Hi parents,
Well, it looks like we're getting down to the wire. Just two sessions left. Today your kids were simply great we had a quick blue ticket raffle in the office and then headed off to catch the bus at about 10:45 AM. Our appointment for laser tag back at ultrasound was for 11:15 AM and we made it in plenty of time. The kids had a great time playing laser tag and played a total of two games again. They really seem to get into both the competition and come lottery associated with playing laser tag. I hear that some of the kids have been getting together outside of group and playing.
Afterwards we went on to Hamburger Hamlet where we had a 12:30 PM reservation. They were impressively well behaved and we received compliments from the wait staff. We caught the 1:45 PM bus back to the office, making it back just in time for the end of group. I know this is a short note, that things are going well, and smoothly, and there's not much else to report for today.
BG
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Summer Session 09 - 6
We are just over the halfway point for the teen group summer session. Today, we went to Los Encinos State Park and had a tour with the Park Interpreter, Jennifer. I'm pleased to say that, three years ago, when she began, we were her very first tour and have returned several times since, both during the school year and subsequent summer sessions.It's about a half-mile walk from the office to the park, so we try and arrange things as early in the morning as possible. The plan for the day was: walk to the park, take a tour, feed the ducks and geese, throw the frisbee, come back and shop for our barbecue, simultaneously holding hero ticket raffle and conduct , any parent meeting, call it a day. And fortunately, that's just what occurred.
Taking a tour at Los Encinos, as with all of our community activities, has multiple purposes. In part, it's the equivalent of taking the kids on a field trip as might occur at school or on a family outing. But there's a little bit more to it. The adobe structure that we tour is not air-conditioned, not everyone finds the historical information fascinating or engaging, and they are in somewhat close quarters and have to keep moving along just as one would on a museum tour. So, we're looking for them to "hold it together" regardless of their level of interest. The kids did really well. They were respectful, and whether or not they were interested they made no obvious comments or displayed behaviors that suggests that such. One child became excessively exuberant at the close when Jennifer and announced that the tour had concluded. Since this wasn't an opportunity where we could use positive practice, (having him practice the tour ending a second time), instead I approached him and explained the problem with his behavior, then asked them to approach Jennifer to apologize (who, of course, had no idea why he was apologizing to her, but graciously accepted).
After the tour had concluded, Jennifer provided me with bags of duck food for the kids to feed the animals. I had them team up in pairs and share the food. All but two of them participated. One teen who tends to avoid engaging with his peers, and mostly approaches the adults, was saying apart from the group and talking with two of the counselors. When I observed us, I said nothing to him but told the counselors that I needed to speak to them about something, effectively removing them from him. Interestingly, he then got up and went over to her other kids were feeding the ducks and stood near them. My feeling is that you cannot always prompt conversation, but having a child standing near others puts them in proximity where they may overhear something that piques their interest. That was the case here, because within a couple of minutes this male teen was having a conversation with two of the other teens.
We walked back to the office to spend a brief period for going out before going on to Gelsons for our barbecue. It was interesting to note that none of the teams lag behind, no needed prompting to keep up with the group, and most of them were talking with one another, about 75%. Once we arrived at the office I explained how our barbecue would work and asked them what they wanted. Steak, hot dogs, and ribs were at the top of the list. I asked them to form "teens." There was a "Chip team," "Deli team," and "Drink team." This seemed to be pretty organized. The reason for breaking them up into teams is to provide another opportunity to foster communication between them and for the teens to have to remember what their peers wanted to order.
I allowed the counselors to go ahead and followed a few minutes later. When I arrived, I was informed that all of the kids had decided to join the "Drink team." Interesting. I told them that was fine, it just meant we would not beginning any chips or deli items, since there was no one to pick them out. Immediately after I said that, they decided to revert back to their original team choices. For say, the group lucked out today. Gelsons had rib eye steaks on sale, normally $22 a pound, but today $9 a pound. Since families ask, we usually buy a high-quality brand of hot dogs, today I happen to select Nathan's kosher style beef franks. the ribs come from the deli so I don't have to worry about cooking them to proper doneness and we typically only by beef ribs, not pork.
Everything went pretty smoothly, and our two carts of food arrived at the checkout counter, at which point I sent the kids outdoors and then had alumni members act as "go-betweens," ferrying bags of food and water out to the others so everybody could carry something back. Meanwhile, I selected an alumni member and a new member to join me to set up the chairs and tables.
