December 30, 2021

The Goals and Benefits of Family Therapy

Leave a Comment / Comfort ABA / Hugo Nieves

Family therapy is a form of psychological counseling that helps members of a family communicate better. The mental health service identifies systems causing strife within a family and adjusts them on a broader, not necessarily individual, level. With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at the goals and benefits of family therapy. Every Reason to Seek Family Therapy The primary goal of family therapy is to establish healthier dynamics between family members by, in part, identifying and doing away with unhealthy dynamics. Behavior therapists help clients achieve this by: · Informing family members about healthy dynamics to help them identify what they might be doing wrong. · Setting healthier boundaries. · Giving them a neutral, non-judgmental space where they can exchange thoughts, feelings, and emotions. · Introducing communication strategies to facilitate the aforementioned exchange. · Identifying and addressing as yet undiscovered problems in the family. · Encouraging a sense of acceptance to pave the way for healing. The Benefits of Family Therapy One individual’s suffering is the suffering of an entire family unit. No matter how estranged, families are affected when one or more of their members gets diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, substance use disorder, or some other condition. However, you don’t have to wait until a family member falls sick to seek family therapy. You can apply for a session to reap the following benefits. 1. Better Communication with Your Children Talking to your child, especially if they’re anywhere near puberty, can often feel like trying to match two mismatched puzzle pieces. You don’t know what you’re doing wrong, and your child probably feels ignored and neglected. A family counselor can facilitate proper communication between both parties by applying different techniques to address the communication barrier and providing them with a safe space where they can learn more about the other’s grievances and inner feelings. 2. Learning Coping Skills As a family, you’ll go through several major life changes. In the absence of proper coping skills, these changes may turn into life-altering changes for your unit. For instance, not knowing how to cope with the death in the family might leave lasting effects on one or more members of said family and cause the entire unit to suffer from its negative impact. A professional therapist helps everyone address their feelings and recommends coping strategies that may come in handy well into the future. 3. Reducing Outside Influences Family therapists help reduce outside influences of social media, people, and whatnot that cause issues within a family. They help families deal with the external forces, causing them to butt heads and maintain a successful bond with each other. If you’re facing any of the above issues, book an in-home ABA therapy session to recruit the counseling services of our behavior management consultants. Do away with anything harming your family dynamics and lead a healthier and fulfilling family life. Reach out to initiate behavioral health therapy in New Jersey.

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The Importance of Organizational Behavior in a Workplace

Leave a Comment / Comfort ABA / Hugo Nieves

Organizational behavior is the study of how people communicate and interact within groups. Organizational behavior strategies are usually applied to optimize teamwork and simplify human resource management. That was the short of it. Heres’ the long of why it’s important to have organizational behavior management in the workplace. Healthy Workplace Dynamics It doesn’t take much to turn an office setting into a warzone in which every employee is out to get the other. As a leader of the organization, it’s your job to prevent workplace politics by looking for signs of conflict among your employees. You can do this by assigning one of your most trusted employees with the task of keeping an ear out for: · Behavioral changes · Tensions · Different emotions Identifying the source of friction is the first step to improving communication within your organization. Better Employee Experience Motivation is a major part of employee retention. It increases workplace engagement, improves overall productivity, and encourages your employees to work harder and give everything they have to their jobs. An organizational behavior study would help you to: · Monitor the current employee experience. · Isolate the sources of employee demotivation. · Determine how much of it is due to changes in behavior. In other words, an organizational behavior study helps you take targeted steps towards better performance instead of shooting in the dark and hoping for results. Improved Performance There’s always a reason why your employees aren’t giving their 100% to your organization, especially when their performance has diminished over a period of time. A study on organizational behavior helps you determine their professional attitudes and whether these have anything to do with their declining performance. Through this study, you can deduce: · Current interactions between different employees. · Status of team unity. · Concerns about job security. If you’re lucky, the reasons behind declining performance may not vary from person to person, in which case, you would’ve certainly had your work cut out for you. Successful Team Collaborations There are several ways to build collaborative teams. Carrying out a behavior study can help you apply them to the right set of people. Taking a behavioral approach to team building can help: · Team up people based on their similarities and differences. · Improve teamwork · Avoid putting people who don’t get along in the same team. · Build morale and confidence. In other words, an organizational behavioral approach to team collaborations helps you avoid team conflict, improves efficiency, and keeps you afloat in the long run. Change Your Workplace for the Better Through Organizational Business Management in New Jersey Turn a toxic work environment into a highly productive work environment with the help of our organizational behavior management consultants. Seek our organizational business management consulting services to change employee attitudes and interactions, and increase efficiency in your office setting.

