Taking Multi-Vitamins

Autism Community Connection=

Autismcc Yahoo Group Responds!

Our group is comprised of parents, educators and professionals in the autism community.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> We welcome parents to ask question= s so that together we may share our wealth of collected knowledge and insight.

www.autismcommunityconnec= tion.com - http://health.= groups.yahoo.com/group/autismcc/

Topic: Building a therapy room=

A parent asked,

We want to create a separate therapy area for him, which involves construction of new= walls and perhaps sound insulation. I'm also thinking of adding a swing to use as a reinforcer, as he tends to bolt. Our basement, where we want to do this, is not very big, and I need a creative handyman w= ho can help us out. If any of you have home programs and have created similar areas, can you please offer some suggestions? Also, do any of you know a go= od and reasonably priced

handyman?

Kathleen said,

I created a therapy room for my son= as well. The main things you need in a therapy room is to provide a minimum of distraction. In other words ; a blank canvas. Start with natural light if possible and a small table and ch= airs (check IKEA, also has good basic toys for therapy items= . ). You will need closet with shelves for storage and binder storage of therapy items. The items need to be out of the child's sight so that he can focus on the task at hand.

As the therapy evolves your room wi= ll need a "clothesline on reel" (target) to post child's artwork &am= p; awards, perhaps add a colorful rug once therapy moves to floortime activiti= es & cushions to create a 'reading corner'. If possible the swing, mini trampoline etc should be in another room so that he can go there on breaks'= . If it is in the room then redirecting him back to the table becomes difficult.=

As therapy starts, you may find that your child is resistant; this will not last as your child gains more langua= ge and success... they will want the recognition and rewards of therapy. We installed a small slide bolt( inside the room / therapist will only use it = if necessary ) to keep him in the therapy room and I went on 'neighborhood wal= ks' ; we only needed to do this the first day of therapy as he adjusted.

ABA home program requires a great d= eal of commitment from the family, you will always be recruiting therapists and trying to keep everyone positive. My experience is that it is worth it; one year into the program my son's SLP is 'questioning' the diagnosis as my son= appears to have natural body language & spontaneous speech in class hallways. Two websites with good info are www.assew.org and

www.linguisystems.com and www.orientaltrading.com for motivators.<= /p>

Regarding the handyman, if you find= one that will come to Naperville then let me know .... I need someone for 2 -3 weeks to finish a job from my MIA carpenter who is not back from 'christmas vacation'.

I wish you the best of luck, please= let me know if there is anything I can do for you. Two websites with good info www.assew.org and www.linguisystems.com and www.orientaltrading.com for motivators.

Lilly added,

Thank you for the great ideas. I re= ally like the "clothesline" one, especially. We have a lot of materials for his therapy, and now I just need to find the time to organize it all.

After searching for months and after many, many phone calls, we've finally found a team of two girls to serve as consultants. We are now interviewing for therapists. It is time-consuming a= nd expensive, but I know it will be worth it if he gains the needed skills from this set-up. I'm glad to hear that it worked well for you, and it's providi= ng further motivation for me to speed up this process!

Now comes the hardest part - to fin= d a reliable handyman!! I will contact you if I find one.