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2/25/10
HOLY ROSARY PRESCHOOL FIELD TRIP
The Children’s Center is a learning environment for young children and their families. Parent-Child Groups, Parent Groups along with an opportunity to play and socialize are some of the services offered. Parenting and educational resources are available to be used at the center or borrowed for use at home. The learning environment, designed in conjunction with Community Playthings, offers an outstanding array of hands-on learning activities. The Parents as Teachers staff is available to assist families and provide suggestions for fun developmentally appropriate acitivities. If you are a parent struggling to find the right toys for your children, stop in at the Children’s Center at the Community Education Council on 4 Erie Avenue in St. Marys. The Center’s hours are: Tuesday and Thursday 10am-7pm and Wednesday and Friday 9am-2pm. Lynn Floravit, the Children’s Center facilitator also offers playgroups every Friday starting at 10:00am. DMHC Parents as Teachers reminds parents that children learn through play. Children not only love to play they need to play. It looks fun, and it should be. It is important to realize that although your child’s play may seem loud, messy and even nonproductive, they are learning about themselves and their world. (((BACK TO TOP))) February is Dental Health Month
The American Dental Association recommends that a child be seen by a dentist as soon as his or her first tooth erupts, but at least no later than the first birthday. A dental visit at an early age is a “well baby checkup” for the teeth. Begin brushing your child’s teeth with a little water as soon as the first tooth appears. If you are considering using toothpaste before the child is two years of age, ask your dentist or physician first. Supervise tooth brushing to make sure children older than two years of age use only a pea-size amount of fluoride toothpaste and avoid swallowing it. Children should be taught to spit out remaining toothpaste and rinse with water after brushing. Most children will be able to brush on their own by the age of six or seven years. Parents should be using floss or an interdental cleaner on their children’s teeth as soon as any two teeth touch. Cleaning between the teeth is important because it removes plaque where a toothbrush cannot reach. Brush your child’s teeth twice a day unless your dentist recommends otherwise. Help your children maintain a lifelong healthy smile by providing them with a well-balanced diet, limiting snacks, ensuring that they brush twice a day and floss once per day, and scheduling regular dental checkups for them. Referenced JADA, Vol. 133, February 2002 (((BACK TO TOP)))
Article by Brent Addleman
Possibilities brings the diagnostics and treatments of autism to a local level.
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DMHC Looking to Expand Lifesharing Service
Lifesharing is when an individual with intellectual disabilities lives with an unrelated person(s) or family. It means living and sharing life’s experiences together, creating a caring household environment. It is both a close personal relationship and a place to live. Individuals in Lifesharing have a wide array of needs ranging from daily, hands-on support to having a lot of independence and minimal supervision. The ultimate goal is to provide a supportive, secure, and loving home.
Each person receiving lifesharing services is given many opportunities to participate in community activities, make choices in their daily lives, develop and maintain personal relationships and having the opportunity to grow. Each individual is encouraged to be independent as possible. Supervision plans and program goal plans are tailored to the capabilities of each person, are put in place to assist an individual with improving their skills, and, are always carried out with safety in mind. Qualified professionals help the Lifesharer and family adjust and to meet personal objectives. An individual’s total well-being is uppermost in all lifesharing homes.
The process of entering lifesharing can take up to 6 months and begins with an application and a home study. Potential providers need to talk with their family. Adding a Lifesharer means change. Any issues need to be identified and talked through before a match can be considered. Time and exploration is important. Both parties need to be sure of the arrangement. Lifesharers and individuals are carefully matched through the “Getting to Know You” period which involves a series of visits that increase in length and duration.
Lifesharing providers must
meet state licensing requirements, not have a criminal
history or child abuse, obtain a physical, and complete 24
hours of training, related to mental retardation, before an
individual can move into their home. In some cases,
licensing requirements may be waived if the individual needs
less then 30 hours of supervision per week. Regular
monitoring of the service is done by
Lifesharing is a commitment in
time and energy. Sometimes it can be too much for the
provider or a life event takes over. In these cases,
Substitute Care is available. Substitute care is provided by
any number of individuals who meet certain requirements
outlined in the regulations. They can provide care in the
family’s home or in their own home. The arrangement is
usually between the Provider and the Substitute Care
Provider.Lifesharing providers are independent contractors.
