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Published quarterly by Provo Early

Intervention Program

Fall 2010

Find 10 New Ways to Play

Parent Council Corner Aquatic Therapy Available this fall and winter

So often as parents we feel stuck while trying to play with our children. Where do we go with the play? What do we do next? How do we keep our child’s interest? Reverting our adult brains back to childhood play tactics is hard for most of us. I’ve found it’s ex-tremely helpful to spend some time practicing by “thinking like a kid.” Here’s a simple activity you can do to get your child-like creative juices flowing: Take a common object or toy you have in your home that your child finds interesting – like a ball, a blanket, a paper towel tube, or blocks (keep it simple). Grab a piece of paper and a pen and set the object on the table in front of you. Then just start brainstorming. Write down at least ten things you can do with that object that are not its intended purpose. The more outlandish you get, the better. Little children can turn common objects into anything, so think outside the box. Let’s use a ball as an example. You can: 1. Hide it in your shirt 2. Sit on it and bounce 3. Feed it to your baby doll for breakfast 4. Dip it in paint and roll it on a paper 5. Lay on it for a pillow 6. Roll it into a tower of blocks to knock them down 7. Hide it and go on a treasure hunt 8. Put it under a blanket to make a ghost

In August, Easter Seals Provo Early Intervention program threw their First Summer BBQ at Kiwanis Park. There was great food, fun games and crafts, and even a princess and pirate thrown into the mix! Our Parent Council ran the photo booth. It was great to meet families, and see the pictures of your cute kids and watch them make their own frames to take their pictures home in. We are already looking forward to next year’s BBQ! Provo Early Intervention has partnered with Provo City to offer a Tumbling Tots class just for Early Inter-vention kids 2-3 years old. In the class, they get to explore movement and sensory with stretching, rolling, balancing, swinging, singing, following the leader, jumping and so much more. The room is filled with padded mats, which make it even more fun. My two boys are currently in the class. They love their teacher and they love to run around and try dif-ferent things, or just sit and watch for a bit. The next (continued on back)

Parent Council members at the Summer BBQ

Aquatic Therapy is provided through Easter Seals for children ages 2 to 8 with delays in gross motor skills to enhance walking, sitting, low tone, and motor planning skills. Classes are held at the Provo Recrea-tion Center Pool and each child gets in the pool with their parent or caregiver. Children with sensory issues and difficulty with functional play and social interactions can also benefit from the sensory rich environment that a pool setting can provide, as well as the proprioceptive input that exists in water. Labeling, prompting, and expectant waiting are strategies that can also be addressed in an Aquatic Therapy setting for children with delays in speech and communication. If you are interested or think your child would benefit from this service, ask your Easter Seals Early Intervention service coordinator for more information.

Ways to Play Continued… 9. Draw a face on it to make a new ‘friend’ 10. Play “I’m gonna get you” with it by rolling it at

someone This brainstorming technique is a great exercise to do with another adult. It brings out a lot of fun and creative conversation. If you’re having a hard time, take a minute to remember a favorite playtime you had as a child. Try and put yourself back in that moment and then continue the exercise. Doing this activity makes it a lot easier to come up with creative ideas in the moment you need them. Next time you’re playing with your child, try out some of your ideas. You’ll be surprised how much children love it when the adults in their lives learn to think like a kid!

Provo Early Intervention Program 1165 E 300 N Provo, UT 84606 Phone: 801-852-4525 Fax: 801-852-3589 E-mail: monicaf@esgw.org

