AFN Library Book Review In beautifully written accounts of experiences working with emotional-ly stunted and traumatized children,

child psychiatrist Bruce Duncan Perry educates readers about how early-life stress and violence affects the developing brain in his book The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog.

The stories exhibit compassion, understanding and hope as Perry paints detailed, humane pictures of patients who have experi-enced violence, sexual abuse or ne-glect, and Perry invites the reader on his own journey to understanding how the developing child's brain works. He learns that…”recovery requires that the patient be in charge of key aspects of the therapeutic in-teraction." He emphasizes that the brain of a traumatized child can be remolded with patterned, repetitive experiences in a safe environment. Most importantly, as such trauma involves the shattering of human connections, "lasting, caring connec-tions to others" are irreplaceable in healing; medications and therapy alone cannot do the job.

"Relationships are the agents of change and the most powerful thera-py is human love," Perry said. A Business Information Review

October-November-December, 2011 Volume 3, Issue 4

AFN Board Members Laurie Mulvey - Board Chair

Charma Dudley, Ray Firth Julie Hladio, Laurie Jones

Tammie McAbee, Marcia Raines Joyce Reese, Scott Schreiber

Maria Smith

Inside this Issue “To the Parents” AFN CHATLine 2 A Bit of Wisdom Fathers Involved Now AFN Library & Resource Room

Support Group Calendar 3 Support Group Details 4 ADD/ADHD 5 Children’s Corner 6

There was a beautiful day in the AFN Family’s neighborhood for the 3rd annual AFN Families Cook-Out at the Vietnam Veteran’s Pavil-ion on August 16, 2011. Food, games, crafts, and music filled the day for all of the families and staff.

A NOTE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Next Steps

With the System of Care grant for Starting Early Together (SET) coming to its completion, it is an honor for Allegheny Family Network to continue supporting those families that chose to stay in-volved. The SET program supported families raising children 0-6 years of age with a mental health diagnosis. Allegheny Family Network provided the Family Support Partners for the four commu-nity-based sites. The sites were SET North, SET East Hills, SET Tri-Boro and SET South. The Family Support Partners worked together with a team of Service Coordinators, Community

Organizers and Team Leaders. The County supplied the SET Director, a Family Support Specialist along with an evaluation team. Many families received valuable services in their community during the years of the System of Care (SOC) grant. Allegheny Family Network was created partially by the System of Care Initiative. This was to ensure continuance of the voice and choice of families so that families would continue to be an intricate part of decision-making for policies that affect families at all levels and to advocate for their families regarding services they chose to receive.

AFN sponsored a celebration providing support for the “Next Steps” to families while giving them the tools needed to take those steps. Members in each community had a celebration and were given “Transition Bind-ers” full of contact information for all kinds of services in their community as well as Allegheny County. Fami-lies were given a tool kit with great help aids for their families as well as family activities. The entire Team worked together to make this celebration very special in each community.

AFN also offered families the opportunity to continue one-on-one support with a Family Support Partner and offered the AFN CHAT Line as a tool if a parent just needed to talk to another parent for support. AFN is also working diligently to supply each community with continued Family Support Groups.

AFN is happy to have been part of Starting Early Together and will continue to reach out to families in those communities as well as communities across Allegheny County to give support to parents raising children with mental health or emotional needs 0 to 6 years of age.

Receiving support early can make a huge difference in your family’s journey! Please call us at 1-888-273-2361.

Ruth Fox Executive Director

NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) reported on their website that over “1,000 mental illness advocates braved the torrential downpour to attend the NAMI Walk at the South Side Works & Three Rivers Heritage Trail to raise awareness about mental illness and the help that is available in our community.”

This was AFN’s third year attending, and with the commitment of the team chairperson Chris-tine Snyder, FSP, families and staff, children, friends, AFN Parent Advisory Board member, and Leonora-a Bernese Mountain therapy dog represented Team AFN at the October 2, 2011 event. Through the team’s efforts we have con-tinued to raise more money each year. Congratu-lations to Christine and thank you to all of our team participants. WAY TO WALK TEAM AFN!!!

Team AFN Walks for NAMI SUMMER FUN

Page 2

PARENTS PAGE PARENTS PAGE PARENTS PAGE PARENTS PAGE PARENTS PAGE

Volume 3, Issue 4

“Fathers Involved Now” Continues to Grow

Keith Blockton, Rick Cobbs, and Ronn Craig attended the National Fatherhood Initiative Training Institute in German-town, D.C. and received certi-fications from the 24/7 Dad Training Institute and the In-side Out Dad Training Insti-tute. Keith will now be able to facilitate both of those curricu-lums at the FIN support group.

