Upcoming Events

In January, we will attending the 2011 Autism Conference in Washington, D.C. and in February we will be at the 29th Annual Western Regional Conference for CalABA. We will be seeing you there? If you're attending either show, please stop by to say hello.

 

Great News to Share!

Behavior Frontiers would like to congratulate our team members Graciela Gomez and Sara Frederiksen. They have both for passed the examination to become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA)! This is great news for all of us.
http://www.bacb.com/

A Safe and Fun Halloween

Halloween is a favorite for many kids, but our children with special needs might not automatically see the fun in it. Some common problems and behavioral solutions for helping you child with special needs participate in and hopefully learn to love Halloween:

1. You got the cutest costume, but your child won’t wear it! Desensitize you little one to the costume. You may have to start small by rewarding them for just touching it or even being in the same room as the costume. That’s okay! Work up in baby steps to putting just part of the costume on for just a few seconds and finally increasing the time that your child can tolerate wearing the entire costume. Taking small, manageable steps and rewarding small successes is the key!
    
2. Don’t risk it! If your child already seems to be apprehensive about Halloween, avoid any situations that might scare them such as scary games, movies, or haunted houses. Keep Halloween fun and reinforcing until your child becomes comfortable with it, then later you may be able to introduce them to ghosts and goblins. Even if you feel they’re ready, you may want to test their reactions to these things at another time of year so that if they don’t like it, they don’t associate it with this fun time of year.
    
3. Trick-or-treat! Rehearse with your child what they should say and do (and not do!) when trick-or-treating. It may even be a good idea to do a trial run the day before with a few familiar neighbors and give them some favorite candies beforehand to give to your child during the practice session. This way you know your child is getting rewarded and you also get an idea of how much they can handle on the big day.
    
4. Tip #1 isn’t working out or you don’t have enough time? Try getting creative and making a costume out of your child’s existing clothes. You can get felt from a craft store and make ears, tails and more to attach to an existing outfit, allowing your child to be comfortable, but still participate in the fun!

Use this card as a cute and creative way to help your child join in the Halloween festivities even if he can’t yell, “Trick or treat!” (Download PDF)

Extra Help for Parents & Caregivers

EmSeeQ Emergency Locator — The first and only cellular-based locator system helps recover wandering and lost loved ones. This unique system provides peace of mind to parents and caregivers. Unable to find their way home or function well independently, impaired individuals— including children with autism—are at grave risk due to exposure to the elements or hazards they may encounter while wandering. The wristwatch-style device uses cellular telephone technology to securely locate the wearer in the event of a wandering emergency. The device is effective and reliable nationwide—anywhere cell service is available—and integrates directly with the E-9-1-1 emergency response system.

When an EmSeeQ wearer wanders off, the caregiver calls 9-1-1 after a thorough search of all the usual places. The caregiver receives a case number from emergency officials and calls the EmFinder’s toll-free hotline to report the missing person. EmFinders remotely activates the missing individual’s EmSeeQ device and the activated device calls 9-1-1. The EmSeeQ device is activated only after a caregiver has reported the missing person to the police, and the Emfinders Emergency Operations Center can provide emergency responders with valuable health-related information that may aid in the successful rescue of the EmSeeQ wearer.

The device is also very affordable, costing less than a typical cell phone, with a service plan that runs about $25 per month. Two bracelet models are available: a watch-style band with a buckle, and a secure clasp-style band that requires two hands for removal to ensure that it cannot be removed by the impaired individual. To find out more: www.emfinders.com/

Tips for Planning Travel

Fall is in the air. Perhaps you're planning a trip to visit family for the holidays or a weekend road trip to watch the leaves turn colors. Family vacations and road trips can be more stressful than fun for families of children with autism. Elaine Hall, author of Now I See the Moon and creator of “The Miracle Project,” a theatre and film arts program for children with special needs that focuses on celebrating and honoring their unique and often unrecognized talents, offers tips for making your family vacation a positive experience for all: http://bit.ly/9jpp7g

Pepsi Refresh - Vote!

Vote for research grant for Rett Syndrome - a great cause, which is currently in the lead! Very little is known about Rett's and research is desperately needed to help the girls who suffer from this rare autism spectrum disorder. Vote now, it only takes a couple clicks http://www.refresheverything.com/rettresearchtoreality

New Statistics

California senator Barbara Boxer held a hearing last week on the "State of Research on Potential Environmental Health Factors with Autism." Experts proposed that the primary explanation for the dramatic increase in autism in the past few decades is a simultaneous increase in environmental toxins and their interactions with genes. The latest statistics estimate that now in the U.S., an astonishing one in 100 children and one in 58 boys are diagnosed with autism.

To read more: http://bit.ly/cK4MAQ

Back to School

Going back to school can be hard for any child, especially one diagnosed with autism. Here are some suggestions for making the transition back to school as smooth as possible:

1. Get a calendar for your child and mark the day school starts. Cross off the days as they pass leading up to that first day, reminding them each time how many days remain until school begins.

2. Include your child in back to school shopping: Allow the child to pick his or her new outfit, school supplies, or lunch box for the first day of school.

3. Try using these newly bought back to school items to role play the first day of school. You can pretend to be various adults (teacher, bus driver, etc.) that the child will have to interact with at school. This can help to get your child excited or at least reduce any anxiety that he or she may feel about returning to school.

Dodger Day!

The day was bright and sunny at Dodgers stadium on July 10, 2010. The Dodgers took on the Cubs while Behavior Frontiers staff took on the great feat of eating dodger dogs and nachos! It was a fun day where staff members, friends, and family got together to cheer on the guys in blue. Even though Dodgers didn’t beat the Cubs, the 4th annual Dodger company social was a winning event for Behavior Frontiers. Thanks to all of those who attended and those who planned the event. Go Dodgers!

Our New Blog

We have so many exciting new adventures ahead of us, we thought we start a blog to keep everyone updated on our progress, news and announcements. We will also be sharing up to date research and helpful information along the way.

Subscribe here to say up to date with our journey!