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)
Today's barbecue marked the end of another amazing school year here at PACTT. Thank you, to all our extended friends and families for joining us in this celebration!
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
The backyard turned into a sparkly wonderland today for Prom 2011. Take a look at our universe of fun!
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.
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!).
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
All of our classes found time today to enjoy the warm weather. Many headed to the beach, which is where I found folks from Transition, School and Adult Voc programs this morning:
I happened upon Courtney's Crunch Crew in action at our Transition program during one of our last weeks before break. Time for physical movement is important to all our classes - but especially at Transition where they don't have the luxury of the school's giant back yard!
A day in pictures
Enjoy this slideshow of photos from our 2011 Field Day at Francis W. Parker High School. We send a special Thank You to our Parker friends from this year, their supervising teachers, and to everyone at Parker who helped make this Field Day a success.
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.
Some of the Transition Program students walked down to the lake last week to enjoy one of the first warm days of the year. Some of us tested out new kites while we were there, and others soaked up the sun:
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
I found a reference today to a movie I'd long since forgotten: Produced by Kartemquin Films, "Refrigerator Mothers" takes us back to a time when autism diagnoses reflected more on parenting styles than on neurological differences.
The movie's IMDb description, reads:
Refrigerator Mothers paints an intimate portrait of an entire generation of mothers, already laden with the challenge of raising profoundly disordered children, who lived for years under the dehumanizing shadow of professionally promoted "mother blame." Once isolated and unheard, these mothers have emerged with strong, resilient voices to share the details of their personal journeys. Through their poignant stories, Refrigerator Mothers puts a human face on what can happen when authority goes unquestioned and humanity is removed from the search for scientific answers.
I had the opportunity to see a viewing of this film at the 2002 Autism Society of America conference, surrounded by parents, professionals and other caregivers. I remember thinking how hard it was to believe that doctors and scientists would make such wild assumptions about families. My heart went out to the mothers in the film, whose lives were turned upside down - not only by their children, but by the professionals who were supposed to help.
For people new to autism, or who are interested in a historical perspective, I'd highly recommend sharing this movie - though you might also want to share a box of tissues. It's listed on Netflix, but it's also available online for free at: http://www.snagfilms.com/films/title/refrigerator_mothers/
An aside: I marvel each day at the warmth, compassion, and endless patience of our parents and families. If you ask me, it's obvious Dr. Bettelheim never met any PACTT parents, or his theory quickly would have been disproven! - Paula
The American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) sponsors VIP Soccer each spring at the lakefront.
VIP (Very Important Players) pairs children with special needs, ages 4-18, with typically developing peer buddies. Sarah, one of our former teachers, will be coaching this spring, and wanted us to share the info with you!
The Spring Season runs Saturdays from April 9 through May 28th, from 3-4 p.m. Location is between Foster and Lawrence, east of Lake Shore Drive (Field #5).
For more information on the program, or to register, check out: www.ayso418.org (see “Special Needs Soccer” under Programs).
"Wretches & Jabberers" is the newest documentary to star two individuals on the spectrum, in which the self-labeled "Wretches" use their AAC devices to communicate with the rest of us "Jabberers."
From the Autism Society of America website:
"AMC Theatres (AMC), a leading theatrical exhibition and entertainment company, is partnering with the Autism Society and Area 23a, an event-based distribution company, for a unique, national theatrical run of the feature documentary WRETCHES & JABBERERS to commemorate National Autism Awareness Month in April.
WRETCHES & JABBERERS is a poignant narrative directed by Academy Award® winner Gerardine Wurzburg that follows two men with autism, Tracy Thresher and Larry Bissonnette, who embark on a global quest to change attitudes about disability, intelligence and communication."
Chicago is one of 40 cities to participate in the limited-release viewings. The Chicago showing is scheduled for Saturday, April 9th at noon at the AMC South Barrington (175 Studio Drive, South Barrington, IL).
For more information on the film, or on the Chicago-area showing, visit the Autism Society of America website at www.autism-society.org.
Our 2010-2011 Spirit Shirt sale is underway!
All proceeds benefit PACTT school and transition programming.
The design (shown at right) will appear on the front / center of each shirt.
Standard T-shirts ($12) are light blue with navy printing. Long-sleeved T-shirts ($18) are gray with dark green print.
Orders and payment are due by Wednesday, March 30th. We anticipate delivery before Spring Break.
Thank you!!
(And a special thank you to PACTT teacher Pat Chambers for his creative design!)
This year's Work of Heart 2011 video presentation featured members of our dedicated school team, and the parents and students we serve. If you didn't get a chance to see the video, check it out here. Special thanks to videographer Joe Federici (www.fedvid.com)!
Thanks to our overly snowy days in February, we've needed to revise our spring calendar. The full version, as well as a downloadable option, can be found here.
The basics:
June break will continue as scheduled. There will be no school the week of June 6-10.
June 13 and 14 (Monday and Tuesday) will be regular school days (8:45 - 2:45).
June 15th (Wed.) will be the first official day of summer hours (8:45 - 12:45).
After our two snow days, several students (and parents!) were happy to be back in their regular routines today. As a special adventure, the school classrooms went for a walk to check out the ice and snow at the beach:
