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How Extracurricular Activities Boost Social Skills

By | Summer, Social Skills, Activities, School | No Comments

When beginning therapy, addressing your child’s social skills is often a perfect place to start. As we teach early social skills and more complex social skills as your child grows, practicing at home can be the perfect environment to learn the basics. As your child’s social skills improve at home, it is important to provide them with opportunities to practice those skills with other kids their age and in different environments. BCI offers telehealth social skill groups weekly and participation in these groups can be very meaningful. If you are interested in participating, speak with your BCI clinician about days and times. If the telehealth groups don’t work for your schedule, or if your child is ready for something more complex, then enrolling them in an extracurricular activity is a great option! 

The Benefits of Extracurricular Activities

Extracurricular activities provide your child with the opportunity to practice the skills they have learned in session in a very natural setting. The skills that they have practiced in therapy or in BCI’s virtual social skills group can be used to facilitate independence in the community. Follow your child’s interests and enroll them in an activity that they will enjoy. Ask the organization if you can attend a few sessions before signing up to ensure that your child will like that activity. Beginning something new may be a challenge, but the benefits of extracurricular activities really are abundant! Your child will be exposed to an increased number of social experiences that are hard to replicate in the home setting. These opportunities not only allow for practice but for opportunities to succeed. 

Don’t forget to include your ABA team! We can help prepare your child for participation and even attend some sessions with them.

Social Skills Supported by Extracurricular Activities

  • Making and keeping friends
  • Conversation skills
  • Flexibility with routine
  • Tolerance of differing opinions
  • Nonverbal communication
  • Coping skills

Looking for Extracurricular Activity Ideas?

Sports and Athletics
Baseball
Soccer
Football
Gymnastics
Karate
Bowling
Golf
Tennis

Music
Choir
Band
Orchestra
Group lessons

STEM Groups
Math & Science clubs
Computer clubs

The Arts 
Community Theater
Art classes
Tap
Ballet
Jazz
Hip Hop

Summer Camps
Regular Play Dates

After School Programs
Boys & Girls Club
YMCA
Youth Camps

Build a Morning Routine

By | School, Daily Living Skills | No Comments

It’s no secret that the morning can be a stressful time for families! Developing independent living skills and skills to follow a schedule can be meaningful to reducing stress in the morning. Daily living routines should be an important part of your therapy treatment plan. Children as young as 2 should be able to help with dressing and undressing themselves and completing simple chores. While children with special needs may need extra time to master these skills they should still be introduced early. Discuss with your BCI clinician which daily living skills would be most meaningful for your family. Your clinician can support you with teaching these skills or introduce them during sessions. Mastering these routines in session is a great first step even if sessions happen later in the day. Once the skills are mastered we can work on generalizing them to the correct time of day. School breaks are great times to adjust session schedule to target different times of the day as well!

Morning Routine Supports

  1. Visual or Written Schedules
  2. Reinforcement Schedule for Progress Toward Independence
  3. Practicing routine in session


Morning Routine Quick Fixes

  1. Get into a schedule, wake up around the same time throughout the week
  2. Set expectations that are consistent everyday
  3. Prepare the night before (set out clothes, pack their lunch)
  4. Plan for extra time 

Daily Living Skills by Age

18-months

  • Undressing: pulls off hats, pulls off socks, takes off coat, pulls down pants
  • Grooming: helps with brushing teeth, helps with wiping nose and face, helps with washing hands
  • Feeding: eats fingers foods, uses a straw, uses a spoon
  • Chores: puts toys in a toy box

24-30 months

  • Dressing: pulls up pants, matches socks, matches shoes, removes shirt, unfastens velcro.
  • Grooming; brushes hair with help, wipes face.
  • Feeding: uses a fork, carries plate, uses a napkin.
  • Chores: puts dirty clothes in a hamper, take clothes from washer and put into the dryer (front loading), help feeding pets.