Hello! My name is Patricia Barney but I go by Trish. I am a military brat so I moved all over the United States as a youth. Eventually, I found home in Utah and have lived here for the past 21 years.. I’ve been married an embarrassing number of years (28 years!!!!) and have three kids. In my spare time I enjoy riding and showing horses...and.....oh yeah ....kids and horses are my favorite things to do! I have an associate’s degree in occupational ther-apy (COTA), and a bachelor’s degree in Marriage, Family and Human Development with an emphasis on development. I have been working for early interven-tion for the past 13 years. Over the years I have had the privilege of working and being mentored by Annie Miller OTR who many of you are familiar with if you have had a newborn intensive care stay at UVRMC. While I have focused my training and experience in occupational therapy, our agency has fostered a cross training approach to all home visitors and so I also-have considerable training in motor and speech de-velopment. My heart is truly in helping families who have chil-dren that are experiencing difficulties with feeding development and weight gain. Easter Seals Provo Early Intervention program has been working hard to put together a team of specialists to fully address the needs of our children who fall into this category. I am proud to be a part of that team.

Fall Community Events Calendar

As you all know, the cold and flu season is just around the corner! We are doing our part to protect the health of your child and family, the health of other children in this program, and our service pro-vider. Here are some ways you can help us: A parent must cancel therapy whenever they themselves or their child exhibits any one of the fol-lowing symptoms within the last 24 hours: A temperature of 100< or higher Cough Eye infection Vomiting Diarrhea Nasal discharge Extreme irritability or exhaustion We realize that therapy time is very important to you and your child. However, providing treatment to a child who is not feeling well is not therapeutic, and may put our staff members and other children they serve in danger of becoming ill as well.

Staff Spotlight: Trish

Trunk or Treat with PEIP! —Friday October 22, Seven Peaks Provo Ice Arena Parking Lot (across from Seven Peaks water park) from 4:30-6 pm. Monday Night at the Library—For all ages. September through April, 7:30-8 pm on Mondays, Academy Ballroom, #315, on the 3rd floor of the Provo City Library Book Babies —For babies 0-12 months and their par-ents/caregivers. Every Friday, 10-10:25 am, Children's Department, 1st first floor of the Provo City Library Mother Goose—For babies 13-24 months and their par-ents/caregivers. Every Friday from 11-11:20 am and 11:3011:50 am, Children's Department , 1st floor of the Provo City Library Toddler Time—For 2 year olds accompanied by their parent or caregiver. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thurs-days from 10-10:25 am and 11:05-11:25 am, Children's Department, 1st floor of the Provo City Library Pumpkin Patch Hayride—Rowley’s Southridge Farms, Santaquin. September 18-October 29, Mondays & Fridays 3:30-9 pm, Saturdays 10:30 am-9 pm. Hayrides leave every 15 minutes. Call 888-754-5511for cost information and driving directions. Tricks and Treats Halloween Carnival—October 29, 5-10 pm at The Center in Provo, 222 W. 500 N. $3/person, $10/family From Hope to Recovery—6 Week Class for Parents of Children with Mental or Behavioral Health Needs. Contact karen@allieswithfamilies.org or call 801-433-2595 or toll-free 1-877-477-0764 Family Christmas Concert—Utah Valley Symphony, December 1-2, 7:30 pm, The Covey Center for the Arts, 425 W. Center St. in Provo, $12 general admission Christmas Cruise—December 3-27, CLAS Ropes Course, 3606 W. Center St. in Provo, 6:30-9:00 pm M-Th, 6:30-9:30 pm F-S. $7/person, $28/family Provo City's First Night 2010—December 31, 6 pm-midnight, Provo Towne Centre 1200 S. Towne Centre Blvd.

Cold and flu season reminders

“Milestones” is published quarterly by Easter Seals Northern Rocky Mountain for the families and friends of Provo Early Intervention Program. For questions or comments please contact Monica Grabavoy at 801-852-4525 or e-mail monicaf@esgw.org

Parent Council Corner Continued… session is beginning at the end of September. Call the Center at 801-852-7635 for more information. As always we are looking for more willing indi-viduals or families would be interested in joining the Parent Council. We meet once a month. We work on making early intervention services better for our families. Our next meeting is Oct 6 at 5 pm. If you are interested in learning more about Easter Seals Provo Early Intervention Parent Council, call Crystal Emery at 801 852-4525 or email crystale@esgw.org.

Jessica Munk Parent Council President