Now That’s Teamwork!

By Dr. Roianne Ahn, Psychologist

One of the most satisfying parts of working at STAR is being a part of team that comes together to help an entire family. Today, I had such an experience. It was during a feedback meeting with parents of a child with SPD (being treated at STAR Center). The parents had previously participated in a research project through the SPD Foundation. They parents suddenly realized that they too had SPD. During this meeting, the OT, a Family Services coordinator, and I were explaining how the sensory profiles of the whole family affected daily life at home.

Both parents starting having “Aha!” moments and shared their insights. As we all joined in a shared understanding, we excitedly identified strategies for improving challenging moments at home. The parents and the STAR team left the meeting energized about the future. Magic moments, like these, make working at STAR wonderful

It’s Not Too Early to Think About Summer!

Summer is the busiest time of year at the STAR Center and time slots for therapy appointments fill up fast. According to Karin Buitendag, Director of Occupational Therapy, “Everyone wants summer appointments, whether it’s new families or familiar faces returning for a booster. Whether you are thinking about a booster or know of someone thinking about calling us, please get in touch with us soon if you are interested in summer availability.” For more information, please call Andrea Stoker, Assistant Director, at 303-221-7827.

Save the Date!

October 9 and 10, 2015 Orlando, Florida
A must-see educational event. Each year, the
world-renowned faculty challenge attendees to
expand their horizons by critically evaluating evolving
trends in the field of Sensory Processing Disorder.

“An amazing conference… solid and stimulating.”
“Awesome program, I learned so much! I am empowered to carry on and stay on course.”

“Valuable information, I am excited about the future for my profession. And I am very excited for the families that I service!”

Research Report

The Sensory Processing Disorder Foundation is committed to enhancing the quality of life for children and adults with SPD and their families by conducting and collaborating in rigorous research into the causes, diagnosis, and treatment of SPD.

What a busy year!

Here’s what we have been focusing on:

A common comment from family members of a child with SPD is “He’s exactly like me at that age”. This observation led to another question of interest to the SPD Foundation research team. To what extent are parents’ sensory symptoms related to their child’s symptoms. In order to answer this question, we have all parents of children receiving treatment at STAR Center completing the Sensory Processing Scale Inventories (self-report checklist) and some of them completing the Sensory Processing Scale Assessment administered by one of our clinicians. We are actively collecting data to answer this question.
Another mission of SPDF research is to examine the effectiveness of the STAR Center model. This intensive model is based on the following components: 1) relationship and engagement, 2) parent education and coaching, 3) principles of sensory integration and 4) integrated listening systems. Children attend therapy 3-5 times a week for a total of 30 sessions. This research involves looking at multiple individuals using what is called, Single Subject Research Designs. We are interested in the outcomes from therapy that can be observed in the natural environment. So to accomplish this, we again are using the Landscape Structures playground equipment to quantify the changes gained in therapy. The behaviors we are interested in include recording the type of play engaged in, the complexity of the play, whether they are able to use symbolic themes, and share in the play with their peers and/or parents.
The state of the art playground at STAR Center built by Landscape Structures has been the focus of many of the research team’s projects. One ongoing project involves coding specific sensory and motor behaviors that are elicited by play on each piece of equipment. A pilot version of this coding system was published in an article in the Sensory Integration Special Interest Group newsletter. The current project extends these findings and hopes to provide empirical information to answer the question…. Which pieces of playground equipment should I choose to work on and how can I best use the equipment to help my client/child?
Using a short-term intensive model of intervention elicits other questions of interest. One in particular is, “how long do the gains of therapy last?”. A pilot study was initiated to answer this question. So, we are conducting follow-up phone calls to families who have participated in the STAR Center program. Parents are asked to identify important changes they observed and whether these changes persist. We have completed over 50 phone calls and are currently analyzing these findings.
Many of you have read the research we conducted in the past using electrodermal activity as a measure of arousal and reactivity to sensory challenges. In conjunction with Matthew Goodwin, PhD at Northeastern University and Stephen Camarata, PhD at Vanderbilt University, we are exploring the relationship between children’s behavioral responses during a sensory assessment and their physiological reactions. The sensory challenge we are using in this study is administration of the Sensory Processing Scale Assessment. Physiological data is being collected through a device called the Affectiva Q sensor which the child wears on their wrist and it measures the child’s sweating response.

What’s New for 2015

This year the Wallace Research Foundation provided funding for us to study the siblings of children with SPD. The goal of this study is to determine if we can identify early markers of SPD. This study is modeled after the research conducted in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. It is being spearheaded by our post-doctoral fellow Dr. Joanne Flanagan who worked very closely with Dr. Rebecca Landa at the Kennedy Kreiger Institute in Baltimore Maryland.