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4 Reasons Why Everyone Should Engage in Therapy

Leave a Comment / Comfort ABA / Hugo Nieves

The past year two years have been extremely hard on everyone as the pandemic continues to be a part of our lives. Living in such times of distress can take a toll on anyone’s mental health. While mental health is still a taboo in our society, 20% of US adults reached out for help for their mental health. As our lives are affected by a lot of stress and uncertainty, it wouldn’t hurt to consult a therapist. Even when you think everything is okay, therapy can help you in many ways. Here are some reasons why you should engage in therapy. Helps in Self-Development Therapy is something that is out of a lot of people’s comfort zone and normal environment. When a person enters a room and expresses their deepest fears, unspoken feelings, and private thoughts to a complete stranger, it might be overwhelming at first but it provides room for self-improvement, self-awareness, and self-development for a person. So even if therapy seems uncomfortable and only for those with mental health issues, it is guaranteed to help you. Helps You Lead an Improved Life Oftentimes, things hold us back and hinder our growth. This could possibly be just because we haven’t been able to figure out where exactly we’re lacking. When you talk to a therapist, it will benefit you greatly to just have someone to talk to. You can figure out things and seek a therapist’s help to guide you. Provides an Opportunity for Experimentation Therapists know that there are certain challenges in everyone’s life that can lead to people acting a certain way. Those people who are set in their ways rarely ever make decisions that could cost them or experiment with things that can be seen as making mistakes by other people. With a therapist’s help, you can try out new things in a judgment-free zone. You can explore feelings or practice behaviors that you wouldn’t normally in your daily life. You can even find solutions to challenges that have stopped you from doing something. Provides Meaningful Insight When we face certain situations in life and go through tough times, we barely think about the aim behind our actions and thoughts. Understanding the aims is very normal and important, as it helps to give meaning and value to everything you do and think. With therapy, your thinking process can become less complex, which is otherwise a challenge for some. You can learn things about yourself and discover lessons from difficult situations. It will also promote self-care. Therapy is a healthy practice. At Comfort ABA, we offer services like in-home ABA therapy in New Jersey. We have certified and licensed therapists who provide their services to children on the autism spectrum and therapy for their parents as well. You can also reach out to us for behavioral health therapy, family therapy, and ABA therapy in New Jersey. Call us directly at 856-508-4 or contact us to find a behavioral therapist in New Jersey.

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The Building Blocks of Leadership

