Weekly Update August 24, 2023

Strive Center for Autism

No therapy TOMORROW, Friday, August 25th

Just a friendly reminder that there is no therapy on Friday. Our staff will have a Professional Development day off site. Therapy will resume on Monday, August 28th.

Autism Alliance of Michigan 2023 Hero Walk

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.

We are raffling off a four pack of tickets to the AAoM Zoo walk, including VIP parking for the day! All Strive families (past or present) are welcome to enter the raffle. Please be sure that you are available on Saturday, September 23rd before you enter the raffle. Complete the form here to enter. The winner will be notified via email on September 8th. The winner will need to register online, but will be provided with a coupon code that waives your fees.

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U of M Flint Inclusive Halloween - save the date!

Please save the date for Inclusive Halloween 2023 on Friday, October 27, 2023 in the early evening (final time to be determined) at the University of Michigan-Flint!

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. We will pass along more info as we receive it, but definitely mark your calendars for now.

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ABA Term of the Week

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 errorless learning or errorless teaching.

Errorless learning is a method of teaching where prompts are used right from the beginning to ensure that a learner's response is accurate. This way of teaching ensures that a child does not make an error, even when learning something new. The prompts must be faded quickly, in order to ensure the child becomes more independent with the response.

Why do we want to prevent errors so much?

To ensure that the learner receives reinforcement
Because each time we practice something incorrectly, that's one more incorrect practice, which might increase the chances of making the same error again
To reduce frustration with challenging tasks

We use errorless learning at Strive for the introduction of new tasks, and we work on fading prompts as soon as the second time a task is introduced.

Vacations and other time off

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 additional dates that the centers will be closed:

Friday, August 25th - Professional Development Day

Monday, September 4th - Labor Day

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!