Wednesday night was another great CoMo SEPTA meeting. Thanks to the MU Pre Occupational Therapy Club, we were able to offer free childcare again. We have gotten great feedback on these ladies, and they are enjoying our kids and being able to help.
Michelle Ribaudo started the meeting with the announcement of the totals of the fundraisers that ended in October. The Culver’s event raised $286.49 (plus $40 in tips) and the shirt sales earned $904.90. The fundraisers greatly exceeded our expectations. Michelle also recognized Erin Keith’s incredible efforts for the T-shirt, as she designed and coordinated the entire campaign. Thank you to everyone that came to Culvers to help and to everyone that purchased shirts. These funds will be used to cover the costs of the sensory kit, teacher grant(s), social events for our kids, etc.
Sara Rivera talked about the upcoming Resource Fair. She is in the process of making a list of the various community resources that we can contact to set up tables at the event, as well as deciding if there should be a cost associated with setting up the table. Sara created a list of resources, and passed the list around the room asking for people to write any other resources at the bottom. If you have an idea, send us an e-mail or tell us via our Contact Page. This event is still in the planning stages, so the date and place are still being determined.
Amie VanMorlan again sent around sheets for volunteers for the various committees such as Resource Fair, Social, Fundraising and Advocacy. It is not too late to join a committee, and many items can be done from home. You can also let us know where you’d most like to help at our Volunteer Page.
Amie also announced the SEPTA Holiday Party Event. This will be held Friday, November 30, 2018 at Missouri Care Community Room located at 4205 Phillips Farm Road. This is a new facility located off of 63 between Nifong and Discovery Parkway exits. The start time will be either 5:30 or 6 pm, but all members will be receiving an evite via email, and watch the website and facebook pages for updates.
Michelle then gave an update about the Mill Creek Sensory room at Fun Fest. There were 57 kids come to the room, which is amazing. Michelle mentioned that obviously not all of the visitors needed the room, some were just curious, but that was fine. It was very apparent which children needed it, and it was so great that this was offered. There are two more upcoming opportunities for the travelling sensory room. SEPTA will be setting up at the Center for Early Learning’s Glow Night on Dec 6th, and also at Beulah Ralph Elementary’s Circus in February. If your school has event that the Sensory Room would be helpful, please let us know.
Michelle also announced that the IEP Boot Camp needed to be changed from a one day workshop into two workshops. In addition to the original Dec 5th date, the second half of the workshop will be Dec 12th. Michelle will be sending out an email with details.
The final announcement was that there would be no SEPTA meeting in December.
Edie and Christi tackled some of the common myths about AAC. One of the main myths is that giving a child a communication device will stunt or stop their verbal ability (or stop the child from trying to be verbal). This is not true. In fact, children with AAC tend to have an increase in speech because they now have an ability to communicate.
Another interesting myth is to start with a small amount of choices on a device, and then increase the amount of words. They have found to always start with more words and then decrease if it is too much. Most of the time the kids will rise to the level, and burst with communication.
It should be noted that it can take months for a child to get comfortable with a device, so don’t give up after only a few weeks. Repetition is key to get the children comfortable, so don’t give up. The ladies showed several YouTube videos of children using devices, and each one was incredible. You could see the joy on the children’s faces as they could communicate.
AAC has so many options and it is a matter of trying different devices (low tech, two choice buttons, soloflex, novachat, etc) with the individual child to find the right fit. AAC can truly make a huge difference to a child, as it gives them a way to communicate without behaviors. Edie and Christi mentioned Saltillo as a good resource for tutorials, information and videos.
After the presentation, everyone was welcome to touch and explore the various AAC devices that Edie and Christi brought to share.
Enjoy the upcoming Thanksgiving break. We hope to see CoMO SEPTA members at some of the various holiday events over the next month. Remember, there’s no meeting in December. We will resume meetings in January.