tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255218286989628303Fri, 18 May 2012 20:06:18 +0000CelebrationsAggressive BehaviorsAttention SpanBrynBearsAsperger's SyndromeSon-Rise Program ParentsFriendshipParentingJoiningAcceptanceEye ContactKateRequestingFeedbackInspirationDiet - BiomedicalAttitudeCreativityGratitudeEnvironmentFlexibilitySelf-Help SkillsSamahria3EsBeliefsPersonal GrowthSon-Rise Program StaffGerdLanguageGiving ControlSleepFun and GamesTraining ProgramsCarolinaCryingWilliamVolunteershttp://blog.autismtreatmentcenter.org/noreply@blogger.com (William Hogan, Son-Rise Program Senior Teacher)Blogger719125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255218286989628303.post-707085474292613568Wed, 09 May 2012 20:30:00 +00002012-05-10T10:02:55.483-04:00 I was recently doing a Son-Rise Program Consultation with a wonderful Mom during our Son-Rise Program Start-Up.  The subject of table manners came up and she wanted to help her 7 year-old son to stop licking his hands and his plate as he ate at the family dinner table. Here are some thoughts: 1)    Children on the Autism spectrum have a challenge connecting and relating to http://blog.autismtreatmentcenter.org/2012/05/manners-and-son-rise-program.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Becky Damgaard, Son-Rise Program Teacher)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255218286989628303.post-7984205099770703564Thu, 12 Apr 2012 20:40:00 +00002012-04-12T16:40:18.401-04:00 Eliminating Control Battles With Your Child  One of our children’s biggest challenges is flexibility -- we are always looking to create a supportive environment for them where they get large amounts of control and there are limited boundaries for them to come up against. This is one of the reasons why The Son-Rise Program Playroom is so effective in helping our children gain the control they http://blog.autismtreatmentcenter.org/2012/04/eliminating-control-battles-with-your.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Becky Damgaard, Son-Rise Program Teacher)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255218286989628303.post-4954834662029843093Tue, 10 Apr 2012 08:51:00 +00002012-04-10T04:56:58.337-04:00Son-Rise Program ParentsAcceptanceAttitudeBeliefsFrom Gaby:There comes a time in every mothers life were she almost (am I kidding myself) is not the most important person in the life of her son. The moment he falls in love for the first time. Age 12 Tybalt is over his head and ears in love. It brings back memories to the time I was 16 and I fell in love for the first time. Memories of that time is emerging thanks to Tybalt and I realize now http://blog.autismtreatmentcenter.org/2012/04/in-love.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Gaby van den Berg, Son-Rise Program Mom)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255218286989628303.post-5987694820059841179Thu, 08 Mar 2012 22:29:00 +00002012-03-08T17:29:02.703-05:00 30 minutes a day…Running a Lifestyle Son-Rise Program®For many families the Lifestyle Son-Rise Program is a great starting place. Below is an overview of the 3 levels for running a Son-Rise Program with your child. LifestyleTime: 30 minutes a dayFacilitation: One-on-oneLocation: Quiet room or part of the your homeSocial Curriculum: Focus on Eye Contact, Language, Interactive Attention Span andhttp://blog.autismtreatmentcenter.org/2012/03/30-minutes-day-running-lifestyle-son.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (William Hogan, Son-Rise Program Senior Teacher)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255218286989628303.post-5493777319515387969Thu, 09 Feb 2012 20:26:00 +00002012-02-09T15:26:35.083-05:00 Here at the Autism Treatment Center of America we believe that your child's diet is incredibly important to their overall health and well being. Food effects how our body and brain develop and function, thus effecting how able we are to focus and interact with the world around us. Just as we created the distraction free controllable environment of The Son-Rise Program Playroom to help http://blog.autismtreatmentcenter.org/2012/02/7-tips-on-changing-your-childs-diet.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kate Wilde, Son-Rise Program Senior Teacher)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255218286989628303.post-7487669952198717751Tue, 20 Dec 2011 20:38:00 +00002012-01-05T13:09:44.594-05:00 You’ve seen it in your Son-Rise Program Start-Up Manual! You’ve glanced at it on our website! It lurks in the corner of the classroom when you’ve been to programs at The Option Institute! Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No….it’s The Son-Rise Program Developmental Model! And guess what? It’s here to help you. It’s here to guide you. It’s both your friend, and teacher. It will support you and http://blog.autismtreatmentcenter.org/2011/12/using-son-rise-program-developmental.