They receive a stipend which helps cover the costs of caring
for an individual as well as procuring substitute care. It
is not meant to be a family’s only source of income. Most
providers have a primary source of income. Lifesharing is
considered to be a form of “adult foster care” hence the
stipend is considered tax-free. The stipend may be
considered a form of income for other government related
benefits. Individuals typically receive social security
benefits and pay room and board. Room and Board is paid to
Any person interested in becoming a lifesharing provider needs to be sure of their decision before they begin the process. They also need to be willing to make a commitment to an individual, to add a new member to their family, to possess good communication skills, and to have extra room in their home, and, in their heart.
At present, Dickinson Mental Health operates 8 Lifesharing homes in the Potter County area. These homes now serve a total of 10 individuals. Our present goal is to extend this service to Elk, Cameron, and McKean Counties. If you think this program may be right for you, contact Wendy Hann at 814-274-3253 at the North Main Street Group Home in Coudersport or Paul Snyder at 814-772-2005, ext. 450, for more information about the Lifesharing program. (((BACK TO TOP)))
(((BACK TO TOP))) Sign Language as a Way of Communication
Start signing now!
You can sign "milk" to your newborn when it's time to nurse or
time for a bottle. Sign "sleep" at nap and bedtimes. Take your
baby's hands and help them sign "more" in-between each spoonful.
This will help integrate signs into your daily routine. Soon the
repetition and reinforcement will occur naturally as your infant
grows. Baby sign will also help your infant realize that crying
is not the only way of communicating. (((BACK TO TOP))) DMHC Offering More Behavioral Health Services to Cameron County and the Surrounding Community
Ms. Dippold is a long-time employee of DMHC and has served as its Director of Children’s Programs, as a consultant to its school based programs, a therapist for patients with persistent and chronic mental illness, program developer, and most recently has overseen its regional employee assistance program services. She holds a Bachelors Degree from the Pennsylvania State University and earned her Masters in Social Work from West Virginia University. She is a licensed clinical social worker and offers Eye Movement Desensitization Re-Processing as one of her primary clinical specialties. Ms. Dippold now makes her home in St. Marys. For scheduling behavioral health services at the Emporium Rural Health Center of Charles Cole Memorial Hospital, please contact 814.486.2078. Ms. Dippold will maintain scheduled office hours on Mondays and Fridays at this location. To schedule an appointment with Ms. Dippold at her Keystone Rural Health Consortia office location on Tuesdays and Thursdays, contact 814.486.1115 or visit the office at 90 East Second Street, Emporium, PA. (((BACK TO TOP)))
DR. MELISSA HUNTER TO LEAD DMHC AUTISM DIAGNOSTIC TEAM (RIDGWAY, PA) Dr. Melissa Hunter, PhD will join the staff of Dickinson Mental Health Center to lead the Autism Diagnostic Team. A graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi, she was most recently employed as a Behavior Therapist/Licensed Psychologist with SunPointe Health in State College, PA where she provided outpatient assessment and therapy services to children and families with a variety of presenting problems, including autism spectrum disorders, developmental disabilities, disruptive behavior problems, sleep and toileting concerns, academic issues, parenting concerns, and others. She serves as a consultant with the Central Pennsylvania Autism Spectrum Disorders Academy (CPASDA) in Clearfield, PA where she provides teacher training, behavior consultation services, and parent support services. In 2006, she was a Post-Doctoral Fellow in Developmental Disabilities at the Child Study Center at the University of Oklahoma and has served as adjunct facility at the Pennsylvania State University where she taught a course on Developmental Problems in Childhood and Adolescence. She is a member of the Consumer Advisory Network of the National Autism Center and has served as an article reviewer for their National Standards Project. Dr. Hunter has authored several professional articles and has presented nationally and internationally. She holds a professional membership in the Association for Behavior Analysis, National Association of School Psychologists, and the American Psychological Association. In addition to her position at the Autism Center she will provide outpatient services for children and adolescents at Dickinson Mental Health Center on a part time basis.
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