Weekly Update...On The Road to Emmaus Home

 A Week in the Life of Emmaus Home....

                                                       Is pretty amazing!

Our core members and participants have truly been "out and about", as per usual this week.

I thought it would be nice for you to see a sample of our schedule... What's it like to be a core member at Emmaus Home?

Monday:
Our core team visited ShopRite so they could buy food for lunch, then they came back to the Day Program in Aston to prepare something delicious in our kitchenette.

Tuesday:
Dance therapy is a favorite for everyone!

Wednesday:
In the morning we visit out music therapist, and then hand out food at Anna's Place in Delaware County. Anna's place is a Fransiscan organization in Chester that ministers to people down on their luck. They serve meals, teach classes, and help people mind, body and spirit.

Our Emmaus Home core members go there weekly to volunteer and give back to the community.

Learn more about Anna's Place here.

After that we all went to The Ritz 5 Theater in Philadelphia to see the long-awaited documentary about L'Arche founder, Jean Vanier, and his communities all over the world.

This was a deeply moving and beautiful film, and everyone should see it. I can only describe it as a slow journey through life with Jean and his friends. It doesn't have suspense, action, or much drama, just beauty and love.

If you have a loved one with a disability and you'd like to give family or friends a glimpse into your world, please share it.
Watch the trailer, then go see for yourself!

Thursday:

Thursdays are spent at the John Heinz Wildlife Refuge, not a bad place to be in this beautiful springtime!

Friday:
Art therapy begins the day, followed by a trip to the mall to practice our shopping skills, followed by lunch at a restaurant.

It's a beautiful life at Emmaus Home!

Kevin at the YMCA

At Emmaus Home we try to make regular exercise a priority. According to the Autism Society, a program of exercise and fitness is important on so many levels. To quote:

From an educational and life skills perspective, our job as parents, teachers and professionals is to regularly identify an individual’s areas of need and address them in the most adaptive way possible. There is a reason so many students have difficulty in a standard classroom setting. The focus on taking tests rather than “learning how to learn” leads to skills that are not necessarily applicable to future needs and goals. For fitness programing, my hierarchy tends to look something like this (in order of importance):

1. Develop, maintain and enhance movement skills
2. Pair exercise and physical activity with reinforcement to ultimately make the activities themselves fun and part of a lifestyle
3. Increase initiation and creativity skills through exposure to various modalities of exercise (different equipment and activities)
4. Support socialization through small group activities that include elements of teamwork and helping behaviors

For those with autism who often have difficulty attending to a task for durations longer than 10 or 20 seconds, creativity and socialization behaviors are not an immediate goal. It is far more. (Read more.)

To help our work with God's children at Emmaus Home, please donate HERE. May the Lord reward with eternal life all who do good to us in His Name. 

Philadelphia Autism Project Art Exhibit

The art works have already been submitted but the show is open to the public. Emmaus Home will be there. From the Philadelphia Autism Project:

 In honor of Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, the Philadelphia Autism Project is launching the first collaborative art show Philadelphia: A Spectrum of Experiences.  Artists of all ages from the autism community in Philadelphia and surrounding counties are invited to submit for inclusion in the March – April 2018 exhibit.  This inaugural event is aimed at recognizing the talent of individuals with autism and increasing awareness of autism within the Philadelphia community. (Read more.)

From the Archdiocese of Philadelphia

Office for Persons with Disabilities & the Deaf Apostolate

1. Please assist in inviting families and individuals to this annual Mass. Parish groups or individuals who wish to assist with the Mass or reception are asked to contact the Office for Persons with Disabilities.   For more details or to register go to www.opdarchphilly.org or click here.

The Annual Archdiocesan Mass Honoring the Gifts of Persons with Disabilities, The Deaf Community, Family, Friends and Caregivers is Saturday, March 24, 2018 at 10:30 a.m. at the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul at 18^th and Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia.  Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., will be the principal celebrant and homilist.  There will be a reception immediately following the Mass featuring entertainment by Santino Dragon New Year Brigade.  All are Welcome.  To RSVP go to www.opdarchphilly.org, or call the Office for Persons with Disabilities at 215-587-3530.

2.       Spring Contact Meeting for the Office for Persons with Disabilities, April 28, 2018: The workshop will consider how to foster active participation in worship for children with disabilities and their families.  The disability contact/advocate for each parish is asked to attend. Clergy, parish staff, parents and other parish volunteers are welcome to attend. For more details or to register go to www.opdarchphilly.org or click here.