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (William Hogan, Son-Rise Program Senior Teacher)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255218286989628303.post-4843730730769963521Mon, 14 Nov 2011 12:00:00 +00002011-11-15T20:53:39.832-05:00Personal GrowthGerdAttitudeFROM GERD: I just had the great pleasure and privilege to teach a family from England, Natalie and Mark Armstrong and work with their beautiful son Jack in their Son-Rise Program Intensive here at The Option Institute. On day one, Natalie and Mark changed their beliefs about what kind of session they had in the playroom with Jack. There are no "good" or "bad" sessions. They decided to look at http://blog.autismtreatmentcenter.org/2010/06/when-parents-change-so-do-their.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Gerd Winkler, Son Rise Program Teacher)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255218286989628303.post-2128429684428899234Fri, 07 Oct 2011 00:56:00 +00002011-10-06T20:56:32.117-04:00VolunteersSon-Rise Program ParentsCreativityAttitude3EsFeedbackFROM SIMONE - As I mentioned in my previous blog about recruiting volunteers I was going to share my experience of running a Son-Rise Program since 2005, I am a Brazilian Mom to an English 9 year old autistic boy, we live in London in the United Kingdom. Before becoming a Son-Rise Program Mom I used to work as an teacher and as a trainer so it is no surprise that training volunteers is the http://blog.autismtreatmentcenter.org/2011/10/tips-on-training-volunteers.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Simone Taylor, Son-Rise Program Mom)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255218286989628303.post-4085244652206761953Thu, 15 Sep 2011 13:51:00 +00002011-09-15T09:51:51.241-04:00Eye ContactFun and GamesCelebrationsInspirationJoiningFlexibilitySon-Rise Program Staff Autism is a social relational disorder. Creating and sustaining interactions with our children is a core factor in helping them become more social. What is an interaction? Well, an interaction could be anything from a tickle, to a board game, from you singing a song, to a conversation, from reading together, to wiping up a spilt drink together. The defining factor of an interaction isn’t http://blog.autismtreatmentcenter.org/2011/09/creating-sustaining-interactions-with.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Becky Damgaard, Son-Rise Program Teacher)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255218286989628303.post-84898802862908970Tue, 16 Aug 2011 16:10:00 +00002011-09-08T09:35:27.356-04:00Son-Rise Program Staffhttp://www.option.org/media/audio/SRS-KingOfImag-mp3.mp3From Brandi: I have found great joy in sharing my poetry, written for various children from our Son-Rise Intensive Program, since I began writing blogs. A few months ago a Son-Rise Program Mom from Norway wrote me. She told me that she was inspired by the poetry that I have written about our Son-Rise children. She said that she shares each http://blog.autismtreatmentcenter.org/2011/08/son-rise-program-mom-sings-and-puts.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Brandi Davis, Son-Rise Program Child Facilitator)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255218286989628303.post-4920825268159287665Thu, 11 Aug 2011 18:16:00 +00002011-09-08T09:37:51.685-04:00Self-Help SkillsBrynOur kids are just like us...they want to do things they think are fun! We all move towards activities we enjoy and see as positive. Yet, sometimes (maybe more than sometimes?) as adults, we pick certain things and call them 'necessary' in our own mind instead of thinking of them as fun. Like nail clipping and hair brushing and, of course, tooth brushing. When we see it as a 'chore' or 'stressful'http://blog.autismtreatmentcenter.org/2011/08/4-tips-for-toothbrushing-fun.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Bryn Hogan, Son-Rise Program Executive Director)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255218286989628303.post-3674582676112453965Tue, 09 Aug 2011 15:56:00 +00002011-09-08T09:57:50.575-04:00CreativityAttitudeInspirationSon-Rise Program StaffFROM BECKY: This morning, here at The Autism Treatment Center of America in our Son-Rise Program Intensive, I was teaching the Mother of an adorable 9 year old boy with Autism.Something I noticed from observing this lovely Mom in the playroom was that she wasn't building (offering a fun action) when her son gave her a green light (spontaneously interacted with her). So this meant that her son http://blog.autismtreatmentcenter.org/2011/08/what-do-i-want.