February is Black History Month and our teachers took the initiative in creating curriculum to celebrate the accomplishments of Black Americans over the course of our country’s history. It is important to discuss Black History throughout the year, but February gives us a special time to pay extra attention to the incredibly important contributions of Black Americans.

The Dino Class is learning about Jesse Owens, the famous track and field athlete and Olympic Gold Medalist.

The Hedgehog Class teachers created this beautiful bulletin board with a message of unity and encouragement featuring poet Amanda Gorman and Vice President Kamala Harris.

This student in Team Moore is learning about Booker T. Washington. When given the chance to go on website Brainzy, a favorite website of his and a reward for finishing his work, he asked if he could keep working on the Black History Month research project instead. We love our students’ love of learning!

The Dino class learned about learned about the women of the Gee’s Bend town in Alabama, and their immaculate quilts that don’t leave a single scrap of fabric unused. Then, the students made their own quilt using all of their art paper scraps.! We also read the book “Belle, The Last Mule of Gee’s Bend” (by Calvin Alexander Ramsey) to better understand the connection of this town to the Civil Rights Movement and Dr. Martin Luther King Junior.

The Dino Class is also learning About Black inventors. Many of the objects we use in our day-to-day lives were created by Black Americans.

The Star Cohort is playing Black History Bingo as part of their professional development.

Team Brand at the Secondary School is creating Black History Month bulletin boards featuring Black American icons. Who knows what the Bulletin Board spells in ASL (American Sign Language)?

By: Lindsay Fletcher, Ph.D., NCSP | Psychology Manager, Bridgeway Academy

Negative thoughts are a tricky lot. Sometimes, they are a quiet voice that whispers in the background even when you’re trying to stay optimistic. Other times, they shout so loudly that they’re hard to ignore. This shouting may even shape how we view others and the world around us. This is a topic that Bridgeway Academy’s Psychology Department tackles on a daily basis with our therapy clients, so we thought we’d share a couple of our tried and true approaches that are effective for children, adolescents, and adults alike!  

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, otherwise known as CBT, is an approach based on the reciprocal relationships among thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. From this perspective, one’s immediate interpretations of events are referred to as “automatic thoughts” because they occur spontaneously. These automatic thoughts shape how an individual feels about the event/person/world, and then this shapes the subsequent actions, or behaviors, they take in response to their feelings. These actions typically confirm the thoughts the individual had to begin with which fuels the continuation of these patterns (Freeman, Pretzer, Fleming, and Simon, 2004).

It’s easy to understand how one gets caught up in negative patterns of thinking. Not only do negative world events impact us daily (we’re talking about you, 2020…), it’s also very common to use inaccurate language in our daily lives. How many times have you said someone was “the best” when they did a mundane task for you or “the worst” for a minor (or even comical) infraction? Or, how often have you told someone “You’re hilarious!” or typed “LOL” while barely cracking a smile on your face? Our language has become quite dramatic in the present day, and you’d be hard pressed to find someone who didn’t raise their hand for at least one or more of those examples (psychologists included!). Inaccurately labeling the world around us is a stone’s throw away from misinterpreting situations and creating negative thought patterns as a result.

For the purpose of this blog, we thought it would be helpful to explore a couple of the kinds of automatic thought patterns, also known as cognitive distortions, that can lead individuals to inaccurate conclusions about events. While there are many more examples we could talk about, here are 5 of the most common ones:

All or Nothing Thinking: Also referred to as black and white or polarized thinking, is when things are seen in terms of one or the other with no shades of gray in between.  Example: Believing that one is either a success or a failure, and that anything short of a perfect performance is a total failure.

Catastrophizing: Negative events that might occur are treated as intolerable catastrophes rather than being seen in perspective. Example: You get a C on a single test in high school, which must mean you’ll never get accepted to the college of your choice and then you’ll never get the career you want because you won’t have the right college background.

