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Archived Newsletters
April 2005
In this edition
Report From EINS Chairperson
News and Notices
Child Disability Benefit
Helping Schools Get Ready For ALL Children
The Irony of the Rat Race Explained
Family Connections: An Electronic Directory of Family Resource Programs in Nova Scotia
The Small Tree
Just Take A Bite: Easy, Effective Answers to Food Aversions and Eating Challenges
Update from the Steering Committee for the Formation of a Professional Association of Early Interventionists in Nova Scotia
Request for Early Intervention Press Releases
Talents Required to Parent a Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Keep Swimming
Quotes
Stress Management
Recipe of the Spring!
Report From EINS Chairperson
April 2, 2005
Dear EINS Members and Supporters,
I am writing to you on a Saturday evening after having been to the Globe Trotters. I am a lover of the game of basketball, so I was delighted to hear that the Globe Trotters were coming to the Metro Center; basketball and fun together, perfect! Tonight I was disappointed; my analysis would be too much show and not enough basketball. Not enough of what I expected to be the focus of the evening. I want to reassure you that the Board of EINS is focused. It is a delight for me to be chairperson of such a hard working and dedicated group. Most of our committees are committees of one or two and yet work is completed.
We are pleased that the work begun over two years ago with the research project 'Focusing on Our Future' is continuing. In fact EINS has kept the same focus since it began; improving Early Intervention services in Nova Scotia. The most exciting development since the last newsletter is the establishment of a steering committee to negotiate a service agreement between the Department of Community Services and Early Intervention Community Boards. The work done by you, either by coming to Truro in January or by email, will be the foundation of the new committee's work. The Deputy, Marian Tyson, was very interested in the role of Early Intervention in Nova Scotia. It was beneficial to have a face-to-face conversation with her. As she said, it brings Early Intervention to life to meet the people involved and to see our passion.
Caroline Gallop has been busy on a couple of projects. She has arranged a communications workshop for Early Intervention Executive Directors for Thursday May 12 presented by Jade Communication, facilitated by Catherine Hebb and Faythe Buchanan.
Along with Mary Hannington, Caroline has been working on a new poster for Early Intervention. We've seen a mock up and it is beautiful. We will be getting them printed and distributed to programs soon, perhaps by the AGM. Another really cool thing that Caroline has been working on is an EINS pin with our logo. We also hope to have this available for our AGM.
We have plans for a parent conference in the future, perhaps to coincide with the 25 year anniversary of Early Intervention services in Nova Scotia.
We have had good news from our auditors; we are in sound financial standing. We have changed to Simply Accounting in order to facilitate the auditing process and in the long run make things better, we hope, for Donna and Sarah.
We have our AGM date, it is June 10th and we really hope to see you there. We don't have a location finalized yet but it will be in HRM. It is our hope that we will have exciting news to report at the AGM from our meetings with the Department of Community Services. Until then I wish you all the best. It is an honor to be chairperson for EINS. Thank you for allowing me to be involved at such an exciting time in Early Intervention.
Sincerely,
Brenda Putnam
EINS Chairperson
News and Notices
EINS Advance A.G.M. Notice: Friday, June 10th, time and location to be announced
| Morning | Visioning Session for all Early Interventionists and Executive Directors. |
| Lunch | on your own |
| Afternoon |
Update from the Committee that is meeting with the Department of Community Services re: the development of a Service Agreement. Review of 2004 AGM minutes Committee Reports Election of Officers |
The Antigonish Guysborough Early Childhood Intervention Program will be hosting the 15th Annual Ham and Bean Supper and Auction on May 6th. Come on out and enjoy a night of delicious home made food, great entertainment and over 200 wonderful prizes donated. We are truly fortunate to have the tremendous community support to make this a very successful fundraiser for our program. All the food (home made baked beans, ham, coleslaw, brown and white breads and sweets) is donated as well as the items for the raffle tables, door prizes, silent auction and live auction. Miles Tompkins will be back again for another evening as the auctioneer. Last year the event was sold out so get your tickets early. They are $12 per person and are available by calling the office at 863-2298.
