Author: Hgrant

LEGO Therapy Benefits For Kids With ASD

Written by Hgrant on January 3, 2020. Posted in Recreation and Fun.

Millions of kids have discovered the joys of LEGO^® products and will spend some time in the next few days erecting LEGO creations. It’s a universally beloved toy, simple in its most basic form and yet can be used to make massive, complex structures and dioramas. LEGO sets are a particularly useful tool and play item for kids on the autism spectrum. LEGO therapy benefits range from improved social skills, concentration and attention adjustments and even enriched motor skill function. Most therapy programs that work with children on the spectrum incorporate LEGO products into their curriculum. While parents and family members might be used to seeing LEGO products in the classroom and in therapy centers, not everyone knows why they are so beneficial. Lexington uses LEGO bricks in some of our programs and here are the reasons why pretty much everyone that works with kids on the spectrum uses these implements to help kids grow.

Social Skill Expansion

One of the many LEGO therapy benefits is an opportunity to grow socially. Depending on how the program is implemented, there is either opportunity for casual interaction through LEGO free-play or a designed approach in which each participant is given a role in the construction of a particular set. These roles are assumed and then traded while the construction happens, giving every participant a chance to try something new or to fill the role they prefer. Either way, LEGO bricks are simply a conduit to increase social interaction during floor time.

Creativity Explored

While there is a formulaic approach to the construction of standard LEGO sets, it’s not uncommon for architects of the LEGO structure to make their own creative changes or even to create their own structure purely from imagination. It’s an opportunity to explore and test the boundaries while remaining within the formulaic boundaries of brick on brick. This is another one of the LEGO therapy benefits of the little colored bricks. An environment is created in which boundaries can be tested safely.

Motor Skill Adjustment

The LEGO therapy benefits are multi-faceted, but their use in therapeutic interventions was first studied and implemented as a way to improve fine motor skills and hand strength while helping improve spatial, visual and analytical skills around 2003. The original model for LEGO therapy was implemented as a social skills program with added motor adjustments. Now the program uses many of the base ideas from its original implementation, but there are many books and many different approaches with the aim of helping kids see the benefits from LEGO therapy. As kids attach block to block and arrange different sized pieces into structures and vehicles, they don’t realize that they are expanding their motor skills more and more with each block placed. Many of the best therapeutic interventions happen without a strenuous impact or even the member being aware that this play time is actually impacting their skills.

Goal Oriented Tasks

One of the LEGO therapy benefits that’s immediately obvious is the implementation of goal oriented tasks into play-based learning. While there are many ways to use LEGO pieces for therapy, the traditional method involves the assignment of 4 roles to each participant in order to complete a LEGO task.

An Engineer, who reads and dictates the instructions
A Supplier, who collects the various bricks needed from different piles
A Builder, who listens to the instructions and uses the supplies to build the model.

Finally, a role should be assigned to the adult or guardian implementing this therapy.

A Foreman, who make sure that everyone is working as a team

Each participant takes a turn in each role, so everyone has a chance to try different things. Each role also has a task-oriented goal that supports the overall goal to complete the project. The breakdown of the project into individual roles helps kids to develop goals in a social and task-based setting.

Overall, a simple collection of blocks can become something amazing with a little dedication, but it’s truly fascinating to see how these simple tasks can help kids grow and develop. Lexington members come into contact with LEGO pieces in varying capacities, but they’re always a tool that we can use to help our members grow. Would you like to know more? Send an email to info@lexingtonservi.wpengine.com and let us show you the LEGO therapy benefits.

Setting Goals For The New Year With The Right Mindset

Written by Hgrant on December 27, 2019. Posted in Educational.

Every year, millions of people begin setting goals for their New Year’s resolutions right after the Christmas holiday. Parents and guardians of people with special needs are often harder on themselves than necessary at this time of introspection, both in evaluating what they accomplished and helped their loved ones accomplish in the previous year and what they must accomplish in the next year. Even if no one is pressuring you, you want to provide the best life possible for them and you want your loved ones to achieve their goals as well. This year, when you’re setting goals for yourself and your family, it’s time to flip the mindset and start making meaningful goals without discrediting the progress you have already made. Lexington Services wants to see you set and meet goals with a sense of positivity. Here is what you are going to do different in the new year.

Don’t Focus On Autism

One of the most limiting things that anyone can do is focus on their limitations, instead of their potential. Author Anita Lesko, who wrote Temple Grandin: The Stories I Tell My Friends, did not find out for many years that she was living with autism. When setting her goals, she built her path on the things that she wanted to accomplish and didn’t let the limitations she had always lived with keep her from a Nurse Anesthetist, Military Journalist and Pilot. If any person that has had success focused only on their limitations, they would not have gone very far. When you are setting goals for yourself or you are encouraging your loved ones to set goals for themselves, don’t focus on autism and don’t focus on limitations. Instead, focus on possibility.

