The following excerpt is taken from a report from Ireland with an important conclusion about the importance of one good adult relationship in young people's lives and it's importance for mental health development.  The complete survey can be found at http://www.headstrong.ie/content/myworld

Emerging patterns across a young person’s life 
The developmental data provided by the MWS allow us to see, for the first time, the mental health difficulties that young people experience across this vulnerable time span in their lives. 

• We see an increase in young people’s levels of depression, anxiety and stress across the developmental period of 12-25 years. 
• We see a steady increase in levels of alcohol consumption, frequency and volume of drinking, number of alcoholic drinks typically consumed, and binge drinking across the 12-25 age group. Young people move outside the normal range for drinking at 18 and remain outside until about 24-25. 
• Avoidant coping, a negative coping strategy, peaks at 20-21 years, then declines towards age 24. 
• At 18-19 years, young people report a high level of substance use, which continues until they are 24-25. 
• Levels of both self-esteem and optimism generally decrease from 12-18 years, whereby at 18-19 both are at their lowest. Levels increase gradually from about 19 onwards. 
• A positive coping strategy (that is, the use of problem-focused coping) is at its lowest at 14-15 years, and gradually increases up to 24-25. Levels of seeking social support are highest at 12-13, drop at 18-19 and remain at this level up to 25. 

It is evident from our findings that mental health difficulties emerge in early adolescence and peak in the late teens and early 20s. This peak in mental health difficulties, in general, is coupled with a decrease in protective factors such as self-esteem, optimism and positive coping strategies. The evidence indicates that this stage of a young person’s life is a particularly vulnerable period. This profile of the emergence of mental health difficulties highlights the importance of early intervention. 

Dooley, B. & Fitzgerald, A. (2012) 'Methodology on the My World Survey (MWS): a unique window into the world of adolescents in Ireland'. Early Intervention in Psychiatry, doi: 10.1111/j.1751-7893.2012.00386.x. [Epub ahead of print].

I was planning ahead for autism awareness month this April and on a whim, I posted a comment on a Facebook page that I follow called The Art of Autism.  I asked if any of the artists checking this page would like to share some of their work with our community during autism awareness month.  Much to my surprise, I had several people respond.  One artist from Saskatchewan, Canada responded and ended up sending me 4 pieces of artwork.  Another from Oklahoma City sent 2 paintings.  When I started gathering these pieces, I realized just how special a display like this could be for our community.  In the end, I gathered 15 works of art from several locations (near and far) from artists with and without autism.  Some verbal, some not.  Some adults and some children.  All works provide insight into the "world" of autism.  Each artist takes a different perspective and uses art for a different purpose.  The display will be up for the rest of this month at Solid Grounds Coffee House in Newton, IL.  I encourage you all to visit and view these pieces and learn about the artists.  I am attaching their bios below.  I definitely see another art event in our future.

Hear more from Brian at www.brianraymondking.com!

Check out the book Communicating Partners by Dr. James MacDonald.  Learn more about DIR at www.profectum.org, www.icdl.com and visit Sarah's website www.integratedtherapyservices.org!

Learn more from Stacey at www.breakthroughmusictherapyservices.com and about music therapy at www.musictherapy.org!

Here is an article based on the work of Stanley Greenspan and Serena Wieder that I posted back in 2011.  Join us at Integrated Therapy Services tomorrow for a discussion on this important stage of development!

Hello and Happy Valentine's Day! In honor of this holiday, I would like to take this moment to highlight a developmental milestone that Greenspan and Wieder call FALLING IN LOVE.  This milestone is typically achieved at 2-7 months when children are on course for their development.

Throughout this stage, which roughly spans from first smiles to crawling; your baby becomes more and more focused on you and other persons and things outside herself. Your delightful task during these months will be to promote pleasurable feelings between you and your baby.

Emotional engagement and attachment is important because as your baby relates to you and expresses loving feelings, various motor, sensory, language, and cognitive achievements are also often taking place. The milestone of falling in love usually gives purpose to these skills. For example, when your baby is physically capable of reaching out and grasping something, she will more often attempt to reach for something that she is interested in and takes delight in. There’s nothing more interesting in her world than you, and her love for you will continue to spur heron as she learns to reach, grasp, sit, and eventually crawl toward you, the object of her affection.

