It is that time of the year once again that we start to think about and plan for summer camp! If you are in the The South Jersey area, we have just the camp for your child. The Explorers Camp is filled with fun activities for children ages 3 – 15 years old with autism spectrum disorders, ADHD and other behavioral challenges.
There will be lots of activities led by behavioral Analyst and occupational therapist, these activities will include:
Arts and Crafts
Water Play
Music Class
Horseback Riding
Yoga
And even Cooking!
Location:
Westfield Friends School
2201 Riverton Road
Cinnaminson, NJ.
When:
Four sessions
July 30, 2012 – August 3, 2012
August 6, 2012 – August 10, 2012
August 13, 2012 – August 17, 2012
August 20, 2012 – August 24, 2012
Camp Starts at 9:00 am and ends at 3:00 p.m. Before and After care is also available, so contact us now! Call 856-874-1616 or email KRogers@NBNGroup.com for more information
Summer is almost here and it’s time to get out and about! Grab your car keys and head out to see Madagascar with the kids! You can even bring your own food for this special event sponsored by the Greater Philadelphia Chapter Autism Society Of America. Read more below.
AMC Entertainment and the Autism Society of America have teamed up to bring families affected by autism a special opportunity to enjoy their favorite films in a safe and accepting enviroment on a monthly basis.
With Sensory Friendly Films, the movie auditoriums will have their lights brought up and the sound turned down.
The “Silence is Golden” rule will not be enforced. People can talk, jump, sing, do anything that they need to. It is designed to be a friendly supportive atmosphere.
There will be no previews or ads. Arrive on time. The movie will start at 10.
There will be a quiet theater available that has no movie running. If someone would like a break they can go to that nearby theater to unwind.
You can bring in your own food.
Enjoy the movie!
Patti Erickson
Greater Philadelphia Chapter
Autism Society of America
The following Theaters will be participating
Location: AMC Neshaminy 24 , Franklin Mills, Painters Crossing and more.
NEW LOCATIONS ADDED:
Date: June 16, 2012 (10:00 AM – 12:00 PM)
Just in case you are unsure if you want to see this movie, take a look at the Trailer below. It looks fun!
As more and more children are diagnosed with Autism we learn more about the importance of early diagnosis and the positive outcome for children that have been diagnosed sooner rather than later. There have been a variety of campaigns that have stressed the importance of recognizing the symptoms and early diagnosis.
Although it is recommended by American Academy of Pediatrics that children should be screened in some cases by 18 months, many were not. It was further discovered that less than 20 percent of children were diagnosed by two years of age and up to 40% were not diagnosed even by age 6.
Image Source CDC.gov
Additionally out of the school aged children that HAVE been diagnosed with autism only about 40% of these children were receiving Behavioral Intervention in spite of research that demonstrates how beneficial this can be to the children. The primary cause for lack of Behavioral Intervention, is attributed to lack of insurance and few trained professionals to provide the treatments so desperately needed.
It is imperative that these children receive early diagnosis and treatment as soon as possible. This is especially important because it is reported that about one in 88 U.S Children has Autism. There are new studies that may offer a remedy for early diagnosis with the head lag test which could detect signs of Autism in children at around the age of 6 months.
If you have any questions about Autism and treatments contact New Behavioral Network, we have trained professionals that specialize in the treatment of Autism and other behavioral disorders at our Cherry Hill, NJ location.
Autism effects up to 1 in 88 children and one of the most important things you can do as a parent is to know the signs. If your child has developmental delays that is a first sign that there may be an issue and should as parents they should be viewed as red flags.
If your baby shows any of these signs, please ask your pediatrician or family practitioner for an immediate evaluation:
No big smiles or other warm, joyful expressions by six months or thereafter
No back-and-forth sharing of sounds, smiles, or other facial expressions by nine months or thereafter
No babbling by 12 months
No back-and-forth gestures, such as pointing, showing, reaching, or waving by 12 months
No words by 16 months
No two-word meaningful phrases (without imitating or repeating) by 24 months
Any loss of speech or babbling or social skills at any age
Recognizing some of these signs are critical in properly diagnosing your child and the early the better. The earlier the diagnosis the better for the child as they will be able to get the treatment and therapies needed and this makes a huge difference in the quality of the child’s life. Testing for Autism can start in children in the one year old age range.