Janace Daley, former board member, at the 2004 Dinner
McDonalds Restaurant in Yarmouth has chosen Southwest Early Childhood Intervention Program as the recipient of their upcoming fund-raising efforts (including McHappy Day in May), with the funds raised to expand our Toy and Resource Lending Libraries!
The Cumberland Early Intervention Program's "Behavioral Interventionist Project" was the successful recipient of a $20,000 grant from the National IODE 100th Anniversary Program Grant for 2005. CEIP was chosen over 22 applications nationwide. This grant will help to support the project's 3rd year of programming and services to families and their children.
CEIP has always worked to help families who have children with developmental delays and now, through the success of the new project, we are able to serve children who have challenging behaviors. The model of service delivery is the same. Families are provided with support, information, resources, and suggestions for coping with behavior and for choosing positive guidance. In essence, it is not only Early Intervention, it is prevention. This program and the research gathered from the project should add to the quality of life for children and the enjoyment of parenting.
Interventionists Lisa Gower and Trish Auchnie with one of the first families served
Tri-County Autism Team Presents
| Friday, May 27, 2005 | Jennifer Cantello Daw - Why Do They Do That? followed by Tonya Boudreau & Joline Belliveau - Interactive Parent Session |
| Saturday, May 28, 2005 | Jennifer Cantello Daw - Social Skills Workshop |
Nova Scotia Community College
Burridge Campus
372 Pleasant Street
Yarmouth, NS
Registration Deadline: April 30, 2005
Registration Costs for both days: Parent $30.00, Service Provider/Professional $100.00
For more information please contact: Sharon Southern at 645-5550 or Sue Guy at 742-4222
FRP Canada presents
Synergy: A National Conference on Integrated Approaches in Family Support. May 18 to 20, 2005 in Ottawa Ontario. Visit www.frp.ca for more conference information.
Child Disability Benefit (CDB)
The Child Disability Benefit (CDB) is a tax-free benefit of up to $137.75 per month ($1,653 per year) for low- and modest-income families who care for a child under age 18 with a severe and prolonged mental or physical impairment. The CDB is paid as a monthly supplement to the Canada Child Tax Benefit (CCTB) and Children's Special Allowances (CSA) payments.
Who can receive the CDB?
Families who are eligible for CCTB for a child will receive the CDB if the child qualifies for the Disability Tax Credit. The eligibility criteria are explained in Form T2201, Disability Tax Credit Certificate. According to this form, a child must be "markedly restricted", that is they are not able to perform an activity of daily living or require a large amount of time to do so. Activities of daily living include walking, feeding, speaking, hearing, dressing, elimination, perceiving, thinking and remembering.
How to apply?
To apply for the Child Disability Benefit, you must file Form T2201, Disability Tax Credit Certificate. You must get this form completed and signed by a qualified person. A good person to have sign would be a GP or a Pediatrician because they can fill out all sections of the form. Send the completed and signed form to your tax centre. The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) will determine whether or not you are eligible to receive the child disability benefit. T2201 forms are processed throughout the year, so you don't have to wait until it's time to file your tax return to send in your form. For more information about the CDB, you can call 1-800-387-1193 or visit http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/cdb/
Helping Schools Get Ready For ALL Children
The following is an excerpt from HIGH/SCOPE ReSource (a US publication), Summer 2004. Visit www.highscope.orgHelping schools get ready for all children is the other side of the coin for the goal that all children should enter school ready to learn. High quality, developmentally appropriate preschool programs; parents nurtured as their children's first teachers; and adequate nutrition and health care all help prepare young children for school socially, emotionally, and intellectually. But just as we must make sure that children are ready for school, we must also ensure that schools are ready to educate them - especially those who are at risk for school failure.
The Ready Schools Resource Group of the US National Education Goals Panel identified the following as desirable characteristics of ready schools:
- Ready schools smooth the transition between home and school.
- Ready schools strive for continuity between early care and education programs and elementary schools.
- Ready schools help children learn and make sense of their complex and exciting world.
- Ready schools are committed to the success of every child.