Personalization: Assuming that one is the cause of a particular external event when, in fact, other factors are responsible. Example: Assuming that your supervisor’s unhappy demeanor is evidence that she doesn’t like you, but you never stop to ask her what is wrong (when in fact she just found out her mother is in the hospital).

Overgeneralization: A specific event is seen as being characteristic of life in general rather than being one event among many. Example: Assuming that you will never be good at math just because you struggled to learn one concept on that one day.

Disqualifying the Positive: Positive experiences which would conflict with the individual’s negative views are discounted by declaring they “don’t count.” Example: Disbelieving positive feedback from friends and family by thinking, “They’re only saying that to be nice.”
For many, one or more of these cognitive distortions will look familiar because you personally may fall into one or more of these traps or know someone who does. While we all experience negative thinking from time to time, once these patterns start taking over day after day, it’s time to put some strategies in place to get yourself back on track. Here are two of the Psychology Department’s favorite tools to use with clients who are struggling with negative thought patterns:

Track Your Automatic Thoughts: The first step is to catch yourself having the automatic thought, and the second step is to write them down on what is often called a “thought record.” Tracking what kind of situation triggered the thought, the emotion you felt, what the automatic thought was, and then attempting to correct that thought to be more rational is a great way to strengthen your ability to stop these distortions in their tracks! Example: Engage in a Behavioral Experiment: One of the most powerful ways to achieve cognitive change is to obtain evidence from personal experience that is incompatible with the negative thoughts. In other words- you don’t have to believe others when they tell you you’re wrong- go out and see for yourself! For example, if the automatic thought is: “I can’t make new friends. People will think I’m weird if I try to talk to them. This one time at the gym, I said ‘Hi’ to the person on the treadmill next to me, and they didn’t even respond. So, why even bother?” (overgeneralization).

Experiment Example:
– Automatic Thought: People will think I’m weird if I try to talk to them.
– Reason You Think That: This one time at the gym, I said ‘Hi’ to the person on the treadmill next to me, and they didn’t even respond.
– Rational Response: Maybe that person couldn’t hear me over their headphones.
– Experiment: Make eye contact with, smile at, and say “Hi, how’s it going?” to at least 5 people at the gym today. Take note of their response and acknowledge if they were wearing headphones and even heard me. Make a note (on paper or on a phone app) of how many people respond positively. Compare this number (likely 4-5) with the number you thought would smile back with a greeting (likely zero). Continue to gather “evidence” to refute the idea that everyone thinks you’re weird if you try to talk to them.If you’d like to learn more about the various types of cognitive distortions that have been researched over the years, check out these resources at psychcentral.com and goodtherapy.org. Sometimes, doing a little reading on your own can open your mind to patterns you didn’t realize you were engaging in, and then with a little information you can start to learn how to combat these thought patterns on your own. Other times, it may be helpful to talk to a professional who can help you transform your negative thoughts and beliefs into empowering affirmations that actually inspire and uplift you.References:
Freeman, A., Pretzer, J., Fleming, B., and Simon, K.M. (2004). Clinical applications of cognitive therapy.  (2nd ed.).  New York, NY: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers.
20 cognitive distortions and how they affect your life.  (2015, April 7).  Retrieved from https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/20-cognitive-distortions-and-how-they-affect-your-life-0407154

 

 

 

 

By: Bridgeway Academy’s Psychology Team

The “new normal”? These “challenging” or “uncertain” times? Whatever you call it, we’ve been living it for six months now.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a true test of our global community’s ability to adapt to change and cope with the whole range of emotions, all of which are completely valid and normal to experience (often within the same day!). While the shock of the pandemic has likely worn off for many of us, there is still the lingering feeling of ‘How do we move forward now?’ This Fall brings an added layer of difficulty as we help our children get back into the swing of a new school year after being out of their “normal” routine for the last 4-6 months! Below, the Bridgeway Academy Psychology Department offers ways to help you and your child(ren) move forward as they provide tips and suggestions for reacclimating to the new school year (whatever that may look like for you).

