Posts tagged disability service provider
Photojournalist Rachel Martin came by Redwood to showcase some of the children and adults’ stories. She did a great job capturing how people with disabilities are no different from you and I. We all have hopes, wishes, desires, and fears.
Positive Behavior Supports
All Ages Learn More Functional Behaviors
The ability to behave appropriately, in any given situation, is the hallmark of personal development. It sets the stage for optimal learning, positive relationships, and ultimately a better quality of life.
As a group, individuals with disabilities are more likely to demonstrate behaviors that negatively impact learning and social interactions than their nondisabled peers. Some grab or push to tell you what they do or do not want. Others act out to get attention. Although a few have behavioral outbursts due to sensory overload, others bite because they crave sensory input. These behaviors, while challenging, typically serve some function for the individual.
What are Behavior Supports?
Behavior Supports determine the cause of an inappropriate behavior, and then provide the means to replace it with more functional and socially acceptable behavior.
The first step is a functional behavioral assessment. This systematic process, led by a Behavior Specialist, determines an individual’s strengths, problematic behavior, and environmental factors that may contribute to the behavior. Questions may be asked, such as, “When is the person most and least likely to display the behavior?” or “What function is the behavior serving?” The answers help the Behavior Specialist set up an appropriate behavior support plan.
A behavior support may be as simple as closing a shade so the sun is not in someone’s eyes, turning on calming music, redirecting the person away from a situation that causes an escalation of negative behavior, or changing the sequence of activities so the individual understands what is expected. It may be as complicated as a formal system of continuous and intermittent reinforcement of desired behavioral responses. The important thing is that the behavior support helps the person learn and use more functional behaviors.
A Positive Form of Intervention
Redwood began offering Behavior Supports in 2008 as a positive form of intervention for challenging behaviors. Since then, the agency has noted a 40% decrease in behavior incidents.
Shannon, an adult in the Work Activity Center, benefits from the Behavior Supports program. She is easily agitated, which interferes with her ability to focus on work and to maintain friendships. With the help of Behavior Supports, she continues to learn how to use self-calming and self-redirecting techniques to stay focused and friendly.
If you are living or working with a child or adult in need of Behavior Supports, Redwood can help. Just contact the behavior specialist at (859) 331-0880. Individuals do not have to attend Redwood to utilize this service.
Annual Campaign
Miracles are nothing more than making the impossible possible… and this is what’s at the heart of Redwood’s mission. Thanks to the generosity of others, an infant with a disability flourishes in an environment where he can interact with typical children. An adult is empowered through computer training that enables her to find a job and earn an income. These are just some of the impossible things becoming possible at Redwood on a daily basis. Your gift is especially needed at this moment, and will make miracles happen for many children and adults.
If you have not made a gift to the Annual Campaign or not yet received a letter, please consider making a gift today by visiting www.redwoodnky.org and clicking Donate Now.
Here are some examples of what your gift can do…
• A $2,500 donation allows ten children with Autism to learn daily living skills while attending Summer Respite for two weeks.
• A $1,500 donation allows four adults with developmental disabilities to maintain daily employment in the Work Activity Center for two weeks.
• A $1,000 donation allows four toddlers with special needs to learn self-help skills through four hours of developmental intervention.
• A $500 donation allows one child with spina bifida to receive nursing services for 20 days.
• A $250 donation allows three children with epilepsy to participate in five enriching after-school learning experiences.
• A $100 donation allows an adult with cerebral palsy to receive an hour of speech or occupational therapy with a focus on assistive technology.
New Accreditation
The Computer Learning Center was awarded three-year accreditation from the international Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities. CARF said, “This achievement is an indication of Redwood’s dedication and commitment to improving the quality of the lives of persons served. Services, personnel, and documentation clearly indicate an established practice of excellence.”