- Ready schools are committed to the success of every teacher and every adult who interacts with children during the school day.
- Ready schools introduce or expand approaches that have been shown to raise achievement.
- Ready schools are learning organizations that alter practices and programs if they do not benefit children.
- Ready schools serve children in communities.
- Ready schools take responsibility for results.
- Ready schools have strong leadership.
The Irony of the Rat Race Explained
with thanks to Jenny Gillis
A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. A North American tourist complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked him how long it took him to catch them. "Not very long." answered the Mexican.
"But then why didn't you stay out longer and catch some more?" asked the North American. The Mexican explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family. The North American then asked, "What do you do with the rest of your time?"
"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends, play the guitar, sing a few songs ... I have a full life."
The North American interrupted, "I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat. With the extra money a larger boat will bring you, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middleman, you can negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York City! From there you can direct your huge enterprise!"
"How long would that take me?" asked the Mexican.
"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years." replied the North American.
"And after that?" wondered the Mexican.
"Afterwards? That's when it gets really interesting." replied the North American laughing. "When your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks and make millions!"
"Millions? Really? And after that?" asked the Mexican.
"After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the ocean, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a siesta and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends!"
Family Connections: An Electronic Directory of Family Resource Programs in Nova Scotia
Visit the Nova Scotia Council for the Family website and learn about the diverse programs offered by the 38 centres listed in the FRP Directory . Information can be accessed by region, by centre and by program categories as well as special topics. Program categories include:
- Parent / Caregiver Education
- Family Counselling and Support
- Youth Programs
- Employment Support
- Community Development
You can also find out what centres in the province are offering special programs such as:
- Prenatal
- How to Talk So Kids Will Listen
- Parenting Apart
Each of the 38 participating centres has information accessible through this website. Information such as contact info, programs and services offered, clientele, any user fees, and hours of operation.
This Family Connections project was made possible by the financial assistance of the Federal/Provincial/Territorial Early Childhood Development Initiative and the support and guidance of the members of the Parenting Committee of the Nova Scotia Council for the Family.
The NSCF hopes to see the "Family Connections" directory of programs expanded in the future to include Early Intervention Programs and others who offer valuable services to families. The Nova Scotia Council for the Family is a registered charity made up of member organizations who serve children and families in Nova Scotia.
The Small Tree
I hired a plumber to help me restore an old farmhouse. He had just finished a rough first day on the job ... a flat tire made him lose an hour of work, his electric drill quit and his ancient one ton truck refused to start. While I drove him home, he sat in stony silence. On arriving, he invited me in to meet his family. As we walked toward the front door, he paused briefly at a small tree, touching the tips of the branches with both hands. When opening the door he underwent an amazing transformation. His tanned face was wreathed in smiles and he hugged his two small children and gave his wife a kiss. Afterward he walked me to the car. We arrived at the car my curiosity got the better of me. I asked him about what I had seen him do earlier.
"Oh, that's my trouble tree," he replied. "I know I can't help having troubles on the job, but one thing's for sure those troubles don't belong in the house with my wife and the children. So I just hang them up on the tree every night when I come home and ask God to take care of them. Then in the morning I pick them up again. Funny thing is, he smiled, when I come out in the morning to pick 'em up, there aren't nearly as many as I remember hanging up the night before."
Just Take A Bite: Easy, Effective Answers to Food Aversions and Eating Challenges
A Review by Director, Autism Awareness Centre Inc.
One of the common complaints from parents of children with autism spectrum disorders is their children have picky eating habits. Some children eat only a few foods or foods from only two food groups such as meat and grains/carbohydrates, others refuse to try anything new, and some go on food jags eating the same food in the same manner over long periods of time. Parents are bewildered what to do; they worry about their child's nutrition, health and development.
Lori Ernsperger, an autism behavioral consultant, and Tania Steger-Hansen, a pediatric occupational therapist, have written a book that answers the question why these children have the eating concerns that they do. Their solution is a 3-part plan to increase the variety of food in the diet and make eating a more pleasant experience. Ernsperger and Steger-Hansen first examine how to identify a resistant eater listing 5 main points: a limited food selection - maybe 20 foods or as few as 3, limited food groups, adverse reactions to new foods, food jags, and being diagnosed with a developmental delay. The Food Nephobia Scale by Pliner and Hobden (1992) is provided as an assessment tool for a resistant eater.
Oral motor development is explored because poor skills in this area lead to feeding and eating problems. The authors outline the problems associated with poor oral motor skills such as gagging and choking, drooling, difficulty keeping food down, difficulty transitioning to different textured foods, and difficulty chewing, sucking and swallowing. Case examples are provided on these problems. Oral motor development is traced from ages 0 - 3 years to provide a guideline of what should be happening developmentally.
Eating does not simply involve putting food in your mouth and swallowing. Ernsperger and Steger-Hansen look at the environmental and behavioral factors that influence eating. They highlight food experiences in the Exercise in Eating sections that appear throughout the book. For example, one exercise is for parents or therapists to try a new exotic fruit or vegetable and ask themselves how they feel about it. Cultural roadblocks are also key to shaping attitudes about eating. How many times were we told as kids to clean our plates, don't play with your food, sweets and desserts are rewards for eating, and only certain foods can be eaten for breakfast? The attitudes we were raised with about food are brought to the table in our parenting.
Two chapters are devoted to sensory and motor-based problems that affect resistant eaters. Several tables highlight the characteristics of sensory dysfunction issues that occur within the vestibular, tacile, gustatory, olfactory, visual, and auditory systems. The difference between a motor based eating problem which involves muscle tone and movement patterns, and a sensory based feeding problem caused by sensory systems not supporting the eating and drinking process, is explored. With all of the sensory and oral motor background provided, the design and implementation of a comprehensive treatment plan can begin.
The treatment plan is 3 part: environmental controls, physical and oral motor development, and stages of sensory development for eating. A sample plan is provided as a model, outlining 3 goals for each section and plan templates are in the appendix. Guidelines are given for writing the treatment plan. An Exercise in Eating provides the action activities to make the treatment program effective. The physical and oral motor development plan is supported by illustrations and a list of materials is provided for each activity. Stage 3 of the treatment plan is divided into easy to deliver lesson plans that do not involve complicated or expensive equipment.
The final chapter of Just Take A Bite gives tips to ensure success. The pitfalls and underlying factors are examined that may affect an eating program such as working with an older child, medical issues, and working with a GF/CF diet.
Ernsperger and Steger-Hansen effectively answer the question of why children with ASD's have eating problems and what can be done to help the resistant eater. This book is written in an easy to understand format. Occupational therapists, speech pathologists, parents, and anyone who works with a child with ASD will find this book practical and helpful. There is nutritional hope out there.
Just Take A Bite: Easy, Effective Answers to Food Aversions and Eating Challenges is written by Lori Ernsperger, Ph.D. and Tania Steger-Hansen, Future Horizons, 2004. Available online for $41.95 at www.autismawarenesscentre.com or by calling (403) 640-2710. Fax orders to (403) 451-9011. Book catalogues available upon request.
Update from the Steering Committee for the Formation of a Professional Association of Early Interventionists in Nova Scotia
Re: Vote Results and Other Updates
The results of the vote are in! The name chosen by popular vote for the association is "The Early Childhood Interventionists' Association of Nova Scotia" (ECIANS).
- We will be reserving the name with the Registry of Joint Stocks at the end of next week.
- The committee is currently developing by-laws so that we can register officially with the Registry of Joint Stocks.
- Tricia Morse, ED of the Progress Center for Early Intervention and committee member, will be conducting a research project on the formation of professional associations with Early Intervention in NS as a focus. Hopefully, we will be using this as a guideline for how to proceed in the timeliest manner.
- The committee has agreed on a set of objectives and a purpose statement which will we used for registering with Joint Stocks.
Finally, we would like to invite all EIs and EDs in NS to join us the morning of the EINS AGM for a visioning session. We are hoping to have everyone present to develop a vision statement for the association, as the association will belong to all of us!