But first: What’s your child feeling?

Below are a few possible emotions your child – and you – may have experienced in the past few months and may still be experiencing with the neverending changes these challenging times present:

• Grief: missing time spent with friends and family or attending extracurricular activities, the cancellation or postponement of vacations and local trips; grief can be expressed as sadness, irritability, and/or anger
• Anxiety and stress: about whether friends or family will catch COVID-19 and experience serious complications, financial stressors, about how to read others’ emotions or interpret verbal messages when talking to someone who’s wearing a mask, about what the future holds as information about safety protocols is constantly changing
• Frustration: over constantly being required to adapt to change, not being able to get back to favorite activities, feelings of boredom or “Groundhog Day”, the increase in virtual demands in place of face-to-face learning/therapies/socialization, having to wait for concrete information about how reopenings will look for a wide variety of settings
• Happiness: many people are identifying the “silver linings” of COVID-19, such as enjoying the chance to slow down from busy schedules and spend quality time with their families or developing new hobbies or skills while stuck at home (e.g., cooking, art)

Starting the new school year

Whether your child is returning to school full-time, on a hybrid schedule, learning virtually from home, or beginning a homeschool curriculum, every situation presents a set of challenges and opportunities for growth. Below are some tips to help you and your child navigate these new and unfamiliar waters [please note: we suggest picking 1-2 areas you would like to build upon first; trying to implement all of these tips at once may be overwhelming for both the caregiver and the child(ren)]:

Share age appropriate information once available:

Read over and digest the school plans before discussing it in any detail with your child. This will look different depending on the age of your child. For example, preschoolers may understand more concrete changes to their school day, such as having to wear a mask or washing their hands more frequently, whereas elementary school students who may have a better understanding of why there are new rules but may need help coping with any feelings of “loss” (e.g., classrooms are in cohorts so they may not see their friends every day, only seeing their friends on a screen, modified or canceled extracurricular activities

Practice: Practice wearing a mask with your child or role playing their favorite stuffed animals/toys wearing masks and exhibiting social distancing. Consider using a social story or video modeling to help teach and practice these new skills. Help your child create a short list of go-to songs they can sing while washing their hands to help them reach that 20 second mark. Here are a few new songs to try!

Answer their questions: 

Kids cope with their emotions in different ways, and while some may benefit from hearing a lot of information about how school will be different because this can help them to know what to expect, others may only need/want to know general details about changes to come.  In some cases, you may not have all of the answers, but answering their questions the best that you can will help ease some of their anxieties about the upcoming school year. Refrain from using the news or media as a way for children to learn the information. Instead, a social story or developmentally/age appropriate conversation can help explain this unfamiliar, complicated topic to children in a more digestible way.

Practice: Play a familiar game with your child (e.g., Candyland) and modify it to allow for opportunity for questions, discussions, or sharing feelings about all the changes we are going through. For example, spinning red or drawing a red card means you name one thing that makes you mad about the new school year, orange means asking a question about the school year, etc.  Jotting the categories down on a scrap piece of paper or dry erase board helps!  A personal favorite of Bridgeway Academy’s psychologists is to pair the colors of the game you are playing with the emotions from the movie Inside Out for the topics.  Rainbow Jenga lends itself perfectly for this approach!

Normalize their fears and worries:

When kids are upset or worried, they may not always understand what they are feeling or why. Modeling your own emotion identification and regulation can help kids understand and express their feelings appropriately. For example, you could explain “I’m frustrated because I can’t see my friends in person, but I’m going to Facetime with one of them for lunch today so we can catch up. That will help!” to cover the what, why, and how of the problem/problem solving process. As situations arise, explain to your child that what they are feeling is normal and try to incorporate feeling vocabulary throughout the day. Help your child identify by name who they can talk to in specific settings, such as their teacher or therapist.

