We've had a few weeks off from virtual school and the kids have had time to be wild and untamed. Early intervention professionals Neysa McKenney, M.A., CCC-SLP, and Kathy Nash, M.Ed., will discuss the importance of routines and setting expectations to give kids something to rely on. -- How do you set up a summer structure using a visual schedule? -- What are simple activities you can incorporate into your child's summer play to increase communication, social, and academic skills? This program is for families of children 18 months to 6 years (with or without a formal diagnosis).

Connecting for Kids

Staying Sane with the Little Ones at Home - Summer Check In

Do you have a child who is more difficult, argumentative or disrespectful? Is it a struggle to get her to comply with the rules or to complete school work? Is his temper and moodiness affecting your entire family especially as you are home together during this COVID-19 pandemic? Join Jay Berk, PhD, psychologist, author, and international speaker of Jay Berk, PhD and Associates, for a brief presentation on the possible causes of these difficult behaviors and what to do about them. Dr Berk will help you identify what skills your child may be lacking and provide practical strategies you can use at home to combat common defiant and difficult behaviors.

Defiant and Difficult Behavior at Home

With schools and therapist offices closed and behavior analysts not doing home visits during this pandemic, have you suddenly been tasked with implementing Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) at home? If so, what do you need to know? Join Ken Dix, RBT, and Elyra Gonzalez, MA, BCBA, COBA, of The Silver Lining Group as they answer your ABA questions, provide ideas and empower families during these unprecedented times. Co-sponsored by the Autism Society of Greater Cleveland.

Implementing ABA at Home

If you are at home with a child between the ages of 18 months to 6 years you know these last few weeks haven’t been easy. Keeping your child meaningfully engaged while also getting your work done is most likely taking all of your energy. And, if you have a child who struggles in an area of development, you have extra concerns during this time. But don’t fear! CFK Early Intervention professionals and Teach Me to Play leaders Paula C. Papp, M.A.Ed., and Neysa McKenney, M.A., CCC-SLP are here to help.

Staying Sane with Little Ones at Home

Take a 20-minute break with your child from distance learning and follow along as Terri McNeely, LISW, MEd, of The Child & Family Counseling Center of Westlake, takes you through some quick exercises to decrease anxiety, increase attention and better regulate emotions. Once you learn these new techniques, you can take a mindfulness brain break any time your child needs to calm themselves and refocus. Mindfulness makes you aware of thoughts, feelings and sensations that are happening around you and can provide many benefits during this unprecedented time of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Mindfulness Brain Breaks

The dog is barking, siblings are playing in the next room and dad is doing a conference call down the hall. If you thought your child had a difficult time paying attention in the classroom environment, some of you may be quickly finding out that distance learning from home may be even more of a challenge. What strategies can you use to help your child focus in the home environment? What are some practical ways to limit distractions? How can you use the materials already found around your home to keep kids on task? Whether your child is a preschooler or preteen, Christine Chambers, MEd, OTR/L of Abilities First, LLC, shares 10 simple tips families can use to boost executive functioning skills and help a child accomplish schoolwork with sustained attention.

Top 10 Tips to Help Your Child Focus at Home

As you are implementing distance learning at home, what services are you entitled to? If your child is helped by an aide or nurse at school, can that person be transferred into the home? Should services such as counseling, occupational, physical or speech therapy be available virtually? What should you do now that your spring IEP meeting has been canceled and your summer ESY plans or scholarship eligibility is uncertain? Ivette Sarkar and Tammie Sebastian from the Ohio Coalition for the Education of Children with Disabilities (OCECD) will be answering these and other questions you have about educating children with disabilities at home.

Disabilities and Distance Learning Dilemmas

Facilitators Lisa Ruman, LISW, CHt, of The Child & Family Counseling Center of Westlake and Sarah Rintamaki and Nicole Born-Crow of Connecting for Kids will be addressing one of our most popular topics, how to stay calm even when you are angry or frustrated by your child’s behaviors. You will learn a number of techniques to help you stay calm in the face of adversity. The article we will be discussing is "Remaining Calm in the Face of Chaos."

How to Stay Calm When the Kids Are Out of Control

Would you like to apply for a grant to help fund your child’s needs but aren’t sure where to begin? How do you find which grants you may qualify for? Join representatives from Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities (CCBDD) and Rec2connect Foundation who will discuss the types of therapies, camps or equipment that are typically covered. They will also walk attendees through the process of applying for financial support. In addition, Amy Clawson of Ohio Family 2 Family will explain how to create your child’s medical summary and write a vision statement to supplement your grant applications. This program was co-sponsored by Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities, Zane's Inc., and Rec2Connect Foundation, and Ohio Family 2 Family.

How to Apply for Grants for Children with Special Needs

Are the meltdowns, power struggles and talking back just getting worse? In this two-part series, Katie Greenleaf, MA, LPCC, of Meghan Barlow and Associates, will share techniques to turn your home from a battleground into a more peaceful place.

Challenging Behavior Speaker Series

Do the needs of your typical children sometimes go unmet? Are you feeling guilty over the amount of time you spend focused on your child who struggles versus the amount you can carve out for a typical sibling? Lisa Ruman, LISW, CHt, of The Child & Family Counseling Center of Westlake, will outline ways to have a conversation with your typically developing child so that he or she can express frustrations and identify at least one need that currently isn’t being met. We will then share practical ways to meet sibling needs given limited time and funds.

How to Meet the Needs of Typical Siblings

Are your requests to get ready for school, wash up for dinner or start the bedtime routine ignored? Do you need to scream at the top of your lungs before your kids will listen? Join Rachel Torrance, M.Ed, BCBA, COBA, and Jennifer Pearson, M.Ed, BCBA, COBA, of Accessing Abilities, as they provide families with the top 10 tips and tricks of the trade used by behavior analysts and educators. From grandma’s rule to breaking into song and dance, they will share proven strategies to help increase desirable behaviors and set your child up for success. Learn skills that will make both your life and your child’s life easier. This program is designed for both typically developing children as well as children with special needs.

How to Get Your Preschooler to Listen

Does your child struggle with self-doubt? Is motivation an issue? Is schoolwork completed to the best of his or her abilities? Join Heather Dukes-Murray, Ph.D., licensed independent clinical psychologist, as she discusses how encouraging a growth mindset for your child, and developing a growth mindset in parenting, can help your child develop resilience in thinking and actions. She will provide growth mindset exercises to incorporate into daily activities that can be used to combat common struggles with homework, motivation and self-doubt. In addition, Dr. Dukes-Murray will provide you with ways to help your child identify, express, and regulate emotions as well as ideas for changing negative thinking patterns. Growth mindset exercises geared towards parenting will also be discussed.

Enhancing Growth Mindset

Does your child struggle with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)? What does science tell us about how to treat OCD and other anxiety disorders, and what strategies can you use to help your child meet their goals and enjoy their childhood? Join Jonah Lakin, Psy.D., of the OCD & Anxiety Center of Cleveland, as he discusses these questions, as well as the difficulties families face when a child has OCD. Attendees will learn about evidence-based strategies they can use to support, encourage and help their children.

Overcoming OCD

Gary Tonks, CEO, of The Arc of Ohio, discusses changes at the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities, including: - Home and Community-Based Services Waivers - Fix the List and what to expect during your assessment - Navigating the waiver funding approval process - Additional funding sources Co-sponsored by Lorain County Family Forum, the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities, Ohio Family 2 Family and The Arc of Ohio.

Changes to Ohio Waivers

Connecting for Kids educates and supports families with questions or concerns about their child.

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Connecting for Kids

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