4-years 

    • Dressing should be mostly independent.
    • Grooming: hand washing and combing hair should be mostly independent, brushing teeth may need some monitoring.
    • Chores: makes their bed, sets the table, waters plants.

Winter Holiday Skills

By | Social Skills, Winter Holidays | No Comments

Whether it is stringing lights on a Christmas tree, lighting candles on a menorah, or ringing in the new year, many of us celebrate various holidays in the winter months. This typically means lots of new faces and encounters with family members that your child may not regularly see. Teaching them in advance to learn everyone’s name and face can make the holidays even more memorable. If you are interested in teaching your child extended families names ask your BCI clinician to work with you on developing a tacting family program. While you are making memories, someone will definitely be snapping photos! Or you may even have professional family photos taken during this time. Smiling for photos or following an adult’s instructions can sometimes be a skill that is difficult for our clients. Your clinician can help your learner establish these skills and generalize them to other members of the community. 

The holidays are also a wonderful time to practice social skills. Holiday parties and gatherings provide ample opportunities to address skills that can sometimes be hard to contrive in the home setting. If there is a skill that your child is still developing, ask your BCI clinician for support. Some things to consider include accepting and giving gifts appropriately, giving compliments (e.g., the dessert was really yummy), and tolerating someone else’s choice in activities. Your clinician and RBT will have wonderful ideas on how to include these skills in your current sessions or may even be able to support your family at some of these events.

Other Skills to Practice Over the Holidays

You can work on these things daily as a family using role-play or modeling!

  • Playing board games
  • Playing card games
  • Greetings
  • Conversation skills
  • Sharing, and waiting

You can read playamo reviews and find the most exciting online board game for you.

Thanksgiving, the Tastiest Holiday of All

By | Uncategorized | No Comments

Thanksgiving is such a yummy holiday with lots of delicious homemade food and different fall flavors. While many adults have a more developed palate, children are still developing theirs. Research has supported that the more a child is exposed to a flavor profile the more likely they are to develop a taste for it (Bouhlal S, Issanchou S, Chabanet C, Nicklaus S, 2014). 

Some children are much more selective with the types of foods they will eat than others. Some children are so selective they will only eat certain brands of a particular food. This can cause some challenges when eating a traditional holiday meal or when visiting friends and family. It may be helpful to pack a meal for your child to bring along or even make one of your child’s favorite foods to share with the family! 

In preparation for the thanksgiving holiday, consult your BCI clinician with your child’s food selectivity concerns. They can support you with identifying ways in which to expand your child’s preferences or how to navigate other meal time goals. 

Happy Eating!


Research Referenced
‘Just a pinch of salt’. An experimental comparison of the effect of repeated exposure and flavor-flavor learning with salt or spice on vegetable acceptance in toddlers.
Bouhlal S, Issanchou S, Chabanet C, Nicklaus S
Appetite. 2014 Dec; 83():209-217.

Other ways to support your child during the Thanksgiving Holiday

  • Begin practicing sitting for meals if your child is a grazer
  • Identify an independent activity to do while everyone eats
  • Offer some holiday food frequently prior to the holiday meal (presenting mashed potatoes on a plate but not requiring them to eat them, teaching a “no, thank you” bite)
  • Have your child join you in cooking or baking the meal
  • Have your child help you make the menu for the holiday

Haircut Help is Here!

By | Activities, Haircuts | No Comments

Some children with Autism find common activities like haircuts to be extremely stressful and aversive. In order to support our clients who struggle with these tasks your BCI clinician will gather important baseline information. This information will help guide your clinicians program development. Hair cuts may be aversive to our clients for a variety of reasons: the salon environment may be too overwhelming, lack of motivation to participate in a haircut, the tools used for a haircut may be scary. Depending on what is difficult for your child your BCI clinician will recommend different treatment options. If you are needing support for haircuts, please remember that your BCI care team is ready to help!

Preparing for the Trip
Look for a salon that is kid friendly or has experience working with kids with special needs.

