Re: [SPAM]Re: [SPAM]Re: Re: Speech & Behavioral Thera...

[Guest guest]

:

The Kaufmans were " just parents " who rejected what little was out there in

the early 1970's (this is when Dr. Lovaas was electroshocking the kids and

sticking them in closets to get them to behave). They decided to reject that

and just follow their instincts. Because they were " just parents " their

program is discredited often. I've seen kiddos fully recover with that therapy

alone; needed more and that is why we added ABA into the mix of the

core

program values of Son-Rise (the love, the inviting change and not forcing

change, etc.) The ABA that we see today was not even a choice for us in 1997;

it seemed then all there was was TEACCH, Lovaas, and Son-Rise and that is why

we decided to pursue that. They did keep data, but it isn't data that could

be peer-reviewed. Three people who were with Son-Rise decided that some

kids also needed more and decided to create their own nitch called Growing

Minds

(which we also did with them). They kind of pull from all the programs to

create unique programs made especially for the unique needs of your child.

When we did a phone consult with them (Son-Rise) about the program before we

decided to do it, Jeff and I told them how we felt so much pressure from

other parents about every minute we weren't doing something was a really bad

thing and we just didn't know if we could commit to a 60-hour per week program.

They have a rather positive outlook on everything. They said to us, " Do you

have one hour a day that you could commit to working with your child? "

Without hesitation we said yes. They said, " That is one hour a day more than

he

is getting now. We felt a sense of relief washing over us (the cup half full

instead of half empty). It is so supportive of parents who believe they are

in a sprint, teaching them that they have to take care of themselves, too,

in the process. That every day you make the decision to choose to do the

program or not and either decision is okay. They also do biomedical

approaches.

In fact, while you are there, your food is included (or you can go into town

and buy your own things) but they are all healthy GFCF stuff. They seem to

all be vegetarians and I would tease them that even the deer felt safe enough

to come up to our windows around them. They dedicate a whole session up

there (especially during your intensive program training) to

nutrition/biomedical stuff.

When we were up there, we had lunch with Raun Kaufman and we asked him if he

remembered any part of his autism experience and he said he just had vague

memories of a swirl in a yogurt. His sister wound up adopting a child (Jade I

believe her name is--the child) and she wound up with an autism diagnosis

ironically. Raun now has inherited the Son-Rise program from his father, Barry

Neil Kaufman (or Bears as he is affectionately known) and is the program

director.

I know a parent who actually got their school district to create a Son-Rise

program for their child. Now that is the power of persuasion! They sent one

staff member up there who came back so enthusiastic that they sent others up

to their training seminars.

I never regretted the journey to Son-Rise. But for he needed other

modalities.

What makes the journey so difficult for everyone is that there is so much

out there that you have to find, by trial and error, what works the best for

your child. You and I have both done craniosacral therapy for our kiddos (and

I still receive it for myself) but people just dismiss it because it is not

conventionally accepted. But for our kiddos, it helped.

Such a journey is so expensive because not every approach you take will

work. If it is one thing that I take away from the Son-Rise program is the

notion that at every moment, parents are doing the best that they can. In

fact, I

think I'll go ahead and post the attitudinal cornerstones of the program in

a separate approach. I think they work well for all our life situations.

Hilda

**************It's Tax Time! Get tips, forms, and advice on AOL Money &

Finance. (http://money.aol.com/tax?NCID=aolprf00030000000001)