When: Sun, May 20, 10am – 12pm
Where: Lake Park at Mueller – 1829 Simond Avenue, Austin, TX 78723
Description: Please join us for another fun-filled family play date at the Park! This month we will be meeting at the Lake Park at the Meuller development. This is a great chance to meet other Sensory families – Moms, Dads and Kids! Bring water, picnic blankets and food if you’ll be picnicking. See you there!

Date: Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Time: 7:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Location: Yarborough Library meeting room | map

This meeting is open to everyone in the Austin area who is interested in growing community awareness of SPD and the Austin Area SPD Alliance. We start our meetings with some support time and chocolate. Thereafter, we discuss our ongoing educational and parent support initiatives. We’d love to know your thoughts and ideas, or if you have any input about how we can better serve you and your family, please join us! You also are welcome to just sit, listen, and enjoy some chocolate.

If you have questions, please email Jenn at Jenn.Kramer@austinspd.net.

Join other parents to give and receive support related to having a sensational kid. We welcome anyone who would benefit from this opportunity to feel validated in their struggles and celebrated in their successes. We meet just inside the cafe on the lower level. Look for a group displaying the AASPDA logo on the table. Please join us!
Call Jenn at 501-0459 for more information.

KidWorks Therapy will host a free informational meeting presenting scientifically supported alternatives for the following conditions:

• Impaired Executive Functioning
• Inattention
• Impulsivity
• Hyperactivity
• Low Frustration Tolerance
• Difficulty Transitioning
• Sensory Defensiveness

For months now, Kidworks’ Neurofeedback program has been generating impressive results for children with conditions associated with ADHD and Sensory Processing.

Date: Friday, May 18
Time: 9:00 a.m.
Location: KidWorks Therapy | map
Please call 512-444-7219 to RSVP.

When?  May 2, 7:30pm – 8:30pm
Where?  WholeFoods outdoor plaza upstairs, 5th and Lamar

Join us to discuss Raising a Sensory Smart Child: The Definitive Handbook for Helping Your Child with Sensory Processing Issues by Lindsey Biel and Nancy Peske. All are welcome! I’ll have the book and an AASPDA sign on the table. Email Jenn at  jenn_kramer@yahoo.com for more information.

Attorney Brad Wiewel and Investment Advisor Bill Ebs will discuss the best ways to plan for your financial future while protecting the best interests of your family member with special needs.

Cost: Free
Date: May 15, 2012
Start Time: 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Location: Austin Public Library – North Village Branch
2505 Steck Ave, Austin 78757

Contact: 512-479-4199 or tx-austin@autismsocietyofamerica.org for more information.

Enjoy a night out while we watch your kids. We will eat dinner (provided by parents), play in the gyms, do arts & crafts, and wind down with a movie. Please contact Gina at frontdesk@kidventurestherapy.com to sign up.

Date: Friday, May 18^th, 2012
Time: 5:30 – 9:00pm
Cost: $25 per child, $15 per sibling
Location: 5524 Bee Caves Rd. Bldg. L, 78746
Phone: 327-4499

• Open to all ages (must be of walking age).
• Enrollment on a first come, first serve basis.
• Payment required upon sign-up.
• No cancellation refunds.

AMC Theaters and The Autism Society partner to bring popular kids’ movies to view in theaters in a sensory-friendly environment.  Throughout the program, the movie theater keeps their lights up, the sound turned down, and audience members are invited to get up, move around, or do whatever they need to enjoy the movie.

Sensory Friendly Film:  “Pirates!  Band of Misfits” 

Date: Saturday, May 5, 10:00 a.m.
Cost: $6 per person
Location:  AMC Theater at Barton Creek Mall

and

Date: Saturday, May 5, 10:00 a.m.
Cost: $4 per person
Location: AMC Rivercenter 9 in San Antonio

Today marked the first partnership between the Austin Area SPD Alliance (AASPDA) and a volunteer Occupational Therapist (OT) providing free SPD continuing education to early childhood educators in the Austin area.

Jen Thomas, OTR, from Kidventures Therapy Services gave a fantastic in-service at Grace Garden Preschool to 12 eager teachers. Thank you, Jen, for your time and expertise! We also commend the leader of our Outreach Committee’s Education Initiative, Colleen Herst, for facilitating this partnership! The AASPDA is thrilled with Grace Garden for their interest in learning about SPD and how to help their students. As Colleen said earlier today, “It’s so great to be a part of an organization spreading the word about our exceptional kids!”

If you are a preschool teacher or preschool administrator interested in receiving SPD information and training, please contact Colleen at colleen.herst@austinspd.net.

ChowKids Feeding Therapy

KidWorks Therapy is excited to announce a multi-disciplinary feeding group for this summer!  ChowKids is our S.O.S. based feeding group. Led by Heidi Day, MS, OTR/L and Jennifer John, MA, CCC-SLP (with consultation by nationally recognized Registered Dietitian Elizabeth Strickland, RD/LD) your child will benefit from all three disciplines to ensure an optimal feeding experience.

Feeding therapy is play-based to make food fun. Feeding therapy in a group setting is an excellent way to get kids eating becasue of the benefits of social modeling.

Program Details

• 10 week program meeting once a week
• Parent orientation & ongoing education to promote carry-over at home
• Sessions are 1 to 1.5 hours long; therapy provided by an OT & SLP.
• Nutritional Assessment and follow-up with a Registered Dietician
• Program Start Date for 2012: Tuesday, June 5, 2012

There will be two different groups based on skill level and age range.  One group will be specialized for kids on the Autism Spectrum.

Who Would Benefit

Children who are labeled as “picky eaters” may actually be Problem Feeders. Your child may be a problem feeder if they:

• Restrict the variety of foods they eat (less than 20 foods)
• Used to eat a specific food, but now refuses that food
• Cries or falls apart when new foods are presented (sometimes just even in the same room)
• Refuses entire categores of food groups (protein, starch, fruit/vegetable) or textures (purees, crunchy, lumpy)
• Has a history of GER (Reflux)

Feeding & Nutrition

Feeding is one of the most complicated activities that we do everyday, which many of us take for granted. Feeding is a multi-sensory experience that requires oral-motor skill, fine motor skill, postural control, and a good respiratory system for success. Kids who are problem feeders do not “grow out of” their feeding issues. Instead, they must be taught about the physical properties of food, how to interact with the food, why we need to eat, what we need to eat, and the structure of mealtimes, so that their brains can learn how to make a more appropriate response when presented with food.

ChowKids Enrollment

If you are interested in registering for this program, please call Jen or Heidi at
512-444-7219.  For costs/billing questions please call Cyndi at (512) 444-7219.