Prep for Preschool, by Charlotte Russe
For tots on the verge of preschool, it’s helpful to know that much of the preschool experience is about learning how to cooperate and coexist with other kids. To help prepare your child, look for opportunities for her to play with others at the library, the local playground and anywhere else that fits naturally into your life. Jenifer Wana, author of “How to Choose the Best Preschool for Your Child: The Ultimate Guide to Finding, Getting Into and Preparing for Nursery School” (Sourcebooks; $14.99), says, “Remember that your kid doesn’t need to be ready for preschool when you’re applying, which may be months in advance of actually entering the school. Consider that gap as a period to help your child become more mindful of sharing and taking turns. Kids should be able to understand appropriate behavior even if they don’t model it.” Here are other points to consider: Potty Training Settling Down Sleep Much? Ability to Communicate Comfort with Routine Ages & Stages Charlotte Russe is a freelance writer. Prep With a Class Parents working with little ones at home can check out ABCmouse.com, an online early learning academy that offers ages 2 – 6 a range of activities, including reading, math, science, art and music. For a nominal subscription fee ($7.95/month or $79/year), parents have access to 350 lessons that progress over six levels, all designed by early childhood education experts. Kids receive tickets and rewards as a motivator to keep learning (and learn about numbers), while family members can even record themselves reading aloud favorite books so that your little ones can enjoy story time with Grandma and Grandpa or a favorite aunt!You may be lucky enough to have a spot for your child at the #1 preschool in town, but will he be ready when the time comes? And, what exactly does “ready” mean today?
Many preschools require new students be potty trained upon entry, but many don’t. If your preschool does, ask if disposable pull-ups are OK. Ask how they handle accidents. And, if you’re struggling with potty training, know that your child will get it soon enough — being among other youngsters who have mastered it can really help.
Wondering how the little girl racing around your home will ever manage to sit still in preschool? Don’t worry about holding her to unrealistically high standards. Tami Lanham, director of Kinder Garden School in West Chester and Blue Ash, says that at the beginning of the school year, kids can work through 15 to 20 minutes on a particular area. “Circle time lasts about 15 minutes, during which we’re singing songs, doing the pledge of allegiance,” she says, adding that kids then cycle around the room with math, reading, Spanish and other activities. “As the year progresses, that work cycle expands to about 30 minutes.” Lanham advises parents of really antsy kids to forewarn the teacher so she knows to encourage active kids to really play during their gross-motor time. “It will wear them out a little bit and they’ll be ready to focus,” she says.
Wana says, “Difficulty with concentration should not be a reason to refrain from sending kids to school. If anything, being in a school environment should help children improve their ability to focus.” So, if your child is already able to focus for a few minutes on her own, you’re in good shape.
Preschoolers are kept busy whether it’s a half-day or full-day program, and naps are always a part of the picture for children age 2 and younger, sometimes twice a day. For preschool classes in the one to two years prior to kindergarten, generally there is one nap in the middle of the day. If your child has already given up her nap, try to get her accustomed to the idea of quiet time — especially if she’ll be staying in a full-day program. Help her to learn to settle each day with a picture book or small activity.
Lanham advises that parents keep the same nap schedule on the weekends as they do during the week, and if you are signing up for a half-day program, aim for the morning, when kids are typically more animated and cheerful. If your schedule requires a half-day of preschool in the afternoon, aim for a morning nap if possible, or at least keep things calm and quiet before heading off to school.
You may understand what your child says to you, but will others? She will be more successful if she can communicate her needs when you are out of sight and she’s with others. She may not be ready for preschool if she has a hard time communicating, but that doesn’t mean that she has to be a chatterbug. Wana says successful communication can include tugging on a sleeve or even pointing to what’s needed. The main thing is that she can let others know what her needs are so she doesn’t end up repeatedly frustrated.
What if your child is especially shy or doesn’t communicate much at all? Is she ready for preschool?