Leave a Comment / Organizational Behavior Management / Hugo Nieves

These days, most tasks call for a cross-functional or/and collaborative approach in order to get the best results. Team work is common in most organizations, but it can be tricky building a team with the right combined knowledge and expertise. Also, creating an effective team requires genuine leadership skills that all too few people possess. Before you decide on who will be part of your team, you need to spend time deciding on the structure of the team as well as what are the traits you are looking for in that particular role. Then, you can decide what team members best align with those characteristics. Once your team is assembled, make sure everyone understands what their individual role is and what their role is as part of the team. Finally make clear the goal of the team in a way that everyone is clear on what is the objective. Tips for team leadership This article won’t turn you into a great team leader: only you can do that. What it will do is to give you a few pointers that will help you along the way. Below are some areas to consider. Scope: differentiate between general team building and specific aims for projects for which you will need a dedicated team. Of course, depending on the size of the team this may not be mutually exclusive. Communicate Vision: communicate effectively with members of your team and let them know the importance of their role in the whole project. They also need to know how the project relates to the overall objectives of the organization. Motivation: Motivate both, yourself and your team. This is more effective coming from a trusted individual. Let them know that you appreciate them. Bring coffee in the morning if your team had a late night working. Provide positive feedback when you witness hard work and dedication. Confidence: the team members and the whole team itself, need to feel empowered to make decisions – within certain parameters off course. Don’t micromanage, unless the team member is struggling. Encourage your team to take initiative. Courage: this rare trait is a valuable attribute that you must personally exhibit, you must be willing to stand alone at time and against all odds if you believe what you are doing is right for your team, sometimes going against what may be “best” for you as a leader. You must be willing to stand up for your team to other leaders, these traits are tough for many people to consistently exhibit. This Moral courage I speak of is something you must develop in yourself and also develop and encourage in others. Creativity: outside the box thinking can be a great asset in your team. Rather than feel threatened by a new way of completing a goal, you should encourage it. Just don’t allow the “thought process” to cause paralysis to overall progress. As General Patton once said “Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.” Metrics: It is crucial that you have some tool by which to measure the performance of your team. If your environment has a “human component” to it such as working with human being in a therapeutic environment you need to find a way to factor in the time that you spend with the clients and things such as the progress a given case has made. You can’t solely measure billable hours because billable hours only tell part of the story. This is where I believe many ABA companies are making a mistake in their way of evaluating BCBA’s and RBT’s. Provide measurable feedback often and not just when the employee is struggling. Laugh: Life is too short to spend a minimum of 35 hours a week in the company of miserable, downtrodden colleagues. You’re the leader so inject some fun into the day. (Attitude reflects leadership) Conclusion: It’s important that you promote an understanding of the structure you’ve put together. Tell your team what role each person has, and they will understand why you’ve chosen to include them, and what they can add to the process. But more importantly once your teams are assembled allow them some flexibility to decide how they arrive at the agreed upon destination. Allow your teams to surprise you with their ingenuity and creativity. And then praise that and encourage more progress.

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Self-Care During The Pandemic

