Family, Adult & Child Therapies
Thanks to all who attended in person or online. If you would like to view some of the presentations, contact [email protected] This was the full line-up: October 14, 2016 8 to 9 AM Check In/Welcome: Marc Haupert, Interim Executive Director 9: 00 AM Linda Andron-Ostrow: Opening Remarks 9:45 AM Susan Schmidt Lackner, MD: “Biomedical Interventions: Healing the Whole Child” 10: 20 AM 15 MINUTE BREAK 10:35 AM Erika…
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It’s that time of year where summer fun comes to a close and it’s time for our children to hit the books for the school year. And as school comes with many challenges for students with special needs, here are a few tips on how to make our kids’ school years as amazing as possible!
By Linda Andron, Executive Director “To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best night and day, to make you. Everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight, and never stop fighting.” – E. E. Cummings When I read this, I wondered whether this might be said by someone on the autism spectrum. What does it mean to be yourself? How does that resonate for those we work with and love…
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By Linda Andron-Ostrow, Executive Director I asked a group of parents where they thought the term neurotypical came from. They gave it some thought and said they were certain that it was a medical term (as I would have been in the past). In a great book called Neurotribes, Steve Silberman talks about the evolution of the autism self advocacy movement. Turns out, it was the people of this movement that coined the term, “neurotypical” to describe those not…
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By Sarita Freedman, PhD; FACT Board Member High functioning (HF) individuals with ASD are found in all walks of life, from high powered careers to significantly underemployed. What we’ve learned about this population of individuals over the past 15 years is that they have the ability to assimilate and function well, but that in order to do so, they need specific supports and guidance—the earlier the better. What can we do to improve the overall outcome of their endeavors so that…
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Mikal Britt, MSW Student & Autism Journalist I recently left my position at FACT to pursue a Masters in Social Work at CSULA. While I no longer work as a behavior therapist, I am still involved in the autism community. I still think about and advocate for and educate about autism. I attend events whenever possible, I read and share interesting articles celebrating small autism victories or discussing new theories. I look forward to the day the concept of neurodiversity…
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Eric Kastan, Director of Behavior Services Last month Eric participated on the panel of a webinar hosted by AUTISM BRAINSTORM, a FREE online interactive community. Eric spoke on Movement Differences, Disorders and ASD. If your short on time click the 30 minute mark, where Eric shares great insights about working with clients combining both a global and individual perspective. Watch it here. AutismBrainstorm.org is a community, to provide an opportunity for healing, enlightening, and entertaining social interaction within a virtual environment, easily accessible from…
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Linda Andron-Ostrow, Executive Director I would like share with you a wonderful metaphor for how we can all live in the present moment. I like to consider this as an opportunitiy to be aware of the small things we and our children accomplish every day, and letting our sorrows drift away to be held by all of those in the world that we are connected to through the energy that travels through time and space. As the story goes, a…
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Mikal Britt, Behavior Therapist for 10+ years Repetition plays a large role in the world of autism. Today, I am relating it to myself as behavior therapist. I am relating to how amazed I am when a certain technique works, even though I’ve seen it work over and over again. A lot of what we do as a behavior therapist is often counter-intuitive, or requires a kind of patience that seems unusual. So it’s always good to have a reminder…
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Mikal Britt, Behaviorist 10+ years When I started working at FACT ten years ago, I knew basically nothing about autism, therapy or social work. And although I wasn’t aware of it, certain natural parts of my personality and intuition made me a good fit for the field. So I owe a big thank you to FACT for hiring me, for seeing this potential in me. For opening the door and allowing me the opportunity to grow and explore a new…
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