Weekly Update September 22, 2023

Remember that our VIP Day is next Friday in both centers! VIP Day is a chance for any VIP in your child's life to come in to the center and get a better idea of what the children do each day. We'll have a little tour for the VIP, a special craft, and a special snack. We ask that one VIP sign up per child. We do offer 4 opportunities for VIP days each year, so there will be another chance to attend. Click the link below to sign up if you haven't already:

Burton

Brighton

The Tree of Possibilities is more than just a logo at Strive Center! We celebrate all the little victories - for every new skill a child learns, we give him a leaf or an apple sticker to put on his very own Tree of Possibilities poster. We keep one poster here at the center, next to his table, and one goes home, so families can celebrate all the little victories too. In August, our learners acquired 223 new skills, which brings our total for 2023 to 1,611 new skills! Just a few more months to see what our grand total for the year is!

The Autism Alliance of Michigan (AAoM) will be hosting their annual Hero Walk at the Detroit Zoo on September 23rd. Strive Center for Autism is please to sponsor the event and we'll have a team of walkers again as well. If you plan to attend the walk, please join our team using this link.

The AAoM provides resources, advocacy, and key information about autism to families and individuals affected by autism, to the general population, and to those who are in the position to affect positive change. As an organization helping people with Autism, we support their work in the community through fundraisers like this one. This walk brings together nearly 5,000 people at the zoo - people diagnosed with Autism and those who love and support them. It's a fun, family friendly day to enjoy the zoo with people who understand what it's like to live with Autism.

UM-Flint's Inclusive Halloween 2023

Friday, October 27, 5:00 pm - 7:30 pm

UM-Flint Harding Mott University Center

400 Mill Street, Flint, MI 48503

This is a very fun event for all families - there's trick or treating, sensory activities, food, and so much more! We have hosted a table at this event each year and it is definitely one you don't want to miss.

Registration is required but the event is completely FREE and so much fun!

To register as a participant: go.umflint.edu/InclusiveHalloween2023

Please see attachment below for more info.

They also need lots of volunteers to make this event happen; please share the link below if you know anyone who might like to volunteer. You'll see plenty of Strive staff there for sure!

To register as a volunteer: go.umflint.edu/InclusiveHalloween2023Volunteer

We will celebrate Halloween with a party on Tuesday, October 31st during our regular therapy session. Parents do NOT need to bring anything - we will provide treats and activities that all of our children can enjoy, including appropriate edible treats. Children are welcome to dress up in their costumes for the party, so please feel free to send that in if you'd like.

Some children with Autism struggle with costumes - the fabrics or wearing multiple layers, masks, or unusual accessories. We are happy to help your child get more comfortable with his costume if you send it in early. We can practice wearing it and we will practice trick or treating in October. Please talk to your BCBA if you need help with planning for Halloween and consider attending the Inclusive Trick or Treat event above - there is no requirement to dress up and the entire event is inclusive of people with different needs, so it's a great way to experience Halloween with the whole family.

One addition to our newsletter this year will be some definitions of terms we use most often in ABA. We know we use a lot of lingo and we want to help families understand it better. All of these terms will also be on our website in a glossary, so you can check them out anytime.

This week's term is actually two terms that go together: extinction and extinction burst.

Extinction is simply a process where a response that was previously being reinforced is no longer being reinforced. Sometimes this happens because another person was providing that reinforcement and has decided not to provide it anymore. For example, babies cry when they need to be fed and adults learn to attend to that cry and provide food. As a child grows and learns new ways to communicate, the adults in his life might change their responses to providing food when the child signs or says "toast" or when he brings you a picture of toast, or pushes the right picture on a tablet with a communication program. Now, we don't provide toast when the child cries - we remove reinforcement for crying, and it's considered to be on extinction.

An extinction burst is what we see happening when a particular behavior is no longer reinforced (i.e. it's been placed on extinction.) An extinction burst is a sudden increase in the behavior after extinction has begun.

In other words, you know how sometimes people say "It'll get worse before it gets better"? That describes an extinction burst. If we decide that we will no longer give a piece of toast for crying, and that we will require a different way to communicate, we may see a sudden increase in crying in an effort to get to that toast (the reinforcer.)

During the extinction burst, it is very important to make sure you don't provide the reinforcer. So even though it may feel like it's getting worse, if you give in during the crying, it will get worse. This is definitely the hardest part of living through extinction and it's the reason that everyone needs to be on the same page before beginning this process. If one person gives in to the crying, but the next person doesn't, you can see how confusing this could be and how it could cause more crying in the long run.

Extinction is one of the topics covered in great detail in our Rubi Parent Training manual - your BCBA can work through this book with you during parent meetings, so reach out and schedule your parent meeting!

We'll just keep this link right here, for your convenience. For any absences scheduled in advance, please use this form to report the dates. You may take an entire day or half day, depending on your needs.

Therapy Schedule Update Form

Here are some upcoming dates that the centers will be closed:

Friday, October 27th - PD Day

Wednesday - Friday, November 22-24 - Thanksgiving

If your family is planning a longer absence around one of those dates, or at another time, please let us know as soon as you are able!

Email: info@sc-centers.com
Website: www.sc-centers.com
Location: Burton and Brighton, MI
Phone: 810-344-8082