Researchers at New York Medical College recently administered a 4-month exercise program at a school to determine whether the physical activity would have an impact on children with autism. The program was part of an adaptive gym class that consisted of two 20-minute classes each week.

While it was not possible for researchers to make a comprehensive analysis, due to the challenge of studying “populations of children with autism in real-world settings like schools,” the results did suggest improvements in both fitness and communication skills.

“[Researchers] found that a 4-month exercise program led to significant improvements in scores on a measure of social responsiveness, as well as gains in physical endurance.”

Children with autism often face challenges with physical fitness for a variety of reasons. For example, if your child struggles with communication or is nonverbal, he or she may struggle to join a group of peers playing tag or soccer. Many children on the autism spectrum can also have challenges with motor skills like balance and coordination, making physical activities more difficult.

At Peak Potential Therapy, we encourage all of the children with autism or other special needs to remain as active as possible, depending on their unique abilities. Whether it is dancing or playing games like Simon Says indoors, or going on a walk or visit to the local playground, there are many ways you can include exercise in your regular routine year-round. We are also proud to lead camps designed especially for children with special needs to help you give your child fun and active opportunities during breaks from school. If you have questions or would like to learn more, please contact our team.

Your child has finally adjusted to the routine of the school year, knowing what to expect when it comes to morning wake-up times and bedtimes, riding the bus home with classmates, and becoming more familiar and comfortable with classmates and the school environment. He is learning important social skills and behaviors, and you are very pleased with his progress. However, the question looms – what will happen when school goes on break for the busy holiday season?

Breaks from school can be difficult for children who have become used to the direction and routine they follow at school, as well as at home. Losing this structure can be frustrating for your child, and it may make it more difficult to readjust to the regular routine once the break is over. There are options that may help you prepare for winter break in advance and keep your child on a consistent routine:

Create a daily visual schedule. This will take some time and planning but will be the foundation of your winter break routine. All children can benefit from structure and routine over winter break, but your child with special needs will especially appreciate the visual schedule, likely familiar to his schedule at school. You can detail the normal steps in your child’s wake-up and bedtime routine and leave room within the schedule for any special events or activities that you have planned for break that are outside the norm. Once you are done, hang the schedule in a place where everyone in your family can easily view it.

Plan ideas for activities outside the home in advance. You don’t want to be stumped for things to do once break arrives! Look ahead at any events or activities you may want to incorporate into your schedule. This might include story time at the local library, discount or free days at a museum, a trip to the zoo, or even a visit to the playground on a mild winter day.

Practice time management. Set expectations for time, no matter what you are doing. And, if you plan to incorporate some down time into your child’s routine, have ideas ready for him to choose – options could be reading, drawing, doing a craft, coloring, or watching a movie.

Consider a winter break camp. There are unique winter break camps designed for children with special needs. For example, if your child is between the ages of 12 and 15 and you live in the Greater Cleveland or Akron region, consider Camp Snow Cubs, led by licensed speech-language therapists at Peak Potential Therapy. Camp Snow Cubs helps children continue to develop important social and communication skills during the winter break from school. You can register your child online to reserve his or her spot.

We provide therapeutic services for children with autism or other special needs living in Northeast Ohio. If we can offer any support or guidance for you and your family, please do not hesitate to reach out. Recently, we expanded our services to include online speech therapy for children in Ohio. Contact us to learn more.

For many of us, Thanksgiving is a time for large family gatherings, delicious meals, and lots of activity, whether it is watching the parade on TV or going shopping to a crowded mall. We most likely enjoy this time of year, but for our children with sensory processing challenges, Thanksgiving can be a much different experience. It is a time of loud, disorienting sounds, visits and interactions with unfamiliar people, and many strange aromas coming from the kitchen. If you are worried about how your child will handle this year’s upcoming Thanksgiving festivities, we have some advice for easing and avoiding sensory overload.

Write a schedule of the event – and then discuss it as a family. Many children on the autism spectrum or with a sensory processing disorder handle new experiences better with some preparation. Talk to your child about each step of the event, explaining where you are going, what time you will arrive, who will be there, what he or she is expected to do, such as spend time playing with your cousins or sitting at a large dining room table to eat dinner. If you anticipate the event will be loud and crowded, explain this to your child in advance. Also talk about what your child can do if he or she becomes overwhelmed—possibly have a special code word or signal, or talk to a family member or friend in advance about whether there is a spare room where your child can play or relax if needed. Finally, as a family, make sure everyone understands how long you plan to stay at the event.

