Temple Grandin and more!

February has been a long month. For only having 28 days it has stretched on for a long time. Honestly it's not a negative thing... at least this time. Last week alone was a long one. A lot was accomplished though. Right after I got my CAS, I left for OKC to go see Temple Grandin at a conference. I also got to hear her mother speak via skype. Beth Aune, an Occupational Therapist was also a speaker. It was an awesome experience and I even got a signature and to ask Temple a question about Ridlee. 

That was Thursday! On Friday, we had Ridlee's first official IEP meeting for the public schools for when she starts Kindergarten next year. We got the ball rolling on things and will have a follow-up one soon after all her testing is completed for it. Saturday we went to a sensory screening to see How to Train you Dragon, The Hidden World. It was sponsored by AIM (Autism Involves Me), a local non-profit that does great things like this for our community. They are the ones we did the walk and run with last year. This year in May they are on the same day, but we will be taking part in the walk and resource fair. It will be on May 4th. I will be posting more about it and Ridlee's team later. 

Sunday I caught up on things I was behind on, including a nap, billing, notes, laundry. Monday I got an unexpected day off when all clients canceled. I had scheduled a low day but it just happened to be that God thought I needed a mental health day. Ridlee was at school, so I caught up on more rest, but also started my Sensory Enrichment Therapy Certification. I worked on it on Tuesday and finished it up yesterday after my sessions were over. I didn't realize how tedious it would be, but once started I needed to finish. I am just waiting on them to check all my credentials to get my official certification. I am super excited about this and adding it to my Autism Program services offered. As well as doing this with Ridlee. According to their studies, those who took part in SET as an adjunct therapy to other therapies for 6 months were 6 times more likely to make huge gains and have a reduced (CARS) Childhood Autism Rating scale compared to those who did other therapies without SET. That is huge! For those curious what SET is, here is a good article. 

I am not sure what March is going to bring. I have a minor procedure scheduled on the 21st to finally deal with some monthly issues that have plagued me. That's also the same day my high school best friend and maid of honor from my wedding is having surgery to remove thyroid cancer. Please be in prayer for Charlette M. I know she would greatly appreciate it. 

Officially a Certified Autism Specialist

This was a goal that I had set for myself to get done this year. Of all my certifications, this one meant the most to me to get it done. And so I believe it pushed me forward faster than I had anticipated. Thursday is when I go see Dr. Temple Grandin in Oklahoma City. Friday is my first official IEP meeting for my daughter in the public school setting. How the timing of all of this fell into place was just perfect. In the meantime I'm continuing to create a program for this area as another resource for families with autism. I know that will take longer. #itsaGodthing

And my updated sign!

Announcement and lesson on Figurative Language

Hey everyone! I am starting a new thing after doing this blog for the past 15 years. I will be featuring certain topics in education and therapy. Yesterday I finished my application to become a Certified Autism Specialist (CAS) and made a 95% on the exam. Now I am just in wait mode. This has been an endeavor for the past few months that I have felt very passionate about since Ridlee's diagnosis. I honestly didn't expect even myself to push as hard as I did and get to this point this fast. The next Thursday I will be in Oklahoma City at a conference featuring Temple Grandin, her mother Eustacia Cutler, and Beth Aune, an Occupational Therapist knowledgeable about IEPs. On Friday I will be attending my first ever IEP meeting for Ridlee for the public school system. As you can see I am prepared as much as possible already! We've done several for her preK but nothing in public ed. yet.

The binder is already fairly full. I have a feeling I will need one for each grade. But because of my new path, there will be additional knowledge that I gain throughout this process. Much of which I would love to share. This could be great educational sites, books, apps, games, etc. 

Today I wanted to talk about a really great educational site and give a freebie! So let's talk about figurative language. Part of Ridlee's struggles with her speech is understanding the concept of figurative language. As intelligent as she is, the part of her brain that struggles the most is the part understanding speech and language. She is making strides in her therapy, but this will be something that will be a continual lesson for her because certain concepts are harder for her to grasp. I love this quick little visual on the different parts of figurative language. Some of these she actually can grasp better than others. One of those is onomatopoeia, which is, the formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named. Because of her hyperlexia she is able to read many words, most of which she has learned on her own. 

Education.com has some great resources for parents and teachers on figurative language. Below is such an example and freebie crossword puzzle!

Arr! Kids will learn about onomatopoeia and figurative language with this crossword worksheet from Education.com. For more fun ways to learn, check out these reading games!

And as promised here is a crossword freebie! Hope you enjoy! 

National Broadcasting interview

On Tuesday I did a thing. I got the call the Friday before and had very little time before I agreed to a short interview about my practice. In the grand scheme of things it's not that big of a deal but for me it was a growing experience way out of my comfort zone. Being publicly interviewed is never easy. The constant fear is not knowing how to respond. Luckily it went ok, and there was no dead space. It did open me up to idea of doing a podcast of my own for Autism. I am now discussing this possibility with my husband. But for those interested, here is the interview.

Happy National Play Therapy week!!

Happy national play therapy week. Thought I'd show a quick video with my daughter of what play therapy with autism can look like. She loves the marble run. This is a great intervention to build social skills including turn taking, collaboration, asking for help, and patience.  It's also great for fine motor skills.  #nationalplaytherapyweek  #playtherapyweek2019   #playtherapywithautism  #achildslanguage

Feeling better!

Things we take for granted...This child, even after the crud left was left weak and unable to play much the last few days. Today she's getting back to herself. She lost some weight the few days of sick, and if you've seen her, you know how tiny she is. She didn't have any to lose. She's currently jumping on her mini trampoline, in between making rainbows with playdough. We're glad to have her back.