4 Special Needs

Advice for those within the Special Needs Community

Monthly Archives: December 2014


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Places to take the kids this holiday season that are autism friendly

CARD_Partner_DecalDid you  that more than 25,000 people live with autism in and around Tampa Bay. The University of South Florida has a community-based project called The Center for Autism & Related Disabilities (CARD) that provides information and consultation to individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders and related disabilities. They have a fabulous website full of information and a variety of resources, materials, online trainings and tutorial and even community events.

CARD

There is a special section called Autism Friendly Business Directory. This is where they give you a list of businesses that are autism friendly including restaurants, entertainment, faith based organizations, health & wellness, travel, public parks and recreation and others.

Maybe you are looking for places to take the kids this holiday season. If you go on the website at http://card-usf.fmhi.usf.edu/index.html you will find Dinosaur World, Lowry Park Zoo, Great Explorations Children’s Museum, Glazer Museum, Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) and The Florida Aquarium.zoo logo

Maybe you are thinking about staying at a hotel on the beach or in Tampa. There are several hotels including the TradeWinds Island Resort on St. Petersburg Beach, the Crowne Plaza Tampa Westshore and Wyndam Hotel Westshore. You can also book a vacation with ASD Vacations and be linked with a personal special needs travel agent.

When you click on the links to the locations you want to visit, you will find a page with information for adults and then pages you can review with your child prior to visiting the location. This is to help your child so they have advance knowledge of rules and potential sensory issues.

AF_brochureIf you are a business or you know of a business that wants to become a part of the CARD Business Directory, you can go onto the website or call 813-974-2532.

I would love to find out what you think about this program and if this helps you with your planning for fun adventures with your child. Email me at scottrussell@tfamail.com or comment below.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!


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Holiday Tips for Parents of Children with Autism

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Here’s a  wonderful article by Jennifer Rava, MS, BCBA, the owner of Engage Behavior Health.

The Holiday season is a time when most of us want to focus on traditions, friends, and family. In the process, we have to turn our schedules upside down and our days become filled with excitement and sometimes chaos. For children who depend upon daily routines and careful planning of activities, times of fun and excitement can become moments of anxiety and stress. Here are some tips on how to stay focused and enjoy each moment!

Start by taking time to set your own expectations for the day. What are your main goals?  Don’t try to do more than the goals you set.

  1. Don’t try to please everyone. Let your family and friends know what your goals are for the day.
  2. Bring along an activity bag that your child can play with while you are busy.
  3. Provide lots of reinforcement throughout the day.
  4. Pace your holiday activities and take breaks before your child gets overwhelmed.
  5. Bring items your children can use to cool down and relax with in a quiet room.
  6. Have their most preferred foods available.
  7. Practice, practice, practice!  Role-play family traditions, use video-modeling and social stories to help prepare your child for the big day.
  8. Try to keep to your daily routine as much as possible. If your child eats dinner at 5:00 but your family is planning to eat at 6:00. Have your child eat at 5:00 and use their activity bag while the family eats at 6:00.
  9. Take care of yourself. Try to avoid being overloaded with obligations. If you feel stressed, it can increase the pressure and tension on your children.  Remember to have FUN!

About Engage Behavioral Health

Engage Behavioral Health, is a leading provider of Applied Behavior Analysis and Applied Verbal Behavior services. Engage’s unique, collaborative approach brings parents and health care providers together to provide treatment within a safe, natural environment. Through research-based, data-driven methods, Engage focuses on the needs of both individuals and their families. For more information, please visit http://www.EngageBehavioralHealth.com. Follow on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/EngageBehavioralHealth, or on Twitter at @EngageGroup_ABA