All About Autism

Shop with Compassion This Holiday

Posted on November 25, 2014 by all about autism

Yes, Black Friday is only 3 days away. I’m sure that many of you are checking the stores now to see what items will be on sale and what time the stores open. Christmas Shopping Wouldn’t it be great to avoid the rush of traffic and rising early and instead shop from home, while supporting children and adults with special needs?

I’d encourage you to consider including some of these wonderful companies and organizations committed to employing young adults and adults living with autism and other developmental disabilities in your Christmas shopping this year.

Some of my favorites are:

ACTabilities – sells 100% natural soy candles, all natural castile soaps, holiday ornaments, cards and more, while spreading the message of Acceptance, Consideration, and Tolerance! www.actabilities.com

Have a Happy – provides fun and affordable merchandise to ensure ordinary moments are happy occasions, too. The place to get your daily dose of happy! www.haveahappy.net

Paper Clouds Apparel – showcases the creative minds of individuals with special needs by selling t-shirts, hats and totes that feature artwork designed by these individuals. www.papercloudsapparel.com

SEEDs for Autism – sells uniquely crafted jewelry, home and garden products, pet products and more! All proceeds are reinvested back into the program. www.seedsforautism.org

[words] Bookstore – “Engaging readers of all ages and interests; Welcoming patrons and employees with autism.” In addition to employing individuals with autism, over 70 young people with autism work in their vocational training program. www.Wordsbookstore.com

For a complete list, visit: http://www.autismspeaks.org/shop-little-help-lot

A wonderful variety of gifts are available at the BNI Gift Shop!

You can also shop for unique gifts at 100 Barber Place. Selections include floral wreaths, decorative gift bags, cards and seasonal items created by adults attending Barber National Institute programs. And if you shop on this coming Cyber Monday, you’ll receive 10% off as well as a free clay ornament made by our individuals.

And don’t forget, this Saturday the 29^th is “Support Small Businesses Day.” Visit your local shops and boutiques to find thoughtful, one-of-a-kind items for Christmas and more.

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Vatican To Hold Premiere Autism Conference This Week

Posted on November 20, 2014 by all about autism

The Vatican’s first ever conference on autism, “The Person with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Animating Hope,” is being held this week. Pope Francis has established the conference in the hopes of ending the stigma of autism and the isolation of those living with autism. Pope_child

In the spirit of inclusion and volunteerism, Pope Francis will call on the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics to embrace people with ASD. This is the latest example of his efforts to make the church a “home for all” by rethinking social issues and the role of science, and by embracing people who may be marginalized.

One of the largest medical conferences on autism, more than 650 experts from 57 countries will discuss genomic research, treatment, and acceptance of the estimated 70 million people worldwide living with autism. Topics include the brain and behavior; environmental factors in autism; early diagnosis; technology like iPads that can improve the quality of life; and ways for volunteers to help.

This conference is not the first of its kind for Pope Francis. His fondness for children with special needs is well-known. In addition to raising awareness during the conference, the Pope will also deliver a speech to the audience gathered at the Vatican hall. Music and movement for the children will be included in the session.

Pope Francis’ call-to-action and focus on social, economic and environmental justice is a message that he has taken to the secular leaders of the world, as well as to members of all religious denominations. The question becomes, “How can we fulfill this mission in our daily lives?” Please share your thoughts on this important issue.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged advocacy, asd, autism, autism awareness, autism support, barber national institute, call to action, pope francis, vatican | Leave a comment

Operation Warm Coat Came to Erie

Posted on November 18, 2014 by all about autism

Operation Warm Coat 2014 Brrr … it’s 14 degrees in Erie with a -2 wind chill. Three feet of snow is predicted, but the storm has stayed over the lake. Thanks to the generosity of PNC Grow Up Great, sixty BNI preschoolers have winter coats in the nick of time through Operation Warm. Now in its eighth year of support of Operation Warm, the PNC Foundation is providing over 1,000 coats to children in Northwestern Pennsylvania.

Founded in 1998 by entrepreneur and philanthropist Dick Sanford, Operation Warm has partnered with a wide range of foundations such as PNC Foundation to ensure children in need receive coats each year. This important gift of a new winter coat provides children with the freedom and confidence to play more, learn more, and do more. By the end of 2014, 1.7 million children in nearly every state across the USA will have received the happiness and warmth of a new Operation Warm winter coat.

As the temperatures continue to drop our children will be keeping warm in their new coat, hat and mittens. Thank you, PNC Grow Up Great Foundation and Operation Warm.

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ELBS Student Wins State-wide Art Contest

Posted on November 13, 2014 by all about autism

ELBS student Todd Harvey won first place with his masterpiece using A.R.T.