Keep an eye out for future publications reporting retrospective outcomes from children who received treatment at STAR Center, including how children’s drawings of a person change as a result of intervention and use of Goal Attainment Scaling for identifying common themes across children receiving therapy at STAR.

We will keep you posted on updates and outcomes as we strive to further the understanding of SPD.

SPD Spin Challenge update

Click here to view video
We wanted to share another spin challenge video by Sensational Achievements in Stamford, Connecticut.

We thank all the participants so far who are helping others understand what it means to live with SPD on a daily basis.

To recap, the challenge involves spinning for about 10 seconds (e.g., on your feet, in your office chair, on a playground, roll down a hill), then balancing on one foot as long as you can. You as the participant, donate $10 if you do the challenge, or donate more if you do not. Then you challenge others to do the SPD Spin Challenge.

We want to generate awareness about sensory issues. We hope you will do the SPD Spin Challenge and challenge others to do it too! Share your video on Facebook, Twitter, You Tube or email. Use #spdspinchallenge to help build community and awareness! Send us a link to your SPD Spin Challenge video for upcoming newsletters.

Money raised will be used to support research and help families living with and dealing with sensory processing disorder on a daily level.

Visit www.spdfoundation.net/spdspinchallenge for more information.

Get to Know Us

Marla Roth-Fisch, Sensory Processing Disorder Foundation Board of Directors

Marla Roth-Fisch draws on her personal experience as a happily married mother of two, including a son with Sensory Processing Disorder. She dedicates herself as an advocate, creating an impactful footprint by helping others with sensory challenges, especially with her Sensitive Sam children’s book series.

Marla continues to make a positive personal contribution as an active Vice President on the board of directors. She is also on the advisory board for Future Horizons, Inc. (a publishing company offering books, DVDs and other resources pertaining to autism spectrum disorder) as a Digital Media Marketing Strategist.

The SPDF is lucky to have Marla on the board because of her passion for making a difference in the lives of those with SPD and their families and professionals who work with them, bringing her personal experience of what families deal with every day when a child has SPD.

As an award-winning author and illustrator Marla just released Sensitive Sam Visits the Dentist, the newest book in the Sensitive Sam children’s book series. This engaging book has an interactive story for parents to read with their children to prepare for dental visits, along with practical advice from dentists and orthodontists specializing in children with special needs, and stories and tips from parents who have experienced the best and worst of it.

Sensitive Sam Visits the Dentist and Sensitive Sam are available from the following booksellers: Future Horizons, Inc., Sensory World, Target Online, and Amazon.

Sensitive Sam Visits the Dentist is available at Amazon.com »

Sensitive Sam is available at Amazon.com »

Contributors like Carol Stock-Kranowitz, author of The Out-of-Sync Child, offer a list of in-sync activities parents can do with their child while at the dental office. Other helpful hints include: how to talk to your child about going to the dentist; the five biggest mistakes made—and “what I’d caution others about in regards to the dentist” by Bobbi Sheahan (author of What I Wish I’d Known about Raising a Child with Autism) and; tactics to make the dental exam less torturous for all concerned by Terri Mauro (author of Children with Special Needs, About.com), to name a few.

Sensitive Sam Visits the Dentist received praise from Dr. Lucy Jane Miller, “I highly recommend this entertaining and pragmatic approach to increasing the comfort of children with SPD when visiting their dentists!” And Dr. Temple Grandin, prominent advocate for the autistic community, animal expert, and the subject of an award-winning biopic, “Having a good first experience with going to the dentist will help a child with autism tolerate the dentist.”

Sensitive Sam Visits the Dentist is endorsed by dentists, and child development experts, including Carrie Rothstein-Fisch, PhD, Professor of Educational Psychology and Counseling at California State University, Northridge. Additionally, the book is prominently placed in the library of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.

Lorna d’Entremont from Special Needs Book Reviews recently named Sensitive Sam Visits the Dentist as one of five “beautiful picture books that educate children about special needs” for Friendship Circle Special Needs Blog. According to Lorna, “This book is packed with hints for parents on making a visit to the dentist a better experience. It is especially helpful for children with SPD and other special needs. Parents of kids on the autism spectrum appreciate Sensitive Sam Visits the Dentist because they can use it as a Social Story to prepare their child for their appointments to the dentist.”

Marla’s first book, Sensitive Sam, is the Winner of the 2009 “Book of the Year Award” from Creative Child Magazine, and listed in Parents Magazine under “Healthy Reads.” Sensitive Sam is a “read-together book” for parents and children with SPD. The book, written from a child’s perspective, is told in rhyme and illustrated with bright colors and empathetic scenes designed to hold attention and foster better understanding of kids with SPD and their parents.

