The Autism Treatment Center of America Message Board     Announcements

» Enhance Your Creativity with "Play to Grow!" « We are very excited to announce the arrival of Play to Grow! - a fabulous new book that provides you with hundreds of games to play with your child. Written by Tali Berman, Son-Rise Program Teacher and Abby Rappaport, Son-Rise Program Child Facilitator, Play to Grow! is the perfect supplement to your Son-Rise Program. Play to Grow! includes over 200 games designed to help your special child develop in all four social fundamentals of The Son-Rise Program Developmental Model. Games follow the five stages of the Developmental Model and address all four fundamental social skills.  Games are clearly outlined and easy to follow – telling you which props you'll need, how to set up the game, what the specific challenge is for your child, and how to add numerous variations to the game.   In addition, Play to Grow! gives tips on how to create games of your own, and will help you and your team master the attitude of creativity.  Play to Grow! even offers games for playdates with other children – and tips on how to facilitate the playdate. Play to Grow! is designed for children of all ages and all ability levels and we highly recommend that you use this valuable resource to help fuel the creativity of your Son-Rise Program!   Play to Grow! is now available through Option Indigo Press at www.optionindigo.com or at (413) 229-8727. Posted on:8:23 pm on Feb. 9, 2009 » The Son-Rise Program News Video! « Special Report: Reversing Autism POSTED: 12:05 pm PDT June 21, 2006 Raun Kaufman is the chief executive officer of Massachusetts-based organization Autism Treatment Center of Americas. Kaufman is also a former autism patient. Read More: http://www.nbc11.com/news/9405982/detail.html Posted on:10:13 pm on June 21, 2006 » Son-Rise Program Article: Wiltshire, UK « Wiltshire - Latest News US therapy trip for autistic boy Click Here Posted on:2:50 pm on May 3, 2006 » New Article: Helping kids rise above disorder « The Spectrum Student Periodical from Buffalo, NY APRIL 26th, 2006 Son-Rise Program Article: Helping kids rise above disorder Posted on:3:55 pm on April 26, 2006 » Five Fun Games to Initiate - Free Download « Dear Wonderful Son-Rise Parents and Volunteers, Everyone I know who has had experience with the Son-Rise Program®, either as a parent, a volunteer or as part of our professional staff say that they have learned more than they ever expected about themselves from using this program. One thing that I have learned about myself from working in The Son-Rise Program® (and there are many others) is that I am a creative person. Eight years ago, when I first started using The Son-Rise Program I used to tell my self “I am not a creative person” and subsequently when I went in the playroom I tended to always introduce the same games over and over to the child with whom I worked. This child’s mother pointed my rigidity out to me one day in a feedback session. By doing this she gave me an opportunity to uncover the belief “I am not a creative person” and realize how this was holding me back from helping this child grow. I was scared to try new games incase the child didn’t respond to them which I would then take as more evidence that I was not creative and end up judging myself and feeling bad about the whole situation. Safer to stick with games that already worked! So I judged my creativity, to stop me being creative, and keep me stuck in the “safe zone.” I though that this made me a more effective facilitator because the child wanted to play most of the games I would offer. When his mother explained to me that one of the things we wanted to help this child with was his flexibility and openness to new experiences I realized that this belief I had created about myself was limiting me and holding this little boy back from learning more. I wanted to be as helpful as I could to him so I decided to change this belief about myself. I decided instead to believe that I was indeed creative but just had not yet developed that part of me because I had never asked myself to be very creative. So I started going in the playroom with all sorts of ideas of games I wanted to play and each time he ignored me or showed no interest in my game I told myself “that’s because he’s autistic, not because I am not creative”. This enabled me to feel comfortable with my games, no matter how they were received by the child, and therefore allowed me to be persistent –I just kept trying until I found a new game he wanted to play with me. From that point on there was no limit to the wacky, fun games I would bring into the playroom. We wanted to help stimulate some ideas for anyone out there who may be finding themselves playing the same game over and over or might be telling themselves “I’m not creative.” So, attached are some game ideas that can be adapted to work with a variety of children with different motivations and different functioning levels. I, and the rest of the staff at The Autism Treatment Center of America™, hope that these ideas will help stimulate more and more ideas and that you enjoy the process of playful persistence in your playrooms. We are always here cheering for you Kat Houghton and The Son-Rise Program® Staff Download: 5 Games PDF or view online pages: 5 Fun Games Posted on:2:29 pm on July 24, 2006 » Free Download: SON RISE PROGRAM® PLAYROOM SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT MATERIALS « Dear Parents, We are so excited to offer you the following download to help you create the most exciting, compelling and growth-inspiring playrooms. Whether you are just beginning to build your playroom, or you have already established your playroom and simply need guidance, the following download contains a wealth of ideas for you. We feel honored to support you in this way, knowing that you are all creating miracles in your own corners of the world with your children. This download includes information on the toys that we have found most durable and most useful in inspiring interaction and growth. We have tested these toys ourselves in our very own playrooms, and we hope that they inspire as much creativity for you as they have for us. Most of the toys we have included in this list are manufactured in the United States. However, many are available through various international distributors. Our intention is to give you a starting point from which to find the items that you want for your playrooms. We all send you our love and very best wishes. We feel honored to be part of your journey and consider each of you to be part of our extended family—even those of you that we haven’t yet met. We wish you joy, delight and laughter as you spend your time in your playrooms with your amazing children. We are cheering you on! With love, Kate Wilde Director of Intensives The Autism Treatment Center of America™ PDF Download: Social Development Materials Posted on:8:11 pm on June 8, 2005

© 2008 AutismTreatmentCenter.org | Our Privacy Statement Powered by I.konboard v2.1.7b © 2000 I.konboard.com