    1. Some kid salons have fun chairs and let the child watch a movie, this little change can be helpful with motivating a child to sit.
    2. Your local Autism Society may have information on stylists in your area that work well with kids with special needs.
    3. Autism Speaks has an informational flier that you can share with your stylist if you are unable to locate someone with prior experience.

Practice at Home
If your child is not tolerant of combing or brushing their hair, this is a great place to start! If needed your BCI clinician can develop a formal program to support this goal. 

    1. Wearing a cape may be uncomfortable for child but this another skill you can easily practice at home with a towel.
    2. If your child is uncomfortable with the sound or feeling of the clippers, you can begin slowly introducing them to these items at home.

Reinforcement
You can easily pair haircuts with something fun!

    1. After a haircut, you take a trip to the park.
    2. You get a yummy snack.
    3. You get to watch a favorite movie.
    4. You can spend special one on one time with Mom or Dad.

Tips You Can Use Today!

  • Instead of using spray bottle to wet the hair, ask they spray the comb and use that to wet the hair.
  • Ask for warm water instead of room temperature water so it’s not cold and unpleasant.
  • Ask for an appointment at the least busiest time of the day.
  • Talk with your Stylist beforehand and discuss what may or may not difficult for your child.

How to Keep Birthday Parties Fun!

By | Birthday Parties, Social Skills, Activities | No Comments

Birthday parties can sometimes be a source of anxiety or stress for families when they don’t seem to go as planned. With practice and support, birthday parties can be an enjoyable experience. If your child struggles with their own party or attending others, discuss with your BCI clinician what your goals are for your child. When planning your child’s birthday, your clinician can help you plan activities that are suited to your child’s interests and skills. Perhaps, you forgo the unstructured play time and plan a craft that has clear start and end times. Instead of singing happy birthday, everyone gets a slice of cake and enjoys it while watching a preferred movie.

If your goal is for your child to participate in typical birthday celebrations, discuss that with your clinician. They will develop programming to support these goals. Your RBT will implement the programming in sessions and track their progress. There are many skills that come up in a birthday party setting that will be beneficial to your child not only with making friends but supporting their overall success in their community. For example, greetings and salutations are beneficial for making friends, developing partnerships in a workplace, and working with the public. 

Starting these programs early allows when birthday time nears for you to have a great idea on what skills your child can do independently and which you may need to support your child with. 

Things You Can Practice at Home!

  • Greetings: saying hello, fist bumps, waves, or even a simple nod of the head
  • Turn Taking: practicing simple games will support the foundational skills for more complex games
  • Trying new things: tolerating a new movie, new game, new snacks 
  • Watching other’s open gifts: use a gift bag and some common items to practice this skill 
  • Asking for a break: during unpleasant tasks 

Non-Traditional Party Ideas

Sometimes the pressure of multiple people gathering for one person can be very unpleasant. There are lots of ways to celebrate a birthday party that can reduce the amount of social pressure. Follow your child’s lead and allow them to help plan. Some great ideas for non-traditional parties include an online gaming party. You can ask friends and family to log into an online platform and play a game as a group. Till exempel finns det ett brett utbud av bonus utan insättning casino spel tillgängliga för alla. This allows for interaction but reduces some of the stress of interacting with lots of people at once. Plan a zoom party! This allows guests to come and go as they please. Meeting online and having the option to pause the video or audio can be a very helpful tool if the event becomes too overwhelming. Don’t forget to include your RBT and Clinician in planning these events! They will have great ideas on making the event successful and can practice the needed skills in sessions.

Back to School Transition Planning

By | Social Skills, School | No Comments

We hope your summer vacation has been restful and full of sunshine and warm weather. While we are still enjoying summer vacation it is a good time to begin thinking about going back to school. Transitioning from the relaxed summer schedule to a more structured school schedule can be particularly difficult. Here are BCI’s recommendations for a successful transition back to school.