Focus Directly On Things To Change

If you are setting goals for the New Year, nothing can be more detrimental to your confidence or easily left behind as a goal than a vague promise. That’s not to say that a goal to “be happy” or “spend more time with family” isn’t a valid resolution. These are perfectly good goals. However, the more direct and incremental you get with your goals, the more likely you are to succeed in making changes. For example, a person is more likely to lose weight if they set a goal to lose 25 pounds by a certain date than if they just say “I’m going to lose weight.” Set your focus directly at what to change and what you can do in a certain time frame when setting your goals.

Take Complex Goals In Steps

Part of the reason people get discouraged after setting goals for their new year is the need to accomplish too much too quickly. People try to take on too large of a chunk and they end up getting burnt out. The key to accomplishing all your goals for next year is to take them in pieces. Break each goal down into the steps you need to finish to accomplish one part of your overall goals and focus on those smaller parts. Before you know it, you will have accomplished your goals entirely.

Cultivate Interests

Whether you are helping a loved one with autism or setting your own goals, interests are key to success. You can set personal goals to meet more people in the community or help your child set a goal to improve motor function, but these goals have no path toward achieving that goal. Specifically for people with autism, the best way to help people with special needs is to fold their interests into the path that helps you achieve that goal. For parents and caregivers, you are more likely to accomplish everything you set out to do if you can find some enjoyment while doing it.

At Lexington Services, we’re pretty familiar with setting goals and sticking to them. From the beginning we have accomplished the goals we set, but we have so many more goals we want to accomplish over the next 5 years. We’re also experts at helping people accomplish their own goals. Want to make your plans for the New Year? Let’s make a plan together. Call 480-900-1009 now or send an email to info@lexingtonservi.wpengine.com.

Dealing With Ignorance and Rude Comments

Written by Hgrant on December 20, 2019. Posted in Educational.

People can be mean. That comes as no surprise to people with special needs and their families. Often times people don’t even realize that they are being offensive, but there are many preconceived notions about people with disabilities that people still hold on to. These ideals lead them to saying rude comments or spouting ignorance, whether that’s intentional or unintentional. Having to deal with that far too often can be frustrating for anyone living with a disability and their families. Sometimes you can be so frustrated that you just don’t know what to do. At Lexington Services, we have developed a five part strategy to deal with ignorance and rude comments. Take a deep breath, read these strategies and get back to your day.

Take a Breath and Remain Calm

This is just good in any situation where someone has uttered rude comments, but especially when it’s done out of ignorance. In this situation, your emotions are fueled by a long history of misunderstanding and seclusion. It can be too easy to make an irrational and possibly hurtful response if you don’t try to retain control of your emotions. Taking a deep breath or two will allow you to center your response before you make your own rude comments.

Ignore the Comments Entirely

One of the easiest ways to deal with rude comments is to entirely ignore them. The most ignorant people will likely remain ignorant no matter what you say or do. Is it worth the time to let their negativity bring you and your loved ones down? Someone else’s opinion does not define you or your family. If people are being ignorant and spouting rude comments, it’s better to walk away and ignore them.

Allow Humor To Diffuse The Situation

Humor is a great deterrent for ignorance, but you have to be careful when using humor to defuse rude comments. If you’re upset, humorous quips could come across as snarky. Furthermore, with the wrong audience, a humorous statement with a little bit of bite could come across as offensive. Humor is a lighthearted way to brush off comments about you or your child though.

Respond With Short Answers

You don’t owe anyone a response when they say rude things or even when they offer unsolicited advice about how to parent or what they believe might work. The quickest way to shut down these types of conversations is with short sentences that are not open ended. Short answers also tend to be less conversational, stopping people in their tracks.

Use This Moment To Inform or Teach

The reality is that most ignorant or rude comments come from a place of misinformation. Sometimes, when people are rude to you or they offer misguided advice, they simply just don’t understand. When it comes to autism and other cognitive disabilities, there is a lot of misinformation out in the world. It’s not your job to change people, but the only way we can change public perception is to stop the spread of misinformation with facts.

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Nothing about dealing with rude comments is pleasant, but it’s unfortunately a part of life with special needs or with a person that has special needs. Sometimes these types of interactions can be isolating. The best thing to do when you feel alone is to seek a community. We’re here for you at Lexington Services. Reach out with your concerns, your frustrations or your questions and we’ll be there for you. Send us an email at info@lexingtonservi.wpengine.com.

