All of the commotion around Thanksgiving can seem exciting to your family and yet overwhelming to a child with special needs.  This can be especially true for children with a diagnosis on the autism spectrum, as changes in schedule and people can be difficult to process.  Here are five ways to practice Thanksgiving so that your entire family can have a great time:

1. Practice sitting at the table with plates, lighting and music.  Taking the time to set up the table the way that it will look on Thanksgiving can help a child with special needs to understand that while Thanksgiving is a special meal, it is still a family meal, much like they have on a regular basis.  Using the same plates and playing soft music will allow kids to absorb all of the changes and process it slowly if they feel too overwhelmed.

2. Try holiday foods in advance.  Making small amounts of the food that a child may see on Thanksgiving as part of regular meals will help them to discover what tastes good to them and what does not.  Strongly flavored foods that kids aren’t used to may be too much when served all together.  Giving them a chance to try ahead of time promotes a feeling of control and ease.

3. Prepare a kit with toys and activities.  If you are traveling for Thanksgiving, plan on packing a toy kit that can provide stimulation and a way to decompress.  From favorite stuffed animals to art supplies and tactile toys, having those familiar items handy can make all of the difference.

4. Do a countdown!  By using a visual calendar before Thanksgiving, you can help your child to see when the “big day” will arrive.  This can help them to build up a healthy level of excitement instead of feeling anxious and stressed.

5. Talk about the holiday.  There are plenty of opportunities to discuss the holiday and read books about it.  This type of exposure can make it seem safe and easy to manage.  As your therapist for help with discussing this issue with your child or for resources to use.

Thanksgiving doesn’t have to be a stressful day for your child.  By packing favorite toys, talking about it and trying new foods ahead of time, Thanksgiving can be a great memory for your family to cherish.

Travel during the holidays can be a large part of family traditions.  If you have a child with special needs, going to visit the relatives can mean an interruption in your normal family schedule, which can be especially challenging for kids to process.  One way to help your child is to understand the house rules of the home you are visiting before you even go.  This will give you a chance to practice before you pack your bags.  Here are three examples of house rules that will spur your thinking about what to ask your hostess:

1. Shoes on or off inside?  The idea of removing your shoes may be no big deal for most family members, but for kids who are especially sensitive to changes in routine, wearing or not wearing shoes can be a difficult challenge.  Ask your hostess if they have a preference and explain why you are asking.  This will immediately open the lines of communication between you and your family members about your child.

2. Are children excused during dinner?  While some families have no problem with kids coming and going from the dinner table, other families prefer that everyone stay seated during the meal.  Depending on your child, you can discuss your hostess’ preferences and see how they may work for your family.  Deciding this ahead of time will give your hostess a chance to made adjustments if necessary.

3. Types of play?  While some households are happy with contact sports and others focus on quiet afternoons playing games or reading, knowing what the traditions are in your family are key before you visit.  This will help you to determine how your child’s personal style will fit in with the family and will help you decide what to bring.

Knowing the house rules before you travel will give your family the best opportunity to enjoy the holiday.  Opening up lines of communication with your hostess is a great way for everyone to have a fun Thanksgiving – including your child with special needs.

While Thanksgiving is supposed to be a happy, relaxed time of the year, the reality is that the holidays can cause a great deal of stress for parents of kids with special needs.  The pressure of dealing with the needs of the holidays, in addition to making sure that your child has all of the resources they need to be comfortable, can be overwhelming.  There are ways to decrease your Thanksgiving stress.  Here are just three to consider:

1. Try yoga.  Yoga can be a great way to decrease your stress and increase your fitness level.  From deep breathing exercises to balancing poses, the practice of yoga can bring even the most stressed parent down a few notches.  Even if you only have five minutes, you can take time to breathe deeply and sit quietly.  The action of taking a deep breath reminds your nervous system that you are not in danger and will help you to think more clearly.  Many churches, fitness facilities and even local community centers now offer weekly yoga classes if you aren’t familiar with the practice.

2. Press pause.  Quickly reacting to a situation means that you may not only make a bad decision, but may do it in a way that does more damage than good.  Typical of someone who is stressed, there is a better way.  Press pause.  Take a moment before making a decision or reacting to a situation to take a deep breath and think carefully.  By making this a habit, you can ensure that your family stays as peaceful as possible during all of the seasons of the year, not just Thanksgiving.

3. Talk it out.  Having a child with special needs brings challenges that other families simply can’t understand.  Knowing that is important so that you can find the support that you need to navigate the holidays.  You don’t have to be isolated.  Talk to your child’s doctor or therapist and get names of support groups, non-profits and other parent groups that work with the parents of kids with special needs.

Want more information on how to reduce your stress?  Call the friendly staff at Peak Potential Therapy and we will be happy to listen to your concerns and make recommendations.  Call now!

If your child has been diagnosed with Asperger’s and is highly verbal, then the last thing you might be thinking about is speech therapy.  What you may not know is that speech therapy can be helpful for kids who have Asperger’s with other challenges that are posed in effective communications.  Here are just a few reasons to consider speech therapy if you live in the Twinsburg or Hudson areas:

• Speech therapy can help teach non-concrete speech references.  The English language is filled with many idioms and patterns of speech that may be extremely confusing to kids with Asperger’s.  Simple comments may lead to frustration for kids who take things very literally.  Working with a speech therapist can decode some of these language challenges for kids, giving them relief from frustration.

• Speech therapy can assist with social skills development. Since speech is one of the primary ways that kids interact in a social setting, working on developing those skills can make all the difference in daily life.  Speech therapists can work on helping kids understand appropriate language usage and how it can change depending on the circumstance.

• Speech therapy can help with clear speech patterns.  While many kids with Asperger’s autism are very verbal, they may have challenges with articulation.  Being able to speak clearly will give kids the confidence they need in working with others.  Working with a speech therapist can hone their speaking skills and help them relate to others.

Would you like to learn more about how a speech therapist can help your special needs child with their social skills?  Contact Peak Potential Therapy today to speak to one of our friendly, expert staff members.

ABA, or Applied Behavior Analysis, is one of the most widely known and sought after therapies for kids with autism.  ABA works to help kids develop daily living skills that can make their lives much easier and that can help them to thrive in social situations, such as school.  ABA is just one of many therapies that can make a tangible difference for your child.

ABA was created in the 1960’s, based on researched completed by a team of scientists who wanted to see if there was a way to move controlled behaviors beyond the laboratory.  These scientists wanted to know if using this procedure in real life would help people to adapt to a wide range of social, home and community environments.  One of the key components of ABA therapy is that is looks for the relationship between what people do and why they do it.  In other words, if a child cries when asked to brush their teeth, ABA uses that to teach the child new skills.

In practice, those therapists who use ABA focus on the consequences of a behavior.  In other words, when a child completes a requested behavior, there is a positive reinforcement.  When a child does not, then the ABA theory indicates that the positive reinforcement may be withheld or a negative consequence may be put into effect.  Some of these may include being able to hold a special toy, a sticker or using behavioral contracts or time outs to help children to understand why a behavior is important.

At Peak Potential Therapy, we offer our own blend of ABA and Floortime to our clients in the Twinsburg, Hudson and Chagrin Falls areas, called Behavior Therapy.  We believe that this approach blends the best parts of both therapies and allows kids an opportunity to respond in a natural way, which best mimics real life.  For more information on our unique Behavior Therapy approach, call us today to speak to one of our caring therapists.

If you have a child with autism, cerebral palsy or another special needs condition, then you know your job is to be available 24/7 to assist them.  Trying to live your own life and maintain your health can be a real challenge. This is the reason that respite services in the Twinsburg, Macedonia and Bedford areas can be so helpful – they can give you a needed break.  Here are just a few reasons to consider respite care:

• You may be more stressed than you know.  When faced with managing a home, more than one child, work and family members, most people are stressed.  Adding to that a child with special needs can be a really challenging load.  While you may be getting through the day, if you find yourself short tempered, having trouble sleeping or always fighting a cold, then your body may be telling you that you need a break.

• Your marriage may be near the breaking point.  Many, many couples find themselves in marital trouble due to the stress of raising a child with special needs.  Taking advantage of respite care means that you and your spouse can get away for a walk, go out for dinner or take in a movie, all while knowing your child is having a great time with their caregiver.

• You have other children who need your attention.  While every parent loves their kids, children with special needs may require more attention that a child without a special needs diagnosis.  Despite your best efforts, your other children may feel that they have been left to “fend for themselves.”  Respite care allows you to connect with them individually, giving them your undivided attention and love.

Is respite care something that you’d like to consider on a regular basis or for a special occasion like a vacation?  If so, we would be happy to refer you to several agencies in Northeast Ohio with qualified respite care workers that can give you the break you desperately need.  Call us today!

The transition between summer schedules and going back to school can be hard on any family, but especially those with kids with special needs.  The stress of resuming a regular schedule can cause conflict and tension for individual kids, siblings and parents.  Here are just a few tips to make sure that the first few weeks back are as stress-free as possible:

• Let them know ahead of time.  As with any major change in the schedule, family members benefit from understanding what is going on.  For kids with autism, this is particularly true.  Not only can you discuss the upcoming start of school, days off or changes to their schedule with them, but if your child is in speech therapy for autism in Akron, ask the therapist to mention it as well.  Hearing it from multiple sources can help it to seem more familiar.