How you know your baby is falling in love with you:
Responding to your smiles with a big one of her own 
Making sounds and or moving her mouth, arms, legs, or body in rhythm with you as you move in rhythm with her 
Relaxing or acting comforted when you hold her or rock her 
Cooing when she is held, touched, looked at or spoken to 
Anticipating with curiosity and excitement the reappearance of your face and voice 
Looking uneasy or sad when you withdraw in the midst of playing with her
There are many ways to fall in love. Sometimes it takes a while for love to blossom, sometimes there are lots of bumps along the way. What’s important is that your shared intimacy is gradually growing. You have plenty of time to cement a loving relationship with your child, as long as you stay emotionally involved.

Your baby may have individual preferences regarding what is pleasurable to her, and radiate excitement when you amplify her pleasure by:
Talking and babbling to her, using a variety of high and low pitches and soft to loud tones 
Offering her a range of different facial expressions while talking and babbling 
Touching or massaging her, using gentle touch while telling her what you are doing 
Gently moving her arms and legs while talking to her and looking at her
Moving her horizontally or vertically fast and slow, through space while beaming at her with big smiles accompanied by lots of sounds and words
Games to help your child master this stage of development:

The Smiling Game Enjoy using words and/or funny faces to entice your baby into breaking into a big smile or producing other pleased facial expressions such as sparkling or widened eyes. You can chatter about the spoon you’ve stuck in your mouth, or the rattle you’ve placed on your head, or simply about how “bee-you-ti-ful” her hair is!

The“Dance with Me”Sound and Movement Game Try to inspire your baby to make sounds and/or move her arms, legs, or torso in rhythm with your voice and head movements. You might say, “Are you going to dance with me, sweetheart?” Oh, I bet you can – I know you can!” while looking for a gleam of delight in his eyes.

For more information about Falling In Love as it pertains to child development, read Building Healthy Minds, the Six Experiences that Create Intelligence and Emotional Growth in Babies and Young Children by Stanley Greenspan.  

This morning, I had the privilege of participating in a phone interview over the airwaves with Bobbie Ashley on 103.5, WIKK in Newton, IL.  We interviewed Brian King, a colleague of mine, regarding the issue of violence being associated with autism due to the recent tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, CT. Please listen to the recording and provide comments below so that we may elaborate on this subject. 

Please continue to follow Brian on his website at www.brianraymondking.com and get insight from someone living with autism spectrum disorder.  Get informed!

With cold and flu season upon us, I would like to take precaution at my office in order to prevent the spread of germs.  I ask that everyone who enters Integrated Therapy Services be:

1. Fever free for 24 hours
2. Vomit free for 24 hours
3. Rash free for 24 hours
4. Diarrhea free for 24 hours
5. Taking an antibiotic (if prescribed by physician) for 24 hours

If there is question regarding whether or not anyone coming to the office is ill, please consult your physician and notify me within 24 hours (if possible).  See the clinic cancellation policy below.

Otherwise, we will do our best at Integrated Therapy Services to maintain a sanitary environment with frequent cleaning and hand washing.  You are encouraged to wash your hands frequently and use hand sanitizer to prevent the spread of germs.  

Our hope is that by drawing attention to this matter, we will prevent the need to cancel appointments.  By staying home one day to rest and recover, a person can prevent the need for multiple cancellations for both yourself and others.  If we all work together to prevent the spread of germs, we will keep a happy and healthy environment for all who enter.  

Cancellation Policies (as seen in Client Intake Agreement)

Cancellations must be made within 24 hours of a scheduled appointment.  The client is responsible for contacting the clinician directly to cancel their appointment.

If sessions are not cancelled within 24 hours, the client will be charged for the full session.  Medical emergencies and acute illness are exceptions from such charges.

Clients are asked not to attend sessions unless all those in attendance are fever, rash, or vomit-free for 24 hours.  There will be a charge of $50 for scheduled sessions that are cancelled within 24 hours.

If a client cancels more than 3 sessions within a semester without making them up, the clinician reserves the right to take appropriate action (e.g., change scheduled time, hold or discontinue services).

Thank you!
Sarah