A Guide For Enjoying The Winter Holidays At Home

Written by Hgrant on December 13, 2019. Posted in Recreation and Fun.

It’s the holiday season and lots of companies are trying to prepare parents and families of kids with special needs for the madness of the winter holidays. There are plenty of travel guides and holiday event guides, but there are also struggles that can happen right in your home. The decorations are new, the cooking schedule might be different, there may be people in and out of the house. Overall, the experience is way off of the original routine. The winter holidays do not have to be more stressful than fun for your entire family with the right preparation. Here is Lexington’s guide for enjoying the Winter Holidays at home.

Gradual Decoration

Decorating for the winter holidays is a huge part of the season. It puts everyone in the mood for the holidays and it’s a tradition that brings people together. However, decorating and a changing environment could prove to be stressful for kids with autism. In order to make sure that everyone adjusts and they’re happy with the decorations, try decorating slowly over the course of a few months. Instead of one big weekend push, start putting up a few decorations after Halloween and add a few more once everyone has adjusted to their presence.

Lighting

Lighting can cause sensory overload for kids with autism, but the winter holidays are all associated with an abundance of lights. Lights cover the trees and homes and we even celebrate with parades of lights. For parents of kids with autism, this dilemma can easily be overcome with a little bit of change in tradition. Lots of lights blink or twinkle quickly, but there are strings of lights for purchase that have no blinking factor, some that are a little more dim, or even some that might have a mesmerizing slow pulsing change in brightness. Just keep in mind how much lighting affects young ones with autism and you want them to have fun too.

In-Home Santa

Many families choose to include old St. Nick as a key figure in their winter holidays and nothing is more exciting for a kid than writing a letter to Santa. However, all the lines at the malls and all the sound can be pretty stressful, along with the prospect of sitting alone on a strangers lap. Instead, lost of parents have taken to the in-home Santa experience. Not only does it give the opportunity for Santa to be a trusted figure in the child’s life, but there is no pressure or expectations for the experience.

Large Advent Calendar

Kids with autism benefit highly from visual aids, so it’s always one of the first things we suggest at Lexington. Advent calendars with little rewards or interesting pieces of stories are very popular around the winter holidays. You can make the season easier to tolerate with an exciting daily reward as part of a visual aid that counts down the season. Make your own with felt or paper or find one in a local Holiday shop. You can also switch out Chocolates and holiday candy for snacks that are good for the complex diets of young people with autism.

Visitor Game Plan

If you’re going to have visitors during the winter holidays, you need to prepare your family for the added stress of visitors coming. We all love to have family and friends over, but there is added cleaning stress, less room in the house and for people with kids that have special needs, an added misunderstanding factor from both the child and the visitors. In order to manage that, make a game plan with your kids before visitors show up. Make a photo album or look at photos online so kids get familiar with faces. Explain exactly how the holiday season will work with more people in the house. Finally, don’t overload on expectations. Create a space, whether that’s a corner or a whole room in the house, where your child is allowed to go to manage sensory overload and prepare to let other visitors know about this calming space so they won’t contribute to overload.

Set Up Visiting Family For Success

Visitors coming into your home need to understand that space as a calming environment for your child and they need to understand how they can fit into that successfully. Family and friends that are willing to work with your plan for successful winter holidays will take their time to help you manage all the moving parts. Others that are unwilling to understand might not deserve the invitation. Remember that it’s okay to say “no” or rescind an invitation in order to keep the peace for the rest of the family. Many people do not understand autism, even members of our own families, attributing behavior to poor parenting or bad manners. These people will only drag your holidays down.

Make New Traditions

The winter holidays are steeped in traditions that are difficult for people to separate from, but when you live with someone with autism, you have to make certain adjustments. Rather than looking at the changes you need to make as a loss of older traditions, look at every moment as a chance to make new traditions. Does your family member dislike anything but chicken nuggets? Perhaps you can christen the nuggets with a story or give them significance. Are you restricted to music that’s not traditional holiday music? We have heard all those songs before. Look at change as an opportunity to refresh your traditions and you will have more fun.

No matter what you decide to do for your winter holidays, remember that there are resources out there you can seek and there are partners that you can trust. Lexington Services can answer any questions you might have or give you some other tips on how to manage the chaos during these holidays. Call Lexington Services now at 480-900-1009 or send an email to info@lexingtonservi.wpengine.com.

Understanding and Overcoming Eye Contact Anxiety

Written by Hgrant on December 6, 2019. Posted in Educational.