Meet the Teacher and Visit the Class Before the First Day

If this is your child’s first year in school an actual visit to the school can be very beneficial to help them prepare for starting school. Your BCI clinician can develop programming to target teaching your child his/her teacher’s name, identifying different parts of the school, and help build motivation to attend school. When planning your trip to the classroom ask your child’s teacher if they mind you taking photos of them and the environment. We can use these photos in our sessions to learn names and talk about what we do in these different locations. If you’d like we can plan for your RBT to join the school visit so they can meet the teacher and help your child and them build rapport. 

If your child has already started school and is familiar with the process, meeting the teacher beforehand can be helpful in establishing rapport and ensuring everyone starts off on the right foot. 

Get into the School Routine and Schedule

1-2 weeks prior to starting back to school begin practicing the routine and schedule you will follow once school resumes. Following the bedtime schedule you will have once school starts and waking up at the time needed to make the bus or bell schedule, will be helpful in making the transition back less abrupt. Your BCI clinician can help you develop a plan to fade in a new bed time and can help establish a clear morning routine. In sessions, we can practice daily living skills that will help build independence in the morning and evening. Complex skills like dressing and brushing teeth can be targeted all summer long and less complex skills like putting a lunchbox or homework folders in a backpack can be started closer to the start of school.

It may also be helpful to begin planning meals and snacks around the same times your child will be eating at school. Avoiding hungry bellies during instructional time can decrease the likelihood of challenging behavior or inattentiveness. Your RBT and BCI clinician can adjust their session schedule to match snack and lunch times to help your child’s body adjust. When deciding on which new skills may be needed be sure to consult your BCI clinician on developing programming to help your child pack a school lunch, open or access their packed lunch, engage in appropriate cafeteria behaviors (e.g., carrying a tray, clearing a tray, etc.), or how to ask for help. 

There may be other skills that your child may benefit from practicing before the school year starts. You may consult with your BCI clinician to develop the best plan for your child. 

We look forward to supporting you throughout back to school!

Tips for Older Students

  • Pack your backpack before the first day of school
  • Use a Checklist for needed supplies (ask your clinician for ideas)
  • Review your class schedule and map out the path to take to each class
  • Review your lunch schedule and pack a snack and drink if needed
  • Call/Text a friend to meet up before school starts

Things to Remember for Fall Schedule Changes

  • If your summer schedule is different from your fall schedule, remember to plan coordinating schedule changes at least 1-month in advance
  • RBT’s sometimes work with multiple families and may be unable to change their schedule to accommodate your new schedule
  • A reduction in hours may mean a reduction in treatment goals targeted, BCI is flexible with session days and times. Don’t forget a Saturday session is a great way to increase hours.

Sensory-Friendly Movie Theater Fun!

By | Summer, Activities | No Comments

Many families enjoy spending time at the theater but for individuals with autism and sensory processing disorders, these activities can be overwhelming and unpleasant. If you want to help your child attend the theater successfully, check out these recommendations! Remember– ABA therapy is intended to support your child’s needs, and accessing their community is a part of that. Your clinician and RBT can help you plan a trip and can even attend with you!

Prerequisites for a Fun Movie Theater Trip!

Before investing in your tickets, there are several skills that we can teach in advance to support a successful experience. First, you want to assess if your child is able to sit and attend to a movie in your home. Next, you will want to assess if your child will be sensitive to the movie theater environment. If you feel confident in your child’s ability to tolerate the theater environment it may be time for a test run. If your child still struggles with sitting for a movie at home or is very sensitive to sound and changes in light it may be beneficial to target these areas in therapy sessions before making the movie theater trip.