Leave a Comment / Mental- Wellness / Hugo Nieves

Everyone has been touched by this Pandemic. It has been a year this the first case emerged in the United States; our lives completely changed. We work from home, most of our kids are attending school virtually, and we have to wear a mask everywhere we go. As a result, our regular routines such as going to the gym, work life/home life balance, family and friend gatherings, etc… have developed a new normal, with lots of precautions and to keep ourselves and our family safe. Furthermore, young adult’s celebrated firsts such as going away to college, attending high school, going to prom have been put on hold. These elements have added more stress to our already hectic life. According to Panchal et al (2021), 4 in 10 adults have reported feelings of anxiety and depression during this pandemic, which has increased from 1 in 10 adults in January 2019. Thus, the need to increase and maintain good self-care is importance during these hectic times. Here are some ways to take good care of yourself: The Foods That Help Your Mental-Health If you have symptoms of depression or anxiety, consider making some dietary changes. According to Rachael Schultz (2020) from Healthline, there are foods that can ease depression and anxiety such the Mediterranean Diet that includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, fatty fish such as tuna and salmon, healthy fats like olive oil and raw nuts, and sweets and wine in moderation. Another diet that has shown promising results is the DASH diet that embraces whole grain, protein from fish, chicken, and nuts, non-fat diary, and limiting sugar intake. There are women who reported that cutting out sugar or decreasing sugar intake have significantly decreased their depression symptoms. A change in diet may not eliminate all symptoms, but it can help with conjunction with therapy and/or taking medication. Get Moving The pandemic has disrupted most people’s workout routine and day to day movement. The gyms were closed for a while and all workout classes canceled. Social distancing by staying home has been a good way to prevent us from catching COVID-19. Getting exercise or any kind of physical activity is an important part of our mental-health and wellbeing. According to the Mayo Clinic, exercise eases symptoms of depression, anxiety, and increases confidence by releasing feel good chemicals such as endorphins. Physical movement also prevents a number of health problems including heart issues, diabetes, and arthritic. Since we are at a new normal , establishing a new workout routine is part of a good self-care. If you were into taking classes such as Zumba or yoga, there are APPS that provide great workouts. I have been using Boho Beautiful APP for my yoga routine and mediation needs. Also, there are free workout videos on YOUTUBE and live stream classes such as Open Fit and Mirror Co if you miss the live experience. If you are not into exercising, establishing a routine where you engage in a physical activity might be a good way to get moving such as taking walks, running around the house with your kids, dancing to your favorite song in your bedroom, doing some yard work, or house work. Check with your doctor before starting a new exercise routine. Socializing With Loved Ones We as humans, are inherently social creatures. According to Dr. Emma Seppala (2017) a medical director of The Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education from Stanford Medicine, social connections improves physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. Lack of social connection, on the other hand, may do just as much damage as smoking or having high blood pressure. During the pandemic, we have been social distancing from our friends and family, who are outside of our household, to prevent COVID-19 transmission and to decrease the amount of sickness and death associated with the virus. As a result, we have not been socializing as much as we were pre-COVID. Finding creative ways to continue to connect with friends and family during the Pandemic is important for our emotional wellbeing. Thankfully, we have technology that can assist us continuing to connect with our loved ones. My friends and family have found creative ways to connect with each other by having zoom parties, having coffee or a class of wine over Face Time, and checking in each other a couple of times a week. During good weather, meeting outside with masks on, while keeping 6 feet apart, is a good way to spend time together in person. Feeling connected and finding creative ways to is a healthy part of our self-care routine. Getting Enough Sleep Joseph Crossman said once,” The bridge between despair and hope is a goodnight sleep” There is no question that lack of sleep effects our mental- health and emotional regulation. According to Eric Suni, from the Sleep Foundation, sufficient sleep, especially REM sleep, helps the brain process emotional information. An average adult should get from 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night. A common cause of sleep problems is poor sleep hygiene. The following are ways to improve sleep hygiene: Having a set bedtime. Finding ways to wind-down such as reading, meditating, and doing something relaxing. Avoiding caffeinated beverages in the evening. Diming the light and putting away electronic devices an hour before bed. Getting regular exercise and sunlight during the day. Work-Life Balance Since working from home became the norm during the pandemic, work-life balance has been a challenge to maintain. We don’t have the commute to break up our day or a coffee break in the break room. We also have to balance our work load, helping our children with remote learning, and other house hold duties. As a result, the work-home boundaries start to get blurred. Here are some ways of keeping a work life balance: Keep regular work hours and stick with those hours. Create and maintain a regular morning routine. Set firm boundaries with people in your household during work hours. Take breaks throughout the day.

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Creating Happy Thoughts: A Cognitive-Behavior Approach

