I had the opportunity to be a guest on Studio 10 this past Monday, April 26th. Studio 10 is on WTSP the local CBS affiliate. The show is hosted by Holley Sinn and Jerome Ritchey who were extremely nice and welcoming. I was thrilled as always to have an opportunity to speak about Hemispheric Integration Therapy especially as it relates to ADHD, the Autism Spectrum and learning disabilities. Sharon Baron a parent whose child has had success with Hemispheric Integrationwas also on the show  to give her perspective as a parent. We also were able to get the word out about the upcoming HIT conference at the Hillsborough County Children’s Board  on May 8th http://www.hitautism.com/events  Here is a link to the Studio 10 interview        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hPtqT0eK4M

What a great idea! Almost every day I hear frustrated parents talk about how they can’t go out to a restaurant or how difficult it is to travel. Plane trips can be a nightmare for the child and the parent. If your child doesn’t act up then perhaps security is completely unfamiliar with with the autism spectrum and simply has no clue as to how to handle the situation. The TSA personnel may mistake you and your child for a security risk. Hopefully, here is the beginning of resolving the hotel portion of  travel. This is a link to a hotel that has a suite with accommodation for a family traveling with a child that has autism. The statistic’s are growing, so if not from a compassionate standpoint but from a business standpoint maybe someone will stand up and take notice. Hopefully this becomes the model for a trend. http://www.northjersey.com/news/opinions/editorials/80325552.html

I had a parent recommend this book to me as a good book for kids to develop creativity and expression. It has quite a bit of variety with regard to level of ability required so it she serve quite a large group of people. This is the way these recommendations get started. If you all know of a book, toy, doctor, therapist,dentist, restaurant , recipe or anything esle please share it with me and I will share it with everyone else . In this way someone in florida can benifit from a tip that someone in California has learned. Thank you all and here is the link. http://www.perseusbooksgroup.com/runningpress/book_detail.jsp?isbn=0762432985

Many times the adults on the spectrum are ignored. Adults may have additional issues such as in this  case that of dating. Here is a nice link to someone who covers this issue fairly well from an insiders perspective. I think this is a nice quick read which will help both a parent and an adult on the  spectrum gain insight which may help them navigate this issue. This will not answer all of your questions but it is a nice place to start down this journey if you so choose. http://www.autismexpertshore.com/DatMarAu.pdf

I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to do a video interview regarding my favorite subject Hemispheric Integration Therapy as it relates to Autism Spectrum for the very informative and influential web site Autismhangout.com. It is still very disheartening to see how many people have never even heard of Hemispheric Integration Therapy or Functional Neurology never mind understanding what it is or how it works. This being Autism Awareness Month made the interview extra special for me. Craig Evans did a super job and is a credit to the autsim community. Here is the link, help me spread the word  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rHu4gHk6Hc&feature=player_embedded

 I had the honor of being selected by Parenting Special needs Magazine as their “Everyday Hero” for the month of April 2010. As all of you know by now, April is Autism Awareness Month,  so this has extra special meaning to me. It is nice to be win the award but more important is that more and more media is helping us get the word out regarding how Autism Spectrum Disorders  affects the lives of so many families. In my particular case, I am also happy that they are helping us get the word out regarding Hemispheric Integration Therapy as a treatment option for families with loved ones on the Autism Spectrum. Here is the link to the article http://parentingspecialneeds.org/heroes&article_id=9

Here is the flyer for a social skills camp bieng put on by Erica Dupont  LCSW this summer. Please consider this as you make your summer plans.

Erica DuPont, LCSW
(813) 966-7064
www.protherapyplus.com 

Social Skills Group

12 week group For summer time!!

uGroup will be held at Erica’s new, new office location:

19023 North Dale Mabry Highway Lutz, FL 33548 (Located in Greystone Professional Park)

uWe will meet on Thursdays from 3pm-4:30pm.  Groups will begin on May 27, 2010.

uTopics practiced and discussed include: how to make friends, facial expressions and voice tone, conversation skills, appropriate and inappropriate responses to situations, feeling identification, self esteem, listening and following direction skills, empathy, turn taking, sharing, showing a positive attitude and support towards peers, how to handle rejection, anxiety, and fear, among other topics.  If you have a particular topic that you feel has not yet been addressed, feel free to make a suggestion.

uThe cost for 1 child attending the group is $600.00 per 12 week period.  The cost for a sibling group attending is $900.00 per 12 week period.  We do have a small grant fund that is available for those in need of support and on a first come first serve basis.

uPayment, in full, will be due at the beginning of each 12 week session, unless other arrangements have been made.

uPlease RSVP by May 20th, via email, to Erica if you are interested in attending our next group. Groups will be limited to 8 (maximum 10) children at a time.  Depending on the ages that are attending, two groups may be offered.

Thank you and we look forward to working with your children!  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.  Erica.DuPont@hotmail.com or 813-966-7064

One of our patients mother”s was kind enough to forward this information to me and so I am passing it on to you. Anytime I can pass on a free benefit, it is a good thing, If anyone hears about any information like this in the future please shoot me an email so I can share it. 

I just got the following info, you might want to post it. The Apple apps store has all the ABA flashcards from kindergarten. com and they are free for the month of April in honor of autism awareness month. They regularly are .99 each but are now free! These work for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.　 

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/aba-flash-cards-actions/id342235464?mt=8 

I received a phone call yesterday from a mom that was beaming with pride as her son who is six and has difficulty reading and with aggressive behavior won both the reader of the week award and the student of the week award. She said that he even read aloud in front of the class which is very unlike him. She was thrilled as you can imaging. As usual, no one is as happy as the family but I think I come in a close second after that. Seeing these changes in the children and the reactions of the families is what makes treating these children with Hemispheric Integration Therapy so rewarding and is my greatest satisfaction. It is wonderful when parents share these stories with me and I hope it inspires others to not give up.

We are holding a free autism spectrum disorders and learning disability’s conference in Tampa on  Saturday the  eighth of May. The conference will be held at the Hillsborough County Children’s Board. The topics covered will include Hemispheric Integration Therapy, Applied behavioral Analysis, I.E.P”s and financial planning for those with special needs. To register for the conference call the office at 813 935 4744. For more information regarding the speakers go to the events page and down load the pdf regarding more details about the conference.