It always helps to plan and prepare. I asked how many kids wanted hot dogs, and nine raise their hands. So, just to be safe I purchased 24. There were four left at the end of the meal.
I went in for the parent meeting and the kids finished up their meal and then held a hero ticket raffle. We had six families show up for the meeting and mostly talked about how to manage oppositional behaviors and clarified certain issues on the LUNCH Points program. One important change to the program is that, in order to earn blue tickets, the kids now have to match the behavior that they say they wish to work on with the behavior of parent rewards them for. If there is not a match, they still can have time on the Wii and they can still participate in the intermittent LUNCH Points raffles. It's just part of the process to make them more aware of what they're working on. Parents continue to worry that they are the ones responsible for remembering to send the certificate and offered to fax them or bring them by. This is not a parent responsibility but rather your child's responsibility, just like it would be for them to remember their homework assignment or something else that was important to them.
So, that wraps up today's session.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Summer Session 09 - 5
CityWalk Today!
Today was a community outing. We caught the 750 Express bus by walking down to Woodley to Universal, then hopped the tram up to CityWalk, arriving around 11:15am. All of your kids were given $15 to spend, with the caveat that they had to check purchases with the counselors. For many, the first purchase when they exited the bus was a bottle of water (drinking fountains are apparently unacceptable).
They are a really well-behaved group, so that allows us to focus on problem-solving, conversations with others, and quick decision-making. Some of the kids have a habit of saying "I need...." as though that is the same as making a request. Initially, we treated as though they did, in fact, make a request. But now we've upped the ante. When they make a request in that manner, we let them know "I need" tells us they have a problem, but doesn't solve it. They pretty quickly figure out that, to have their need met, they need to ask.... politely, wait for a response, make eye contact, make sure they didn't interrupt, etc. For a simple interaction, it produces quite a bit of positive behavior.
Another area we've been focusing on has to do with sensory reactions. I realize that some of your teens state that they are bothered by loud noises, many people are. But, after observing them carefully, I've come to the conclusion that all of them who make such complaints are highly specific in the kinds of noises they (over)react to. Hunching shoulders, hands flying up to their ears, grimaces, even screams, only seem to occur at certain times. For example, we have walked from the office to Gelsons or nearby restaurants when loud noises have occurred... no reaction. Other times, Sophie barking in the office for example (fortunately rare) produces a mixed reaction. Watching movies or working on technology in the office... almost never produces a reaction. So, we've intervened in the following manner. 1) We explain that we understand noises can be bothersome, but ask that they react in a less extreme and obvious way; 2) We explain that we never want them to tolerate a noise, such as a passing siren, that is truly painful or bothersome. But, we suggest they cup their ears in a more casual manner, avoid hunching shoulders, not scream or shout in reaction, and just let the experience pass. 3) We have started reward their lessened/non-reactions with blue and hero tickets.
I'm pleased to say that all of the kids who display such sensitivity (about 4 in group) have shown improvements during our sessions. So, if you have observed your child engaging in this type of behavior, perhaps give one of these strategies a try and let me know how it works.
Back to CityWalk. After some shopping, we had lunch at a pizza place next to the movie theatres. Worked very smoothly. The part I enjoy seeing the most is when they just "hang out" looking like... teenagers, talking to each other.
Back to the tram, down the hill, a run for the bus (yes, I led all of them in the wrong direction... oops). Back to Woodley, back to the office, a little time on LUNCH Points playing video games, and... that ended a pretty full day.
Today was a community outing. We caught the 750 Express bus by walking down to Woodley to Universal, then hopped the tram up to CityWalk, arriving around 11:15am. All of your kids were given $15 to spend, with the caveat that they had to check purchases with the counselors. For many, the first purchase when they exited the bus was a bottle of water (drinking fountains are apparently unacceptable).
They are a really well-behaved group, so that allows us to focus on problem-solving, conversations with others, and quick decision-making. Some of the kids have a habit of saying "I need...." as though that is the same as making a request. Initially, we treated as though they did, in fact, make a request. But now we've upped the ante. When they make a request in that manner, we let them know "I need" tells us they have a problem, but doesn't solve it. They pretty quickly figure out that, to have their need met, they need to ask.... politely, wait for a response, make eye contact, make sure they didn't interrupt, etc. For a simple interaction, it produces quite a bit of positive behavior.