I am pleased to announce that ELBS student Todd Harvey was selected as a winner of the statewide art contest for artists with disabilities, Art: The Universal Language. He won first place in the acrylic medium for students ages 12 and under. Todd created his masterpiece through a revolutionary art program, A.R.T. (Artistic Realization Technology).

What is A.R.T.? Through the use of a target laser, the artist selects the canvas, paint colors, brush sizes and textures to create their artwork. A trained Tracker then follows the laser light to apply paint to the canvas. This process allows the artist to not only paint, but also to provide a vehicle which showcases their humanity. As Tim Lefens, creator of A.R.T. states, “the art is totally uncompromised. What you see is exactly what the artist wanted.” The laser becomes more than a bridge to the canvas — it is a bridge to the community as it dismantles misconceptions about individuals with physical challenges.

The Barber National Institute first learned about A.R.T. from Tim Lefens, an abstract

Karen Kyler, COTA and Todd Harvey

artist who developed this program for children and adults with significant physical challenges. After reading about the BNI on the web, Tim contacted us and told us he had secured a grant from the Christopher Reeve Foundation to provide training on A.R.T. at sites across the United States. Were we interested? Of course, I responded yes! In 2008 Tim came, trained us in A.R.T. and we were off running.

Todd started training two years ago in A.R.T. using a laser pointer to direct the application of paint to his canvas. Through Yes and No questions and eye gaze, Todd selected the size of his canvas, background color and color choices. He also chose a tool, either a brush, sponge or pallet knife. His Tracker, Karen Kyler, COTA, followed the laser light, a virtual brush. This extraordinary painting took 12 months to complete. Todd’s painting was also on display at our annual Art Show in April.

I am very proud of Todd for his amazing piece of artwork. Each of our children has an exceptional talent; it’s up to us help them reach their fullest potential.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged A.R.T., autism, bni, Christopher Reeve Foundation, ELBS, intellectual disabilities, Tim Lefens | Leave a comment

Happy Veterans Day!

Posted on November 11, 2014 by all about autism

The faculty and students at ELBS say THANK YOU to our veterans.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged autism, bni, ELBS, special needs, Veterans Day | Leave a comment

The Importance of Early Childhood Education

Posted on November 6, 2014 by all about autism

Speech Therapists I had a great opportunity last week to attend the PNC Grow Up Great Advisory Council meeting. It’s hard to believe that PNC Grow Up Great is celebrating its 10^th anniversary of programming. I wanted to share with you some of the key topics.

The PNC Foundation joins Sesame Street^TM in helping to bring laughter and learning to young children all over the country with the new campaign ~ “Words are here, there and everywhere”.
Through Grow Up Great, PNC supports families, educators and community partners to provide innovative opportunities that enhance learning and development in a child’s early years. Two new grant initiatives, reaching children earlier through intensive programs designed to close the vocabulary gap are Save the Children – Early Steps to School Success, Louisville, KY and the 30 Million Words Initiative, Chicago School of Medicine. Ten participating cities (Atlanta, Charlotte, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Detroit, etc.) are also receiving 2 year grants with the focus on vocabulary building.
Focusing on family engagement PNC Grow Up Great will fund a project in which partners collaborate to promote families awareness of the importance of talking with their children to build vocabulary and help give them the skills parents need to do this effectively. Engaging older siblings, extended family members, and the community at large this program will assist families to develop positive routines and habits that support children’s development of vocabulary and concepts for the long term.
A new section of the PNC Grow Up Great website – The Lesson Center – will serve as a reliable source for high quality early childhood teaching ideas.
PNC Grow Up Great sponsored the Guinness World Records attempt of the “Largest Vocabulary Lesson” last Thursday (Oct. 30^th). Thirty seven cities, 57 locations and 4,000 children participated in this challenge centered around Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown.
The conversations about early childhood education have dramatically changed since PNC Grow Up Great was initiated 10 years ago. There is no longer a conversation about why. Instead the conversation centers around access with quality. In 2004 states were spending $2.5 billion on early childhood education. Today they are spending $5.4 billion. The challenge going forward is to make early childhood education funding a priority and break the cycle of incrementalism.

I am honored to serve on the PNC Grow Up Great Advisory Board and be a part of the movement to prepare America’s youngest children for great things in school and life.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 30 Million Word Initative, Early Steps to School Success, Mr. Tiger Goes Wild, Peter Brown, PNC Grow Up Great, Save the Children, sesame street, The Lesson Center | Leave a comment

Did You Vote Today?