The 24/7 Program™ curricu-lum includes topics dealing with effective communication, co-parenting with mom, show-ing and handling feelings, and what it means to be a man.

Inside Out Dad Program™ is an evidence-based reentry program designed to connect incarcerated fathers to their families and prepare them for release. The program has been proven to increase fam-ily contact and improve in-

The AFN Library is designed for parents as well as staff to learn more about a variety of subjects. Areas covered in-clude: Careers; Family Finan-cials; Mental Health Diagno-ses; IEPs; Information and Guides; and References. In addition, our library also has novels for adults and children’s books as well.

A desktop computer is availa-ble for parents to use from 9:00am to 4:30pm, Monday-Friday. Call our Parent Coordi-nator at 412-246-2030, ext. 163 to make a reservation for use.

Both the Library and Resource Room are located at our offices in the Oakland section of Pitts-burgh, 425 N. Craig Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15213.

mate knowledge and atti-tudes. Hundreds of state and federal facilities, pre-release programs, community or-ganizations, and more are using this life-changing reentry program. Both programs also provide solid fathering skills to the everyday dad as well as the incarcerated dad. FIN is continuing to focus on community service. The fathers volunteered at the Duquesne Food Bank on September 8, 2011. They will be hosting a Fathers Steelers Tail Gate party here at our AFN office on No-vember 13, 2011. Plans are being discussed for hosting a father and daughter dance tentatively around Valen-tine’s Day, 2012.

AFN CHAT Line: 1-888-273-2361

Whether you are new to the process of deal-ing with the different child-serving agencies in Allegheny County, or have been involved in the process for years, we are here to pro-vide support. If you feel that your voice is not being heard and would like some support to help voice the needs of your family, please call our CHAT Line.

An excerpt from the book The Vortex Section in “To the Par-ents” by Esther and Jerry Hicks

"The more you see things in your child that you do not want to see--

the more of that you will see. The behavior that you elicit from your child is more about you

than it is about your child. This is actually true of all of your relation-ships, but since you think about your child more than most others, your opinion about your child plays a greater role in his behavior.

If you could de-emphasize the un-wanted behavior you see

in your child by ignoring it--not replaying it over again in your mind, not speaking to others about it, and not worrying about it--you

would not be a continuing contribu-tor to the unwanted behavior.

When you hold anyone or anything as your ob-ject of attention, you are leaning in one of two

directions: toward what is wanted, or toward what is not wanted. If you will practice lean-ing toward what is

wanted when you think about your child, you will begin to see behav-ior patterns shifting to more of what you want to see.

Your child is a powerful creator who wants to feel good and be of value. If you do not take score in the moment and de-cree him otherwise, he will rise to the goodness of his natural being.

When you are in a state of fear, worry, anger, or

“TO THE PARENTS” frustration--you will evoke unwanted behav-ior from your child.

When you are in a state of love, appreciation, eagerness, or fun-you will evoke wanted be-havior from your child.

Your child was not born to please you.

You were not born to please your parents.

...Can it really be that easy? Just focus on the behavior you'd like to see more of in your kids? Yes, it can be that simple, however...it's not always that easy.

But I believe this is one of the se-crets to successful parenting: Law of Attraction style!

Rhonda Ryder, Founder Kids Awakening

A Bit of Wisdom from Deborlyne

“Do We Help or Hurt? Fire can warm or consume Water can quench or drown Wind can caress or cut Human relationships can create or destroy, nurture or terrorize, traumatize or heal.” Dr. Bruce Perry, 2006

AFN Library and Resource Room

Page 5

ADD/ADHD

Allegheny Family Network

In this quarter, the AFN Newsletter is looking at ADD/ADHD. During the preparation, one colleague inquired, is it ADD or ADHD? As I researched the material on the subject, something that my wife and I had discussed came to mind: how many of us who are parents and caregivers nurturing children with Serious Emotional Disorders--SED, ever read the information provided by pharmacists effects, as well as advantages and disadvantages on the medications administered to our children? Some of us take these things for granted until something hits your loved one; one of my children has been taking the medicine needed to help improve his health; when he ended up at the Emergency Room (ER) due to some of the medical side effects, it was as though chickens had come home to roost!