Pack a bag of comfort and sensory items. Will your child need to wear dress clothes for any portion of the event? If so, consider bringing along some soft, comfortable clothes for your child to change into later. You can also pack headphones if the environment will be loud. Even a room full of relatives talking in varying volumes – which may be warm and inviting to you – can be extremely distressful for a child with sensory processing disorder. You may also want to bring along favorite snacks, toys or games.

Talk to your friends or family ahead of time. Are you planning to celebrate the holiday at the home of a relative or friend? If so, consider taking some time to discuss with them your child’s challenges and preferences, if you have not already. Many will want to help you and your child have as pleasant of an experience as possible. For example, is there a large, flashing holiday tree or display, or a lot of indoor twinkling lights that will likely overwhelm your child? Maybe these can be turned off for the duration of the event. Is there going to be a large Thanksgiving meal served that your child is not likely to eat? Ask whether your child eating dinner at home before you come over – or possibly having some alternative food items for your child on the Thanksgiving table – would be acceptable. You will feel more comfortable on the holiday if these details have already been discussed and determined.

Are you struggling to cope with your child’s sensory processing challenges, or unsure whether your child may have a sensory processing disorder? Contact the team at Peak Potential Therapy to speak with an experienced, caring therapist.

Does your child’s IEP have SMART goals?

An IEP, defined by PBS.org as “an agreement between school and parent that outlines the special education and unrelated services to be delivered to a child who has been found eligible for services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA),” is built around annual goals.

These goals will set the course for your child’s development over the course of the year. To have a successful IEP, you must design well written goals for your child that are easy to measure. We recommend the well-known “SMART” goals methodology as the best process for writing goals for your child’s IEP. The method is this:

S – Specific – Goals should be use very specific language.

M – Measurable – Vague goals are not easily measured. If goals are specific, they will be measurable.

A – Action – Use action words, like increase or decrease, when writing the goal.

R – Realistic – The goal must be realistic for your child to accomplish, keeping in mind how certain skills are sequenced or built on one another.

T – Time-limited – Within the language of the goal, be sure to specify a time frame in which the goal is to be reached.

When goals are written to be SMART, they will naturally be measurable. Well written goals contribute to a strong IEP for your child, which will be continually discussed during regular IEP meetings with your child’s teachers, therapists and other educational advocates.

If you have questions or concerns regarding your child’s IEP, do not hesitate to contact Peak Potential Therapy. We provide educational advocacy and consulting services for parents of children with autism and special needs.

There is perhaps no more parenting topic more debated at this moment than vaccination. For parents, with so many conflicting news stories swirling, it can be hard to answer that question: Should I vaccinate my child? At Peak Potential Therapy, we discuss this question with parents and families regularly. We believe the best decision you can make for your child is one that is well-informed.
We encourage you to do your own research with an open mind before making your own decision of whether or not to vaccinate. As we understand the sheer volume of opinions and perspectives on this topic can be overwhelming, particularly for a new parent, we want to share just a few links that may provide some insights on the topic.

• Honest Disagreement in a Pro-Vaccine World, from Fearless Parent
• Vaccine Information Kiosk, from National Vaccine Information Center
• Dear Pregnant Mom, from VaxTruth
• The Vaccine Book, by Dr. Robert Sears
• The Vaccine Reaction, The National Vaccine Reaction

In addition, the chart from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention demonstrates how recommended immunizations have increased in the United States:

If you would like additional resources to help you make an informed decision, please do not hesitate to contact the team at Peak Potential Therapy.

The school year is underway, and your child—and your family—is still adjusting to new people, places, and routines. The year ahead may be challenging, but is full of possibilities and growth opportunities for your child! Remember that Peak Potential Therapy is here to help you and your family in any way we can. These are just some of the additional ways that we can support your child during the school year:

1. Speech-Language Therapy – We offer individualized speech-language therapy services, ranging from early intervention speech therapy for toddlers to ongoing speech-language therapy for older children.
2. Academic Tutoring – Our tutors offer services in one-on-one or small group settings, customizing your child’s tutoring to his or her unique needs and learning style.
3. IEP Consulting for Parents – Navigating your child’s Individualized Education Plan, especially for the first time, can be challenging. We can offer caring advice, guidance and support throughout the school year.
4. Social Developmental Camps –Peak Potential Therapy runs several camps designed to help your child maintain a routine and keep working on important social and developmental skills during breaks from school. For example, during winter break, we offer Camp Snowcubs, designed for children ages 12 to 15. It is never too early to reserve your child’s spot for this winter!
5. Social Skills Groups – Many children learn through play, and facilitated social skills groups with peers can be an ideal setting to enhance language comprehension and expression. We offer 6-week sessions through the school year in our Twinsburg, Ohio, center.