• Continue with the services that are working.  Whether your child is seeing an applied behavior analysis therapist in Cleveland or attending classes in speech therapy for kids, if they are working well, try to keep them going as long as possible.  Consistency is key for kids with autism.

• Help them remember what they love about school.  Whether your child has a favorite class – say art or going to the library – stress that those activities will still be there when they return to school and will be there throughout the school year.  Their love of these activities can also be what helps them to connect with other kids in a social setting.

• Reconnect with the school.  The change back to the school year means renewing your connection with the school.  Take the time to stop in, email or call your child’s team members to say hello and let them know you are looking forward to working with them.

The transition back to school for kids with autism can be a real challenge, but one that can be managed.  Call Peak Potential Therapy for more transition ideas today! Call (330) 748-0389!

For many families, the diagnosis of autism means that their child will never go to college.  With improved access to speech therapy for kids in the Cleveland and Akron area, that is no longer a foregone conclusion.  New therapies as well as better management at college mean that many kids with high functioning types of autism can go on to have very successful careers in college.

The key for many of these children is to get them started in speech therapy for children with autism at an early stage.  Adding speech therapy for kids along with other therapies can help children with high functioning autism develop the skills they need to succeed in university environments.  While in elementary and high school, most kids benefit from an IEP system that allows parents, the child and professionals to work together to ensure that the child gets the most out of their educational experience.  Now, colleges and universities are exploring ways to replicate a similar system at the college level, offering campus-wide support.

While more and more kids with autism are having success at the college level, parents, friends and educators still need to be aware of negative outcomes for kids who may give college a try.  College can be a time for other issues to emerge and this is no different for kids who fall within the autism spectrum.  In fact, kids with a form of autism who do decide to attend college may be more likely to develop depression and anxiety.  The pressure of school and the social nature of the experience may also cause them to drop out rather than finishing their degree.

Knowing this, students need to be honest with themselves and understand that they can succeed at college if they deal with the challenges to their executive functioning capacity.  Getting additional help, talking to college advisors and even considering online coursework may all be options for kids who want to go to college.

For more information on education for kids with autism, contact Peak Potential Therapy today!  Call to speak to one of our caring, knowledgeable therapists today. Call (330) 748-0389!

Finding therapies for children with autism can be a real challenge.  There are many, many options being offered today to families who want to help their child develop new skills.  Isolating which one will work best for your child may take some research and some experimentation.  Here are just a few options for autism therapies that are worth researching.

Speech therapy. Speech therapy for kids with autism can be an effective way to help kids to get their needs met as well as building relationships with their family, teachers and new friends.  During speech therapy, a certified therapist may use pictures, new sounds, electronic devices and even songs to help kids to develop more words and inflection.

Occupational therapy. Occupational therapy can help kids to learn how to perform skills of daily living, such as putting on their own clothes or eating with a fork.  More complex activities can be added as the child progresses, allowing them to further develop and become more independent.

ABA therapies. Applied behavior analysis helps kids to learn to go to the bathroom on their own or other behaviors that follow a rote set of instructions.  Through repetition, these behaviors can become ingrained.  ABA can even be applied to some emotional issues as well.

Hippotherapy. Riding horses in a therapeutic environment can be tremendously helpful for kids with sensory issues, emotional issues and even physical development requirements.  Specially trained horses are used to encourage kids to move and relate to their environment.

Clearly, there are a lot of options for therapies for children with autism.  From speech therapy all the way to hippotherapy, there are many options for autism therapies.  For more information or to speak with an expert from Peak Potential Therapy, call (330) 748-0389 today!

If your child has been diagnosed with autism, there is good news.  Speech therapies have been shown to be very effective at helping kids with autism to develop skills that will help them to communicate appropriately with their families, teachers, caregivers and their peers!

Kids with autism may have a range of abilities in their speech.  They may not talk or try to communicate at all or may utter something that sounds like grunts, shrieks or throat-based sounds.  Other kids may hum or babble or may offer speech that sounds robotic.  Other kids that do have the ability to communicate may do so without expression in their voice, even though they are using the appropriate words and sentences.

Speech therapy can help kids by working on social communication and pragmatic language skill training in these areas.  Some of these solutions include:

Teaching them sign language. Some speech therapists use sign language as a way to bridge the gap in communication with kids with autism.

Adding sounds to their repertoire. Speech therapy for autism helps children to learn to use new sounds and to eliminate those that are not communicating a message correctly.

Providing them with electronic “talkers.” These high tech devices have pictures on the outside and can help a child talk with the press of a button.  Speech therapists can help kids with autism learn how to use this technology.

Music is an answer. Teaching a child to sing a song can help to give kids with autism the inflection and rhythm of natural speech.

Learn to play. Working with a speech therapist helps children learn the proper way to interact with toys and objects.

Would you like to learn more about how speech therapy can help children with autism? Call our caring, professional staff today at (330) 748-0389.