The Importance of Parental Involvement

This is a great Op Ed piece  by Thomas Friedman.   Thanks for sharing it, Cassandra.

Autumn Fun for the Family!

Now that summer has unofficially ended and autumn is upon us, parents are looking for activities that will engage their children, build their self-esteem, encourage healthy and successful development and not cost an arm and a leg. With a focus on broadening your child’s experiences while encouraging successful motor coordination, language, social emotional, and cognitive development, the following are some suggestions that will take you and your little ones away from the television and the video games and into the truly interactive world.


A child’s play is not only amazing and amusing, but it is also paramount in healthy childhood development. The playground is your child’s early life university. Whether it is the 2 year old dipping one toe and then the other in the sprinklers until she builds her confidence and courage to get her entire body wet -- or the 6 year old challenging the 5 year old to climb higher on the jungle gym -- the playground is an ideal environment for your child to learn how to navigate the world, build relationships and learn about life. The Bleecker Street playground at Bank Street is always filled with children of all ages, as well as activities and equipment that will promote your child’s language, social, and motoric development. The Imagination Playground at Burling Slip is a safe, creatively designed space which encourages child directed, unstructured play.

The New York City Public Library is a great place for your child to build their imagination along with their love for books. Offering activities from arts and crafts to music and film for children, the library is an ideal nurturing environment where your child can flourish. All branches offer story time for children of different ages. Story time is where children and their care takers can enjoy new and classic children’s stories, learn action songs, make friends, and meet other children from their neighborhood.

The zoo! There is nothing more educational and exciting to a child than seeing lioness care for her cub, or watching a polar bear jump in and out of the water. One of the world’s most spectacular zoos is just a short subway ride to The Bronx. The Bronx Zoo has events and exhibits throughout the fall including a scary Halloween celebration for all family members. “ Boo at the Bronx Zoo” runs throughout October and includes a haunted safari, hayrides and parades. Your child will love it.

Rainy day activities can run the gamut from pretend play tea parties to baking chocolate chip cookies, to charades and Pictionary. A rainy day is a great opportunity to engage playfully with your child. The positive interaction between a parent and child is paramount in developing language, self-esteem, and social skills. For great rainy day ideas there are many sites to visit, my favorite site is Amazing Moms. You will find loads of creative ideas to keep your children occupied while sparking the creative fires. One simple project I enjoy and so will your kid constructing a time capsule. A decorated shoe box, and a few keepsakes can create hours of fun and it will certainly make for an interesting conversations between your child and yourself.

Curiosity, exposure, and interaction are key in your child’s development. Participation in simple activities this autumn can encourage healthy development on all levels. Don’t skip the hayrides or the pumpkin patches this fall. Create memories and enjoyment that your child will cherish for years to come!

Story Hour, June 18, 2011

Here are some photos from this past weekend's story hour hosted by Little Marc Jacobs, books read by Diane Freedman.  A good time had by all ... especially me!!!!  Please join me next weekend.  Saturday, June 25 at 10:30 AM -- Bleecker Street Playground!

Preschool is a Time for Exploration

I am grateful that one of my clients shared this article with me.  Alison Gopnik, the author, expresses an interesting perspective on preschool.  She emphasizes the value of exploration vs. instruction for a child of preschool age.  A good and important read!

Why Preschool Shouldn't Be Like School
New research shows that teaching kids more and more, at ever-younger ages, may backfire.
By Alison Gopnik

Reading is Fundamental

Reading is paramount in your child’s development.  It serves to enhance your child’s language development, creativity and ability to think. It also builds strong social emotional ties and encourages cognitive development.   Additionally, it is a perfect venue to spend quality time with your child.  Even if your baby does not yet understand words, by reading to them, they will begin to recognize and enjoy the sound of your voice.  Reading to your child will assist in creating parent/child bonds that will build your child’s sense of self and safety.  These connections are necessary precursors to spoken language.  Children who form secure relationships early in life with their parents and caretakers are likely to be able to develop healthy social emotional connections with peers and others later in their lives.  Furthermore, as you read to your toddler and begin to identify objects in books and ask wh questions, you are building their vocabulary, their ability to form sentences and narratives as well as enabling them to respond, question and reason.  Children who grow up reading are more likely to pick up words quickly, choose books rather than television, and develop a healthy respect for books.  All of which will lead to a strong foundation for a successful life and academics.

Here are some recommendations for just a few books that you and your children will love...
On Top Of Spaghetti
There was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly
Caps For Sale
A Very Special House
Madeline (series)
One Fish - Two Fish - Red Fish - Blue Fish

Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD)

According to the NIH, Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD) refers to a group of disorders including Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, and Rett's Syndrome. PDD is characterized by delays in many areas of development. While symptoms of PDD may appear as early as infancy, the typical age of onset and diagnosis is around 3 years of age. A child with PDD may demonstrate delays and problems across all realms of development including receptive and expressive language, social and emotional interactions, sensory motor, and play. A child with PDD may also exhibit difficulty transitioning from one activity to the next, s/he may also appear to be unable to attend to a communication partner, activity or task, demonstrate repetitive body movements, and may be unable to sit in one position for any length of time.


Children with PDD will vary greatly in their abilities. While some children may not speak at all, others may have limited language, and still others may appear to have typical age appropriate language. Many children with PDD will exhibit limited play skills and will not interact socially nor will they play collaboratively with other children. Rather they will exhibit peripheral parallel play. Some children with PDD may exhibit sensory defensiveness and react unusually to light, touch, and sounds, while others may seek out and desire these sensory stimuli.