You Belong - How to Foster Active Participation in Worship:   This workshop will be offered on April 28, 2018 from 9:30 am to noon at the Archdiocesan Pastoral Center. Parish Contacts for the Office for Persons with Disabilities and other parish leaders are encouraged to attend. The presenters are: Dr. Geralyn Anderson Arango from Holy Family University and  Gilian Lally, a Behavioral Specialist.  For the flyer or to RSVP go to www.opdarchphilly.org, email: opd@archphila.org or call 215-587-3530.

3.      Mothers of Children with Disabilities Retreat, May 1, 2018:  Click here for the online flyer and registration.

Mothers of Children with Disabilities Retreat:  Tuesday, May 1, 2018 at Malvern Retreat House, Sr. Suzanne Mayer, IHM will direct a retreat for mothers and grandmothers who are raising children with disabilities and also those who have adult children with disabilities.  Fr. Jim Olson will be the celebrant for Mass.  There will be time to pray, reflect, and chat with other mothers.  To register on line go to www.opdarchphilly.com. For more information please contact Malvern Retreat House at 610-644-0400 or the Office for Persons with Disabilities at 215-587-3530. 

Sr. Kathleen Schipani, IHM
Director, Office for Persons with Disabilities & Deaf Apostolate

Archdiocese of Philadelphia

222 N. 17^th Street, Philadelphia PA 19103
215.587.3913 phone /267.507.1215 video phone
sr.kschipani@archphila.org

www.opdarchphilly.org / www.deafcatholicphilly.org / www.religoiusASLapp.com

 

Cooking Class at Emmaus Home

Cooking class is an excellent way to develop fine motor skills, practice following directions, and other practical and necessary skills as well.

To help our work with God's children at Emmaus Home, please donate HERE. May the Lord reward with eternal life all who do good to us in His Name.

Weight and Autism

From Spectrum:

The research so far hints that obesity in people with autism is different than in the general population. For one thing, weight problems in autism seem to follow a specific course: The pounds start to pile on at a younger age, and persist into adulthood more often. Many people on the spectrum have heightened senses, plus a fondness for routine, which makes them averse to new tastes and textures and susceptible to unhealthy eating patterns. And motor and social impairments, along with an affinity for screens, can limit physical activity.

Unfortunately for children like Nicholas, there is little appreciation of these differences as yet, and weight management programs are almost exclusively geared toward typical children. “If you have special education every day after school, how are you going to fit in sports?” asks Sarabeth Broder-Fingert, a pediatrician at Boston University. “If you have a kid who’s nonverbal, having a conversation about nutrition isn’t going to work.”

Some researchers are adapting programs to help children with autism expand their food choices and be less sedentary. The data trickling in suggest that these nascent programs offer benefits beyond physical health: In some young people with autism, they can also boost social functioning and self-esteem. (Read more.)

Technologies to Lessen the Distress of Autism

From Behavior Imaging:

While the incidence of autism has risen precipitously in the last decade, one thing hasn’t changed much. It is still enormously expensive to provide ongoing education and therapy for autistic children. One proven treatment for autism is early and intense educational intervention. However, for many parents, that intervention is cost and/or distance prohibitive. In some areas, there are few or no options for after-school care or babysitting.

The increased incidence of autism paired with an ongoing dearth of professional resources means that families often wait for weeks or months for an appointment and must travel to the nearest major medical center for care, sometimes over great distances. As they wait for meaningful care and instruction, the family faces a host of risks.

In the paper, we said:

The constant vigilance to protect one’s child, one’s family, and one’s partner as well as one’s self can leave parents irritable and on edge indefinitely. These symptoms may cause clinically significant problems in daily social and occupational functioning, both from the perspective of PTSD and other physical and mental/behavioral health perspectives

(Read more.)

Finding a Sitter

From Healthline:

The first place — and, arguably, the easiest — most special needs parents look to is within their own families and friend groups. Trust them? Absolutely! And they work cheap! But as grandparents age, or aunts and uncles move away, it can be difficult for parents to tap into that existing network. Additionally, you might get the sense (whether rightly or wrongly) that you are “imposing.” But, honestly, if you had abundant resources for your child care needs, you wouldn’t be reading this post anyway. (Read more.)

Early Diagnosis of Autism

From The Herald Sun:

Researcher Dr Megan Clark said sometimes parents and the medical community were hesitant to diagnose a child as being on the autism spectrum too early in life. “Currently in Australia, only 3 per cent of children are diagnosed as early as 24 months,” Ms Clark said. “We found, of the children diagnosed early, 73 per cent continued to meet the criteria for autism from toddlerhood through to school age, so it is possible to conclude that an early diagnosis is reliable and stable.”