Practice: Practice with your child how to raise their hand in class (or, if learning online, how to reach their teacher)  and what to say to let the teacher know they are feeling uneasy; teach your child how to do this privately if they do not want an audience listening while they talk to their teacher. Reach out to your child’s speech therapist and education team for individualized approaches if your child communicates with a device, PECs, or sign language.

Help them manage their emotions:

It is important for strategies to be taught and practiced during times when your child is calm. This allows them to build their skills before they need to apply them in more distressing situations. After teaching the skills, you can remind your child when to use them. For example, if your child seems nervous, you can say, “This is a good time to take a few deep breaths. Let’s do it together.”  Here are a few other strategies to check out:

Practice #1: Grounding techniques: pick a color and find five things of that color in the room and then list them aloud. Continue with different colors or quantities as needed. A similar approach is a Mindfulness technique that involves going through the five senses and identifying 5 things you can see, 4 things you can feel, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste at that time. More great visuals can be found here!

Practice #2: Positive Imagery: think about an enjoyable place like the beach or the forest to take a “mental vacation.” Help your child name specific things they are picturing in their imagination, like the warm sun on their skin, the sound of ocean waves, or the smell of delicious food.

Practice #3: Relaxation techniques: take several slow deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth; adding a tangible activity to this technique, such as blowing bubbles, can often make it easier for children to slow down. Contact your child’s occupational therapist for more individualized approaches.

Get back in a routine:

Combating the seemingly never ending ambiguity we now face with predictable schedules/routines is one sure-fire way to help everyone feel a little more grounded each day.

Practice: Practice using a visual schedule each day to keep everyone on track with their new routine regardless of where their learning environment is. Reach out to your child’s teacher or program director/manager for help creating visuals that suit your child’s needs. Check out these ideas!

If you have any questions about any of the above suggestions and strategies or about starting the school year in general, reach out to your support team!  We’ve all heard it 1,000 times by now, but this is especially true at Bridgeway Academy… we’re all in this together!

References/Resources:

• https://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/patients/coronavirus-information/family-resources/mental-emotional-health 
• https://www.chop.edu/news/health-tip/managing-emotions-during-covid-19 
• https://nyulangone.org/news/schools-out-parents-guide-meeting-challenge-during-covid-19-pandemic

 

Black lives matter. Bridgeway Academy was formed on the principles of equity, inclusion, and the establishment of environments and systems that are supportive of all people. 

Our mission is to inspire the potential and celebrate the ability of every child. The nature of our work puts Bridgeway Academy uniquely positioned at the intersection of race and disability. 

We know that our students and clients already face challenges navigating a world that was not built with their needs in mind. We also know that out of these 300 wonderful, extraordinary, and neurodiverse individuals, some are disproportionately affected by the issues of systemic racism, poverty, and inequality.  

Bridgeway Academy is committed to doing the hard work of confronting racism and implicit bias within our community and within our own organization. We promise to stand with our staff and families of color, to create a safe space for sharing, supporting, and lifting up marginalized voices to help us lead Bridgeway Academy on a path towards meaningful change.

We pledge to take steps to move towards a more equitable society for all people, and will continue to engage with conversations around how our organization can make a difference in the larger story of social justice, and to support members of our community who are actively engaged in this movement.

With Governor DeWine’s recent announcement that schools will not reopen until May 1, we’re using this time to take stock of our remote learning and therapy services in order to meet the needs of our students the best we can.

We also understand that extending the school closure can really impact families like the ones we serve, who have a child on the autism spectrum or with special needs. Our Family Partnership team and our Psychology team have put together some helpful tips to help families during this uncertain time.

For Parents & Caregivers:

Create a Space.

Giving your child a designated space for daily learning provides clear expectations for when it’s time to do school work. When your child is in the space, it’s time for school. When they aren’t, work is not expected to be done. 