Difficulty with eye contact is one of the main struggles for people with autism and one of the first indications that parents and guardians usually have that indicates that a child might be on the spectrum. Eye contact anxiety amongst people with autism usually happens for a number of different reasons, but it’s commonly because of sensory overload they might feel while in social situation that requires eye contact, especially if that contact is forced. Yet many schools practice techniques that endeavor to improve eye contact and many parents want to help their child improve crucial independence skills, including eye contact. At the same time, many experts believe that forcing eye contact actually increases anxiety for people with ASD and that new understandings of neurodiversity indicate that we need to change the way we train staff and personnel rather than the individuals they provide for. There are experts on both sides that reinforce one brand of thinking or another. This mixed message can get confusing for anyone involved, but the focus should not be on right or wrong, but on what people with ASD say about the cause of eye contact anxiety and how to best manage what they need so they can improve their quality of life. In order to give strategies to manage eye contact concerns, we have to first understand them.

Understanding The Anxiety

People often speculate what is the cause for eye contact anxiety and avoidant behavior among people with ASD. Psychologists working with people with autism have often attributed the avoidance to social misunderstanding. Others contend that there is a sensory, neurological reason that people with autism tend to struggle with eye contact. Researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital revisited old research about the region of the brain called the subcortical system, a part of the brain responsible for the carrying of visual information to other parts that regulate emotion. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), researchers required subjects to watch clips of different emotional responses on people’s faces with a red cross between the eyes for focus. Among children and adults with ASD, the subcortical system was highly active when they were compelled to focus on the eye region. Researchers believe that the lack of eye contact from people with autism is not due to a lack of interpersonal interest or a dismissal of concern. Instead, this behavior is a way to decrease an undesirable overstimulation in a certain part of the brain. Therefore eye contact anxiety is a justified response to an overstimulation of parts of the brain.

This research may be news to some, while acting as validation for many people with ASD that have insisted for some time that eye contact anxiety stems from the inner sensory overload. However, we know that in order to live independently in a society that is not mindful of neuro-diversity, a lack of eye contact can be seen as anything from rude to downright criminal. Eye contact anxiety is unaccounted for by teachers and administrators in public schools, who employ attention strategies to maintain order in their classrooms that start with a “look at me” command. When someone with autism has eye contact anxiety, some teachers see this as a challenge to authority. This might carry disciplinary consequences for people that are already struggling with eye contact anxiety, leading to even more struggles with the inner sensory overload. This can be compounded during interactions with law enforcement, who might see a lack of eye contact or dismissive glances as suspicious behavior. These two scenarios alone indicate that even if the public understanding of neurodiversity is changing, it’s still important to help people overcome their eye contact anxiety.

Overcoming the Anxiety

While eye contact anxiety is not something that can be banished permanently, there are ways to learn to overcome it or at least cope with it in stimulating social situations. Parents, guardians and mentors that help people learn these strategies should remember that speedy training and expectation of results sooner could lead to more eye contact anxiety. Slow introduction and continued habituation is the most successful way to help people overcome fears without getting stressed. Learning this skill also becomes more complex for adults with eye contact anxiety, but it’s not impossible to learn. Here are strategies that you can try:

Eye Contact For Children

Kids are more likely to make eye contact if you are entertaining and fun. This encourages them to look at you.
Reinforce eye contact with things a child wants. Try holding whatever goodies they are asking near your eye line, but closer to the center of your face or even your mouth. Encourage at least sight line understanding this way.
Get on the same level as your child. Do not expect them to look up to you as they attempt to make eye contact.
Prompt your child to make eye contact when they hear their name using the same reward system. At first do it right in front of them, but then you can try leaving the room, calling their name and when they come to make eye contact, you can reward them.
Finally once, they are used to making eye contact for things they want and making eye contact once they have heard their name, you can call their name and reward eye contact as you give instruction.

Eye Contact For Adults

Start by reducing eye contact anxiety triggers. Practice at home by making eye contact with TV characters, Youtube hosts and other media figures. Then you can graduate to Facetime or video chats. Finally, start practicing with a trusted friend in a face to face environment.
As you begin to interact, make eye contact before you start talking to someone.
Try to maintain eye contact for 50 percent of the time when you speak and 70 percent of the time when listening.
Try to hold eye contact for a few seconds at a time, long enough to notice their eye color.
When looking away, do it slowly and don’t look down, as these might be seen as signs of nervousness. Try breaking eye contact with a nod or gesture.
Finally, if you struggle making eye contact, you can look at a different spot on their face such as their forehead, nose, mouth and chin.

