OT Corner: Sensory Processing Difficulties

"It's like a traffic jam in your head, with conflicting signals quickly coming from all directions, so that you don't know how to make sense of it all."

-- Author and parent Nancy Peske, describing her son's sensory processing issues

This description is in the first of a three-part series on sensory processing disorders, presented by Child Mind Institute. (You can read the entire article HERE.)

It's rare to find one of our students who doesn't have some kind of unique sensory need. As we know, there's no one solution for everyone, and we know that sometimes we need to try lots of things before we find one that works. Luckily, we also have an Occupational Therapist with all sorts of creative solutions! 

Have a sensory-related question? Tap into Lill's 13 years of experience at PACTT. Email questions or ideas to LillOT@pactt.org, comment directly on this blog post, or use our Contact form.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Halloween Tips and Tricks

'Tis the season for crunchy leaves, trick-or-treating, darker evenings and colder weather. For some of us, fall is a welcome relief from the heat and humidity of summer. For others, the change in seasons throws our natural rhythms temporarily out-of-whack.

For individuals with autism, changes in seasons can be confusing. They can disrupt schedules, limit favorite activities (What do you MEAN I can't swim outside in October??), and mean a wadrobe swap that we neuro-typicals even have trouble adjusting to.

The Autism Society of America has shared a useful list of tips for helping to create a successful Halloween for kids on the autism spectrum. Check it out here: Halloween Tips.

Did they miss anything important? Tell us in the comments below!

 

Entertainment Books for sale!

Ed. Note -- This year's sale is now finished. Thank you to all our supporters!!

---------------------------------------------------------

It's time for our annual Entertainment Book sale! The books are $25 each, and contain thousands of dollars worth of coupons, good for stores, restaurants, and services local to YOU!

Books are available in either North/Northwest or South/West editions. The more books we sell, the more funds we raise -- simple as that! 

This year, to make it even EASIER, you can order and pay for your entertainment book online! (The order form below will redirect you to our shopping cart for online purchase). Orders are due by Oct. 31st, so you can get a head start on your holiday gift-giving! 

If you have questions, email learningcenter@pactt.org

(And thank you in advance!) 

Blast Off to a new school year!

Ready or not, students returned today full of energy and excitement for a new school year (and maybe a little tired, as we get back to a regular schedule!). It was wonderful to hear the sounds of students and staff in the building again, after our three-week August break.

Scenes from the school and transition buildings today: (click the picture for a closer look)

        
        



Introducing ... The OT Corner

This week, we welcome a new voice to the Principal’s Desk blog. Lill Tarnow, PACTT’s Occupational Therapist, brings us “The OT Corner.” In what we hope to become a regular feature, Lill will tap into her 13 years of experience at PACTT, share ideas, and answer questions. You can email Lill your questions or ideas at LillOT@pactt.org, comment directly on this blog post, or use the site’s Contact form. We want to hear from you!

With that, I’ll turn the keyboard over to Lill!

Hi PACTT Families and Friends, 

I have spent the past week talking with co-workers and wracking my brain to come up with something really stupendous to share with you all for my first post to the OT Corner. Alas, stupendous seems to be beyond my grasp right now, but Paula gave me a great idea. Put together a list of ideas and activities that could help parents enjoy the upcoming 3-week summer break.

Well ... I can certainly tell you how important structure and routine are, but you probably already know that. And, honestly, I don’t have any “expert” ideas about, or experience in, dealing with young people during school breaks.

However, after 13 years at PACTT, I do know who the REAL EXPERTS on school breaks are! I am referring, of course, to all of you wonderful people who love and live with individuals with autism. So, please - take just a few moments and send me one (or more if you like) of the ideas that have helped to make your summer break more enjoyable (and less stressful). With your help over the next week, I will be able post a list of activities and ideas that have been tested and proven effective.

So, welcome to the OT Corner. Please let me know what you would like to see here. I hope this can be a place where we can share information related to occupational therapy that is meaningful and relevant to you. I will be happy to address any areas of interest or concern that you might have. If you have questions, I will do my best to find answers. If you hear about a new product or treatment idea, please share, so I can be sure to stay as up to date as possible.

