April 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.

COVID-19: Helpful Information and Tips for Special Needs Families
Resource: healthychildren.org - From the American Academy of Pediatrics

Now, more than ever, our families need support and guidance as they maneuver through this unprecedented time. We are always reaching out to other organizations and researching information that may be useful to better support our families. We came upon this helpful article entitled COVID-19: Information for Families of Children and Youth With Special Healthcare Needs and wanted to pass it along to you. We hope you'll find it useful in creating a more healthy and productive home environment for you and your family.
Once the Shelter-at-Home Directive Has Been Lifted, We Invite You to Register for One of Our Fun Social Skills Groups!

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 June through August now forming!

Check Out Our Monthly Parent Support Group

Like most of you, we are remaining optimistic the shelter-at-home directive will be lifted next month. We know this will be a welcome relief for all and we want to be here for you. We are certain many of you have been adjusting to juggling remote learning with all your other day-to-day responsibilities while quarantined at home. For this reason, we are pleased to offer a Parent Support Group 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 an Emotionally
Intelligent Child
by John Gottman, Ph.D. with Joan DeClaire

Based on 20 years of research at the University of Washington studying parent-child interactions, award-winning research psychologist John Gottman and his team have developed Emotion Coaching - a technique parents can use to teach their children self-awareness and self-control and to foster good emotional development. This proven technique has demonstrated a positive effect on children's physical health, academic achievement, and emotional well-being.    


This program also explores these subjects:  

  • Emotion Coaching: the key to raising emotionally intelligent kids 
  • How to assess your parenting style 
  • Key steps and strategies for Emotion Coaching 
  • The effects of marriage and divorce on your child's emotional health 
  • The crucial role of fathers in families  

Filled with practical and common-sense advice on how to become an Emotion Coaching parent, this is a how-to guide for parents interested in helping their children grow into "emotionally intelligent" people.
Kerry's Corner
Kerry Diener, CEO


Creating a New "Normal"
During COVID-19

When parenting, self care in normal times can be a big challenge, but now it's even more challenging for parents during this time of COVID-19. Taking care of yourself is not a luxury and parents should not feel guilty when trying to make time for themselves.

Sometimes it can be a small, simple thing that takes very little time and doesn’t have to take away from your other obligations throughout the day. During these times, it is important to continue connecting with others. I have been doing a lot of happy hours with my girlfriends over zoom, which has allowed for lots of laughter. There is plenty of research out there that supports how laughter can release endorphins. The Mayo Clinic has information on this that describes, "Laughter can a ctivate and relieve your stress response. A rollicking laugh fires up and then cools down your stress response, and it can increase and then decrease your heart rate and blood pressure. The result? A good, relaxed feeling. Soothe tension. Laughter can also stimulate circulation and aid muscle relaxation, both of which can help reduce some of the physical symptoms of stress.” READ MORE HERE

Continue to provide yourself and family with some amount of daily structure and routine, but don’t stress over it! I have been trying my best to continue homeschooling my kiddos, while also trying to see clients and run a business. For the first several days, I tried to do every last bit of my children’s school work with them, leaving me feeling like I was running ragged and the end result was quite a disaster. No one was happy and I was fighting with my children. I came to realize that we are not homeschooling at all! I’ve seen lots of terms online like “crisis schooling". That is exactly what we are doing! I’ve decided to give myself a little grace and we get done whatever work we can, and I don’t stress about it. I have told my children’s teachers we are doing our best, but not to expect all the work to get done. And it doesn’t. I’m okay with that.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, don’t be afraid to reach out and talk to someone. Seek out support. We can help on our team. Ask your child’s therapist for support. Call us. You aren't alone!


Let's Get to Know Our Team Members
Melissa Murray-Hobbs, M.A.
Early Childhood Developmental Interventionist

Melissa received her B.A. in Psychology from Wake Forest University and her Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Special Education from University of Northern Colorado. Her previous work experience has included working as a Early Childhood Special Educator and Child Find team member in Englewood. She has seen first hand the benefit of Early Intervention as young children transition from in-home services to preschool, and is very excited to work directly with families and children in this setting. She currently lives in NW Denver and loves to hike, go on road trips with friends, and binge-watch Netflix shows.
CHECK OUT THIS FUN HOME ACTIVITY!
Looking for a fun activity to do at home?

One of our therapists, Kasia Franczyk, discovered this great activity that allows your child to work on multiple skills at once.

Items you'll need:

  • 2-4 sticks of spaghetti
  • Medium-large size plate
  • Play-Doh®
  • Large handful of Cheerios®

Here's how it works:

  1. Insert the sticks of spaghetti into a mound of Play-Doh and place on the plate
  2. Sprinkle the Cheerios around the Play-Doh mound
  3. Have your child use the pincer grasp with his/her fingers and pick up a Cheerio and thread it onto the spaghetti and repeat this process

This fun activity allows the toddler to work on his/her fine motor skills and, as you interact with your child, it is also reinforcing language while playing, taking turns, following directions, counting, and more. Plus, another bonus to this activity is using Fruit Loops® or Fruity Cheerios, which can incorporate sorting and labeling colors! 

Try it out!

Please take a moment to send us your feedback!
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