If your child has autism or another disability, trying to find the right summer activities can be an insurmountable challenge.  Making sure that your child has the support they need and is in an environment that understands their particular requirements is critical.  At Peak Potential Therapy, we have created several specialized summer camp opportunities specifically geared toward kids that have autism, Down Syndrome and other related disabilities.

The goal of these camps is to help kids with disabilities continue their learning over the summer, all while making friends and creating memories that they can carry with them.  Our structured environments are run by professionals, such as Occupational Therapists, Speech Therapists and those with experience in special education.  Our 2014 camps include:

Camp Suntastic is a great fit for for nine to thirteen year olds.  For tweens who want to have fun and who want to learn, too, Camp Suntastic is ideal for kids with PDD-NOS, Asperger’s, Down Syndrome, Apraxia, Cerebral Palsy and Traumatic Brain Injury who would like to work on social and daily living skills in a gentle teaching environment.

S.M.I.L.E. Summer Camp is a day camp that is centered on therapy and integrating skills that campers learn each day.  This day camp allows kids to take part in fun day trips that help them to work on social skills, communication and emotional regulation.  Day trips include going to the movies, swimming and going to the park, all with qualified, professional staff.

Camp Suntastic and S.M.I.L.E Summer Camp are all designed for kids that need an opportunity to get out, practice their skills and have a great time.  A variety of schedules are available to meet the needs of every family.  For more information, contact Peak Potential Therapy today to speak to one of our friendly, knowledgeable staff members.  Get your child registered today!  Time is running out!

Applied Behavior Therapy (ABA) has become one of the most common therapies for autism.  If you are considering ABA therapy for your child, there are some things to know before you commit to the process.

ABA is a safe and effective therapy. ABA is well recognized as a safe and effective therapy for children with autism.  It is a highly structured program that is centered on skill acquisition, such as toileting, getting dressed and brushing teeth.

ABA helps to develop skills. Through an ABA program, patients can develop basic skills such as listening and imitating.  Other, more complex skills include reading, conversation and social communication and cues.

ABA is focused on behaviors. ABA therapy is not focused on the “why” something is done, it is simply focused on getting the correct response.  This is taught by rewarding good behaviors and eliminating negative responses.

ABA is comprehensive. Prior to beginning therapy, a certified ABA therapist will create a detailed curriculum. Behaviors are broken down step by step for every type of behavior, including the development of language skills and self-care.

ABA can take kids mainstream. With the focus on creating behaviors, it is possible for some kids to be mainstreamed in their school district.

While ABA can be very effective for many kids, like every therapy it has limits. ABA is ideal for creating behavioral responses, but does not take into account a child’s desires. For that reason, Peak Potential Therapy uses a hybrid Behavior Therapy model that incorporates Floortime which recognizes a child’s unique personality and wants.

Interested in more information about how ABA and Behavior Therapy work? Give us a call today?

Speech therapy specifically for children with autism can be one of the most effective ways to help your child develop.  Children who have been diagnosed with autism may have a range of symptoms that a comprehensive speech therapy program can address.

While some children may not talk at all, others may make noises such as humming or babbling.  Other children with autism may be able to talk, but may be lacking expression in their voice.  It is also common for kids with autism to have issues with conversation, understanding, or echolalia (repetition of words).  Speech therapy can help with all of those issues.

How do speech therapists make progress with their patients?  Here are just a few of the tools that they use to assist kids with autism in making progress:

Provide electronic “talkers.” Electronic “talkers” look much like a children’s toy, but are actually sophisticated communication devices. Programmed with common words that can help a child to get their message across, speech therapists can help children connect with the word and the action.

Teach signing or typing. For children with limited speech skills, speech therapists can also teach sign language or typing as another method of communication while they work on enhancing speech.

Use pictures for communication. Visual cues, such as using pictures, can help kids with autism to connect what they see with the sound that a word makes. This can give kids a new way to “talk” to the people in their family, decreasing frustration.

