If you are experiencing mealtime struggles with your child, you are not alone - in fact 2/3 to 1/2 of all parents report at least 1 mealtime problem behavior that they experience with their child.  Feeding your child can be stressful; after all, it's one of a parent's primary responsibilities to ensure that their child gets enough of the right nutrition to grow and thrive.  When a child can not or will not EAT, it can become beyond frustrating.  

•    is being tube fed

•    exhibits extreme rigidity around food preferences

•    gags, vomits or chokes when eating

•    demonstrates a difficult time when transitioning from breast/bottle milk to solid foods or from purees to chewable foods

•    limited diet (eats the same foods all the time or food of the same color, texture)

•    is demonstrating weight loss or difficulty gaining weight

•    refuses to eat

•    eats solids but refuses to drink fluids

http://www.gofundme.com/online-fundraising/

GoFundMe is a do-it-yourself online fundraising service that has helped thousands of people raise millions of dollars in online donations for the fundraising ideas that matter to them most. GoFundMe allows regular people to accomplish extraordinary things with easy-to-use personal donation websites.

*Many NAPA families have used GoFundMe or similar websites to raise money for therapies, equipment, or other costly expenses that are not covered by insurance companies.

Be organized - Track your auction items, set up systems for bid-sheets, thank you letters, and be firm with deadlines.

Seek out new donors - Contributions will need to be made prior to promoting the event by your family, friends, neighbors, or anybody interested in helping your cause.

Promote the event - The best way to get people to attend events is to promote it through your networks - church, school, clubs, family, friends, Facebook, etc.

Be creative - Offer the usual fare (like restaurant gift cards), but also seek out special, one of a kind items to generate excitement.

Find sponsors - Ticket sales and auction proceeds aren’t the only ways to raise money from this type of event.  Seek out sponsors who will write a check in return for marketing consideration, free tickets, etc.

Accept credit cards - You will sell more items, at higher bid levels, if you accept cash, checks, and credit cards at checkout.

You need more staff than you realize - Have a lot of volunteers or staff available to answer questions, process checkouts, and tidy up the auction items on a regular basis.

Have fun! - Silent auctions needn’t be strictly formal events. Make this a fun time for your guests (think: good food, open bar, a band) and they will want to attend the event year after year.

Volunteers - Ask friends, families, and even your neighbors to volunteer their time and items to your cause.  Have them ask t nds and family as well. 

Location - Choose a high traffic location such as a grocery store, department store, mall, event, community hall, town square, etc. 

Pricing - Do not set your prices too low(you're trying to raise funds after-all) and accept credit cards if possible.  There are many apps you can download on your smartphone so you don't miss out on those without cash.

Advertising - Create flyers to put in the immediate area where you'll be holding the bake sale, create a mass e-mail to send out a couple times leading to the event, radio, etc.

Generate a Buzz - Create flyers, signs, etc. and advertise locally. Solicit local restaurants and businesses to participate in the cooking or to sponsor a cook.

How to Collect Funds - You can collect a flat rate or donation amount at the door, or have a donation container paired with each chili as a way to vote for each contestant.

Contestants and Judges - Ask friends, family, or anybody in your community to participate in the contest.  You could also solicit local restaurants and ask the chefs to be your "celebrity cooks" or judges.

Prizes and Categories - Create different categories, such as Spiciest Chili, Judges' Favorite, Crowd Favorite and "Best Chili in Town." Ask local businesses to donate gift cards or prizes from their businesses or reward your winners with special chili trophies/plaques.

Supplies - According to FundraiserInsight.org, you should supply plenty of refreshments, common chili accompaniments like cornbread, hot sauce, shredded cheese and lots of napkins, bowls, spoons, etc.


Either charge a set admission price or recommended donation for the event.  Rent Karaoke equipment from a local DJ which should include a library of songs and you can either set it up as a competition or just a free for all!

Ask local restaurant/bar owners to donate a percentage of an evening's dinner checks to your cause. If they agree, it's now your job to get as many patrons as possible to visit the restaurant on the fundraising evening.