Fulfilling Our Mission of Global Awareness About SPD

Dr. Lucy Jane Miller is traveling to Abu Dhabi to present at the , to be held March 24-26. The theme of the conference is INCLUSION with the goal of providing a platform for those actively involved in the disability community who are working to remove barriers that disallow people with disabilities to be active participants. Dr. Miller will speak about the STAR Treatment Model and Sensory Processing Disorder. She will also have a number of smaller, more informal presentations to therapists, teachers, community leaders and parents both in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The STAR Center uses its state-of-the-art sensory playground, designed and manufactured by Landscape Structures Inc., as a therapy tool to treat children with SPD. Landscape Structures Inc. is a sponsor of the conference.

It’s Not Too Early to Think About Summer!

Summer is the busiest time of year at the STAR Center and time slots for therapy appointments fill up fast. According to Karin Buitendag, Director of Occupational Therapy, “Everyone wants summer appointments, whether it’s new families or familiar faces returning for a booster. Whether you are thinking about a booster or know of someone thinking about calling us, please get in touch with us soon if you are interested in summer availability.” For more information, please call Andrea Stoker, Assistant Director, at 303-221-7827.

Jack’s Links

Thank you, Jack, for serving as our Junior Champion of Hope!

The Foundation annually recognizes a young person who will be an advocate for sensory processing disorder awareness and will share experiences to help other children with SPD know they are not alone. Jack has served as our Junior Champion of Hope for the past year and we thank him for keeping us informed about his life.

Jack is doing well! He is learning to ride a horse and will participate in the school play in May, followed by summer fun at the shore.

Our next Junior Champion of Hope will be introduced at the Celebration of Champions gala to be held March 13 at the Hyatt Regency Denver Tech Center in Denver, CO. This fun evening of entertainment offers cocktails, live music by The Nacho Men, a silent and live auction, fun activities, dinner, and an awards ceremony for some very deserving individuals. Find out more.

Valentine’s Day Tips for Feeding Challenges

If your child is attending a Valentine’s Day party at school, consider packing an extra “treat” in your child’s lunchbox that is a familiar and preferred food for them to have during the party. This way they don’t have to worry that there might not something good for them to eat while everyone else at the party has the classroom treat.

Some children with feeding difficulties figure out early that sweet tastes suppress your appetite quickly. They can get into a pattern of using a sweet food or juice to take the edge off their appetite, which then interferes with them eating well at regular mealtimes. Make Valentine’s Day candy a special treat just for Valentine’s Day. Put the rest away for a different special occasion on a different day.

Other Tips for a Sensational Kid

Valentines Day at school may mean routines are different than usual. A few suggestions for a happy Valentine’s Day:

– Try to prepare your child for what may be different about the day

– It may be best if the child doesn’t participate in the full day of school but only parts of the day

Sensory Friendly Films

AMC Theaters provides a special opportunity for families to enjoy their favorite films in a safe and accepting environment. The auditoriums dedicated to the program have their lights up, the sound turned down, and audience members are invited to get up and dance, walk, shout or sing. Their website has a listing of theaters and a schedule of upcoming screenings.

Free Low Sensory Morning at History Colorado Center

The History Colorado Center is happy to open its doors just for families that prefer a lower sensory environment. The museum will be closed to the general public, attendance limited, and sounds in exhibits turned down. Come and enjoy!

Admission is free and space is limited. RSVP is required.

Saturdays 8:00am-10:00am
March 21
July 18
October 17

 Contact Shannon Voirol with questions and to RSVP: shannon.voirol@state.co.us or (303) 866-4691.

Legislative Alert Update

Senate Bill 15-015 passed the Health and Human Service Committee and now goes to the Business, Labor and Technology Committee. We still need your help to keep it going!

• The bill includes Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in the state’s mental health parity law, and repeals a provision that states ASD is not a mental illness for the purposes of health coverage, AND CLARIFIES that coverage must include health care benefits for ASD that are no less restrictive than benefits available for physical health.
• SB15-015 removes any caps for medically necessary services provided currently under a health plan for assessment, diagnosis and treatment of ASD.
• Adds an additional provider, to the list of providers, statutorily authorized to serve individuals with ASD.

How to Help

We are asking for families to tell their stories so Senators will understand how important this is. Answer the following two questions and email your answer to Cari Brown in Senator Kefalas’ office at cari.b.brown@gmail.com. Send  a photo or two as well. She will present the information to other Senators.

1. Barriers We Faced Accessing Services
2. The Impact on Our Family

We will update you as we hear more.

