[Cathy Fitzhugh]

Hi FEATers,

I have two recent issues that have arisen with my daughter and was hoping for your always wise and helpful suggestions and feedback. (She is high-functioning, and is ten years old but has a lot of physical challenges.)

The first issue is that her need for oral stimulation have skyrocketed to the point where she constantly has to have something in her mouth. Gum used to solve this problem, but now she is just swallowing her gum. Once the gum is gone, she chews and sucks on her clothing, or if given, will chew on a Chewy Tube. (A few months ago her dentist asked us to stop using the tubes as he thought they might me shifting her teeth around.)

She has also developed sores on the inside of her cheeks that she chews on or rubs with her tongue, and that cause her pain when eating and also pain when we try to brush her teeth. The gum was great, but without it, at school, her speech is difficult to understand and the tubes are just channeling drool all over her desk. It's very worrisome and I'm feeling overwhelmed.

I'm assuming it's a sign that she's feeling an increase in anxiety and am considering raising her dose of Fluoxetine/ Prozac (which is currently at 10 MG a day.)

The other issue has to do with her being an early riser. A very early riser. She goes to bed around 8:00PM always wakes up at around 5:00-6:00 in the morning. She will usually make her way to the computer and keep herself relatively busy until we get up, but I'd rather NOT have her start the day with hours of obsessive computer time, plus, I'm thinking it might possibly be motivating her to get out of bed, but I'm not sure what else she can do or how she can keep herself busy so we can continue to sleep at least until 6:30 or 7:00.

Anyone else dealing with early risers?

Thanks in advance VERY MUCH for any input.
There's a lot going on these days.

Sincerely,

{Cathy}

[Cathy Fitzhugh]

Hi FEATers,

I have two recent issues that have arisen with my daughter and was hoping for your always wise and helpful suggestions and feedback. (She is high-functioning, and is ten years old but has a lot of physical challenges.)

The first issue is that her need for oral stimulation have skyrocketed to the point where she constantly has to have something in her mouth. Gum used to solve this problem, but now she is just swallowing her gum. Once the gum is gone, she chews and sucks on her clothing, or if given, will chew on a Chewy Tube. (A few months ago her dentist asked us to stop using the tubes as he thought they might me shifting her teeth around.)

She has also developed sores on the inside of her cheeks that she chews on or rubs with her tongue, and that cause her pain when eating and also pain when we try to brush her teeth. The gum was great, but without it, at school, her speech is difficult to understand and the tubes are just channeling drool all over her desk. It's very worrisome and I'm feeling overwhelmed.

I'm assuming it's a sign that she's feeling an increase in anxiety and am considering raising her dose of Fluoxetine/ Prozac (which is currently at 10 MG a day.)

The other issue has to do with her being an early riser. A very early riser. She goes to bed around 8:00PM always wakes up at around 5:00-6:00 in the morning. She will usually make her way to the computer and keep herself relatively busy until we get up, but I'd rather NOT have her start the day with hours of obsessive computer time, plus, I'm thinking it might possibly be motivating her to get out of bed, but I'm not sure what else she can do or how she can keep herself busy so we can continue to sleep at least until 6:30 or 7:00.

Anyone else dealing with early risers?

Thanks in advance VERY MUCH for any input.
There's a lot going on these days.

Sincerely,

{Cathy}

[Cathy Fitzhugh]

{Hey There}

One of our therapists is pregnant and we’re looking for a replacement for her for 4 months: from September through December, two days a week (Wednesday and Friday) from 3:00-5:30.

We live in central Vancouver near Main and Broadway, our ten year old daughter is high-functioning, has been receiving ABA therapy for eight years, and is very verbal, and affectionate. We work with the Early Autism Project and our consultant is Kim Kirsch.

All applicants should have strong play skills, have a positive attitude, be good multi-taskers, be able to take constructive feedback and implement it immediately, and should have lots of energy and patience. Our team rocks! And we really appreciate what YOU do.

Salary is negotiable and is based on experience. And as par, a current criminal record check will be required.

Please e-mail resumes to scissorhappy@shaw.ca

Thanks Very Much,

{Cathy}

[Cathy Fitzhugh]

Hi FEATers,

I just wanted to follow up with an enormous 'thank you' for everyone who responded to my post regarding my daughter and her medications. I was overwhelmed by the flood of responses and really appreciate everyone who took the time to write. I need to map a strategy and I'll be sure to let you all know how it goes.

Most Sincerely,

{Cathy}

[Cathy Fitzhugh]

Hi FEATers!

We need advice on how to get our daughter to take medicine.

So, we decided to put our high-functioning daughter on meds, and we've been prescribed liquid Fluoxetine. The problem is, she can taste it.

It's minty, but also medicine-y. I thought that chocolate chip ice cream would mask the taste, but she won't take it. We went with liquid because she has a lot of oral challenges and sensitivities, but now I'm wondering if a crushed pill might be better. Has anyone actually taught their child to swallow a pill? I know there are cups that facilitate this, but I haven't ever tried them.

Any and all comments are welcome at:
cathy.fitzhugh@gmail.com

Thanks,
{Cathy}

Note: It's been a long time since I've posted but I still read FEAT every day and am still inspired by us all…

[Cathy Fitzhugh]

Hello FEAT readers,

Time has come again: We need a new lead therapist for our Vancouver team.