Improving Eye Contact Through Community

One of the best ways to overcome being grappled by eye contact anxiety is to forge a partnership with sympathetic community. You want to find someone that isn’t about authoritative correction and opt for a community that is patient with your journey or the journey of your loved one. At Lexington, we understand the importance of eye contact in social situations but we are also very mindful of our members that struggle with eye contact anxiety. Our programs are designed to help our members reach their goals and experience the quality of their lives. We want to help you overcome eye contact anxiety. Give Lexington Services a call today at 480-900-1009 or send an email to info@lexingtonservi.wpengine.com!

How To Watch Out For Disability Scammers

Written by Hgrant on November 22, 2019. Posted in Educational.

It’s just about time for giving season which means it’s also time for scammers to start coming out and taking advantage of people. People with disabilities are often victims of these scams or they are exploited by people looking to make a dollar off of people’s good nature. Some disability scammers are obvious, while many have found ways to make their operations legitimate. Others operate completely below the radar, scamming and stealing without notice until payments are suddenly not making it to their respective destinations. It takes vigilance to avoid scammers, but with the right knowledge, you can spot or avoid them and protect our community members who are easier to take advantage of or exploit. At Lexington Services, we want you to be prepared Here are some strategies to spot disability scammers and stop them in their tracks.

Don’t Trust Fake Government Phone Calls

One of the most common scams now is for people to call, assuming the identity of a government official or organization. They often try to exploit your information through fear, making you believe that something is wrong with your social security benefits or that your disability payments have been halted due to a mistake on your end. They will sometimes even threaten you with police intervention, which can be particularly stressful. These scams are cruel because they play off of the trust in government organizations from the disability community or else they take advantage of the fear of losing benefits. When it comes to any disability scammers calling from government entities, keep in mind:

The Social Security Administration (SSA) will never call you in regards to payments owed or changes in your social security payments, except in rare cases where you have already been in contact with the SSA.
SSA employees will never ask for your social security number. Any pressure to provide this information is likely a scam.
Disability scammers will attempt to get your financial information over the phone or email, sometimes promising a payment or refund, but this is not standard practice and you should not provide this information over the phone.

In addition, you should check your disability benefits consistently to make sure that there has not been a change. If there is, it’s possible that your information has been compromised. You need to report that immediately to the SSA Fraud Hotline or the Federal Trade Commission.

Watch Out For “Assistance With Applications”

People will often try to get your information before you even have the ability to apply for disability services or social security benefits. Some will go so far as to claim to have businesses that are designed to help you apply and get more out of these benefits. These disability scammers are not to be trusted. Often times they have obtained some type of information about people in an area with disabilities and they are hoping to stab in the dark, catching you while you are still in the application process. As with anyone claiming to be from the government, do not provide social security numbers or account information.

Look Out For False Romance

Disability scammers are also willing to take advantage of people that receive benefits through false, promised romance. This is particularly worrisome for people with autism and other developmental disabilities. The social cues that could indicate a scam are not always obvious, meaning that people with different social understanding are vulnerable. However, the reality is that any person can fall prey to a scam that exploits the human condition and the need to be loved. If you or a loved one has entered into a relationship online, watch out for people that repeatedly ask for financial assistance, no matter what they seem to need money for. People will try to take advantage of human empathy, telling stories of sick family, medical bills, financial hardship or even plans to come out and see you. These are reasons to be cautious, as they are likely just trying to get money out of vulnerable people.

Needs and Wants

Disability scammers are also willing to exploit basic human needs and wants in order to get a dollar out of vulnerable people. This can happen in the promise to provide grocery delivery for a fee, to providing crucial insurance that people aren’t aware as a scam. A common way that scammers will attempt to take money or account information is to promise a prize, a vacation, a gift card or even cash in the hopes to extract vital financial information from people.

Charity Scammers

Not all scammers want to take money from people with disabilities. Many will try to exploit their disabilities in order to take money from people that have charity in their hearts. The problem with these organizations and individuals is that they aren’t always as illegitimate as other scammers. Some people might get a call from a church or community organization asking for money for people with disabilities, but basic questioning about their location and who is in charge of the organization usually causes their pitch to crumble. However, there are organizations that exist that are just legitimate enough to avoid closure, but they don’t support the communities they claim they support. When it comes to charitable donations, make sure to check with sites like Charity Navigator before you make a donation at any time.

At Lexington Services, we realize that there are a lot of people that want to exploit the members of our community. That’s why we’re proud to be an accountability partner for people looking for answers. Looking for more information? Call 480-900-1009 today.

Making Public Restroom Time Easier For Kids With Autism

Written by Hgrant on November 15, 2019. Posted in Parenting.