Kudos to SPD Foundation: Award for Graphic Design

We are excited to have received an award from the publication . We thank Marni Myers Creative for working with us to develop SPDF’s Champions of Change Integrated Branding Program.

Win A Dreampad for Valentine’s Day from iLs

by entering iLs’ Valentine’s Day ‘fill in the blank’ contest. Tell them why you love your Dreampad, or why you would love to win one. Winners will be chosen on the basis of originality, creativity, and imagination. The Dreampad™ delivers music through gentle, calming vibration which only you can hear.

New Spring Break Social Skills Group!
March 30th- April 3rd

The STAR Center's Spring Break Social Group Program builds social interaction, communication and sensory regulation skills. The program is open to children of all ages. You need not have been a client of STAR Center to participate.

• Expands social language skills
• Increases ability to initiate social interactions
• Improves social awareness
• Structured/facilitated activities with other children
• Small group, sensory-based activities

Tips for Easter

When there is a holiday and the normal daily routine is different, kids with SPD can have a difficult time. The changes in routines can cause stress. If you are attending church services, consider noise canceling headphones and a sensory backpack containing items most beneficial for your child's needs. It could be items that are soft and squishy or smooth or familiar.
 
Choose comfortable clothing. If going to a family event, let the child know ahead of time, bring a sensory backpack, and even look at pictures of who may be there. Set specific limits with games in open spaces like Easter egg hunts or let the child opt out.
 
Easter Basket Idea
 
Something different and fun for Easter -- a music CD!
 
The Great Food Explorer was developed by feeding expert Dr. Kay Toomey, and designed for kids from 18 months to 6 years old. This music CD offers songs to help parents and therapists have a fun way to teach children about exploring, discovering and enjoying eating food.
 
There are 2 songs on the CD designed to help children prepare their bodies and their mouths for eating; "Move to Make Food" and "My Mouth and Me." Children move their bodies and their mouths along with the songs, pretending to make different foods or pretending they are animals eating. Therapists can use these songs as a part of their Sensory preparation activities before a therapy meal.
 
The "Ten Tries" song teaches children about how many times we need to try foods before we can decide if we like them or not. While "Don't Say NO, Take It Slow" helps children understand they can learn to eat most any food if they move up the Steps to Eating by using one sensory system at a time.
 
3 of the songs on the CD - "The Great Food Explorer," "Madame Plain Foods,"and "Get To Know Each Flavor"- help children learn to be adventurous with their foods, as well as how to problem solve when they are not sure about a food in front of them.
 
The last song on the CD, "A Nose Can't Sing Along" is simply a fun song to teach children that they cannot decide they don't like a food just by looking at it.
 
A portion of the sale benefits STAR Center. Email info@spdstar.org to order.

New! Early Bloomers at STAR

Peace of mind for new parents.

STAR Center is launching a new program to help parents unsure about their baby's needs, or babies who may be fussy, have colic, sleep issues, and other needs.

STAR Center can help you by:

• Listening and sorting out your worries
• Figuring out your baby's developmental cues
• Knowing how your baby will achieve your next milestone
• Nurturing confident and connected parenting skills
• Your baby will begin to respond differently. You will begin to gain momentum as a parent. It's a win-win situation.

It's Not Too Early to Think About Summer!

Summer is the busiest time of year at the STAR Center and time slots for therapy appointments fill up fast. According to Karin Buitendag, Director of Occupational Therapy, "Everyone wants summer appointments, whether it's new families or familiar faces returning for a booster. Whether you are thinking about a booster or know of someone thinking about calling us, please get in touch with us soon if you are interested in summer availability." For more information, please call Andrea Stoker, Assistant Director, at 303-221-7827.

Comedian Sarge Launches New Website to Help Kids Get Treatment at STAR

SARGE has worked on some of the biggest stages in show business--from Radio City Music Hall to Major League Baseball's All-Star Game to entertaining our nation's troops in Iraq.
 
Sarge's Kidz is a charitable foundation Sarge formed to help kids of any race, creed or religion get treatment for Sensory Processing Disorder, a debilitating syndrome that Sarge's own son Zander was diagnosed with almost 5 years ago. Sarge established Sarge's Kidz as a direct result of dealing with his son Zander's developmental challenges.
 
Sarge and his wife, Ania took Zander to the STAR Center and they were so inspired by Zander's development, as well as the efforts of the Sensory Processing Disorder Foundation that he wanted to help change the world for all of those affected by SPD. The need for research funding and additional facilities across the country, and providing hope and resources for those diagnosed with SPD and their families was the driving force behind Sarge's Kidz. for more information.