Leave a Comment / Mental- Wellness / Hugo Nieves

There is an old saying, “happiness is a state of mind”. Based on the current research, there is truth to this statement. Our thoughts effect our mood. We all have thoughts that create happiness, sadness, anger, irritation etc…. Furthermore, our thoughts or patterns of thinking effect our mood and behavior and our behavior effects our mood and thoughts. It is a cycle. If we can identify and change our thoughts that create unhappiness, we can shift our mood in a positive direction, increase productive behavior, and improve our wellbeing. This theory originated by Arron T Beck, a psychiatrist from University of Pennsylvania and the founder of Beck Institute. He created a therapy called, cognitive behavior therapy, where the purpose is to identify thoughts that cause us pain and replace them with more a balanced and realistic thinking. He identified distorted thoughts that create depression and anxiety. We all have these extreme thoughts. They might have been manufactured by our upbringing , trauma, or/and life experience. This article will identify some common distorted thoughts, how to challenge these thoughts, and create more balanced thoughts. All or Nothing Thinking ( Black or White Thinking) All or nothing thinking/black or white thinking is when you think things are either on one side of the extreme or the other side of the extreme, with no gray area. For example, someone is either your worst enemy or your best friend. Your day is either really great or really bad. If you don’t get a promotion you have been working towards, you are a total failure. If one bad thing happens, that means nothing good happens. This error in thinking can cause a lot of distress and anxiety. To challenge this type of thinking, we need to find a middle of the road alternative thought. For example, you have had a bad day, think about all the good days that you have had or all the good things that happened that day. If you are fighting with your bestfriend, that does not mean that your friend just became your worst enemy; it just means you and your friend are not seeing eye to eye. If you were passed up for a promotion, that does not mean that you are a total failure, and your time for that position will come in time. The reality is, that most things are in the gray area, and not everything is all or nothing. Keeping this in mind will help you find a more balanced perspective. Catastrophizing Catastrophizing is when you believe that there will be a catastrophe based on one or two events or facts. For example, if you didn’t get your dream job, you start thinking that you will never find your dream job you, will work in a job you hate for the rest of your life, and you might end up homeless on the street. The reality is if you didn’t get one particular job, there will be other jobs that might be as interesting or even more interesting than the one you did not get. Another example is if you went on a bad date and you come home upset because there are no good people out there and you will end up alone, with 10 cats, who will eat your face after you die. The reality is that just because you had one bad date, does not mean you will not be able to meet the right person in the future. Personalization Personalization is when you think that you have caused a problem that you did not cause or when someone did or said something to target you, which is not the case. For example, you may think that your friend is not texting you back because of something you said or did, when in fact, your friend has a very busy day or forgot her phone at home. Another example might be you blaming yourself for friends or family fighting among each other, over an issue that has nothing to do with you. To challenge these thoughts, consider facts or lack of facts related to your role in the situation. Negative Filtering Negative filtering is seeing the negative in situations instead of seeing both, negative and positive. You ignore any information that does not align with your negative view. For example, if you are wearing a beautiful dress and 99 people compliment you on it and 1 person criticizes the dress, you will focus on that one person. During a yearly work evaluation, you get an mostly positive feedback and 1 or 2 negative feedback, you will focus on the negative feedback, instead of seeing the whole picture. To challenge this thought, identify positive aspects of a situation or feedback, to help you have a more balanced prospective. Overgeneralization Overgeneralization is when you make a general conclusion based on one incident to all situations. For example, if you had a bad day at work; therefore it will be a bad week, bad year, etc… If your spouse had a bad day and is not in the best mood, your marriage is ruined. Look for keywords such as “never” and “always”. To challenge this thought, look at the details of the present situation and analyze it individually. We don’t know what the future might bring, so overgeneralizing negative situations might cause unnecessary distress. Mind Reading Mind reading is when you are 100% certain that you know what someone is thinking, but no facts or inconclusive bits of information to support this thought. For example, your boss is short with you because they have a bad day and you assume that they do not like you. Your boss might be having a rough day or have some personal issues that they are dealing with, which has nothing to do with you. When a coworker doesn’t say good morning, you assume that they are mad at you. Unless you have done something wrong to merit these behaviors. Looking at facts in an objective way will

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How to get the most out of ABA Therapy: A guide for parents.