No one likes to talk about restroom time, but when you’re the parent of a kid with autism or other developmental disabilities, you don’t always get the option to observe societal modesty. When you’re loved one is getting to an age when they are using the public restroom by themselves, you have to know how to build an understanding of public restrooms and how to teach younger people how to use them safely, quickly and effectively. Lexington has developed a strategy list to protect the time and safety of young people as they develop their independence and learn how to use the public restroom alone.

Visual Aids and Social Stories

First and foremost, it’s always good to get familiar with challenges in an environment that’s safe and comfortable. Before you ever even begin the process of teaching your young one how to use the restroom, try reviewing pictures and visual aids at home that demonstrate everything young people might encounter in a public restroom.

Video aids also help incredibly for possible sensory concerns such as hand dryers, auto sinks and flushing mechanisms, as well as lighting and layout. Take time with whatever aid you have available so kids are fully prepared for what they might encounter.

Stranger Concerns

It’s important to let kids know that, while public restrooms are typically safe, they are places where they will encounter strangers. Typically, men’s restrooms have the most social “rules” that need to be observed, but there are expectations in a women’s restroom as well. These social norms should be something you should go over depending on which restroom a young person might be using. For example, in a men’s restroom, silence is often observed between people as they take care of their business. People may respond to a break in this silence, although most people are just trying to get in and get out without disturbance. In a women’s restroom, silence might not be the standard but there is still a socially observed lack of speaking while completing your business.

Strangers may not understand compulsions from people on the spectrum in a public restroom. It’s important that you teach young people what’s acceptable in this social situation. Furthermore, you need to make sure that young people know that public restrooms are not places to become acquainted with strangers. While most situations are generally safe, you never know the intentions of other people. The best results come from teaching young people to use the public restroom quickly and come back out.

Trial Runs

Trial runs are the best way to get young people used to the idea of a public restroom in a controlled way. Start with a simple walk-in observation when a restroom is generally empty to give a young person the understanding of the environment. Perhaps practicing standing at the sink, the dryer, near the urinal or in a stall comes next, just to get them even more familiar with the environment. Finally, take as much time as possible with supervision to get young ones used to using the public restroom. Some young people will take to it immediately, while others will take some time to develop this skill. Not everyone develops this skill, so it takes patience from caregivers to make this happen.

Using The Public Restroom

After the trial period, it’s time to learn the independent skill of using the public restroom alone. If you have been supervising, it’s best to pull back slowly, first standing outside of the stall as your young one uses the restroom, then standing near the sink, then falling back to just inside the door and finally standing just outside the door.

While you may allow young people to use the public restroom alone, you never want to go too far away from the situation. You want to help them build independence, but not let them get in a difficult situation. In certain states it’s necessary for you as a parent to train a loved one to use the public restroom alone as you are not allowed in the opposite gender’s restroom, even just for observation. Standing at or near the door and explaining to strangers what’s going on is almost always met with understanding and most people will happily wait until your young one has finished their business.

Alternative Restroom Solutions

If, for any reason, there are restrictions or concerns to using a public restroom with strangers, there are often alternative options in many public places. Family restrooms are becoming more and more prevalent for many public places to address these exact concerns. While it’s not always possible for every outing, many large public places that you might take a young person to should have some kind of mapped out list of restrooms, including a family restroom. The problem with family restrooms is that many people do not understand that they exist almost exclusively to make toiletting easier for parents and caregivers with people that can’t use a public restroom. You may have to wait for a family restroom to open, which isn’t always viable.

An Experienced Partner

If you are having trouble getting through this public restroom process, you should seek out an experienced partner with caregivers that are able to help smooth out the transition into public restroom use, or else provide trusted supervision so you don’t have to be concerned as a parent. Lexington Services is here for parents and caregivers that are overwhelmed with everything that they need to manage on their own. Let us help make processes like using the public restroom easier to manage. Call 480-900-1009 now for more information.

5 Factors That Make IEP Meetings So Stressful

Written by Hgrant on November 8, 2019. Posted in Educational.

Often times, meetings between the school and parents of a child with special needs can feel as uncomfortable as they sound and they can be downright hostile. For parents, these meetings can be particularly uncomfortable for a litany of reasons. These meetings can feel cold, accusational, diminutive and dismissive and at the end of it, some parents wonder if they were even heard. At Lexington Services, we strive to make these IEP meetings as comfortable, informative and productive as possible. Overall, our teachers and staff have identified what makes these meetings so uncomfortable in a public setting and we’re willing to bet that many parents agree on these factors.

