Last week was fun – a bunch of us SNK (Special Needs Kids) parents got together for a Parent Support Group meeting! From the time that my son was first diagnosed I enjoyed and learned so much from other parents hosting such meetings- for example the very helpful and knowledgeable Rona Gundrum and Jill Rege!!! So I am happy to take a turn being a co-host (with Nina Ponterio) of our fledgling group.
The theme of our meeting was questions… we gathered up questions when people first came in and later discussed as a group. Here are our questions… and some answers!
A: ROP, Regional Occupation Programs, are offered on most high school campuses. For example in the San Mateo see the FAQ http://rop-sanmateo.org/ “provides career technical training to meet labor market need in five program areas: Business, Health Care, Information Technology, Service and Trade & Industrial Technology.” ROP is open to all.
Some other programs to explore include the Regional Center’s work/visit program, where a social workers visits the workplace occasionally to offer suggestions, and listen to needs. Regional center may even assist with placement. You must be a Regional Center client. Another interesting program is Middle College http://www.mcnc.us/ . And most high schools also offer a Basic Life Skills program through special ed.
A helpful article is here http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Living_Autism_Life/
@Margaret to ask Rona to speak at one of our upcoming meetings on more about high school related.
Q: How can I support parents, as a daycare provider?
A: One way to look at this is pre and post diagnosis. If you as a daycare provider suspect that a child may have some special needs it is important to share your observations with the parents in a very gentle and sensitive manner and give them some potential referrals. Referrals might include Early Head Start ie www.unitycouncil.org in Oakland, Children’s Health Council www.chconline.org in Palo Alto, etc. You can also find many more tips and links here http://www.helpingdelayedkids.com/teachers.htm
Q: I need ideas to help a 4th grader focus on homework.
A: Try setting a timetimer for 15 minutes of homework, then reset for 15 minutes of sensory play – jumping on mini trampoline, wall pushups, etc. The idea is to chunk the hard work up into sections and give lots of sensory breaks. Also, sitting on a ball chair or an inflated seat cushion may help. See www.theraproducts.com
Q: Do ABA services continue during the summer?
A: It depends! In past years if an IEP authorized ESY (extended school year) then the therapies generally were allowed during the ESY program time. These days with budget cuts, it is important that your IEP be clear on this point and that starts with clear IEP goals that would require ABA for implementation. These may also be based on a Functional Behavior Assessment. Before approaching the IEP, consider researching on www.wrightslaw.com . You may also want to talk with an advocate or lawyer for advice, several resource links are here . It also is possible to get ABA covered by the Regional Center if behavior at home is an issue. Here is another reference specific to our SELPA http://www.smcoe.k12.ca.us/projects/6/Policies/Policies_Behavioral_Interventions.pdf
And finally, here is a very good iep links summary page http://www.talkaboutcuringautism.org/special-ed-law/specialedsummary.htm
Q: As a parent, what can I do to help my child over the summer if he does not have therapy or other services?
A: If money is not an issue, you can contract therapies directly and try to insurance reimbursement. If money is tight – you can look into parent training and coaching for alternative therapies – that can be parent administered. For example DIR Floortime, RDI, etc.
Q: Which school district is responsible for services? The district of residence or the district of placement?
A: Tricky area. Here are some references http://www.smcoe.k12.ca.us/projects/6/Policies/Policies_Student_Movement_between_Districts.pdf
http://www.smcoe.k12.ca.us/projects/6/Policies/Policies_Private_Schools.pdf
Q: What is biomed?
A: http://www.helpingdelayedkids.com/biomed.htm
Q: Info on OSR, anyone tried? Results?
A: Interesting post and comments here “Dr. Boyd Haley’s revolutionary new fat-soluble antioxidant called “OSR” (Optimize, Strengthen, Rejuvenate). “
Q: Info on Galantamine, anyone tried? Results?
A: Read about this supplement http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galantamine and here http://www.vrp.com/articles.aspx?ProdID=2045 . We also talked about Blaylock’s book “Excitotoxins, the taste that kills “
Q. Any one doing the Vit K protocol?
A. Vitamin K protocol helps our kids who have problems absorbing minerals properly. My son is on many of the listed supplements, though not on this protocol per say. To ask/read questions about this protocol you can join the yahoo group http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/VitaminK/ .
Q: How was the social thinking conference by Michelle Garcia Winner (held last month)?
A: Great!!! Here are a few links http://www.helpingdelayedkids.com/links.htm#Socialthinking . We are already having some success using the Superflex thinking and the notion of expected, unexpected. We also talked about Carol Gray’s book on Social Stories. Brain Gym. And the use of computer visuals like youtube video, to teach about topics like science.