Our nine year old daughter is high functioning, verbal, gentle, affectionate, and very entertaining. Her therapy is fascinating, and her progress is swift. She has been doing ABA for seven years.

We work under the guidance of Kim Kirsch and the Early Autism Project, hence, it is a home-based ABA program.

Previous experience with ABA programs is a must.
Previous lead experience would be swell.

Initial training will be provided by our lead therapist along with follow up sessions.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to: running sessions on your own, arranging team meetings once a month, overlapping with our consultant, providing reports to the consultant, working on scheduling, and overlapping therapists.

You will also need to provide feedback to the therapists and ourselves, train new therapists, oversee data recorded, probe new targets, and coach the team.

Our team meetings are currently held once a month on a Thursday evening from 5:00-6:30.

You should be FUN, responsible, dedicated, and creative. You need to have strong play skills, a positive attitude, and lots of energy and patience. You are a good multitasker, are organized, encouraging, enthusiastic, and responsible.

You also need to be able to take constructive feedback and implement it immediately. A current criminal record check will be required. Your salary will be negotiable based on your experience and your performance.

We live in central Vancouver near Cambie and 22nd.

Please e-mail your resume to scissorhappy@shaw.ca with "Lead Therapist Position" as the subject or call me at 604-709-6003.

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Thanks,
{Cathy Fitzhugh}

[Cathy Fitzhugh]

Hello FEAT readers,

Time has come again: We need a new lead therapist for our team.

Our nine year old daughter is high functioning, verbal, gentle, affectionate, and very entertaining. Her therapy is fascinating, and her progress is swift. She has been doing ABA for six years.

We work under the guidance of Kim Kirsch and the Early Autism Project, hence, it is a home-based ABA program.

Previous experience with ABA programs is a must.
Previous lead experience would be swell.

Initial training will be provided by our lead therapist along with follow up sessions.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to: running sessions on your own, arranging team meetings once a month, overlapping with our consultant, providing reports to the consultant, working on scheduling, and overlapping therapists.

You will also need to provide feedback to the therapists and ourselves, train new therapists, oversee data recorded, probe new targets, and coach the team.

Our team meetings are currently held once a month on a Thursday evening from 5:00-6:30.

You should be FUN, responsible, dedicated, and creative. You need to have strong play skills, a positive attitude, and lots of energy and patience. You are a good multitasker, are organized, encouraging, enthusiastic, and responsible.

You also need to be able to take constructive feedback and implement it immediately. A current criminal record check will be required. Your salary will be negotiable based on your experience and your performance.

We live in central Vancouver near Main and Broadway, and, near Cambie and 22nd

Please e-mail your resume to scissorhappy@shaw.ca with "Lead Therapist Position" as the subject or call me at 604-709-6003.

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Thanks,
{Cathy Fitzhugh}

[Cathy Fitzhugh]

{Hey There}
We are looking for a dedicated, encouraging, enthusiastic, responsible, and creative person to join our home-based ABA program. We live in central Vancouver near Main and Broadway.

Our nine year old daughter is high-functioning, has been receiving ABA therapy for seven years, and is very verbal, affectionate, and fun. Her programs are fascinating, and her progress is swift. We work with the Early Autism Project and our consultant is Kim Kirsch.

Beyond running programs in the apartment, you will be helping her learn to socialize with other children through facilitated play dates, take community outings, play games, and go to the playground. There is a lot of laughter involved in her sessions.

Previous experience with autistic children would be an asset, but, we are also interested in individuals with a psychology or special education background. Initial training will be provided by our lead therapist along with follow up sessions.

This position will appeal to people with an interest in psychology, education, special education, speech/language pathology or any other career involving children and clinical therapy.
This is not only a very good opportunity to gain training and job experience with minimal qualifications but also a fabulously rewarding experience.

All applicants should have strong play skills, have a positive attitude, be good multi-taskers, be able to take constructive feedback and implement it immediately, and should have lots of energy and patience. Our team rocks! And we really appreciate what YOU do.

As a therapist, you need to be able to commit to: two or three, two-and a half-hour shifts a week, plus attend monthly team progress meetings on Thursdays 5:00-6:30.

You also must be able to commit to the team for at least one year. Salary is negotiable and is based on experience. And as par, a current criminal record check will be required.

Please e-mail resumes to scissorhappy@shaw.ca
Thanks Very Much,

{Cathy}

[Cathy Fitzhugh]

Hi Again FEATers,

My nine year old, high functioning, daughter has been having increasing difficulties with anxiety, and we are thinking of putting her on a low dose of medication.

If anyone has experiences, either good or bad, to share about this particular issue, I'd love to hear about them.

You can reach me at:
scissorhappy@shaw.ca

Thanks in advance,

{Cathy Fitzhugh}

[Cathy Fitzhugh]

Hi Again FEATers,

My nine year old, high functioning, daughter has been having increasing difficulties with anxiety, and we are thinking of putting her on a low dose of medication.

If anyone has experiences, either good or bad, to share about this particular issue, I'd love to hear about them.

You can reach me at:
scissorhappy@shaw.ca

Thanks in advance,

{Cathy Fitzhugh}
{Cathy}

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