Teach sounds. Speech therapists are also experts at helping kids to understand how to make how to make the basic sounds that comprise speech. These basic sounds are the building blocks to our language.

Improve articulation. For kids that can speak, speech therapists can help to refine their articulation, making their communication much easier to understand.

Sing songs to improve speech. Kids with autism can also benefit from singing songs. Songs teach new words, rhythm and meaning.

These are just a few way that a qualified speech therapist can help to improve a child’s speech. Contact Peak Potential Therapy today for more information on our services!

Has your child been recently diagnosed with autism, Down’s syndrome or cerebral palsy? Not sure what to do next? You aren’t alone…If your child has a new disabilities diagnosis, it can be frightening to try out how to navigate the first steps. Questions about the road ahead, the options for your child and many different types of therapies may leave your head swimming with confusion and questions. Knowing what to do first can be almost impossible.

The first step is to call us. Our caring, knowledgeable team can begin to support you and your family right away. And, our intake process is simple. There aren’t tons of forms to fill out – just a simple one page form on our website and we will come to your home to finish the intake. On our online intake form, we will ask you basic information, such as as your contact information, your child’s diagnosis and what types of services you are interested in hearing more about. At that point, one of our team members will contact you by phone to schedule a time to meet with you for free. During the actual intake meeting, you will get to meet your therapist, work on your child’s treatment plan and have all of your questions answered.

Picking up the phone to call Peak Potential Therapy is a small step that can lead to big gains for your child. Call today for more information or complete our online intake form for your free intake session.

If it is exhausting for your child to make their needs known, it may be time to consider individualized speech therapy.If your child is struggling to communicate their needs and feelings and is not succeeding, then you can sense their deep frustration. No parent wants to see their child upset and unhappy especially when all they are trying to do is communicate. And, speech skills are critical. Having good speech skills not only contributes to personal confidence, but to success at home and at school.

Making gains in speech skills is possible. The expert speech therapists at Peak Potential Therapy spend time understanding your child and evaluating their current speech level. Can your child make speech sounds? Can they make speech sounds, but not clearly? Are they having trouble understanding and producing language? Are they having rhythm and fluency issues? After evaluation, our caring therapists will work with you and your child in your own home to create improvements in those specific areas.

Communication doesn’t have to be hard for your child. Let the speech therapy professionals at Peak Potential Therapy assist your child right in your own home. You’ll be delighted to see the progress that your child can make.

When traditional therapies are just not helping your child the way that you had hoped, there is another solution – hybrid Behavior Therapy.There are times in therapy when it seems nothing is working. The same therapies that worked a month or even a week ago may quickly lose their effectiveness. That is a normal – though uncomfortable – part of the process as children develop. When your child hits that point, it may be time to try something new.

At Peak Potential Therapy, we believe that children with disabilities sometimes need a new way to learn behaviors. We also believe that every child can benefit from a wide range of approaches. With this theory in mind, we are offering hybrid Behavior Therapy. A combination of ABA and Floortime processes, we help kids to choose to learn new responses in an environment geared toward developing the whole person.

Give us a call today to learn more about how our Behavior Therapy services can be integrated into your child’s treatment plan. Our caring staff is here to help. Call today!

The holidays will be here before you know it! While it can be a time of great enjoyment and fun, it can also be completely overwhelming for children with special needs. There are ways that you can ease the stress of the holiday season for your child. Here are just a few things to think about:

Keep your schedule consistent as much as possible. Gathering with friends and family can wreak havoc on the schedule that your child is accustomed to. As much as possible, keep your child’s schedule consistent. That may mean nap times, foods and waking times are all the same, while there may be some variation in daily activites. Keeping things the same at home home will help your child more easily transition when coming back from an outing.

Offer a quiet room or relaxation toys. If you are traveling or will be gone for a long day, find a quiet space where your child can take a break. An extra bedroom at a relative’s house may make a perfect refuge for a few minutes of rest during the fun. In addition, considering bringing toys that help your child to relax such as a blanket or stress ball.

