Crossroads Monthly Newsletter

Dear Crossroads Community,

Welcome back! We hope everyone had a relaxing and joyful spring break and enjoyed the warm, sunny weather. As we begin the final stretch of the school year, we continue to embrace our guiding theme for the year: "Let Every Voice Empower." At Crossroads, this message is more than words—it’s a commitment to honoring every student’s voice, celebrating their unique ways of communicating, learning, and connecting with the world around them.

This was especially evident throughout April, Autism Acceptance Month, as our students and staff engaged in a variety of joyful, inclusive activities that celebrated neurodiversity and reinforced our belief that all voices matter. From wearing colorful tie-dye for Neurodiversity Tuesday to dressing in cozy pajamas for Sensory-Friendly Friday, the Crossroads community came together to show support, build acceptance, and further understanding. These moments reminded us how empowering it is when we create space for every student to feel seen, heard, and valued.

We were also thrilled to welcome a group of students from Mount St. Mary's Academy as part of their service learning day. Their visit was a wonderful experience for everyone. The girls spent time reading stories and doing crafts with our students, creating meaningful connections and lots of smiles throughout the day.

Before the break, we were lucky to have beautiful weather for our Easter Egg Hunt, where students enjoyed searching the playground for colorful eggs with a special visit from the Spring Bunny! In addition, students had a blast painting flower pots and planting spring blooms — and we were so happy that many families were able to join us for this joyful event.

This month also brought a spotlight to our incredible Occupational Therapy team as we celebrated OT Month. Our OTs organized a day full of engaging and purposeful activities tailored to our students’ unique needs and strengths. These experiences promoted both self-care and responsibility—our monthly character themes—and supported student growth in ways that were both meaningful and fun.

Thank you for being part of our inspiring community. Together, we're building a school where every student's voice truly empowers us all.

Warm Regards,

Matt, Danielle, and Stacey

May 5, 2025 - May 9, 2025 - Staff Appreciation Week

May 14, 2025 - Parent Education/Support Meeting (Safety Presentation)

May 26, 2025 - School Closed (Memorial Day)

June 6, 2025 - Field Day (More Information to Come)

June 11, 2025 - Crossroads 8th Grade Commencement (1:00 PM)

June 12, 2025 - Pre School Stepping Up Ceremony (1:30 PM)

June 16, 2025 - 1:00PM Student Dismissal

June 17, 2025 - 1:00PM Student Dismissal

June 18, 2025 - 1:00PM Student Dismissal (Last Day of School)

Seton Hall student and Crossroads BCBA candidate Andrew Weiler successfully defended his thesis project, titled "Evaluating the Effects of Social Interaction on the Results of Preference Assessments for Leisure Items for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder." This study helps inform caregivers of Crossroads students regarding the importance of including social interactions with tangible items (such as toys) when evaluating whether the preferred stimuli functioned as reinforcers, suggesting these methods could help in identifying effective reinforcers for students and provide caregivers with social interactions that they can use at home to help include their children in their home communities.

In April, Room 104 has been working on their independent skills. We've been practicing completing work by ourselves as well as playing with toys with others and bathrooming on our own. Our kiddies let us know when they need a break from work and make choices of what toys they want to play with or what color they want to paint. One of our boys loves to ask for specific animals to color and add to our classroom art gallery!

This month was a month full of birthdays, field trips, and special holidays. 104 got to take our skills to the movie theatre and enjoy some snacks and a good time with friends. We celebrated by singing our friends Happy Birthday! and eating cake together. Our amazing occupational therapist set up a fun day to appreciate all the hard work they and our students do together for Occupational Therapy month. And of course, many eggs were collected, seeds planted and painted, and overall fun was had during our Easter Egg Hunt before Spring Break! Now that we're back fresh and new, we are getting right back to working and playing hard. We can't wait to see what the rest of the school year has in store!

April is National Occupational Therapy month. We decided to include some OT information in our newsletter article:

How Can an Occupational Therapist Help a Child?

Occupational Therapists are highly-trained healthcare professionals that evaluate and assist

children that are having difficulty participating in meaningful activities or “occupations” that are

needed to conduct their daily routines and live their life to the fullest.

For a child, this may include the development of life skills such as learning at school, playing,

completing self-care tasks, relating to others, and fulfilling their role as a family member.

In the schools, Occupational Therapists address the needs of students experiencing delays,

disabilities, or health challenges through therapeutic intervention to promote skill advancement,

the use of compensatory strategies, adaptations to the child’s educational environment, and/

or modifying the curriculum or activity.

Occupational Therapists also collaborate with teachers, parents and others to identify and

modify barriers that restrict a child’s success and model strategies for others to use that will

extend the benefits of direct intervention.

Occupational Therapy Skill Areas:

Fine Motor: Holding crayons, pencils and other small objects, stringing beads, using clothing fasteners, manipulating toys

Eye-hand Coordination: Scissor use, puzzles, ball skills

Visual Motor: Printing, drawing, forming shapes, coloring

Visual Perceptual: Sorting, matching, figure ground, scanning, letter reversals

Self-Care: Dressing, feeding, using utensils, tying, bathing & shampooing, grooming

Sensory Processing: Delays in adaptive responses to sights, sounds, movement,

taste, touch

Strength: Manipulating resistive materials, moving against gravity, sustaining body

positions

Social: Interacting with others, following routines, play skills

To celebrate OT month the Crossroads therapists held an OT Fun Day on April 16th incorporating several skill areas including sensory processing, fine motor, social skills, and play skills. The students participated in a gross motor obstacle course, bubble play, coloring activities, and a play dough-making station.