It Feels Like You Versus A Whole Room

A lot of parents indicate that when they attend these IEP meetings, they feel like they’re being reprimanded, sitting with a partner or alone at the foot of the table, while a team of 5 to 8 school representatives lays forth everything that is “wrong” with their child’s progress. They make quick note of all the faults that need to be corrected. It’s a negotiation tactic designed to make you feel like you don’t have a voice. Places that care will sit across the table from you and listen to your concerns, not try to make you feel intimidated into accepting their plan.

There Is No Discussion Of Success

From a school standpoint, these IEP meetings are put in place to establish goals and milestones that your child has not achieved yet so they can work toward those throughout the year. However, most of their empathy for your child seems to fly right out the window, as people seem to only discuss deficits, rather than spend any time discussing the positive influence that the last plan had on their learning and how they have progressed. Your child’s success should be a focus of IEP meetings as well because it demonstrates what a school is doing right.

You Aren’t Seen As Your Child’s First Advocate

As you sit at a table of highly trained experts, it seems like all that you have contributed, all the daily struggles and all the advocacy is completely ignored. Often times, successful IEP meetings will leave you feeling like you have done very little or that you in some way contributed to the deficits by not having the same level of understanding of theoretical treatment. Never mind that you have been the daily advocate, provider and source of encouragement for your child.

Your Opinion Feels Like It Doesn’t Matter

Bad IEP meetings will make you feel like your opinion or your reservations don’t matter. A good meeting with a successful outcome for everyone in mind should leave you feeling heard and like your opinions matter. At the very least, it should also demonstrate why the school and staff want to implement certain portions of the plan to help your child so they can grow.

You Feel Forced To Settle

The worst IEP meetings are designed to force you to settle without getting what your child needs. They want you to feel like you need to defer to their judgement and accept that they know what’s best for your child. While they might be experts and perhaps their plan is absolutely perfect, they still need to give you room to make your terms or understand why these terms are the best for everyone. Acceptance should not be forced upon you.

These are common complaints that we hear from parents that have reached out to us and we know that far too many parents don’t even realize that they can complain. At Lexington, we don’t want anyone to leave meetings between staff and parents with tears in their eyes. We want to make sure that we get the plan right for your child so they can get the education and support they need.

If you want a change, please reach out to Lexington right now. Call 480-900-1009 or else email us using info@lexingtonservi.wpengine.com.

6 Tips For Going To The Movies With Autism

Written by Hgrant on November 1, 2019. Posted in Parenting.

Going to the movies is a great way to get the family out of the house and enjoy time together while watching the newest pictures coming to the big screen near you. However, for families with loved ones on the spectrum, going to the movies can be a challenging experience ranging from mild discomfort to downright anxiety inducing. While there are many businesses that do their best to accommodate audiences with sensory needs, there just aren’t always enough accommodating showings or they aren’t showing the movies that your loved one wants to see. Here are some tips Lexington has gathered to make going to the movies easier for those with sensory needs.

1. Start Early –

The first tip to make going to the movies easier to start taking children and young ones to the theater earlier, rather than opting for later. First of all, it’s easier to build an understanding of the social expectations at a movie theater when kids are younger. Second, strangers are more likely to be forgiving of younger children and their behaviors. Unfortunately people aren’t always understanding and as a young person ages, behavioral expectations go up.

2. Practice At Home –

Social situations are always easier for kids with autism and other disabilities when you practice at home. You can set up seating like a movie theater, take tickets, pop popcorn and create an immersive experience for kids with autism. You should lower the lights like they do at any theater and play the movie at a louder volume that your child can handle in preparation for the volume at the theater.

Furthermore, you can craft a social story that visually explains the process of going to the movies and what the social expectations are when going to the movies. This the easiest way to explain what’s going to happen and what your child should expect from the experience.

3. See A Film That Has Been Out For A Bit –

As much as you might want to get out and see the newest movie or the surprise hit, those films are often full of the most people and usually have the most intense ads and trailers running with them, making new movies more difficult for people with autism to attend. Instead, it’s easier to seek out the movies that have been running for a little while. They draw less of a crowd and they are often in smaller theaters that are less likely to cause sensory overload.

4. Plan Your Trip –

Hot spot movie theaters, especially those in high foot traffic areas like malls, tend to be more overwhelming when you are going to the movies. Instead, it’s easier to look for neighborhood theaters that don’t receive as much foot traffic, so they’re less likely to be crowded. You will have less lines to stand in and more optimal seating choices to sit further away from strangers.

5. Bring a Jacket And Snacks –

You want to bring a jacket when going to the movies for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, the theater can get pretty cool once the lights go down low, so your child might need to keep warm. Also, a hoodie can provide some sound padding against the volume of some movies.

6. Plan For Success, But Understand The Struggles –

Not every trip is going to be the most easy, but you should look at every moment as a success when it comes to this type of activity. Even if you only make it through a part of the movie before your child gets overwhelmed, that’s a start that can be built upon.