In the meantime, I am looking forward to all of your great ideas for summer break.

OTishly yours,

Lill

Scenes from The Haymarket

We're so excited about our new employer Haymarket Pub and Brewery (737 W. Randolph, Chicago), that we couldn't help but post a few more pictures of our folks at work there. Here's a peek at Mike and Fred, during one of their days on the job (click the picture for a closer look):

 

 

For more information about our partnership with Haymarket, check out PACTT's Summer 2011 Newsletter.

For more information on how your business can work with PACTT's Vocational Program, contact Lisa Fegert.

Doctors and dentists and respite, oh my!

Finding the right people to work with your child on the autism spectrum is tough. We often get phone calls from people both within and outside the PACTT family, asking for help in the search for service providers who have shown success and knowledge in the area of autism.

Yes, I've started compiling a list over the years of folks we've encountered with whom our parents have found strong allies. Doctors, dentists, special recreation providers, private therapists -- I can only imagine how overwhelming it can be for parents to find just the right person.

My best resource for things like this has always been our parent community, a small - but determined - group of parents, intent on getting the very best services for their children. But that's certainly not a comprehensive list.

Enter, stage left: MyAutismTeam.com 

According to its "About" page, MyAutismTeam is trying to do this on a large scale. Parents can sign up for a free account, build their "teams," and recommend specific providers. It's a nationwide parent-to-parent database, and could be a fantastical idea (IF, and only IF people participate).

Don't worry - I'm going to keep on adding to my lists, as I hear more about stellar resources from our parents and friends; if you have someone to add (physician, psychiatrist, dentist, etc.), send me their name and save someone else the trouble of searching far and wide for their nearest autism-friendly WHOever.

But check out www.myautismteam.com, too. The more local providers on there, the better the resource for everyone (and feel free to give PACTT a shout-out while you're there!).

 

A Bike Ride with a Purpose

Marty (left) and his dad: Best buds.

Anyone who has seen Michael "Butch" Shanahan with his son Marty will attest to the love and connection between the two. And anyone who has heard him speak about the effect PACTT has had on the lives of everyone in his family, knows he speaks from the heart.

This year, once again, Butch will hop on his bike and ride through Cheeseland, to help raise funds for and awareness of PACTT programs. Funds raised from his rides have provided much-appreciated resources for all our programs. We here at school were particularly happy to watch the installation of our new purple swingsets a few years ago!

He rides because he believes in his son. And he believes in the programs that are helping his son to succeed.

For more information, to make a donation, or to read more about his journey in his own words, see www.pactt.org/bike

 

For your pre-planning pleasure ...

If you're one of those folks who likes to play WAY ahead of time, our 2011-2012 School and Transition calendar is now available for download. Go to www.pactt.org/calendar and scroll to the bottom of the page, where you can download it in .pdf format.

You'll notice a few minor changes in next year's calendar, the most noticeable of which is the inclusion of 4 half-days. We've added these throughout the year to give the teaching team more opportunities for professional development. 

Also FYI, beginning in June 2010 our Adult Vocational and CILA programs will run on a separate schedule from the school/transition/children's group homes. The Voc/CILA calendar is available under the Vocational section of the website. 

 

Sensory overload, or "When Life Stinks"

So many of our students experience sensory moments in ways completely different from the rest of us. It's easy to pick out the folks who are hypersensitive to sounds or light -- but how easy is it to realize that they might be bothered by something we can't even smell? 

From the Autism/Asperger's Digest May 2011 edition:

About one-third of people on the autism spectrum are hypersensitive to smell. Imagine what your world would be like if you were constantly bothered - even sickened - by scents that we neurotypicals filter out! The headaches, the nausea, the inability to attend or focus on what you're doing. What daily irritations the world would bring!

Author Lindsey Biel, a regular columnist in the AADigest, offers a plethora of sensory-smart smell strategies that can help you, your child or your student enjoy life more.

Download a .pdf version of the article, or check out their website. The Autism / Asperger's Digest has a wealth of fantastic information, and several free downloadable articles available here  http://www.autismdigest.com/articlelibrary/tabid/78/Default.aspx