Leave a Comment / ABA Therapy Resources / Hugo Nieves

Your child has been diagnosed with Autism. A medical provider made a recommendation for your child to get ABA therapy in the home and/or community. That’s great news because years of research and has proven that ABA therapy is the most effective therapy to help your child develop communication skills, social skills, adaptive skills, coping skills, and decrease any behavioral issues. It is a comprehensive therapy that requires a team effort from both, the provider and parent. You took the first step towards your child’s future by getting connected with an ABA company. Below is a list of ways you, as a parent can do to make ABA therapy more successful. Assessment Process: During the assessment process, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) will come to your home to interview you and assess your child. It is important that you provide the BCBA will all information including how your child communicates, socializes, sensory issues, displays problematic behaviors, your daily routine, how you react to your child’s behaviors, medical conditions, current therapies, and past evaluations. If your child already had ABA therapy and it was unsuccessful, let your BCBA know what happened and talk about ways you feel the therapy can be more successful. Be honest about your goals for your child and your concerns regarding therapy. It’s important to identify any treatment barriers with your BCBA so you can find a way to overcome them. ABA Therapy Hours: ABA is a dosage dependent therapy. If all the prescribed hours are not utilized, your child may not make optimum progress. The BCBA will evaluate your child and prescribe the amount of hours needed to make the most progress. If your child is a toddler, BCBA may prescribe a comprehensive treatment plan, which is 25 to 30 hours. If your child is school aged, and receives services in school, BCBA may prescribe a focused treatment plan, which is 25 hours or less. The program and treatment plan will reflect the prescribed hours. ABA hours are like antibiotics, if the whole dosage is not taken, it might not be as effective or make behaviors worse, especially if maladaptive behaviors are severe and a prescribed treatment plan needs to be followed. I know this seems overwhelming. The good news is once your child makes progress, the hours will be faded out. Also, your ABA therapist can go to community outings with you so your child can work on safety skills, communication, and socialization within the community. You are able to get chores completed around the house while your child is getting services. Follow the Treatment Plan: Your child’s BCBA will create a treatment plan. The treatment plan will have antecedent strategies that state how to prevent or minimize a maladaptive behavior, and reactive strategies, that state how to react to the maladaptive behaviors once they occur. Sometimes the maladaptive behaviors will get worse before they decrease. This is called an extinction burst. This means that a behavior that was previously rewarded is no longer rewarded, and the behavior temporarily increases. It is important the everyone that interacts with your child follows the behavior plan in order for the problematic behaviors to decrease and for more adaptive behaviors to increase. If everyone is not on the same page, you may not see progress. Participate in Session and attend parent training: Watch and participate in session and attend parent trainings with your BCBA. Run your child’s programs outside of session for your child to generalize skills across locations, times of day, and people. You are with your child most of the day and each moment is a learning opportunity. Your clinical team will train you how to follow the treatment plan and make the most out of each opportunity for your child to practice skills and learn new adaptive behaviors. References: Cooper, J. O., Heron, T. E., & Heyward, W. L. (1987). Applied behavior analysis. Columbus: Merrill Pub. Co. Chicago (Author-Date, 15th ed.). Behavior Analyst Certification Board (2012). Guidelines Health Plan Coverage of Applied Behavior Analysis Treatment for Autism Spectrum Disorder. Retrieved on 2/22/2021 from https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/reference_list_electronic_sources.html

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How to Safely Receive ABA Services During a Pandemic

Leave a Comment / ABA Therapy Resources / Hugo Nieves

During these uncertain times, having ABA providers come to your home might seem scary. No one wants to expose themselves or their children to COVID-19. However, if you know that your child will benefit from ABA therapy, there are ways to minimize risk of exposure to COVID-19 while working with a provider for your child to get the services they need. Here are some steps agencies ABA agencies should take in order provide families with a safe environment: Mask Mandate An agency should have a mandated mask policy. That means all staff that come to your house must wear a mask. According to the The Center for Disease Control (CDC), a mask should completely cover nose and mouth and fit snuggle around the face. CDC does not recommend masks that are loose, has valves or vents, or is made of material with holes. The CDC also does not recommended substituting a shield for a mask. However, a shield can be worn in conjunction to wearing a mask. If a staff member does not follow the mask mandated protocol or is wearing an inappropriate mask, you have the right to cancel session and speak to his/her supervisor. Protective Equipment Staff should be provided with protective equipment such as sanitizer, gloves for personal care, and a cleaning solution to clean surfaces. Staff should wash hands and/or use sanitizer that has at least a 60% alcohol base according to the CDC. Staff should also be trained regarding universal precautions regarding safely handling bodily fluids. Screening Tools Before Each Session Each agency should have a screening tool that screens each employee and client for COVID-19 symptoms and possible exposure before the start of each session. The company should also have a policy of who to call if the employee or a client does not pass the screening such as calling a supervisor, canceling session, etc… If the family or staff member do not pass the screening tool, CDC guidelines should be followed such as screening for COVID-19, quarantining for 10 days, and following up with primary care physician. Telemedicine You can also find out if telemedicine is an option. If your child is able to sit for zoom meetings for the school, s/he might be able to receive ABA therapy through telemedicine. Usually ABA therapy through telemedicine requires parent involvement. Some companies also offer telemedicine parent training and telemedicine supervision to the ABA therapist from the Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). This will decrease the number of people in your house. Questions to Ask When Calling an Agency Each provider is different and has different policies surrounding COVID-19. These questions will help you determine what precautions are taken by each agency. 1. What are they doing to keep employees and families safe? 2. what about their policies are surrounding possible exposure? 3. Are their employees required to wear masks? What kind of masks? Are they trained on how to wear the masks correctly? 4. Are they provided with protective equipment such as gloves, sanitizer, and sanitize? 5. Are employees and clients screened for COVID before each session? 6. Do they offer telemedicine for supervision and parent training sessions? Conclusion Unfortunately, risk of contracting COVID-19 cannot be 100% eliminated but agencies must do everything in their power to minimize it so your child can receive the help s/he needs. Client and staff safety should always be the number one priority.