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Becky Damgaard, Son-Rise Program Teacher)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255218286989628303.post-8423450245006153981Tue, 09 Aug 2011 15:03:00 +00002011-09-08T10:01:21.596-04:00Son-Rise Program StaffFrom Brandi: I have been thinking about the nature of possibilities lately and how it relates to Autism and my own life. The video above speaks in volumes about what we can achieve in this world. This beautiful group of band members have created steps of inspirational expression where a straight road of limitations could have easily been paved. When the camera zoomed into their smiling faces I http://blog.autismtreatmentcenter.org/2011/08/watch-this-video-you-will-love-it.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Brandi Davis, Son-Rise Program Child Facilitator)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255218286989628303.post-5894476844555799928Mon, 08 Aug 2011 13:34:00 +00002011-09-08T10:09:25.459-04:00KateInspirationJoiningThis is Mati - What a Cutie Pie!Mati is a chatty and lively 5 year old with autism. I met him and his wonderful parents Carlos and Patricia in July in Argentina, when I was lucky enough to visit their home and do a Son-Rise Program outreach.During the outreach I got to watch Carols, Patricia and some members of their team play with Mati and give them some pointers on how to increase Mati's socialhttp://blog.autismtreatmentcenter.org/2011/08/mati.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kate Wilde, Son-Rise Program Senior Teacher)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255218286989628303.post-2098678738949271623Fri, 05 Aug 2011 12:43:00 +00002011-09-08T10:10:53.255-04:00Fun and GamesSon-Rise Program StaffFROM BECKY: As requested from a beautiful family I worked with recently, here is a clear and simple way to track your child's interactive attention span.When your child is in a game/activity/interaction with you and they walk away but are not yet focused on anything else, call them back to the game (e.g. "Where are you going?", "Come back here", etc). If you try calling them back two consecutive http://blog.autismtreatmentcenter.org/2011/08/tracking-interactive-attention-span.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Becky Damgaard, Son-Rise Program Teacher)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255218286989628303.post-5253725398041474039Thu, 04 Aug 2011 16:10:00 +00002011-08-04T12:10:19.063-04:00KateFun and GamesAttention SpanHello Everyone, The Autism Treatment Center of America brings you some more creative game ideas that you can take into your Son-Rise Program playrooms and inspire your children to: Want to look at you Want to talk to you Want to engage and play with you. Just click on the video below. http://blog.autismtreatmentcenter.org/2011/08/games-games-games.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kate Wilde, Son-Rise Program Senior Teacher)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255218286989628303.post-774780076777784495Wed, 03 Aug 2011 19:53:00 +00002011-09-08T10:26:05.971-04:00KateVolunteersGratitudeAttention SpanInspirationThis is Giulia- isn't she lovely!!!Giulia is another gentle soul with Autism I met on on my travels in Argentina. I was lucky enough to do A Son-Rise Program Outreach with her and her Mom Xexa.Not only does Xexa run a full time Son-Rise Program for her daughter which is bursting at the seems with the 3E's, but she also works late into the night to help other families who have autistic children http://blog.autismtreatmentcenter.org/2011/08/guilia.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kate Wilde, Son-Rise Program Senior Teacher)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255218286989628303.post-2796975882957744404Tue, 02 Aug 2011 17:29:00 +00002011-09-08T10:18:03.987-04:00InspirationSon-Rise Program StaffFROM BECKY: I did a Son-Rise Program consultation at the weekend with a family that I work closely with. Their sweet four year old son Tomas has grown so remarkably in the past 1.5 years since they started running their Son-Rise Program that he is now having regular play dates with other children and is beginning part-time school this fall.He's doing so well that they decided to take a family http://blog.autismtreatmentcenter.org/2011/08/son-rise-program-spread-around-world.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Becky Damgaard, Son-Rise Program Teacher)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255218286989628303.post-4504206524991074823Tue, 02 Aug 2011 14:35:00 +00002011-09-08T10:23:07.302-04:00KateLanguageInspiration This is Franco and me.As you can see he is a very handsome 14 year old. Some of his greatest loves in life are his Mom, putting colored glue in the palm of his hand and peeling it off, pop music and food.. He has the sweetest eyes, is incredible fun to play with and he has autism.Franco and his Mom Vivi live in Argentina. I was fortunate enough to do a Son-Rise program Outreach with this family http://blog.autismtreatmentcenter.org/2011/08/franco_02.