Show pictures of relatives before seeing them. One of the most challenging parts of the holidays is seeing people that seem new. A great way to acclimate your child before seeing relatives is to show them pictures, or even make a small photo album. They will seem more familiar during the event if your child has seen them at home in a relaxed atmosphere in a photo.

Be flexible. While it may be your family tradition to travel to Aunt Nora’s for Thanksgiving each year, be willing to say no to some of the events. There may be days when traveling will simply put more stress on your family than it is worth. It is okay for you to miss traditional events in order to keep the peace in your own home.

Ask for help. Respite care services are ideal for the holiday season especially if your child is feeling overwhelmed. A trusted respite care provider can make sure that your child is calm and safe while you and the rest of your family take advantage of the holiday fun.

The holidays can be one of the most challenging parts of the year. With a little planning and a lot of flexibility, you and your family can enjoy the holidays this year without the stress that usually comes from the holiday season.

There is no doubt that receiving a special needs diagnosis from your physican can be devastating. While the hopes and dreams you may have had for your child will be changed by the news, there are things that you can do to make sure that you and your family are able to move forward.

The first step is to acknowledge your feelings. You may be angry, sad, depressed or feel that life is simply not fair. All of these feelings – and any that haven’t been listed – are certainly legitimate. Take the the time to write in a journal, talk to a trusted friend, or even meet with a counselor or minister to help you sort out your feelings.

Taking care of yourself is the next step. Maintaining self-care routines will help you to feel your best and think clearly, which will, in turn, help you to make good decisions about care for your child. Whether you love to work out, take a yoga class, walk your dogs or go out to dinner with friends, taking the time to care for your own needs will give you the strength to meet the needs of your child.

Investing in relationships is also critical with a new diagnosis. While it may be tempting to hibernate from everyone that you know – including your spouse – the time of a new diagnosis is exactly the time to invest in those relationships. Let people know what you are going through, talk about how you feel and share that with your spouse. Reaching out to others and hearing about their lives will allow you to feel a bit closer to normal as well.

Finally, do your research and make a plan. Any special needs diagnosis can set you off on a long journey of gathering information. Look for reputable sites on the internet that explain a bit more about your dianosis and make a list of questions for your health care provider. Once your questions have been answered, then make a plan of how to help your child and start keeping written records. A simple spiral notebook can be one of the easiest ways to keep all of your questions and notes in the same place.

While a new diagnosis can be overwhelming, it can be managed. By taking the time for self-care, reaching out to others and doing research, you will get through the initial stage, allowing you to move forward.

Now that school is in full swing, you may have questions that need to be answered about the progress that your child is making. If you are having trouble getting your child’s school to pay attention to your son or daughter’s individual needs, these steps may help. Consider taking these steps:

Know what your rights are. As a parent of a special needs child, you are their number one advocate. As such, knowing that your child has rights to education will help you to encourage the school to move forward. Three primary pierces of legislation apply to the education of children with special needs. They are the Individuals with Disabilities Education Action, Section 504 of Rehabilitation Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Schedule an in-person meeting. While it may be more convenient to simple email or call, if you aren’t getting the attention that you need schedule an in-person meeting with your child’s teacher or other school official. Meeting in person shows that you are serious about communicating with the school.

Prepare an agenda. When you attend your meeting, prepare your questions in advance and make sure they are specific. Questions such as, “How is my daughter doing in class?” will give you far less information than, “What have you observed about my daughter’s ability to socialize during class projects?”

Follow up with written requests. Once your meeting is over, make sure to follow up with a thank you email that contains any written requests that you have made. This is important for your own record keeping. Make sure to print off a copy and follow up with the teacher or school administrator in a timely fashion to make sure that what you agreed on has been done.

Keep a copy of school records. If your child has an existing IEP or 504 plan, make sure to have a copy for your own records. This detailed plan will help you to determine if the education and assistance that was offered has been put into place.

Working with your school district to get your child’s needs met is an easy process. With a little research, in-person meetings and excellent follow up, you will have opened a door of communication and cooperation with your child’s teachers.