March 2020
Denver Behavior Consultants was founded to provide children and families with the strategies needed to increase their success at home, school, and in the community.

20 Things Every Parent of Special Needs Children Should Hear
Resource: Abilities.com - A Resource for the Special Needs Community

Perhaps you have a newly-diagnosed child or you've been on this journey for a while? In either case, it always helps to know you aren't alone and that there is a whole community of parents and families going through similar experiences and challenges. This is a great article we found with some valuable and supportive information that may be beneficial to you. We encourage you to check it out!
Spring Into Action And Register For One Of Our Social Skills Groups Today!

Our Social Skills Groups are a fun way to learn about social dynamics using instruction, team activities, group discussion, games, role-play, and other fun activities. We have groups available in Castle Rock, Lone Tree and Parker.

All groups are run by a School Psychologist or Special Educator with a Master's Degree and 10 or more years of experience. We also use evidence-based practices and curriculums to ensure your child receives the greatest benefit.

Groups for March through August now forming!

Check Out Our Monthly Parent Support Group
We are pleased to also be offering Parent Support Groups at an affordable monthly rate of $15 per family. We know how important it is you get the support you need and, often times, its parents going through similar experiences and challenges that can offer the most support.
BOOK RECOMMENDATION
Raising Human Beings:
Creating a Collaborative Relationship
with Your Child
by Ross W. Greene

In  Raising Human Beings , the renowned child psychologist and  New York Times  best-selling author explains how to cultivate a better parent-child relationship while also nurturing empathy, honesty, resilience, and independence.
Parents have an important task: figure out who their child is - his or her skills, preferences, beliefs, values, personality traits, goals, and direction - get comfortable with it, and then help him or her pursue and live a life that is congruent with it. But parents also want to have influence. They want their kid to be independent, but not if he or she is going to make bad choices.

Dr. Ross Greene offers a detailed and practical guide for raising kids in a way that enhances relationships, improves communication, and helps kids learn how to resolve disagreements without conflict. Through his well-known model of solving problems collaboratively, parents can forgo time-out and sticker charts; stop badgering, berating, threatening, and punishing; allow their kids to feel heard and validated; and have influence. From homework to hygiene, curfews to screen time,  Raising Human Beings  arms parents with the tools they need to raise kids in ways that are non-punitive and non-adversarial and that brings out the best in both parent and child.
Kerry's Corner
Kerry Diener, CEO


Let's Get Personal

I, myself, have a newly-diagnosed child with ADHD. There’s a big misconception that it means your child can’t pay attention or is hyper. There are so many other issues that come into play. In fact, my son has great attention! He has more trouble focusing on certain things at certain times and filtering out the noise. He’s actually not really hyperactive at all, not in the way that many people assume ADHD should look like. There are differences in the way the brain is wired, including executive functioning skills that many people struggle with who have ADHD. For example, organization, problem-solving, and processing information.

Kids can experience aggression, excitability, fidgeting, being impulsive, irritability, lack of restraint, or persistent repetition of words or actions, as well as absent-mindedness, difficulty focusing, and forgetfulness. Other symptoms that often occur, but aren’t always common knowledge, include anger, anxiety, boredom, excitement, or mood swings. Also strongly correlated with ADHD are depression or learning disabilities.

Please contact us if you need help or have concerns about your child in these areas. We can help support you and your child with strategies to support him/her or point families in the right direction.

Let's Get to Know Our Team Members
Meredith O’Keeffe, M.A.
Lead Early Childhood Developmental Interventionist

Meredith is a native Texan who moved to Colorado in 2009. She lives in Castle Rock with her husband, son, and beagle named Louie. Meredith graduated from the University of North Texas with a Bachelor's degree in Development and Family Studies. She holds a Master's degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Colorado Denver, with a Colorado teaching license as an Early Childhood Special Education Specialist. Before joining Denver Behavior Consultants, Meredith worked as a Service Coordinator at Developmental Pathways and in Early Head Start at Clayton Early Learning. Meredith enjoys spending time with her family outside and enjoying our beautiful state!
IDEAS THAT MIGHT HELP!

Assistive Technology at Home:
Taking Away the Frustration of Exploring Books When Pages Stick Together
Resource: Illinois Early Intervention Clearinghouse - eiclearinghouse.org
To make board book pages easier to turn, use a hot glue gun to put a dot of glue at the bottom corner of each page. They will then be separated just enough to allow little fingers to turn them easier. For paper pages, try creating simple tabs of folded duct tape or masking tape on each page.
Testimonial Request
If you are a current family utilizing our services, we'd love to hear from you.

We'd appreciate it if you'd share your experiences with us so we may share it with prospective families and organizations. Thank you.

Denver Behavior Consultants LLC | DenverBehaviorConsultants.com