Sunny Days Behavioural Support

I hope everyone had a wonderful last day of school! What fun plans do you have with your kids this summer?

I hope everyone is out enjoying this beautiful long weekend!

Do your kids like being outside?

I have one that does NOT want to go outside but when I can get him out there are so many ways to provide him with some much needed sensory input. Digging in the garden, blowing bubbles, jumping on the trampoline or drawing with chalk. And of course fresh air and sunshine can work wonders on a persons mental health!

Check out the article for some great ideas, I love the idea of creating a treasure hunt!

https://autismawarenesscentre.com/playing-outdoors-building-skills-exploring-and-creating-memories-for-those-with-asd/

One of my favourite things about my job (besides the kids of course) is that I get to be creative.

So for a child who needs a visual reminder of what their morning jobs are, but also really loves x-box, nothing is better than an x-box controller visual schedule. When they finish one thing, they can move the token to the back.

This is why functioning labels are not useful. A child may be high in one area but low in another, it is not linear.

This morning I was reading a post, in a group of professionals, about "picky" eating. It broke my heart to see one of these professionals loudly, and repeatedly, state that the parents should get rid of the child's safe foods, because the child will eat when they get hungry enough.

Many if our kids will NOT eat if they do not have access to their safe foods. It's not a matter of being picky and choosing to only eat nuggets, access to their safefoods is something, that for some, is essential to their mental and physical health.

That does not mean we should never introduce other foods and encourage them to try them, but it should not be forced and it should never be a battle.

Do you have a child (or adult) in your house with a restricted diet? Any tips to share with others on how you introduced new foods into their diet?

Looking for something different for your kids over the summer? SD60 has full day summer care, with fun weekly themes. You can sign up for a week or more, it doesn't have to be the whole summer. Great energetic staff!

SD60 Before and After School Care

When my son was little board games were a nightmare. Flipped checkers boards, ripped up cards, and lots of tears (from him and me).

Then we discovered cooperative games. Everyone works together, and you win or lose as a team. It allowed us to work on skills such as taking turns and being a good loser, but in a way that wasn't quite as triggering for him.

The best part? There are quite a few of these games available to borrow from the Fort St. John Public Library.

Approx. 5-16% of children have some form of sensory processing disorder. Some are sensory seekers, some are sensory avoiders, and some are a mix of the two.

In BC, Sensory Processing Disorder is not a diagnosis. But for those who deal with it, we know how much it can affect a child's (or adults) life, and how easily it can trigger the fight, flight, or freeze response.

I've had a lot of people ask me in the last 24 hours what services I offer.

The short answer is I provide 1:1 support for your child.

The long answer is that it is really difficult to list exact services because every child is going to have very different needs. One family might need help setting up a schedule to make their days run better, another child might need to work on losing a game without getting angry, or coping skills for anxiety. Some children are just learning to play and we'll spend an hour playing, others are working on life skills like brushing their teeth or ordering at a restaurant. Some families are going to want ABA based therapies, while others want no ABA in their child's life. Some want to do R&R or respite care. There is no one size fits all answer.

So basically, my service is to meet with the family, find out what their need are and work together to make a plan that works for the child.