Weekly Update September 15, 2023

In the month of September, our theme is apples! You'll see lots of apple art projects coming home, we'll sing songs about apples, and we'll read books about apples.

Click this link for a song about apples that we like to sing along to!

This is a reminder that Strive Centers do not follow any local school's calendars. Our families live in a variety of different school districts, with different calendars, and we can't follow them all. There are a number of ways you can keep track of any days we're closed, including:

• A paper copy of our yearly calendar is provided with each intake packet (please ask if you need a new one)
• This newsletter always lists upcoming days off
• A Remind message will be sent the day before each day we're closed and the day before we return
• Our Facebook page has regular updates when we are closed
• Just call us or ask your therapist at pick up or drop off!

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.

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.

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 mastered cards.

Mastered cards are a combination of colored index cards and picture cards that each represent a skill that a child has "mastered", or something that he knows. We use mastered cards to make sure that we intermix plenty of quick and easy tasks throughout the day and to ensure that your child maintains those mastered skills.

Why is it important to intermix these quick and easy tasks throughout the day? Because most people don't enjoy answering only hard questions! The new skills we are working on are challenging for the children, so intermixing something that is easier helps to build behavioral momentum, allowing children to get something right, receive reinforcement, and feel more confident.

Why is maintaining the mastered skills such a big deal? The old phrase "use it or lose it" applies here. For our children, they have worked hard to learn these skills and we want to be sure that they have opportunities to practice them so that they stay fresh.

We make mastered cards all the time - when we complete our first assessment, we will make cards for skills that a child demonstrates at the assessment. Each week, as your child learns more skills, we make more cards.

Why are the index cards different colors? Each color represents a different type of task. For example, imitation tasks are on green cards. We use this system for two reasons: the different colors help cue our therapists as to what type of skill is coming up next and when the index cards are shuffled well, we can easily see that we are mixing in different kinds of skills.

Why do we care so much about mixing in different kinds of skills? Think about what your day would be like if you only answered one kind of question all day long - pretty boring. Now imagine that you're a young child with autism, and you're asked to do the same type of thing over and over again - how would you express that you didn't like that? It would be pretty frustrating and you might be likely to cry or engage in some other challenging behavior to communicate that you didn't like it. We like to keep frustration low and engagement high, so that children learn more.

When you come in for your next parent meeting, or to observe your child at the center, take notice of the mastered cards and if you'd like to see your child's cards, let your BCBA know.

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