“Absolutely,” says Lanham. “Children have an easier time speaking to peers than adults.” Teachers who are made aware of a child’s “selective mutism” can pair her with a chatty kid, who can bring her out of her shell with peer interaction and relationship building, all while the teacher monitors her progress and makes sure that the conversation isn’t completely one-sided.
Prepare your child for a successful transition to preschool by helping her to follow a consistent routine at home. Preschools run consistent programs and she’ll be able to adapt better if she’s used to routines. Also, preschool programs run with varying schedules, allowing you to pick how many hours and how many days you want your child to attend. Once they get there, your little one can expect a predictable order of events, like circle time, play time, snack time, meal time and naptime.
What’s the best schedule for your child? Wana recommends a minimum of three days a week, to avoid the continuous cycle of re-adjustment that “two-day-a-weekers” feel. Lanham agrees and recommends that 3-year-olds participate in at least three half-days a week. “By 4, they’re ready for five half-days,” she says, adding that since all Ohio Kindergartners will be required to attend full-day programs starting with the 2011 school year, it’s best to start getting them ready now. “Since so many parents work full-time, though, most kids will be ready.”
Remember that the expectations for socialization vary depending on the age of the child. Wana says, “Two-year-olds should show some interest in socializing with other children. Three- and 4-year-olds are expected to have had some experience with sharing and listening to instruction. Socially, they are expected to refrain from hurting other children and be involved in cooperative play.”
Not sure if your little one is ready for preschool? Check out the Preschool Prep class at Cincinnati Family Enrichment Center (4244 Hamilton Ave.; 513-591-2332; theplaceforfamilies.com). The class prepares ages 30 months – 3 years for the preschool experience (or can act as a supplement to homeschool families) – kids will sing, rhyme, role play, and learn pre-reading and pre-writing skills.
(Source: nkyfamily.com)
A Therapeutic Approach in Child Care Benefits Kids
Each morning mom and dads happily bring their children to Redwood, give them a hug and a kiss, and then dash off to work. At the end of the day, the whole process is reversed. Parents arrive empty-handed and leave with a smiling child. What is it that makes Redwood’s Early Childhood Child Care (ECCC) so great for kids and parents?
Making a Difference
Could it be that the program demonstrates the highest mark of quality in early childhood care and education that parents seek? It does! ECCC has been accredited by the National Academy for the EDucation of Young Children since 1999.
Or is it that child care offers active learning programs that are appropriately challenging and developmentally sound? It does! Redwood’s littlest clients discover, experience, and grow through use of the nationally recognized High Scope Curriculum.
Would it be the amazing staff that love teaching and caring for children? Absolutely! They continually nurture and encourage children to achieve each new developmental step.
Kids and parents love child care for these reasons and one more — the program’s unique therapeutic approach that meets the needs of children with and without special needs.
A Therapeutic Approach in Action
Jennifer Walker and Constance Nauert, developmental interventionists, are therapeutic curriculum consultants. Both are certified in Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education. They collaborate with child care staff to incorporate Kentucky Early Childhood Standards into themed lesson plans, adapt and create materials, and provide strategies to increase learning through consultation with Redwood’s therapists, rehabilitation engineer, and behavior specialist.
Hillary, Darian, and Nate are just a few of the kids who are benefiting.
Hillary is an adorable toddler with visual impairments and developmental delay secondary to Shaken Baby Syndrome.
While other children look at pictures during story time, Hillary follows the story by manipulating cut-out pictures of storybook characters and objects. She loves activating lights on the snowman by pushing a large button.
Preschooler Darian found group activities to be overstimulating. Jen and Constance recommended a latch puzzle to calm him while challenging his problem solving skills.
Nate is full of energy! He runs, climbs, and plays. Group activities that require focus and attention are more challenging. The introduction of a special chair and a weighted blanket were just what Nate needed to enhance learning at circle time.
The therapeutic approach brings a wealth of professional resources to help all children in child care learn and grow. For more information about child care or to enroll, contact Redwood’s Director of Child Development at (859) 331-0880.