As you can see, the committee has been very busy and we plan to keep going full steam. We would like to thank everyone for their participation in the vote and hope to see the same enthusiasm in June
Request for Early Intervention Press Releases
Please note that the EINS website has a section for Early Intervention press releases. If you or your program have been "in the news" please send the release (with a press photo if available) to Donna Dexter - donnadexter@eastlink.ca - for posting on our site.
Talents Required to Parent a Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Contributed by BBB Members
- Sense of humor.
- Ability to listen to any and all information ever collected about global warming.
- A heavy-duty super-capacity washer/drier combo with a very good guarantee.
- A fondness for Corel Livingware rather than fine china.
- A very well made tough VCR that can withstand constant pause, rewind and fast forward.
- Patience by the dump truck load.
- The ability to boil your cabbages at least a dozen times! (to repeat yourself time and again).
- The ability to make a schedule and then live by it!
- The ability to plan your life way in advance!
- The ability to love a child unconditionally through all that this disorder will put them through!
- The ability to answer the same question but put 100 different ways.
- The ability to hide in a supermarket after your child has just called a worker an idiot, because they were out of stock.
- Boardroom level skills of negotiation.
- The ability to think ahead or always be one step ahead of your child.
- To have the smarts to keep tons of AA batteries in the house.
- The flexibility to adapt to what your child cannot.
- The multitasking capability to do 12 things at once.
- A very large can of Scotchguard.
- A good friend who has been through "the system".
- A really fast internet connection and a list of sites.
- "Sensory toys".
- Endless financial resources.
- A housekeeper that comes daily.
- A big bottle of Advil (or something stronger).
- The ability to see and experience imperfection and let that be ok.
- The ability to accept the world and circumstances as they are but strive onwards without giving into despair.
- Unconditional love.
- Be able to cook, shop, etc ... at a quick pace especially if your child's with you.
- Understanding.
- Persistence, assertiveness...so that you can advocate for your child.
- 'A case of beer couldn't hurt, LOL'.
- A hearing aid you can turn off once in awhile, also LOL.
- Hostage Negotiator, and ...
- The address to the BBB Autism Club ... which is ... http://www.bbbautism.com
Keep Swimming
Author UnknownTwo frogs fell into a deep cream bowl.
One was an optimistic soul.
But the other took the gloomy view.
"We'll drown, " he lamented without much ado, and with a last despairing cry,
he flung up his legs and said "Goodbye."
Quote the other frog with a steadfast grin,
"I can't get out but I won't give in,
I'll just swim around till my strength is spent, then I'll die the more content."
Bravely he swam to work his scheme,
and his struggles began to churn the cream.
The more he swam, his legs a flutter,
the more the cream turned into butter.
On top of the butter as last he stopped,
and out of the bowl he gaily hopped.
What is the moral? It's easily found...
If you can't hop out, keep swimming around!!
I think we all just need to keep swimming, and hopefully soon we'll get some support to help us all stay afloat!
From Lori Lowe, ESMVEIPQuotes
What we need is more people who specialize in the impossible.
- Theodore Roethke
Working for God on earth does not pay much, but His 'Retirement Plan' is out of this world.
- Author Unknown
If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day, so I never have to live without you.
- Winnie the Pooh, on true friendship
Stress Management
with thanks to Valerie Gullison-Surette, Yarmouth
A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, "how heavy is this glass of water?"
Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g. The lecturer replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it."
"If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance. In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."
He continued, "And that's the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on."
"As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden."
"So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow. Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can."
"Relax; pick them up later after you've rested. Life is short. Enjoy it!"
Recipe of the Spring!
with thanks to Jenny Gillis
Easy Potatoes
Boil potatoes and mash them. Add 1/2 block of cream cheese and 1/3 container of sour cream and mash until smooth. Put in casserole dish and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. About half way through cooking, make fork lines with butter on top and continue cooking. Easy and really yummy!!!!The next edition of the EINS newsletter will be published in October 2005. Please send all submission by September 30, 2005 to Barb Boiduk, Editor, at boidukceip@eastlink.ca
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