The study found three-quarters of children who were detected early went to a mainstream primary school, compared with 57 per cent ­diagnosed later. “Often, one of the first questions around diagnosis is: ‘Will my child be able to attend a mainstream school?’ And our findings are encouraging for parents,” Dr Clark said. “Autism is a lifelong condition, but we know early intervention improves children’s ability to communicate and their cognition.” (Read more.)

Parenting an Autistic Child

From The Mom Kind:

Often times, we find ourselves doubting our parenting skills.  There’s this automatic shame you feel for not better handling a situation. This embarrassment for feeling sad. It is so hard not be hard on yourself.  As parents, we want the best for our children.  We want them to be the best person they can be and to live a happy, fulfilling life.

All too often, this expectation overruns us parents. The constant juggling act it takes just to make a trip out of the home can be overwhelming.  When we are feeling weak, this is when we feel as though we’ve failed.

The key thing to remember, their diagnosis doesn’t define who they are.  It’s okay not to explain their diagnosis everywhere you go. It’s also okay to do so as well.   Sometimes, you will feel like a warrior. You can conquer the world single-handed. Yet other times, you feel run over.  As if nothing at all can go your way. (Read more.)

An Autistic View of the World

From Mummy Est.2014:

I have to admit that lining things up has been something J has done so long that I can't remember when it started. It definitely wasn’t one of the first signs that concerned me. My concerns were his regression in his communication to the point where crying or laughing were the only real forms his used. He didn’t react to his name, or sounds the same as others his age, and he would develop ‘obsessions’ (it started as opening and closing doors, drawers, cupboards and you couldn’t stop or face a day long meltdown). Once he spent 15 minute opening and closing the same door in church.

J’s lining up started with lining cars up. He was very specific and would put them bumper to bumper and facing the same way. He would get frustrated if any of them were knocked or removed. When out and about he would line up sugar and sauce packets in the restaurants/café. I wasn’t overly concerned, after all that’s the way cars drive isn’t it? Following each other in a row? The problem we had was that at this point cars and vehicles was the only toys he would play with. We didn’t know how he’d react to other resources. Soon after we found he would line pretty much everything up-magnets on the fridge, stones in the garden etc. (Read more.)

Life After Special Ed

Are schools doing enough? From Disability Scoop:

Schools are legally obligated to create meaningful post-schooling plans for students with disabilities as part of their Individualized Education Programs, or IEPs. Under federal law, special education students must have transition plans in place by age 16 that include work, school and independent living goals that a student would like to achieve. Several states require schools to start this process at age 14. But Kate’s education failed to set her up for higher education or a career, as is often the case with special education students. Her experience after high school shows how important legally mandated transition plans and services are — and demonstrates how hard it is to do them right for all students. (Read more.)

The Emotional Weight of Autism

From the beautifully written blog Finding Cooper's Voice:

After almost seven years I’ve learned how to ask for help when I need it. I had too. I was drowning.  I’d been called a martyr one too many times. I’d been accused of doing it all by myself. And maybe that’s true. But in my defense, I truly believed I was the only person that could help my autistic son. I used to think that no one would ever truly take the time to understand him or decipher his needs. I thought that no one could handle his screams or hums. Or that no one would take on the burden of changing his diaper. His needs were so intense I figured it was just easier if I did it all myself. When Cooper turned six I had completely burnt myself out. I wasn’t sleeping. My back was so messed up from carrying his 65 pound body. I was anxious and irritable. I was always sick. I was drinking way too much caffeine during the day and one to many glasses of wine at night. (Read more.)

Many mothers must often leave their jobs in order to take care of special needs children, which can lead to poverty. From HuffPost:

 I’ve been asking my community of moms who have children with disabilities what they do about paid work. Many moms do work when their kids are young – this is when daycare spots for kids with disabilities are more plentiful – if they can get to the top of the long wait lists. Other moms have teenagers and have been forced to opt out of paid work. And some have flexible employers – although these types of employers are sadly the exception. Yet others piece together a freelancing life, picking up work here and there, like I do now.

Many families slowly inch their way towards poverty. We bleed money every month. Ironically we need a higher income even more than we did with any of our other kids. We pay for our son’s therapies out of pocket and we need to save for his adulthood because of the abysmal government rates of disability assistance that loom in his future.

“I left my job I had for 20 years when my son started high school, too,” one mom told me last week over coffee. When he was younger, they had cobbled together care with grandparents, but their son’s needs became more pronounced when he hit adolescence and the grandparents inevitably aged – the arrangement no longer worked. So the mom had to resign. (Read more.)