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History’s Inspiring People Who are Diagnosed with Autism

Leave a Comment / ABA Therapy Resources / Hugo Nieves

April is Autism Awareness Month! This month` is a very dear time for me because I silently celebrate all of the kids that I work and have worked with. Seeing progress and watching them do big things is what our field is all about. This is also the time where I learn about various famous people on the spectrum, who have greatly contributed to our society. Individuals on the spectrum make our world richer, add color, and contribute to our society. There are countless autistic minds and personalities that have made our world a better and more interesting place. I want to share with you some of my favorite famous individuals diagnosed with Autism: Temple Grandin I had the pleasure of watching Temple Grandin speak a couple of years ago during a conference on her life and work. I have been a huge fan since. She is a professor of animal science in University of Colorado State University. She is an author of books called Thinking in Pictures and The Way I see It. She created system for cows to be slaughtered in a pain free and stress free way. In her early years, Temple was diagnosed with Autism and did not learned to speak until she was four years old. The doctor recommended institutionalization and told her mother that Temple had Autism due to “cold mother-daughter interaction”. Her family refused to institutionalize Temple and her mother worked with her to increase language and learn other skills. Today she is a prominent speak and educator on Autism and animal behavior. Anthony Hopkins Anthony Hopkins is an award wining, amazing actor. I have watched every movie he has ever stared in. He is known for his role in “Silence of the Lamb” as Hannibal Lector. He was diagnosed with high functioning Autism later in life. He is known for his ability to memorize lines and immerse himself in the characters he plays. He is also an artist, and during this lockdown, has built his portfolio using acrylic paints and oils. Courtney Love In middle school, I worshiped this rock goddess. Courtney Love was the front woman for the grunge band, Hole. My favorite songs were “Doll Parts” and “Celebrity Skin”. She was also known as Kurt Cobain’s Wife. He was Nirvana’s front man, who lost his life to suicide in 1994. She had a four decade career as an actress and singer. She revealed in her autobiography that she has mild Autism, and had to practice social skills and learn social cues. She stated her friends helped her practice her social skills by going to gay bars and interacting with different people. Alexis Wineman Alexis Wineman was the first Miss America Contestant with Autism. She was diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorder, which is on the Autism spectrum at age 11. She was bullied as a child and always felt different. She is the first known person on the spectrum to complete the Miss America pageant and an Autism advocate. She won the America Choice Award. Albert Einstein I have been fascinated by this famous scientist since I was a child. Albert Einstein is the most famous scientist and mathematician, who discovered the theory of relativity. As a child, Einstein was not officially diagnosed with Autism, but he had a speech delay and displayed echolalia, where he repeated statements to himself. He was very technical. These symptoms led experts to believe that he was on the autism spectrum.

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The Goals and Benefits of Family Therapy

The Importance of Organizational Behavior in a Workplace

4 Reasons Why Everyone Should Engage in Therapy

The Building Blocks of Leadership

Self-Care During The Pandemic

Creating Happy Thoughts: A Cognitive-Behavior Approach

How to get the most out of ABA Therapy: A guide for parents.

How to Safely Receive ABA Services During a Pandemic

History’s Inspiring People Who are Diagnosed with Autism

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