One of my readers asked me the other day which oils I used for the scent therapy part of Family Hope Center’s program. I figured other people are wondering the same, so here you go. I ordered them from The Essential Oil Company on the recommendation of a friend. The point of purchasing there was you could get samples for a reasonable price. I also used the scent list she sent me that someone else going through the program recommended. Nothing original here. I may have picked up one or two others. I don’t remember. Continue reading
Category Archives: Autism
Special Needs & Church: What My Church Did Right at VBS
Disclosure: This post contains an affiliate link to Home Educating Family Magazine. If you choose to subscribe, I will receive a small commission.
Many special needs families don’t get to church.
Some can’t make it–their child just can’t leave the house or handle being at church. For others, they tried, and it didn’t work. What makes me really sad is that there are many families who have been ostracized from their church due to outspoken actions and attitudes or subtle hints that they’re not welcome.
My church is not one of those churches. Over the last year I have watched how they reach out to the five families with kids on the autism spectrum. I excitedly ponder the potential as we grow and expand our ministries.
This summer was Community Bible Church’s first-ever Vacation Bible School (VBS). Prior to this, they did not have their own facility to host such an event. I didn’t volunteer to work during the week because I didn’t know what my husband’s schedule would be. I did get there four out of the five days, and it was very exciting. I watched through the eyes of a special needs mom, and this is what I saw that my church did right…. Continue reading
Filling Our Days: Family Hope Center Program & Homeschool
Just a quick update for those of you wondering about our Family Hope Center program and how that is going. Continue reading
A Fork in the Blogging Road
I have a confession. I haven’t posted for a while because I don’t enjoy my blog right now. Why? Continue reading
Final Words from the Family Hope Center Seminar
I was given a scholarship to the Family Hope Center’s 3-day seminar for purpose of reviewing the program. I have not been compensated in any way, and my opinions are my own. I have invited other parents who attended to stop by so you can see other opinions as well.
I will be writing more about the seminar, but I wanted you to get a feel for what the parents took away from the three days. At the end, just before we got our certificates of completion, Matthew Newell passed around the microphone so each parent could share the most important thing they learned from all the sessions. Of course it’s hard to pick one. Warning: you will want Kleenex.
For me, the biggest thing I learned was going through the neurological development chart, evaluating Dr. J., and seeing his neurological age on paper.
The rest of these are real parents, teachers, and caregivers. I did not make these up. I am using them as I wrote them down. Continue reading
Family Hope Center Seminar Day 3
Well, dear readers, I have made it. I have completed the three days of Family Hope Center’s seminar. I’m bushed, but excited. Continue reading
Family Hope Seminar Day 2
(If you missed Day 1, here you go!)
Once again I’m pretty tired. Another long day of learning. Today we started learning how to put together a program for our children. The program includes oxygen, nutrition, and then whatever components our particular child is lacking–sensory, mobility, emotional/social.
I will write a lot more later, but today I want to give a shout out to the staff at the Hilton Garden Inn Valley Forge. The Family Hope Center chose a great location for its seminar. I have yet to meet an unfriendly or unhelpful staff member. They have all been excellent, and I have even watched them take extra time to interact with some of the special needs kids that are here. Kudos!
Also, the Family Hope Center staff has been very helpful and friendly. They walk around seeing if anyone has any questions and have taken their lunch time to do “working lunches” with us and lead group discussions/answer questions. They are determined to send us home armed with knowledge and a map of a program we can use with our children. Tonight I had a chance to eat dinner with some of them afterward and get to know them as well as pick their brains a bit. I really enjoyed getting to know them a bit on a personal level as opposed to just part of the seminar. Thanks for spending time with me!
And now, I must sign off. Another full day tomorrow! My gfree friends from the 2:1 Conference will appreciate this picture. At each of the breaks there are lots of berries, nuts, and some other fruits for us to snack on to keep our brains energized. Notice there is no pineapple or cantaloupe. :)
Wondering what this Family Hope Center seminar is? Click here to find my other posts about it!