Another area we've been focusing on has to do with sensory reactions. I realize that some of your teens state that they are bothered by loud noises, many people are. But, after observing them carefully, I've come to the conclusion that all of them who make such complaints are highly specific in the kinds of noises they (over)react to. Hunching shoulders, hands flying up to their ears, grimaces, even screams, only seem to occur at certain times. For example, we have walked from the office to Gelsons or nearby restaurants when loud noises have occurred... no reaction. Other times, Sophie barking in the office for example (fortunately rare) produces a mixed reaction. Watching movies or working on technology in the office... almost never produces a reaction. So, we've intervened in the following manner. 1) We explain that we understand noises can be bothersome, but ask that they react in a less extreme and obvious way; 2) We explain that we never want them to tolerate a noise, such as a passing siren, that is truly painful or bothersome. But, we suggest they cup their ears in a more casual manner, avoid hunching shoulders, not scream or shout in reaction, and just let the experience pass. 3) We have started reward their lessened/non-reactions with blue and hero tickets.
I'm pleased to say that all of the kids who display such sensitivity (about 4 in group) have shown improvements during our sessions. So, if you have observed your child engaging in this type of behavior, perhaps give one of these strategies a try and let me know how it works.
Back to CityWalk. After some shopping, we had lunch at a pizza place next to the movie theatres. Worked very smoothly. The part I enjoy seeing the most is when they just "hang out" looking like... teenagers, talking to each other.
Back to the tram, down the hill, a run for the bus (yes, I led all of them in the wrong direction... oops). Back to Woodley, back to the office, a little time on LUNCH Points playing video games, and... that ended a pretty full day.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Summer Session 09 - 3
Today was laser tag! We started off in the office and worked just to talk a bit and review what would occur. The original plan had been to head off to laser tag in Sherman Oaks then have lunch at Hamburger Hamlet. As it turned out, they preferred In N' Out nearby, so we had one laser tag game, went to lunch, then returned for a second game. It all went extremely smoothly and they appeared to have good time. Going to laser tag represent a highly stimulating experience for some and can be a bit frightening for others. None of the kids had a significant challenge and no one seemed bothered by the noises, dark environment, or flashing lights.
Lunch went smoothly. Juggling orders for 14 teens would seem a challenge, but the group cooperated so well together that it went very smoothly. In the early sessions, I had the counselor interspersed with the kids. But now, they sit on the side or at the end and just "rabbit punch prompt" as needed. This form of prompting (my term for it) means they go over, facilitate the opportunity for a desired behavior to occur, then get out of the way. Same for reinforcement, which is typically social praise or in the form of a ticket (we just tell them and check it off on our clipboard when we're out of the office.)
The bus ride to and from went smoothly as well. Nearly all of the kids were socializing and, even though a couple had never ridden a public bus before and expressed some trepidation, no problems arose. The wait for the bus on the way back (came right away on the way there) was considerably, perhaps 20 minutes, and some of the teens showed more signs of impatience, which addressed with them. Upon returning to the office, there was just enough time for them to get water and head out for the pickup.
Definitely a busy, hectic, fun day!
Bruce
Lunch went smoothly. Juggling orders for 14 teens would seem a challenge, but the group cooperated so well together that it went very smoothly. In the early sessions, I had the counselor interspersed with the kids. But now, they sit on the side or at the end and just "rabbit punch prompt" as needed. This form of prompting (my term for it) means they go over, facilitate the opportunity for a desired behavior to occur, then get out of the way. Same for reinforcement, which is typically social praise or in the form of a ticket (we just tell them and check it off on our clipboard when we're out of the office.)
The bus ride to and from went smoothly as well. Nearly all of the kids were socializing and, even though a couple had never ridden a public bus before and expressed some trepidation, no problems arose. The wait for the bus on the way back (came right away on the way there) was considerably, perhaps 20 minutes, and some of the teens showed more signs of impatience, which addressed with them. Upon returning to the office, there was just enough time for them to get water and head out for the pickup.
Definitely a busy, hectic, fun day!
Bruce
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Summer Session 09 - 2
The teens are incredibly well behaved, for the most part, and this is allowing us to target a number of behaviors more successfully, mostly having to do with executive functioning and communciation. Typically Positive Practice is the method we use. This is where we have them "back up the the tape" of what they just did and demonstrate the behavior in a more positive way. We also make use of both the "blue tickets" and "hero tickets." Blue tickets are given whenever a child exhibits a positive behavior that we want to see occur more often. Hero tickets are given for behaviors that require more motivation and effort.
