speech language therapy services offered at Peak Potential Therapy, contact us today. You can also assess your child’s skills with this speech-language self-evaluation before calling to schedule a formal assessment.

At Peak Potential Therapy, we care deeply about our clients and their success, beyond the hours of a therapy session.

We are always looking for resources and tools that may aid families and provide helpful advice and insights. Recently, we had a parent who was struggling with her son’s sensory aversions to food, which made mealtime a stressful situation. One of our therapists found the “Ask an Autistic” YouTube channel of Amythest Shaber, a young woman who regularly responds to questions about living with autism. We shared one of Amythest’s videos, titled “Ask an Autistic – What Is Sensory Processing Disorder?” with the parent, hoping it might shed some light on her son. The parent responded that the video really helped her put her son’s approach to food in perspective.

We wanted to share this video and Amythest’s channel here as well, as it may be a useful resource and source of information for other parents and family members of a child with autism.

If you have questions or concerns regarding your child, please do not hesitate to contact our team at Peak Potential Therapy. We are here to help and offer whatever guidance and support we can.

We are very excited about our 2016 Summer Camps, which offer unique, therapeutic camp experiences for children with special needs. Our team is passionate about creating a positive summer camp experience for all children that helps them continue to develop important skills over the summer while also having a great deal of fun!

We offer three different camp options for children in various age ranges. Find the camp that best fits your child’s unique needs:

• Camp A.B.C. helps children ages 3 to 5 years old develop peer relationships, practice appropriate play, and develop social communication skills.

• Camp Suntastic is a part-time community based summer camp that provides children ages 9 to 13 years old with a fun, recreational camp experience focused on social and daily living skills.

• S. M.I.L.E. Summer Camp is a community-based full-time day camp for children ages 4 to 18 years old, directed by a speech-language therapist and designed for high functioning children with various disabilities. This camp offers daily field trips, providing opportunities for campers to engage in the community and experience new activities across Northeast Ohio!

Spaces are limited to create a low ratio of children to each of our therapists and camp assistants. Register early to ensure your child will have a spot.

Many children have a negative reaction toward going to the doctor or dentist for a routine checkup. They are anxious about a new environment and an unfamiliar person examining them in close proximity, and scared of the unknown of what will happen during the visit. For a child with special needs, these experiences can be even more stressful—for both the child and the parents. Help your child have a positive experience by following these tips:

• Inform your doctor or dentist’s office about your child’s special needs in advance. If you explain how your child is likely to react during the appointment, the staff may offer you some accommodations or modifications. For example, you might ask whether your child can visit the office once or twice before the actual appointment to practice sitting in the dental chair or seeing the examination room. You may also ask if there are comfort items, such as headphones or an electronic tablet, you could bring to the appointment to make your child more at ease.
• Talk to your child about the people they will meet during their visit. Explain to your child the people he or she will meet, from the receptionist in the waiting area, to a nurse or dental hygienist, then a doctor or dentist. You can role play some conversations, such as checking into the appointment or meeting the doctor or dentist.
• Praise your child for cooperation during the visit. Encourage and praise your child throughout the visit when he or she does things as asked, such as sitting still, following instructions such as opening his or her mouth for the dentist, and so on. Throughout the appointment, you can also continue to reassure your child and explain each portion of the appointment as it happens.

If you need guidance or advice on helping your child through doctor’s visits, contact the caring team at Peak Potential Therapy. We are here to help.

Are you worried that your child is too dependent on you, or looking for ways to help your child become more independent? The best way to help your child be more independent is to help him or her gain the skills of self-awareness and self-regulation. These two abilities are essential life skills. When we have self-awareness, we understand who we are and what we are doing, as well as what is going on around us. When we have self-regulation, we are able to manage our own behavior when we interact with various people, in different places and situations. If a child has these skills, he or she is secure in making choices with confidence, without dependence on a parent or guardian.

There are so many ways to encourage your child’s development in the areas of self-awareness and self-regulation. Consider these examples of questions and subsequent ways to encourage your child’s development.

• How much does your child pay attention to his surroundings, such as the behavior of a friend or family member or watching events occur? For example, if you are at the park, you may see a family eating a picnic lunch or playing on a playground. Help your child by asking questions to encourage him to pay attention, such as asking what is going on or what do you see the family doing.
• Does your child identify or describe the emotions, and intentions, of those around her? It is so important that your child gain an ability to react to and identify the emotional reactions of those around her, as this is a fundamental piece of being able to communicate. You can help your child be continually describing and modeling feelings and intentions of actions. For example, if your brother is crying after you took away his toy, what does that mean?

In those times where you feel like your child is struggling to become independent, keep in mind that there are circumstantial factors that could be affecting your child’s behavior. For example, your child might be feeling stressed or overwhelmed, or you may simply be introducing too many questions at once. Patience and continuing practice will be so important on your child’s journey to independence.

The caring team at Peak Potential Therapy can aid you in helping your child become more independent. We have a number of services, such as our social skills groups and interactive camp experiences, that will help your child develop essential skills that contribute to self-awareness and self-regulation. Give us a call today to schedule an initial consultation.