You will need to sell tickets to the raffle, combine the money and award 50% of the combined money to the person who holds the winning ticket and 50% of the money to your cause.  These are good to host at large meetings or events.

Ask for friends and family to volunteer their time and or supplies for the car wash.  Hold it in a high traffic area with signs directing people to the car wash.  Charge a set amount or recommended donation.  Don't forget to advertise your cause!

Ask for donations items from your friends, family, church, or any group your involved in.  Once you receive all your donations choose a date and location (consider the weather) to hold the yard sale.  Advertise via social networks, flyers, mass e-mail, etc.




It is important when a child is learning the basics of conversation, to encourage building the skill of turn-taking. Turn-taking develops early, in both infants and toddlers. During common interactions, one can use this opportunity to build this basic skill, and begin to watch your child effectively communicate with you. 

Great toys for Turn Taking

Slow learning and poor behavior can sometimes be explained by inadequate sensory integration (SI) within the child’s brain. For most kids, appropriate integration of the senses happens naturally through ordinary everyday experiences. Though no one knows what exactly causes sensory processing disorders, with an understanding of SI you may see a new way of looking at some of your child’s behaviors and realize that SI dysfunction can occur with the finest of parenting and upbringing.

*Remember that not all signs and symptoms are seen in any one child, and some are present in children who do not have SI dysfunction.

If your child also has a fear of swinging, avoids escalators and elevators and becomes fearful with any change in head position, such as when being tilted backwards or upside-down during roughhousing, then he or she may be gravitationally insecure. Our relationship to gravity is our most important sense of security, and is linked to our vestibular system. These particular observable behaviors are manifestations of a hyperresponsive vestibular system, which means your child’s gravity receptors are extra sensitive. A child with gravitational insecurity processes the pull of gravity as threatening, so everyday movement experiences, such as stepping down from a curb or getting into and out of a car can be scary. Your child becomes very anxious with these activities because he or she perceives small movements to be larger than they actually are. It is important to respect to your child’s reactions in various situations, and not treat them as an emotional or behavioral problem, as this will likely just make things worse. See tips from #2 about what you can do to foster a healthy vestibular system, in general, and see below for ways to help your child who displays gravitational insecurity.

Tips for home:Try a swing that allows your child’s feet to touch the ground, or hold him or her in your lap on a swing so they feel more secure during motion. Try distracting them with play and imagination during challenging activities. Sometimes adding weight, like a weighted backpack, helps a child feel more secure. Allow increased time for new ‘scary’ activities, and help your child gradually engage activities he/she sees as threatening. 

We all know that kids fall down. Bumps, bruises, and scratches are part of childhood as kids explore their environment, trying new things and learning new skills along the way. However, clumsiness may be a one of the many possible signs of an underreactive vestibular system. Some other signs include low tone, poor posture (slouching), and difficulty using two hands at once for activities such as riding a bike, using scissors, or tying their shoes. You may have also noticed that it seems like your kid can spin and spin without feeling dizzy. The vestibular system is thought to be the primary organizer of sensory information. With a system that acts as it should, the constant pull of gravity generates a constant sensory flow in which all other sensory inputs are superimposed upon. This system is in charge of reacting to every change in head position, and is interdependent on other sensory systems to give us an idea of where our body is in relation to space. While problems with vestibular processing can be very subtle, they can have a large negative impact on learning. Your child might be very smart, yet still has difficulty with schoolwork. The reason your child experiences difficulties with writing or other academic learning is because higher-level brain functions rely on the proper processing from movement and gravity. Luckily, there are activities you can do at home to facilitate a vestibular system that develops and functions appropriately. To help your child master the basics, start with the sensorimotor abilities listed below!

Tips for home:Encourage movement experiences, ideally child-propelled ones such as swinging, sliding, and jumping. Try having your child do some activities like reading or playing a game while lying on stomach propped up on elbows. Encourage balance activities like skating and bike riding, and include “bilateral” activities such as jumping rope, playing a musical instrument, swimming, sewing etc.