As for group today, it was certainly a bit hectic, but there was quite a bit going on. We started off by shopping at Gelsons for frozen fruit to make our own smoothies (I purchased a high powered blender to do the job). Practically all of them them tried it and they generally gave it a "thumbs up" (frozen strawberries, mango, apple juice, and little orange sherbet). Lunch slightly delayed to coincide with the parent meeting from 1:15pm-2:15pm. The teens worked on first project, which came about when one of them seemingly asked a question, but proceeded to give unneeded advice without waiting for someone to answer his question. You can view the project (7/9/09) by clicking here.
During the parent meeting, we mostly covered what strategies parents need to employ to support the program and plan for generalization of gains. Major areas included: types of consequences used, an explanation of how to prompt and remind kids, use of social rather than tangible reinforcement, and avoiding any "promises for being good in group." We also reviewed the LUNCH Points program, which is our home/community behavior generalization system and this will go live over the weekend.
While the parents met, the teens were outside with four counselors (Rina provided backup) eating what they had purchased at Gelsons then came inside for more activities.
There will be a parent dinner for both groups next Tuesday and another parent meeting, just for the Teens' Group in two weeks. Consult the calendar. Teleconferences have not presently been scheduled, but if you wish to review how to use the web site or need assistance with other technology, email us and I will set one up.
Next Tuesday we'll be going for laser tag. Have a great weekend!
As for group today, it was certainly a bit hectic, but there was quite a bit going on. We started off by shopping at Gelsons for frozen fruit to make our own smoothies (I purchased a high powered blender to do the job). Practically all of them them tried it and they generally gave it a "thumbs up" (frozen strawberries, mango, apple juice, and little orange sherbet). Lunch slightly delayed to coincide with the parent meeting from 1:15pm-2:15pm. The teens worked on first project, which came about when one of them seemingly asked a question, but proceeded to give unneeded advice without waiting for someone to answer his question. You can view the project (7/9/09) by clicking here.
During the parent meeting, we mostly covered what strategies parents need to employ to support the program and plan for generalization of gains. Major areas included: types of consequences used, an explanation of how to prompt and remind kids, use of social rather than tangible reinforcement, and avoiding any "promises for being good in group." We also reviewed the LUNCH Points program, which is our home/community behavior generalization system and this will go live over the weekend.
While the parents met, the teens were outside with four counselors (Rina provided backup) eating what they had purchased at Gelsons then came inside for more activities.
There will be a parent dinner for both groups next Tuesday and another parent meeting, just for the Teens' Group in two weeks. Consult the calendar. Teleconferences have not presently been scheduled, but if you wish to review how to use the web site or need assistance with other technology, email us and I will set one up.
Next Tuesday we'll be going for laser tag. Have a great weekend!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Summer Session 09 - 1
Hi Parents,
The Teen Group started off extremely smoothly. Your kids, both new and returning, acted as though they knew exactly what to do. We started off the session by explaining how the program works, letting our Alumni members do much of the explaining. They progressed to choosing nicknames and discussing what they wanted to earn. We talked about where we would each, and the group decided upon Chinese for today, so it was off to Uncle Chen's around 11:45am. It was impressive to see many kids, who had never met one another prior to today, engaging in conversations.
Upon returning from lunch, we talked about the kinds of "big" projects we might do and they each identified behaviors they wanted to change. I am constantly amazed how your children can present one way during the interview (sometimes more inhibited, even oppositional) and yet, when they spend extended time around their peers, slowly more spontaneous social and conversational behaviors emerge.
The day ended uneventfully (that's a good thing!) and every seemed to enjoy themselves.
The Teen Group started off extremely smoothly. Your kids, both new and returning, acted as though they knew exactly what to do. We started off the session by explaining how the program works, letting our Alumni members do much of the explaining. They progressed to choosing nicknames and discussing what they wanted to earn. We talked about where we would each, and the group decided upon Chinese for today, so it was off to Uncle Chen's around 11:45am. It was impressive to see many kids, who had never met one another prior to today, engaging in conversations.
Upon returning from lunch, we talked about the kinds of "big" projects we might do and they each identified behaviors they wanted to change. I am constantly amazed how your children can present one way during the interview (sometimes more inhibited, even oppositional) and yet, when they spend extended time around their peers, slowly more spontaneous social and conversational behaviors emerge.
The day ended uneventfully (that's a good thing!) and every seemed to enjoy themselves.
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