Parent eNewsletter

Ask the Expert:

Food Exploration

"With Thanksgiving and other holidays coming up, and most of them centered in some way or other around food, how can I get my child on the spectrum to be more receptive to trying new foods?"


Our Expert: Nancy Uttendorfer, MS, CCC-SLP, Head of our Communications/Speech Department


Eating a healthy, whole-foods diet has positive benefits across the lifespan. Many of our students on the autism spectrum have a lot of resistive behaviors around food. The reasons are many: fear, unfamiliarity, rigidity, limited exploratory oral play, as well as taste, texture, smell and other sensory and motor issues.


Through our I-EAT program (Increasing- Exploration, Acceptance, Tolerance), Center for Spectrum Services classrooms create safe and gentle ways for our students to increase their comfort levels around common everyday foods. We incorporate a variety of foods during simple and enjoyable activities to help our students explore the textures, smells, and ..[Click Here for the rest of this article.]

Holiday Gift

Card Drive

This time of year can be very challenging for some members of our school community. Our Family Service Department does its best to help support families of our students who are in need of some extra financial resources during the Holiday Season. 


For this reason, we invite families to make a contribution to our annual Gift Card Drive by sending in pre-purchased gift cards from local markets such as grocery stores, Walmart or Target, or other shops where food or gifts can be purchased. 


Every single dollar donated will go directly to one of our families that is in need for Thanksgiving and Christmas. If you have any questions, please contact Denise Hanlon in our Family Service Department at ext. 174.

School Nurse Message: Covid, Flu, and RSV

Dear Parents -

Our policies regarding illness in school continue as they have been for many years. Please keep you child home if they display symptoms (cough, fever, diarrhea, vomiting, nasal mucus that is not clear, as well as an overall sense that your child is not feeling “well”.).


Covid-19 and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) are very present in the community, and experts are warning the public that they are expecting this influenza season to be more widespread than in the past few years.


If your child has any of the above symptoms, please do not send them to school until they have improved. Under certain circumstances, we may request that you send a letter from the child’s doctor stating a date to return to school.


We may also request that you send a photo of your child’s negative Covid-19 test to your Family Service Coordinator. We will send Covid-19 tests home with your child, upon request.


Please assist us in keeping our school a heathy environment.

Rising Flu Cases,

and Earlier this Year

Health professionals are gearing up for a harsh flu season this year, as flu cases have arrived earlier than they have in a decade, according to the latest federal health data.


This correlates with predictions seen from the Southern Hemisphere, which often serve as a preview for the Northern Hemisphere’s flu season. 


For example, experts saw a severe influenza season in Australia during their 2002 winter (which is just ending), and we can expect the same.


Talk to your healthcare professional about getting vaccinations for your family against this year's flu.


~

Upcoming Parent Groups and Workshops

At Spectrum Services we believe that parents must be partners in their child’s educational program. For this reason we offer Parent Support and Parent Workshops free for any parent of a child with a developmental disability. Funding is provided through grants from the Office of People with Developmental Disabilities. Click on any of the workshop for details.


Developing Play Skills

Wed. 11/16  12:30pm – 2:00pm

In-person at Our Ellenville School or Remote

Play skills are an important foundation for all learning. When children learn how to play it increases attention, flexibility, problem solving and communication skills. In this workshop, participants will learn how to increase play skills with their child by engineering the environment. The presenters will discuss easy at home ways to connect with your child and increase their functional play skills. Presented by Elizabeth Forte, MS Ed, CAS, & Laura Nelson, LMSW.


Parent’s Discussion Group - Sibling Discussion Group

Wed. 11/16  6:30pm – 8:00pm

In-person at Our Kingston School or Remote

Our parent discussion group offers caregivers the chance to share parenting experiences, educational and management strategies, community resources, upcoming conferences and new research. We can also offer support to one another in an informal and comfortable setting. Our special sibling discussion group is for the brothers and sisters ages 5-12 and includes various fun activities designed to help children learn many new ways of playing and interacting with their sibling in a fun manner. Childcare is available for CSS students, alumni, and their siblings. Facilitated by Leah Siuta, Family Service Department Head, Home and Community Based Program Coordinator


Using Verbal Behavior (VB) Strategies at School Part 1

Tues.11/29 12:30 – 2:00 Remote only, or 6:30 – 8:00 In-person at Our Kingston School and Remote

At our school, we utilize a variety of strategies to teach and support the whole child. This workshop will focus on the Verbal Behavior (VB) methods that may be used with your child regardless of their verbal skills. We will have additional workshops on other strategies which are used to develop a program that is unique to each student. We encourage parents to become familiar with these strategies and attend both sessions so there can be greater consistency across settings. Presented by Denise Hanlon, LCSW and Leah Siuta, Family Service Department Head, Home and Community Based Program Coordinator


Using Verbal Behavior (VB) Strategies at Home Part 2

Tues. 12/6 12:30 – 2:00 Remote only, or 6:30 – 8:00 In-person at Our Kingston School and Remote

Many of these educational strategies used within the school environment can be easily be used within the home or community. We will look at teaching functional life skills by making small but important changes based on the way our children learn. How can we use the natural home environment to teach greater language skills, promote positive behavior, encourage social development, and nurture each child’s interests and motivation? You don’t need to sit with your child to do “formal instruction” but you can add meaningful teaching experiences into your home routine to promote these skills. Denise Hanlon, LCSW, and Leah Siuta, Family Service Department Head, Home and Community Based Program Coordinator

We are grateful for Spectrum Services Annual Sponsors, who support our students and families.
70 Kukuk Lane, Kingston NY 12401 - 4 Yankee Place, Ellenville, NY 12428