When you need a partner to help you through some of the situations that no one has answers for, Lexington can be your partner. Do you have questions about disability services that we provide? Reach out to us today by calling 480-900-1009.

8 DIY Halloween Activities For Kids On The Spectrum

Written by Hgrant on October 25, 2019. Posted in Recreation and Fun.

It’s almost time for the Trick-or-Treaters to descend upon the streets in search for candy. Are you still having trouble getting your young ones in the spirit or have you just not had time to come up with any ideas? Lexington has compiled a list of several DIY Halloween activities that are perfect for families with kids on the spectrum.

Lawn Decorations And Driveway Decorations

If you or your kids want to decorate for Halloween, but don’t want all the frightening imagery that comes with the season, you can create DIY Halloween decorations that are fun and not scary. Get a few gallon jugs, a few markers and some flameless tealight candles. Cut open a small door on the back, draw a face on the front and suddenly you have a fun little Halloween lantern. If you have some fishing line, some black construction paper and a place to hang them, you can cut out little hangable bats that are the perfect DIY Halloween decorations. Add googly eyes to them to take the edge off and make them cute. Halloween doesn’t have to be so spooky. It can be harvest-filled fun.

Homemade Pumpkin Patch

It’s a cool tradition to head out to the pumpkin patch and get the pumpkin you are going to decorate with, but pumpkin patches can be dirty, full of people and usually a fair distance from where you live. Instead of driving all the way to one, make your own in your backyard! Get some pumpkins from the local grocery store and create your own patch. Then let your kids go and select which one they want!

Pumpkin Painting

Kids with autism often struggle with the gooey, squishy mess that comes with carving pumpkins. It’s a sensory overload nightmare. However, no one says that you have to carve all the pumpkins you find! If you read Lexington’s last blog, you will be familiar with the Teal Pumpkin Project. Here is a link they provide on their website so you have a perfect Jack-O-Lantern Stencil, or you can always create your own! Painted pumpkins are the perfect DIY Halloween project to get you and your family excited for the harvest season.

Pumpkin Sensory Bag

Assuming that you do carve into one of the pumpkins and make a more traditional Jack-O-Lantern, you can still use the guts and get kids to experience the sensation of the gooey guts in hand without the mess and the sensory overload. Basically, you take a pumpkin, cut it open and put all the guts into a gallon ziplock bag. Then you can either paint a fun face on the bag, or you can create a little I-Spy game inside the bag if you are feeling really ambitious. Instructions for that can be found by clicking here.

Halloween Touch And Feel Game

The classic “close your eyes and reach your hand in” halloween game where kids are told they are touching eyeballs, when they are actually just grapes. However, this is another activity that can cause sensory overload. Luckily, you can sub out the squishy creepy stuff for tactile objects, creating a series of bags and putting the stuff inside. Cotton balls suddenly become ghost poop and golf tees are now vampire teeth. This takes the icky out of the activity. Get detailed instructions by clicking this link.

Haunting House

No that’s not a misprint. A haunted house, particularly a haunted attraction with long lines and scary sounds will probably overwhelm a child with autism. However, parents can turn the concept of haunted house on its head, help their kids have fun and dispel some of the fear that comes with the season. Help your child set up and create a haunting house, where they get to control the spooks. You can do this on paper, draw it out with markers or even transform your home into a little fun house complete with a “scary” ghost!

Trunk-or-Treat

Trick-or-Treat can be a tough activity for kids with autism but many still love to participate for the sweet, sweet reward. If your child is having trouble with going house to house, you can try to find a local Trunk-or-Treat. Or organize one yourself! All you need is a willing location to allow you to park for a little bit, some cars, other parent volunteers and kids ready to trick-or-treat. Ideally, if you belong to an autism support group, you can rally everyone together to create a trunk-or-treat just for your kids! You can go as basic as you want, although many people go all out for these events. Here is a link telling you how to organize a trunk-or-treat event.

“Spooky” Movie Night

Nothing is more relaxing in the fall than to pop some popcorn, turn off the lights and settle in for a family movie night. Avoid the crowds at the movie theaters and the spooky films out this time of year. You can create a DIY Halloween movie going adventure right in the living room at home. Create tickets that your kids can purchase, show them to their seats and serve them concessions that are parent approved. Then kick your feet up and take in a Halloween favorite family film. Some of our recommendations for films that are a little creepy, but not really scary are:

Coraline
Hotel Transylvania
Frankenweenie
Monster House
Hocus Pocus
Monsters Inc.
Ghostbusters
The Addams Family