How can we support your child and your family this school year? Do not hesitate to reach out and contact a member of the Peak Potential Therapy team. We look forward to a great year together!

Teens with autism often struggle with the transition from school to adulthood. Researchers have been trying to find new ways of understanding this transition from the teens’ perspective, rather than relying on interviews with parents and family members. Autism Speaks recently reported on research taking place at the University of Missouri’s Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders using Photovoice, which is a “creative research method that allows study participants to use photography to identify and share their experiences.” Teens were given cameras and asked to take photos that best captured their personal experience of growing up. Those photos were then used to initiate a conversation with researchers.

“In order to truly understand the perspective of young people with Autism Spectrum Disorder, who struggle with limited communication and fears, we needed to think outside the box to help them share their stories. Giving them cameras so they could tell their stories through images allowed us to determine what these young adults thought and felt.”

– Nancy Cheak-Zamora, study co-author

If you are looking for ways to strengthen your child’s communication as he or she approaches the transition to adulthood, please use Peak Potential Therapy as a resource. Contact us today to learn more about our programming and therapy services for teens with autism.

Children, parents, and teachers alike across Greater Cleveland and Akron are probably experiencing some “back to school blues” as the more carefree summer season with its relaxed schedules will soon be replaced with early alarms and structured routines. But, for your child with special needs, going back to school can be an extremely stressful and anxious experience. You likely have stuck to a routine throughout summer break to help your child maintain some of the structure of a normal school day, but now that routine will once again change. How can you help your child ease into his or her new school schedule?

1. Arrange an early visit to the school. Many school administrators will allow you to bring your child into the school early to familiarize him or her with the school environment. Sometimes it may be possible to also visit your child’s classroom and teacher. Or, if you prefer, make a visit to the school alone and snap some photos (with permission, of course) that you can use to create a photo book for your child. Talk with your child every day as you flip through the photo book.
2. Use social stories. If possible, speak to your child’s teacher and school staff to get some details about what will happen on the first day or in the first week at the school. Then, you can use this information to talk to your child about what to expect and explain different activities or events that might occur. For example, there may be a welcome back assembly with all students at the school, or perhaps your child’s teacher has a special art project or activity planned for the class.
3. Give your child some choice in new school supplies and clothes. Back to school should be a fun and exciting time of year for children. Involve your child in school supply shopping, allowing him or her to have a role in selecting the supplies he or she will use in the classroom or the clothing he or she will wear on the first day back. This can help to build confidence in your child.

If you need additional guidance or suggestions to help your child prepare for going back to school, do not hesitate to contact the team at Peak Potential Therapy. We work closely with children with autism and special needs and their families across Cleveland and Akron and look forward to speaking with you.

The steps of job seeking are challenging for any candidate: preparing a polished resume; communicating with potential employers; participating in what can be a rigorous or stressful series of interviews. It is easy to imagine how challenging this process can be for a young adult with autism. Research has shown that employment rates are lower for young adults on the autism spectrum than those who are not. An American Academy of Pediatrics study from 2012 found that only 55% of young adults with autism had held a paid job during the first 6 years after completing high school.

There are foundations and organizations across the country that are actively working to change this statistic. The Atlantic reported in July that the Dan Marino Foundation is helping young adults with autism train and prepare to enter the workforce. The foundation, based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is focused on “empowering individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities.” In addition to helping students learn basic skills for the workplace and train for industry certifications, the Foundation is training young adults with the help of virtual job interviews, conducted by digital avatars on a large screen. This gives the trainees an unprecedented opportunity to practice engaging with and responding to an interviewer.

Learn more about the work of the Foundation and other programs in place to help young adults with autism navigate the workforce here. For resources that exist for young adults with autism and other special needs closer to home in Ohio, contact the caring team at Peak Potential Therapy.

The development of Google Glass, Google’s computerized headset that features a camera with a small display above the right eye, has long shown significant promise in improving the lives of children with autism. Researchers at Stanford University are currently conducting a study using facial recognition software that runs on Google Glass to see whether the software can help children with autism deal with one of their greatest challenges—reading emotions in the faces of others. The camera on the device is able to detect emotions like happiness or sadness and shows the corresponding words, or an emoji, on the glass display.

From an Associated Press article reporting on the study:

“The autism glass program is meant to teach children with autism how to understand what a face is telling them. And we believe that when that happens, they will become more socially engaged,” said Dennis Wall, whose lab is running the study.

Read more about the study and its potential to lead to an alternative therapy for children with autism here.