Movie Theater Success

When preparing for your trip look into sensory friendly screenings at your local theaters. The New Mexico Autism Society hosts sensory friendly screenings frequently throughout New Mexico. These screenings may be the perfect opportunity to get comfortable with the movie experience! If you are ready for a typical movie screening be sure to plan ahead. Pick the movie carefully, you’ll want to make sure that it is something your child will enjoy. Choose your seats in advance, sitting next to the aisle may be the best spot in case there are frequent potty trips or if you need to excuse yourself quickly. An early matinee may be a good option as well to reduce the likelihood of there being a large crowd. Lastly, remember it’s okay to leave early if the experience isn’t enjoyable for everyone. The point of the trip is to have fun and it’s okay if the fun ends a little earlier than planned. 

Don't forget to...

  • Buy some fun snacks, let your little one pick a special candy or drink
  • Bring a small toy that your child can fidget with
  • Bring along some noise canceling headphones if the movie gets a little too loud
  • Bring some sunglasses for watching the movie and transitioning back to the sunshine afterwards
    Bring a small toy that your child can fidget with

Easing the Summer Break Transition

By | Summer | No Comments

As your family begins to plan for summer break this year, remember that BCI offers flexible scheduling and it may be the perfect time to increase session hours temporarily to target intensive or tricky programming! With many parents taking time off during the week it may be the right time to dive into an intensive potty training program or tackle those sleep issues. Consult with your BCI clinician on what some of your goals are and they can help you identify how to address these issues within the week. Don’t forget to include your RBT in the planning! They can attend events to help ensure success or practice current skills. 

Plan a community outing

  1. Park playdate with peers to practice community safety skills, social skills, and play skills
  2. Visit a zoo or local outdoor spot to practice community safety skills
  3. Ice Cream Social to practice social and daily living skills

Fun at home

  1. Invite some friends over during session to practice social skills
  2. Crafts and Cooking to practice following instructions, fine motor skills, completing a task

Supporting Development Over the Break

As summer break gets closer remember to let your clinician know of any time off or changes to the session schedule. While taking a vacation from therapy can be a wonderful time to rest and regroup from daily busy life, it is also a wonderful time to include programming in your everyday life. If you are taking some time away from therapy to vacation or veg out at home, here are some ideas on how you can continue to support your child’s growth and development. 

  • Generalizing Skills
    • Before taking vacation, ask your clinician or RBT for a list of programming that is ready for generalization. Throughout the week you can capture opportunities to run that programming to ensure your child has generalized the skill. *ABA Fact- Generalization is demonstration of a skill across people, environments, and materials.
  • Maintaining Mastered Skills
    • During your time away from therapy, you can still implement various programs to support the continued maintenance of these skills. *ABA Fact- maintenance is the demonstration of a skill over time. Sometimes when we don’t practice a skill for long periods of time we lose the skill or we lose some independence with that skill. 
  • Providing Learning Opportunities
    • Throughout your break providing new and different learning opportunities is a great way to continue to support your child’s development. Signing them up for a camp or extracurricular activity can help them identify new interests, make new friends, and practice many skills needed to be successful in the community. 

Sensory-Friendly Summertime Activities

Homemade Playdough

Dump all ingredients into the bag and squish around until the playdough is formed!

Ice Cream in a Bag

Why You Should Hire a Professional Writing Service Instead of Yourself?

By | School | No Comments

Why do so many people want to hire the best essay writing service Essayswriting? How can one buy an essay for a very small price? The most important answer is this: the essay writing service has become more popular in the past few years. Most colleges now require that all freshmen take an essay writing test as part of their admissions super process. The truth is, that essay writing service is one of the most effective ways to get into college.

So, what exactly is a service? Total service Essayswriting.

On average, about 800 college students from around the world turn to service every day asking “Can you write a first-rate essay for me please?” or “Will you write an essay for me? “, to help them write their first composition.

So, why are there so many willing to pay for a service instead of writing the essay on their own? Here are some of the most common reasons:

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An order essay writing service usually comes with a proofreader to check the paper and make sure that it is correct. In an order essay, sometimes one mistake can throw the whole thing off. So when you hire an essay writing service, you know that all the mistakes will be corrected before the paper gets published.

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