Early intervention services are paramount in the treatment of PDD. If you suspect that your child has PDD it is important that you express your concerns to a qualified pediatrician. S/he can refer you for a proper evaluation which can determine the need for early intervention services. Very often, speech-language therapy when paired with occupational and physical therapy, and special instruction can serve your child’s needs and support him/her in his/her journey upon a successful life.

Shared Experiences

Just a few sites I wanted to share with you guys … they are informative, entertaining, and insightful.

Yike Dat

A site for both parents and educators, YikeDat is a brand new resource for parents and teachers focusing on early childhood.  They update regularly. Expect new information for early childhood teachers almost daily.  There is a section for parents of preschoolers as well.  

Hidden Truths

A really funny blog about one parents experience raising his children

2E Child
A description of a successful ABA therapy graduate. Initially diagnosed as Autistic, he is a 2E child (twice exceptional - In the Autistic Spectrum and Profoundly Gifted). A brief description of his path to enrichment and excellence as laid out by the therapists and by, mostly, his Mother - his chief Instructor.


Autism Mom Rising
A mother of a son with Autism and Landau Kleffner Variant. They have a blast baking around their many food sensitivities and blogging about  their creations. Their show Autism Family Cooking will debut here in 2011. This site also explores the general nuances of life with Autism.

These are mostly inspirational blogs written by parents of children who are both typically developing and who have autism.

Conference on Autism

Understanding Autism Spectrum Disorder; From Basic Science to Intervention

An Autism Symposium for the Community

Hunter Weill Cornell

Saturday

April 16, 2011

8:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Sensory Integration and Your Child

Sensory Integration/Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) and Speech-Language Development

One of the most valuable lesson I learned in graduate school and through my practice working with children as a Speech Language Pathologist is: “In order for a child to learn, s/he must be in a neutral state.”

Think about it, have you ever had one loose strand of hair on your arm which was so annoying that it was the only thing you could think about. Or has the seam of your sock pressed ever so lightly against your pinky toe that you had to take your shoe off immediately to fix it? Better yet, has your focus been disrupted for a few seconds by a siren outside your window? Have you experienced the sensation of pins and needles when your foot falls asleep? Think about the numbness of frozen fingers after shoveling snow. Have you ever taken a ride on a snowy day and the light was so bright that even your newest pair of Ray-Bans didn’t seem to help? Been seasick? Been dizzy? Sat next to someone with really strong perfume?

These are not uncommon experiences for anyone. Our senses are bombarded every moment of every day, even when we are sleeping. It is how we process our environment. These sensory messages are sent to our brain and we are able to prioritize them and continue on with the task at hand. We draw conclusions from the stimuli and form decision on how to proceed. Sometimes, unless we have a really bad headache, we don’t even consciously hear the siren outside our window when we are involved in an engaging activity. This is the process of typical sensory integration and processing.

There are some children who are hypersensitive and those who are hyposensitive to sensory input. A child with hypersensitive atypical sensory processing does not have the ability to prioritize these stimuli and he or she becomes overwhelmed by the different sensory input. Think about your sensory experience and then multiply it by one hundred. If you can, picture the child sitting in the classroom that hears the siren outside the window and is so overwhelmed by it that s/he cannot pay attention the teacher reading a book. Simultaneously, the slight flicker of the florescent light and the hum of the loudspeaker system have increased his/her level of anxiety. Now couple that with the fact that his/her body is feeling a little numb except for his wool socks that itch the hell out of his/her feet. And to add insult to injury, there is a tree outside the window with its branches gently swaying back and forth. A child with SPD will either become extremely agitated and distracted with heightened irritability or s/he may have the opposite reaction and shut down all together… or possibly both.

A profile of hyposensitive SPD is the child who appears to be immune to these sensations, not able to process them at all. S/he typically may not be able to feel temperatures the way that you do. S/he may be oblivious to loud sounds or changes in lighting. S/he might be the kid who is ripping off their down jacket in sub-freezing weather conditions – or s/he may be the child who is thought of as the “clumsy” kid because they are always walking very heavy on their feet, falling, and banging into people and things. This may be caused by the inability to determine their current physical state and their positioning in space. They are unable to process the environmental feedback which tells them about their surroundings and state of being.

In order to develop language, a child needs to maintain a calm, regulated and neutral state of being. S/he needs to be able to maintain eye contact, read the facial expressions and other non-verbal communicative overtures. He or she must feel safe and protected. Furthermore, they must be able to listen, focus, and not be distracted by their internal state or external environment. They must be able to prioritize the environmental and internal stimuli and mute the nonessential input. For the child who is challenged by SPD, these can often become insurmountable goals, causing a delay in their motor, social emotional, and speech and language development.

As with any other concerns you may have about your child’s development, contact you pediatrician. Your pediatrician can provide a referral for an evaluation. A trained Occupational Therapist can evaluate your child for SPD and help you implement sensory strategies to support their ability to maintain attention. A qualified Speech Language Pathologist can also work with your child in ways that will provide your child with the support needed to become successful communicators.

Interesting reading material: 
The Out of Sync Child
http://www.amazon.com/Out-Sync-Child-Recognizing-Integration/dp/0399523863

The Sensational Child
http://sensationalchild.org/child/

Anna Jean Ayres
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&aq=3&oq=anna+jean&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4SKPT_enUS406US407&q=anna+jean+ayres