New studies may be the breakthrough needed to diagnose some children as early as 6 months of age if they show signs of head lag. Most children by the age of 4 months had the ability to control their head when they were pulled gently to a sitting position. The new study found that 90% of children that were unable to control their head or displayed headlag would eventually develop Autism.
Take a look at the two videos below, one will give you a display of a child at 4 month without headlag and the other video will give you a display of a child that displays signs of headlag. This will give you an idea of what to look for and the difference between typical motor control vs the developmental delay of headlag.
I am a great lover of technology! I am especially excited when a new technology is useful and can change the lives of many. This is the case with the iPad and I don’t mean for the fun aspect of it, but really its capacity for changing the lives of people in a more life altering way.
The iPad has really changed the technology industry and since I am a lover of technology I see the changes as a benefit to technology as an entire industry. Although the iPad has been amazing in general it has been amazing due to some of the apps that have literally changed the lives of children with Autism.
It seems that there are iPad Apps that have really opened the door of communication with some kids with Autism that have displayed verbal challenges. Take a look at the amazing video below to see exactly what I’m talking about and how ipad Apps have changed life for these amazing children.
We are still learning so much about Autism Spectrum Disorders and as we learn we are developing great programs and services for those that live with the disorder. Although we have made significant progress in diagnosis, treatment and therapies we still have a long way to go.
It seems that although there are a variety of programs in place for school aged children we still need to make some strides in regard to treatments and programs going beyond the childhood years. A study was just released from Pediatrics that states the challenges that young adults with Autism are facing when venturing into the job market.
It is obvious that there needs to be more effort made to address this growing problem facing young adults with Autism. Take a look at the study to find out more about how Autism is effecting young adults in the job market. Considering that there will be upwards of 500,000 children with Autism reaching adulthood within the next ten years, we should start to properly prepare them for the job market. It is quite obvious that we need to start doing a better job of preparing those effected with Autism for entering into the workplace. Recognizing that there is an issue is the first step, now created programs to properly prepare our Autistic population is the next step.
If you live in New Jersey, there has been some progress made in this area. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie recently announced that New Jersey will be the 14th state to adopt a plan that should have remedies for the 68,000 Autistic adultsliving within New Jersey. The Employment First Initiative proactively promotes gainful employment by our populations with disabilities. Although New Jersey is making great strides in this area, we have additional States that may not be addressing it as New Jersey is and for those states there is still work to be done. Our Autistic young adults need our help, we can’t let them down.
We are all still learning more and more about Autism and Aspergers Syndrome. Take a look at the video below that will warm your heart, give you hope and maybe even make you cry a bit. Taylor shares her amazing journey through living with Autism. Please share this with parents and kids that are living with Autism.
New Behavioral Network in Cherry Hill New Jersey is so excited to team up with Johnson’s Corner Farm for an amazing and fun filled night of activities for children with special needs.
New Behavioral Network will be hosting Family Fun Night at 5:00 Pm – 8:00 PM TONIGHT. It is an absolutely beautiful day for Free Hayrides, viewing the Animal Farm, checking out the Classic Car Show and face painting for the kids. So, come join us in a night filled with fun and events for our wonderful special needs kids.
It seems that we have all been touched by Autism, so much to that programs and events for this cause has has increased quite a bit over the past few years. With Autism effecting so many people it is very important that we all make a vow to get involved. NBN Group and New Behavioral Network has dedicated to raising awareness about Autism in addition to a variety of other Behavioral Issues that effect so many people.
According to Autism Speaks:
Every 11 minutes, another family receives the devastating news that their child has an autism spectrum disorder.
Autism Speaks is an organization that has done so many great things for those with Autism and NBN Group is happy to be a part of The 2010 Walk Now For Autism Speaks. We hope to create an avenue to increase funds and awareness to those diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder by participating in this event.
This week is National Children’s Mental Health Awareness week and New Behavioral Network is excited to provide some resources that will help increase awareness of this very important week. There are upwards of 15 millions children in the United States that have psychiatric, learning and behavioral issues. Yet, there are still many that have not been diagnosed. It is imperative that we increase awareness so that we can reach out to the children in need, provide treatment and therapies that could be life altering for the child.
So, lets take this week to learn more about the the many disorders that can plague children and spread the word. There are so many resources and information online that could really help to shed some light on some of the issues that are plague children. So, please take a look at the three steps to increase awareness and the events that are going on this week.
3 Easy Ways to Spread Awareness
Wear Green! (And ask our family, friends and colleagues to do so as well.)