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kate Wilde, Son-Rise Program Senior Teacher)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255218286989628303.post-8047867912464702771Fri, 29 Jul 2011 14:24:00 +00002011-09-08T10:40:07.072-04:00AcceptanceAttitudeInspirationFlexibilitySon-Rise Program Staff FROM BECKY: Last week my best friend Holly was here from England staying in my home for the week. I had the week off work and we both enjoyed a fabulous week of catching up with each other, laying on the beach, and relaxing together.I have always known I was a little controlling when it came to my kitchen, but last week I was aware of just how much I feel the need to control what happens in my http://blog.autismtreatmentcenter.org/2011/07/how-controlling-are-you.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Becky Damgaard, Son-Rise Program Teacher)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255218286989628303.post-2917039936158050492Wed, 27 Jul 2011 18:21:00 +00002011-07-27T15:35:12.453-04:00Personal GrowthAcceptanceAttitudeGratitudeFrom: KimTrust. I dive the ocean of my being Through the waves I wrestle leaving Wanting not what is the blue Of my ocean… of my true A twisting body weaving round So lost in mind not touching ground Waves breaking through to carry me I push and pull… I cannot see Its only when I trust the waves That then the ocean justly saves Carrying me right through blue Guiding me in http://blog.autismtreatmentcenter.org/2011/07/trust.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kim Korpady, Son-Rise Program Child Facilitator)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255218286989628303.post-4825457880149541898Wed, 27 Jul 2011 17:08:00 +00002011-07-27T16:41:38.571-04:00VolunteersSamahriaSon-Rise Program ParentsBearsAcceptanceGerdAttitudeBeliefsSon-Rise Program StaffFrom Gaby:Last weekend Gerd Winkler Son-Rise teacher came to our house for an Out-Reach. Having met him last year for the first time, Tybalt this time greeted him enthusiastically and told him all about his favorite Characters (disney cars ). Gerd didn’t understand that Mater one of the cars figures could take on another figure then the tow truck. Tybalt therefore went to get a book for him in http://blog.autismtreatmentcenter.org/2011/07/dream-come-true.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Gaby van den Berg, Son-Rise Program Mom)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255218286989628303.post-8197720066014098205Tue, 26 Jul 2011 16:25:00 +00002011-09-08T10:47:35.622-04:00Eye ContactInspirationSon-Rise Program StaffFROM BECKY: We have a beautiful four year old boy here at The Autism Treatment Center of America this week. His amazing family have come all the way from Vancouver, Canada to do an intensive program.This morning, I had the pleasure of observing this boy's Father playing with him in The Son-Rise Program playroom. During the 15 minutes that I watched this boy and his Father, he was mostly engaged http://blog.autismtreatmentcenter.org/2011/07/my-child-likes-to-draw.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Becky Damgaard, Son-Rise Program Teacher)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255218286989628303.post-5892730579054797561Tue, 26 Jul 2011 13:23:00 +00002011-07-26T10:19:08.931-04:00Son-Rise Program StaffFrom Amanda: Good morning Son-Rise Program parents,I am writing to you live from the Autism Treatment Center of America in Sheffield, Massachusetts; home of the Son-Rise Program. Today, I wanted to share a personal experience with you, as a way to inspire and motivate you when you feel as though you are allowing your aching body to get in the way of going into the playroom with your child. Nearlyhttp://blog.autismtreatmentcenter.org/2011/07/mind-over-body.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Amanda Louison, Son-Rise Program Child Facilitator)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255218286989628303.post-2064491688236242206Mon, 25 Jul 2011 01:35:00 +00002011-07-24T21:50:56.536-04:00Son-Rise Program StaffFrom: Brandi DavisThis is a poem that I am dedicating to a wonderful little boy from our Intensive Program last week at the Autism Treatment Center of America. I joined him for over an hour and it was a wonderful experience!He breathed in deeply as if to inhale the worldthen he twirled his chew toy with perfect purpose.No need to rehearse this as our movements raised with gracemy watch flapping http://blog.autismtreatmentcenter.org/2011/07/beautiful-ismers.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Brandi Davis, Son-Rise Program Child Facilitator)0