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Shining STARS
IN THIS ISSUE:
Welcome to STAR ...................1
Congratulations! .....................1
Funny Quotes from Our Kiddos ..............................2
STAR Team Members Volunteer .................................2
News from Blooming Star ......2
STAR’s Peer Mentorship Program Update......................3
Parent Support Group .............4
STAR Adopt a Family .............4
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 4DECEMBER, 2010
WE HAVE THERAPISTS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE TO TAKE CASES IMMEDIATELY
AM - Therapists available
Mid - Therapists available
PM - Taking evaluations
STAR Has a Facebook AccountCheck it out! Search for STAR Autism.
Welcome to STAR!Star wants to take this opportunity to welcome all the new staff members that have joined one of our offices in November and so far in December: Lindsay, Reiko, Erin, Nicholas, Whitney, Cristina, Julie, Michael, Daniel, Enrique, Gladys and Kate! Welcome guys!
Congratulations!STAR would like to congratulate Christine Hettling, Megan Murphy, and Lindsee Porter for passing the BCBA exam! Congratulations for becoming a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Your hard work has paid off and we are happy to have 3 additional BCBA members on staff!
The Simi Valley office would also like to congratulate our “STARS of the Month” listed below. These staff members were nominated in the month of December for their exceptional work in the following areas. As a result of their nomination, a poster board has been hung in their honor in the Simi Valley office, and fellow staff members have written comments to them honoring their achievement. Here’s a sample of some of the things that were written:
Current Openings Blooming Star is currently accepting both English and Spanish speaking clients
**Parents if you would like to contribute a story from session or an email about the staff members working on your case, please send to [email protected] Therapist of the Month -
Josh McArthur “Woohoo! We are lucky to have you at STAR!” - Maya Spamer
PBS Master - Hogan Wagner “Way to go! We love having you here at STAR. Also, I love that you’re always singing! It always brightens up my day in the office. Keep up your hard work! - Alex Banks
Parent WOW Award - Nicole Langlois “Our little one’s parents can’t say enough good things about you. They are completely blown away and impressed with the work you have done. Keep up the great work!” - Alison Stanley
Blooming Star Award - Stefanie Bero “Awesome job Stefanie. Our Blooming Star kids are lucky to have you.” - Erin Kelley
Parent Educator Award - Sarah Huxster “You are amazing. Thanks for all your cheerfulness and for all of your hardwork. We are SO lucky to have you!” - Michelle Wenzel
Parent Support GroupSTAR and CAUSE are currently offering a parent support group to provide emotional support and education on parent selected topics of interest. The group meets Mondays from 10:15-11:45 in the Simi Valley office. The cost is $15 per session, and $5 for childcare. Please call 805-583-8060 to reserve your spot. We look forward to serving you! A new group will be starting after the first of the year.
STAR Adopt a FamilyIn an effort to reach out during this tough economic climate, STAR has adopted 5 families in need of some holiday cheer. These families will receive gifts, clothing, shoes for the children, and a wonderful holiday dinner!
Happy Holidays from STAR!STAR would like to wish everyone a very Happy Holiday! STAR is blessed to work with such wonderful people.
STAR, INC.6101 West Cent inela
Suite 380Culver City, CA 90230
310.337.7827Fax: 310.337.7840
Email: fcarter@starsut ism.com
CLINICAL DIRECTOR:Dr. Faye Carter, BCBA-D
STAR provides ABA serv ices for children with Aut ism and related disorders in Los
Angeles County, Ventura County, and Santa Barbara County
www.STARautism.com
Blooming StarEvidenced based intervention to provide optimal development for the child in an attempt to remediate developmental delays by three years-old.
Family Support ServicesHelps families build capacity in the areas of advocacy, knowledge, intervention and coping in order to help the family achieve success in meeting the specific needs of their child.
CAUSECenter for Autism Understanding Support & Education
A STAR sister company and non-profit organization, CAUSE serves as a training site for mental health trainees and interns who would like to develop specialization in the treatment of children with autism and their families.
We also provide the following services:
Behavior InterventionIntensive ABA programs designed to meet the needs of children between the ages of 3 years and 18 years of age who show pervasive delays across several areas of development. Methodologies include: Discrete Trial Teaching (DTT), Pivotal Response Teaching (PRT), and Positive Behavior Support (PBS).
School Based ServicesIncluding: Consultation, Staff Training, Instructional-Aide Support, Program Development, and Direct Intervention
Maya Spamer, Clinical Manager in our Simi Valley office, has organized a number of volunteer opportunities for staff members to get together to spend time together and give back to the community. All of our staff are extremely selfless and patient as evidenced by their decision to work with children and families with special needs. Volunteer opportunities provide a chance to bring our staff together and form a STAR community by helping others in need.
The first event was organized in November, when STAR staff volunteered at Habitat for Humanity in Thousand Oaks. STAR staff members painted the interior of the house, and helped with heavy duty yard work. The recipients of the home were there participating in the renovations and were very excited to see so many community members helping to build their new home. All participants said it was a great experience and they would love to do it again.
STAR’s Peer Mentorship Program UpdateWe’re gearing up for our 4th round of the Peer Mentorship Program! Group four is set to start in mid-January through the end of February. Based on feedback from families and peer mentors, we’re adding a Cooking Station to our center-based program! Kids will now have the option to make a treat while practicing sharing, turn-taking, initiating, and responding to their buddies. We’re looking forward to seeing previous peer mentors return and giving parents more opportunities to be involved hands-on during this round.
We’re now also accepting referrals for our Round 5 group, which is set to start some time mid-March 2011. The focus of Round 5 will be team-building activities, such as soccer, obstacle courses, and T-Ball. If you think this would be a good fit for one of your families, please let us know!
The Peer Mentorship Program would like to thank everyone for their unyielding support and dedication. Thank you to the countless families who have volunteered to drive their kiddo’s to Simi each week as peer mentors, and a HUGE than you to our enthusiastic and talented peer mentors!
For more information or to refer a kiddo or potential peer mentor, please contact Elika Shahrestani at 805-583-8060 or email at [email protected].
In December, STAR team members volunteered at the Children’s Hunger Fund where they wrapped some of the 700,000 beanie babies the organization got donated to provide as gifts to children in need. Everyone that came out said that it was a fun time and they look forward to doing it again next year.
Some possible future volunteer opportunities:
Special Olympics
Food Bank/Kitchen at shelters
Retirement home activities
Suggestions of volunteer programs and opportunities are welcome: please e-mail [email protected]
News from Blooming Star!I have been so fortunate to have had my Blooming STAR parents willing to learn and to participate during sessions. This, I feel has made such a great impact in our little ones.
- Laura Martinez
STAR Team Members Volunteer!
Funny Quotes from our KiddosI was at a point where we were working on the ever useful life skill of bathing
one’s self independently. I was being observed by my Supervisor and the previous Therapist. Including the mother and myself, there were four of us,
all female, in the bathroom taking data when my 11 year old client turns to us with shampoo lathered in his hair, a beard made of soap, and hands still scrubbing his head when he says, ever so suavely, “Hey ladies!”
It was too funny! This job always keeps me smiling. No matter how I feel before “work,” I ALWAYS leave in a better mood. - Nicole Calvert
