Weekly Update October 20, 2023
Strive Center for Autism
Friendly Reminder - NO THERAPY next Friday, October 27th
Just a friendly reminder that there is NO THERAPY next Friday, October 27th. We will be having a Professional Development day for our staff, with learning opportunities led by our amazing speech pathologist partners at Leigh Harter Speech Services! This will be a great day of growth for our team, and we will be at the Inclusive Trick or Treat that evening (see below and join us if you can!)
Therapy resumes on Monday, October 30th.
And our Halloween parties will be on Tuesday, October 31st. Feel free to send in your child's costume for the day if you like. There is no need to send anything else, we will provide treats and fun surprises!
Expanding in Brighton
You may have noticed that our center in Brighton has gotten a little busier lately! We are hiring another Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) in order to expand our services. Please share our career opportunities page if you know an experienced BCBA.
Calendar Update: Holiday Break
U of M Flint Inclusive Halloween - NEXT FRIDAY NIGHT
UM-Flint's Inclusive Halloween 2023
Friday, October 27, 5:00 pm - 7:30 pm
UM-Flint Harding Mott University Center
400 Mill Street, Flint, MI 48503
This is a very fun event for all families - there's trick or treating, sensory activities, food, and so much more! We will be hosting a table in the "fun" room with an awesome Mario Brothers theme - come see us!
Registration is required but the event is completely FREE and so much fun!
To register as a participant: go.umflint.edu/InclusiveHalloween2023
Please see attachment below for more info.
They also need lots of volunteers to make this event happen; please share the link below if you know anyone who might like to volunteer. You'll see plenty of Strive staff there for sure!
To register as a volunteer: go.umflint.edu/InclusiveHalloween2023Volunteer
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.
"What are we doing?"
We have made a pretty extensive glossary of ABA terms over the course of 2023, and we are going to use this last part of the year to describe in more detail what happens at a particular group or activity in the center. We thought this would be a good way to help parents be more familiar with the activities we do every day and the reasons we do them.
This week's activity is Handwriting Without Tears. Handwriting Without Tears is a well known program for helping children begin to write. It is evidence-based and uses multiple modalities to teach children about writing. It is meant to be engaging and pleasant, and we use it with small groups in each center, at different times.
Handwriting Without Tears breaks down each letter into specific pieces, and there are wooden pieces used to build the letters, in addition to practicing writing. One of the favorite activities in this program is building "Mat Man." We play this video when we build mat man, and the kids really enjoy it - you can see what he looks like in the picture.
Not all children will be using the Handwriting Without Tears curriculum - decisions are made to form groups for this activity as they are needed. Some of our children are not yet ready to begin working on this skill and some children are already writing and might not need this additional support. If you are wondering whether your child uses this program, or would be a good fit for this group, please ask your BCBA.
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:
Friday, October 27th - PD Day
Wednesday - Friday, November 22-24 - Thanksgiving
Wednesday, December 20 - Tuesday, January 2nd - Holiday Break - Returning on Wednesday, January 3rd
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