Your child may be experiencing a decreased ability to modulate sensations coming in from the environment. Tactile sensations come in as sensations derived from stimulation to the skin. For some kids, an unexpected light touch can elicit a flight-or-flight reaction. When this happens, we call it tactile defensiveness. While most kids would not consider, for example, the tag of their shirt to be irritating or painful, this touch can actually be perceived as a very real threat to your child’s nervous system. Other things you may have observed in your child is an avoidance of going barefoot, getting their hands or hair washed, and shrugging off hugs and kisses. He or she may even be having trouble playing with other children due to their overly sensitive tactile system.  Luckily, there are simple things you can do at home to help your child process incoming tactile sensations more appropriately. Interestingly, deep pressure is the type of enhanced tactile sensation most commonly recommended for decreasing tactile defensiveness. So for example, if your child hates having his hair cut or washed, try giving a deep pressure scalp massage beforehand. This type of pressure touch is less threatening than a light touch and should have a modulating effect that will last through cutting or washing.  The most important thing you can do is acknowledge that your child’s problem is real and not just ‘poor behavior.’

Tips for home:Digging for objects buried in a bin filled with dried beans, exploring with different textures such as shaving cream or finger paint, ‘sandwich’ your child between cushions, ‘heavy work’ activities such as carrying grocery or laundry bags and push/pull games. Avoid irritating fabrics and light ‘ticklish’ touch until problem is alleviated.

While it’s very possible that your child may have ‘selective hearing’ at times, it’s also possible that some of this behavior you’re seeing is due to problems with auditory processing. This often manifests as problems following directions, confusion in noisy places, sensitivity to loud sounds, a short-attention span, and a delay in responding when spoken to. You may have noticed that your child ‘tunes out’ during group or social activities and easily becomes overwhelmed or distracted by laughter, crowds, or cheers.

It has been found that the auditory system and vestibular system are closely linked, thus many children with speech and language problems often show signs of inefficient vestibular processing. The best way to help your child with auditory processing difficulties is to build the sensorimotor foundations needed so this process to develop optimally. By fostering your child’s lower level processes so they can become more efficient, you will aid the development of higher-level cognitive functions, like speech and language. Follow tips from #2 to foster a well modulated vestibular system, and see below for tips help your child better process auditory information.

Tips for home:Make sure you look right at your child when speaking to him or her, ask them to repeat back to you what was just said, reduce background and other competing noise, try to ‘trick’ your child with purposeful inconsistencies in your speech to hone their active listening skills (for ex. did you just see that pink dog?)

A great resource for parents:

        

 Ayres, A.J. (2005). Sensory integration and the child: Understanding hidden sensory challenges. Los Angeles, CA: Western Psychological Services.

Building Eye Contact (early form of communication)

      1) Decrease or eliminate noise (television, people talking, radio etc.)

2) Decrease visual possible visual distractions (any object they continue to Look at over you)

3) Sit face to face at eye level, or have child higher (high chair, booster)

4) Hold an object near face to draw the child’s focus towards your face (without verbalizing)

5) Tap child’s check, noise, or lips, then tap yours. When child looks at you, very excitedly say “good looking’!!!

6) As you notice the child increasing eye contact, you can introduce “look at me”, or “look at this” and reward him/her for doing so. 

At Napa Center, we know how much our kids love iPads and iPhones. We want to highlight special applications that we personally find valuable and fun for your loved one! Today’s highlight is the “Balloonimals” App for the iPad & iPhone.

Balloonimals is an interactive 3D application that will keep your kids interest, in addition to building language.

This Application is great for Speech Language development!

Why we love it? 

The application allows kids to interact with the ipad and make different shapes using a 3D balloon that turns into common and uncommon animals.

Why this is great? 

You can teach colors (different balloon colors each time) naming (what is that called?) and simple ‘where” questions (point to the Crab for example) or other more developed ‘where” questions (where does that animal live?)  The application will eventually put the animal in their natural environment after interactive play.

Kids love it!!

Suggested ideas? 

Parents pair up the sounds of the animals for more language learning fun!

For applications specially designed for Speech Therapy, contact Cynthia at cynthia@napacenter.org 

1) The early recognition of the motor developmental abnormality. 

  (cuevasmedek.com)