With the break in the weather, the therapy sessions are beginning to focus on sensory motor outdoor play. The students all love bubbles, sidewalk chalk, digging in the dirt, and using kick scooters.

The behavior team has been busy this month between supporting our classrooms and attending professional development events. We celebrated autism awareness/acceptance with our spirit week. Karly Barreto (BCBA) and Spencer Powers (RBT) attended the Felician Autism Conference & Training at Felician University, where they learned about clinical and practical applications of applied behavior analysis, classroom behavior management, and compassionate care. Stacey Kodack (Supervisor of Behavioral Health) and Karly Barreto (BCBA) attended the NJ Association of School Administrators Women in Leadership Conference, where they learned about team building, wellness, and effective meeting strategies. During spring break, Karly Barreto (BCBA) and Halley Daniels (RBT) attended the New Jersey Association of Behavior Analysis Annual Conference. Andrew Weiler (RBT) also defended his thesis to complete his Master’s degree at Seton Hall University. The entire behavior team completed a training activity on the history of applied behavior analysis with autism. Additionally, the behavior team has been busy updating skill assessments for all of our students, as well as assisting with behavior management.

Allergy season is in full swing, and we’re definitely seeing the impact on our little ones. If you or your child are struggling with seasonal allergies, there’s a helpful (and free!) resource we wanted to share: Allergy Plus by Pollen.com. It’s available for both iPhone and Android devices. Allergy Plus gives you real-time, location-specific allergy information to help you make informed choices about when it’s safe to play outside and when it might be best to stay indoors. It can be a game-changer for families managing seasonal allergies.

App Features Include:

• Up-to-date allergy, air quality, and weather forecasts for multiple locations

• Custom notifications when allergy levels are expected to change

• Side-by-side 5-day allergy and weather forecasts

• Easy sharing of forecasts with friends and family

• In-depth details on allergens affecting your area

• Full integration with Pollen.com for the most accurate data available

Consider downloading Allergy Plus to stay one step ahead this allergy season!

Visit with the students from Mount Saint Mary's Academy

OT Activities

Spring Activities and Bunny Visit

April Tips and Tricks From the Behavior Team: Bedtime Battles

If you’re a family struggling with bedtime battles, you’ve likely seen it all including screaming, elopement (running away), refusal, and full-blown meltdowns. The instinctive response? Develop a behavior plan.

But here’s the reality: Behavior plans alone don’t always solve the problem.

Before diving into reinforcement schedules, extinction procedures, or token economies, we need to step back and look at the bigger picture. Bedtime struggles aren’t just about behavior. They’re often the result of misaligned expectations, environmental factors, and skill gaps that only become obvious at the end of the day.

Sleep isn’t just a behavior, it’s a biological process. Yet, bedtime struggles are often approached through the lens of behavior modification without considering whether the sleep schedule, environment, or expectations are setting the child up for success.

Understanding Sleep Pressure

Sleep pressure (also known as homeostatic sleep drive) builds up throughout the day as adenosine accumulates in the brain. If bedtime is scheduled too early, before enough sleep pressure has built up, the child simply won’t be ready to sleep.

Forcing an early bedtime can lead to:

• Long delays in falling asleep (excessive sleep latency)
• Increased behavioral resistance (because they’re not actually tired)
• Unsustainable sleep dependencies (like needing a caregiver to stay with them until they fall asleep)

Before Addressing Behavior, Ask These Questions

Is bedtime age-appropriate? If a child isn’t biologically tired, no amount of reinforcement or redirection will make them fall asleep. Adjust bedtime to align with natural sleep pressure rather than an arbitrary schedule.

Does bedtime follow a high-stimulation activity? Transitioning straight from an exciting activity (video games, TV, rough play) to bedtime can feel like a punishment. Instead, introduce a calming buffer activity (reading, stretching, listening to soft music, light sensory play) to help ease the transition.

Is wake-up time consistent? Sleeping in after a rough night can delay sleep pressure buildup for the next night, creating a cycle of sleep struggles. Keeping a consistent wake-up time, even after a bad night, helps regulate sleep pressure.

Are transitions practiced throughout the day? If structured transitions only happen at bedtime, resistance is inevitable. Daily transition practice (ending preferred activities, following visual schedules) builds tolerance and readiness.

Are bedtime expectations introduced earlier in the day? Bedtime demands skills like calming the body, independent transitions, quiet play, and separating from caregivers. If these skills aren’t practiced during the day, they’ll be difficult to implement at night. Embedding these expectations into everyday routines makes bedtime smoother.

Rather than relying solely on reactive behavior plans, we can set children up for success by:

• Aligning bedtime with biological readiness
• Practicing transitions throughout the day—not just at night
• Creating structured, predictable bedtime routines with clear sleep signals
• Helping caregivers introduce calming buffer activities before bed
• Encouraging consistent wake-up times to support sleep regulation

The best way to manage "big behaviors" at bedtime? Prevent them before they start.

Sweet Dreams!

Website: https://www.ucesc.org/schools/crossroads_school
Location: 45 Cardinal Drive, Westfield, NJ, USA
Phone: 908-233-9317