If it’s easier to complete school work in an area that’s used for other activities as well, (e.g., the kitchen table for school work and eating) consider making a visual support, like a sign, to show when the area should be used for which activity.               

Make a Plan. 

Look ahead at daily lessons from classroom teachers, and have all the materials your child will need for activities out and ready before bringing your child to their designated learning space. Use a schedule to list out what your child will be doing during work time. It doesn’t have to be fancy – you can write it out or draw pictures- having your child understand the meaning of the schedule is what’s most important!

Establish a few rules for work time. While you sit and work with your child, provide them with lots and lots of praise at times they are following their rules! Be specific with your praise – add in hugs, squeezes and high-5’s for an extra bonus!                  

We recommend The Autism  Helper’s handout- Focus on Five: Tips for Parents for Home Learning for additional schedule ideas.

Set Your Child Up for Success.

If your child is able to sit well at the table for 10 minutes, consider setting a work time for 8 minutes. (Then take a break and come back to the lesson for another 8 minute block of time later.) If during work time, you see your child show signs of wanting a break, prompt them to ask for one! Model the language “I want a break” or “Can I have a break?” for them to repeat. Show your child the sign for break and help them sign break themselves. Or have a “break” picture icon available for your child to touch or hand to you when to indicate they want a break.

Think About Motivation.

What can your child have after completing their work? A special treat, a fun, new activity with you, or iPad time? Make a list of the items and activities your child really enjoys by observing your child during free time. Use these items to motivate them during learning time! Save the best items for the hardest activities of the day! Use a First/Then strategy to tell your child when they get these items! “First a reading worksheet, Then we can build a fort” or “First  science and math, Then we can go outside!”

Structure Down Time.

Rotate toys to keep things fresh. Gather up a basket full of toys that are currently around the house. Hide them away for the week. On Sunday night, bring those toys out for play. Gather up another basket of different toys and hide them away for the week. Continue rotating toys in and out. Additionally, toys can be rotated to different rooms or areas.

Look for Other Ways to Teach Throughout the Day.

Opportunities for learning are all around! Walk, march or dance around your house to find items of different colors. Point to the item, name it, and prompt your child to do the same. Toss your child on the couch and smoosh them with pillows for a sensory squeeze! As you do, name the color of the pillows. Tape pieces of construction paper to the floor and jump to each color. Play hide and seek together. Roll letters out of play-doh. Do math while baking cookies – measure the ingredients, point out the numbers on the box, and count the cookies you eat.

Give Yourself Permission to Be Perfectly Imperfect.

These are challenging times for all of us – this time at home is different. It’s out of routine for EVERYONE. Give yourself grace – focus on what you can do instead of what you can’t. You’ve got this!

For Friends and Neighbors:

Stay connected.

At a time when it’s in everyone’s interest to stay physically distant, we are also fortunate enough to have the technology to allow us to remain connected with friends and family.  If you are friends with someone who has a family member with special needs – it’s now more important than every to reach out and check in. Consider:

• • Setting a goal to video chat on regular basis.  Parents could even write this activity into their child’s visual schedule to add predictability to the event.  If appropriate for that child, consider adding criteria or challenges.
    • Challenge idea: Everyone should be dressed for the day before hopping on the call (staying in jammies all day can be tempting, but often the act of getting dressed for the day can really add a pep to your step!)
    • Criteria idea: Have the child to tell you about a few different topics in order to expand the conversation, such as naming something that made them happy that day, something that they had to work through that day, and something new they tried/learned/did, etc.  The goal would be to make the categories broad enough so the conversation is not robotic, but structured enough that the conversation is well rounded.
  • Become pen pals with family and friends.  Who doesn’t love getting mail?  Whether handwriting a note or typing an email, becoming a pen pal with your family and friends is a fantastic way to keep social connections alive!  For children, this activity is also a great way to target academic skills at the same time. Win-win!