Weekly Update September 1, 2023
Strive Center for Autism
No therapy MONDAY, September 4th
Just a friendly reminder that there is no therapy on Monday due to Labor Day. Therapy will resume on Tuesday, September 5th.
Strive T Shirt Order
We are doing a t-shirt order incase families would like any! Please fill out this form if you would like to order. If you'll be joining us at the AAoM Zoo walk (see below), we'd love to see you in a Strive T shirt! We'll all be wearing ours!
You are also welcome to order Strive shirts just because you want one. We sell them to you for cost, so we do not take any proceeds from the sale.
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.
Enter our raffle to win 4 tickets to the AAoM Zoo Walk
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.
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.
Halloween at the centers
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.
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 functional communication training or FCT.
FCT is a differential reinforcement procedure where a child is taught an alternative response that results in the same type of reinforcement that was maintaining a challenging behavior.
What does that look like? Often, children with Autism may learn to use a challenging behavior (or some non-standard communication behavior like grunting or pointing) as a means to get what they want. In FCT, we teach a replacement behavior that is recognized as communication. The replacement behavior could be using a sign, a spoken word or vocalization, or even a picture or a button on a tablet to communicate.
Here's an example: When I worked in a classroom as a graduate student for my practicum, I met this great kid who was about 13 years old. One day while I was in the classroom, this boy dropped to his knees in front of the refrigerator and began crying and bouncing up and down. I was completely surprised and looked to the professionals who worked in the room daily as to what to do. One of them turned to me and said, "Oh - he wants milk. There's some in the fridge. Would you get it for him?" I got the milk and he stood up and followed me to a table where he sat down and drank his milk.
When I brought the example back to the group of practicum students who had been assigned to this classroom, we realized that this boy had learned this method of dropping and crying as a way to communicate that he wanted milk, and we thought maybe we could help replace that with something that would be more easily recognized as communication.
The team decided to try using signs to communicate, so when we were in the classroom, and he dropped to the ground in front of the fridge, we would demonstrate the sign for milk (which is kind of similar to the motion you'd make when milking a cow.) We would try to get him to imitate our motion and then provide the milk. He quickly learned that he could just make the sign and get the milk, and didn't need to drop to the ground and cry (and after some time, we would not provide the milk if he did drop, even if he did sign - we required no dropping and a clear sign.) We effectively replaced the challenging behavior with one that was better recognized as communication.
The really interesting part was watching for generalization - when a practicum student was in the room, he reliably used the sign. We did not provide milk for any other behavior. But when we weren't there, he still dropped to the floor because it was effective with the other professionals who worked in the room. It was only when we spoke to them about it, and everyone agreed to require the sign that he began to generalize, or demonstrate this behavior with other people. So, a very important part of functional communication training is having all of the people in a child's life on the same page as to what is required to communicate! Parents, this means making sure that the communication method your child is using at ABA is being used at home. If you're not sure how to do this, please talk to your BCBA - we are happy to help!
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.
Here are some upcoming dates that the centers will be closed:
Monday, September 4th - Labor Day
Friday, October 27th - PD 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!
About Us
Email: info@sc-centers.com
Website: www.sc-centers.com
Location: Burton and Brighton, MI
Phone: 810-344-8082