ADHD and Autism Diagnosis

From Health Beat:

 Like most 7-year-old boys, Darren Meeks loves to play with his monster trucks and ride his scooter, but Darren knows he's different. "I'm autistic, so I'm more sensitive," he said. Darren was diagnosed with autism at age four.

"He was diagnosed with ADHD a year later," said his mom, Myranda Meeks.

"Forty to 60 percent of children with autism also have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD," explained Dr. Geraldine Dawson, the director of the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development. Dawson said it's unknown why the conditions tend to overlap, but she said children with both may get a delayed autism diagnosis.

"In fact, those children are 30 times more likely to be diagnosed with autism after age six," she said. So, researchers at Duke University are conducting a study that focuses on early detection.

"We're going to be following 9,000 children from the community," stated Dawson. Researchers will measure the brain's response to information to help them better understand the link. "We want to see whether treating the ADHD symptoms will allow the child with autism to better benefit from early intervention," Dawson explained.

Myranda admitted life has changed after the dual diagnosis, but Darren is thriving in school and has lots of friends. (Read more.)

The Loneliness of Autism

A mother speaks. From Finding Cooper's Voice:

For me autism is frustrating. And exhausting. And heartbreaking. And dreadfully hopeful. And painful. And above all a process. A slow process that crawls along with glimpses of the future. Autism is expensive. And SO unbelievably time consuming. Autism can take your time. It can suck up hours after hours of time.There are so many parts that go into parenting a special needs baby. And it’s different for everyone. But to be perfectly honest, for me, autism is mostly just lonely. It’s quiet a lot too. I pick Cooper up from school and there are no conversations about his day. No desire to show me what he made that day or to tell me what he wants to do when we get home. I’m mostly just sad because I don’t know this little boy. And I might never. I am grieving for a child I’ve never known. (Read more.)

Disciplining an Asperger's Child

From Advanced Psychology:

Trying to discipline your child can be a difficult and ever changing world of frustration for all involved. When your child has been diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome it can be as difficult to create rules and boundaries as it is to…(Read more.)

Special Needs Homeschooling Myth Debunked

From the iHomeschool Network:

We have been homeschooling now for five years. We began before we had a single diagnosis for either of my boys, largely because school was a very difficult place for my oldest son. (Think sensory overload and bullying, mixed with a healthy dose of anxiety and you have an idea of what it was like for him every day – not good.)

A year after we began homeschooling, he was diagnosed with autism and generalized anxiety disorder. A year later, we learned his younger brother is profoundly dyslexic and has ADHD. In both instances, I was asked if, now that we had the diagnoses, I would be putting the boys back in school. There was an assumption that because my children now had identified “special needs”, we would need the “experts” to take over their education. 

The truth is, although I was a little overwhelmed with all the needs, I also felt even more certain that a typical school environment would not accommodate my children’s learning differences. (Read more.)

When Your ADHD Child is Upset

From the Child Development Institute:

Children with ADHD are more prone to meltdowns for a number of reasons. Often their brain circuitry for emotional regulation is dysfunctional in which it takes less to trigger an anger episode that lasts for a longer periods of time than other children. This is the result of faulty wiring. Working with them on relaxation techniques like taking deep breaths or counting to ten at the first sign of being upset can help. It is important for them to practice these when they are calm.

These kids often aren’t fully tuned in to what is going on around them and miss important information that causes them to misinterpret a situation and then react to what they think is going on rather than what really happened. If you are having a discussion with your child, pause frequently to make sure they are getting your point. Ask questions to make sure they understand and encourage them to ask you questions as well.

Some ADHD kids lack the ability to be flexible causing them to go into meltdown mode when there is a change in routine or an expected event does not happen. For instance a boy may be having a great time “rough housing” with his dad but does not want to stop when dad feels it has gone on long enough. This can become ugly and lead to fewer such play situations. Agreeing to use a timer and stop when the timer says to stop rather than dad might help avoid this. (Read more.)

Ribbon-cutting at Emmaus Home

Anne and husband Larry get ready to cut the ribbon!

Our ribbon-cutting ceremony at our new facility was Saturday. It was a happy, festive day and we look forward to a bright future. We thank all of the friends who made it possible! Our new Day Program is located at 2989 Dutton Mill Road, Aston, PA. For more information contact us at 484-490-5623.

We're officially open for business!

To help our work with God's children at Emmaus Home to continue, please donate HERE. May the Lord reward with eternal life all who do good to us in His Name.

Christmas Party with the Third Order of St. Francis

Our local community of Third Order Franciscans invited Emmaus Home to their annual Christmas Party. Everyone had a wonderful time.