Matt McAlear – Easter Seals Bay Area Super Star

You may not need an introduction to Patricia Wright, widely recognized for her work at Easter Seals, but here she is, one of our favorite speakers from the 2010 Autism Community Forum, to share with you an exciting development for our local Easter Seals Bay Area member Matt McAlear – enjoy!

Patricia: “The San Francisco Bay Area is the proud residence of the 2010 winner of Easter Seals’ prestigious Lou Lowenkron Program Innovation Award – Matt McAlear. The Lou Lowenkron Program Innovation Award was created to give special recognition to an Easter Seals staff member who has been exceptionally innovative in developing a program or service to meet the needs of the people Easter Seals serves and to continue the tradition of excellence in service delivery. And, from the 23,000 Easter Seals staff from across the country Matt has risen to the top!

Easter Seals Bay Area’s vice president and chief program officer, Matt is a unique professional who is able to make moving mountains look easy. A short-list of his skill-set includes on-going implementation of quality programs for children and youth, collaborating with researchers at the M.I.N.D. Institute, development of new programs to meet the increasing demand in his community and providing mentorship to his growing staff whom he motivates to grow professionally.  

We are proud to have Matt as part of the Easter Seals family. His colleagues in the Bay Area and across the Easter Seals international network benefit from his expertise.  More importantly the children he serves develop the life-long skills they need to lead meaningful lives.”

Tips For Parents

What a treat! Laura Shumaker has again written a few thoughts to share with us at Cookie’s Corner. Please enjoy!

Laura Shumaker:
  
What is the one thing that parents of children with autism could really use?
I asked this question on my autism facebook forum, and of the many answers that I received, 8 cropped up over and over again:

1. patience
2. sleep
3. a break
4. a friend for my child
5. understanding
6. a great babysitter
7. a vacation
8. free therapy for me and for my child

Parents of children with autism and other developmental disabilities are overwhelmed, and they are exhausted. I don’t know about you, but when I’m overwhelmed and exhausted, I have a very hard time being patient! Over the next few weeks, I’ll be providing tips for parents to find HELP so that they can get the breaks they need.

TIP NUMBER ONE
BRACE YOURSELF!
It is easier to duck a speeding ball when you see it coming right at you. When my son Matthew was 10 years old, he developed a knack for offending at least one person every day. (“How fat are you? You look pretty old”.) During this unsettling time, I braced myself each time the phone rang, and had a small collection of inexpensive gifts that I could distribute to all those that Matthew offended.
Our children exhibit challenging behavior, and it is important to educate ourselves so that we know what to expect, and how to manage the unpredictable.

The good news is that Easter Seals Bay Area offers training and education services to parents of children with autism as well as professionals working with children affected by autism and related disabilities.
Research has shown that teaching parents of children with autism how to provide developmental support is an essential component of any successful intervention program. Parent training and education benefits children with autism by:

• Increasing communication skills
• Enhancing parent-child interaction
• Decreasing challenging behaviors
• Increasing generalization of skills to new people and settings

Parents and families also see positive effects, including reduced family stress, reduction in auxiliary services, and increased leisure time and recreational activities.

Stay tuned for TIP NUMBER TWO: FINDING HELP.
Laura Shumaker