Posted on November 4, 2014 by all about autism

Your vote counts Ryan and I were at the polls by 7:15 a.m. voting for our “favorite” candidates. Since he began voting at 18, I have stressed its importance to him. Typically we discuss the candidates a week prior to Election Day, identifying their position on various issues that we care about. Of course, supporting programs for children and adults with disabilities is right on the top of our list.

I truly believe that your vote is your voice to our legislators, governor and president. It is your opportunity to influence the direction of the state and country. With so many legitimate needs and limited funding it is essential to reach out to legislators to rally them to your cause. Advocacy is a 12-month effort that begins with voting-paper-ballots your vote.

Here are a few links for more information.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged advocate, register to vote, Vote | 2 Comments

Have a Hauntingly Booo-tiful Halloween!

Posted on October 30, 2014 by all about autism

Halloween is all about dressing up as scary, ghoulish, funny characters knocking on the doors of neighbors and friends, collecting treats and relishing in the fun. However, I always think about how we can create a safe and fun Halloween.

So if you and your child are going out Trick or Treating, think about …

Ryan’s first Halloween.

Our Halloween week is already in full swing. Ryan can’t wait to go a haunted house this evening. It’s his favorite Halloween celebration. Tomorrow I’ll be attending our Halloween parade. There will be over 150 children dressed in elaborate costumes walking through the halls of Barber National Institute. Pictures will be posted on the Barber National Institute’s Facebook page.

I have also included two links for Halloween Social Stories.

I wish you a safe and happy Halloween.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged autism, bni, costumes, ELBS, halloween, overstimulated, safe Halloween, safe trick or treating, special needs, trick or treat | Leave a comment

Have You Thanked Your Physical Therapist Today?

Posted on October 28, 2014 by all about autism

October is National Physical Therapy month, so I thought I would take the opportunity to spotlight two physical therapists and a physical therapist assistant who work in our school. I did a Q&A with each therapist to discover what they enjoyed most about being a physical therapist, some of the challenges they faced and to learn about some of their favorite memories working at Barber National Institute.

Marsha Nevinsky working with a student at BNI.

Marsha Nevinsky, a therapist with us for the past 25 years, has focused on children with low incidence special needs. She works daily on seating, walking, and therapeutic positioning technology to bring movement opportunities to all of our students. She finds it most fulfilling to interact directly with the students, see their progress and join in all of their successes. Some of her greatest challenges include matching technology to the child’s skills, securing funding for the technology, generating documentation and waiting for delivery of equipment. Marsha loves working at our school because she is part of an amazing team. She and her coworkers’ dedication day in and day out to helping children reach for the stars is the real success story.

Chris Gross working with a student at BNI.

Chris Gross has been a therapist with us since 2007. She finds that celebrating the successes, both small and large, of the students the most rewarding. Knowing that she helped contribute to their success is what keeps her going. Every day presents a new challenge. One of the greatest barriers is communication and finding a way to “connect” with some of the students so that therapy is something they look forward to rather than resent. She believes that our school is a great place to work and her coworkers are some of the best around. She is especially grateful for her mentor, Martha Nevinsky, the students, and learning experiences she has gained.

Vincent Massella, Physical Therapy Assistant at BNI

The newest member of our team, Vincent Massella, joined us three months ago as a physical therapist assistant. He enjoys working with the students on their functional movements and seeing the excitement on their faces when they have overcome a challenge. One of the most rewarding aspects of his job is seeing the quality of life improvements.

On behalf of the hundreds of children and their families who have benefited from your expertise, I extend my thanks. We are so fortunate to have you as part of the Barber National Institute family.

To learn more about physical therapy and its impact on people of all ages and abilities to reduce pain, improve mobility and stay active and fit throughout life, please visit the American Physical Therapy Association.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged autism, bni, ELBS, National Physical Therapy Month, physical therapist, physical therapist assistant, physical therapy, special needs | Leave a comment

It’s Time to Grow Up Great

Posted on October 23, 2014 by all about autism

Today I am attending the PNC Grow Up Great Advisory Council in Pittsburgh. In 2004, PNC adopted a corporate-wide program focusing resources on early childhood education to make a tremendous impact. Since then, PNC Grow Up Great has distributed more than $73 million in grants and worked with partners like Sesame Workshop^® to develop rich educational materials for children, families and educators. PNC employees have also volunteered more than 410,000 hours to make this vision come true. To date, the program has served approximately 2 million children throughout 19 states and the District of Columbia.

I am looking forward to hearing the PNC Grow Up Great updates as well as a lively discussion on trending issues in early childhood education. I will be sharing this information with you next week. Have a great weekend.