From this time forth, as parents and caregivers, we can no longer afford to leave our loved one solely in the hands of the medical professionals--especially when the medical professionals encour-age us to READ THE LABEL!!!

This is not a complete summary of safety information. For more information, please read the Professionals’ Prescribing Information and Medication Guide. This should include warnings about the potential for medical abuse and side effects. Please, discuss any concerns with your family doctor.

Like most of articles on such subjects, this article is based on pro-fessional writings; it is copied and made available to those who may find it difficult to dig and extrapolate the otherwise needed information. Hope you enjoy, learn and give feed-back after read-ing this article.

The definition of ADHD (and is a REAL DISORDER

The definition of ADD/ADHD and Attention Deficit Disorder or Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, all mean the same thing. ADHD is a real disorder. The brain uses various natu-ral chemicals to help send messages

across the nervous system. An imbalance of these chemical mes-sengers may result in the inattentive and hyperactive/impulsive symptoms of ADHD. It is a condition that develops within some children in their early childhood years, but can continue into adulthood. ADD/ADHD can make it difficult for people to be able to control their behavior, as well as various other symptoms.

The current estimation is that between 3 and 5 percent of American children suffer from some degree of attention deficit disorder. This translates to approximately 2 million children across the United States. Similarly, between 2 and 4 percent of all adults in the USA suffer from ADD/ADHD.

What does this mean in a practical sense? ADHD shows itself as a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity/impulsivity that is more frequent and severe than what is seen in one's peers. For a diagnosis to be made, ADHD symptoms:

Must be present in at least two life situations: for example, at home, at school or work

Must cause significant impairment in functioning at school, work, or in social settings

In any given classroom with an average size (between 25 and 30 children), there is likely to be at least one child who has ADD/ADHD, whether he or she has been diagnosed with the disorder or not. It also means that a business employing 50 people will also have one or two ADD/ADHD sufferers.

There have been thousands upon thou-sands of scientific, academic, and medi-cal papers written about this disorder, providing a sizeable amount of infor-mation with regard to the definition of ADD/ADHD, its causes, its nature, its progression, and its treatments. A person with Attention Deficit Disor-

der faces a difficult but not insurmountable task ahead. In order to achieve his or her full potential, the person diagnosed ADD/ADHD should receive help, guidance, and understanding from family, friends, counselors, and the public education system.

The Symptoms of Attention Deficit Disorder exist for most people. Everyone has exhibited some of these symptoms some of the time. However, individuals with ADD/ADHD have more of these symp-toms more of the time and these symptoms tend to interfere with their ability to function normally at school, work and social set-tings. It can also limit their full potential. People with the ADD/ADHD Disorder: ADD/ADHD people, those under the definition of ADD/ADHD, are often noted for their in-consistencies. One day they can "do it," and the next they can’t. They may have difficul-ty remembering simple things yet have "steel trap" memories for complex issues; to avoid disappointment, frustration and discouragement do not expect their highest level of compe-tence to be the standard. It is an unrealistic expectation of a person with Attention Deficit Disorder.

What is normal is that the ADD/ADHD will be incon-sistent. Typically, some people with ADD/ADHD will have problems with following through on instructions, paying attention appropriately to what they need to attend to, seem not to listen, be disorganized, have poor handwriting, miss details, have trouble starting tasks or with tasks that require planning or long-term effort, appear to be easily distracted, or forgetful. In addition, some people with ADD/ADHD can be fidgety, verbally impulsive, are unable to wait their turn, and act on impulse regardless of consequences.

If you think your child exhibits one or more of these symptoms, consult your doctor, psychologist , or therapist.

Ntando Gxuluwe, Family Support Partner

425 North Craig Street, Suite 300 Pittsburgh, PA 15213

AFN CHAT

Free and confidential

Support Line—9:00 am—4:30 pm

1-888-273-2361

Office phone: 412/ 246-2030

Fax: 412/ 246-0994

Website: www.alleghenyfamilynetwork.org

Pittsburgh has many different kinds of trees with very different leaf shapes.

Draw a line to match the leaves with their names.

Answers: 1.Dogwood; 2.Sweet Gum 3. Spruce; 4. Maple; 5. Oak

Sweet Gum

Oak

Dogwood

Spruce

Maple

1

2

3

4

5

CORNER CHILDREN’S

A HIGHLIGHTS HIDDEN PICTURE CHICKADEE IN WINTER by Timothy Davis