Monthly Archives: June 2016

PBIS Training

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by Colleen Joyce

On Friday, June 10th, the Montgomery County Division of Easter Seals had a full day of PBIS training for the majority of the staff, including teachers, administrators, and behavioral specialists.

What is the PBIS methodology though?

PBIS is an acronym for Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support. One of the key components of its methodology involves one to one coaching and training. PBIS training shows teachers and staff members how to apply positive social behaviors in both classroom and non-classroom settings, so they can get positive results from their students in return. The PBIS method uses research and an evidence-based approach to school discipline to create a system that encourages supportive social competence and academic achievement. PBIS training aims to help disabled students reach social, emotional, and academic milestones.

The PBIS method focuses on four key elements:

  • Outcomes: Families, communities, educators, and students work together to meet behavioral and academic targets.
  • Data: Research and information regarding student behavioral status and modeling good social behaviors teaches positive behavioral expectations for students and creates a reward-based system, rather than a punishment-based system. Educators teach students how positive change can create favorable outcomes for themselves and others.
  • Practices: Evidence-based interventions and strategies, including supportive staff behavior, supportive student behavior, and supportive decision making are applied so students may reach goals.
  • Systems: Sustainable and meaningful supports involving families, educators, students, and the wider community allow the PBIS training to function and flourish for many years afterwards, allowing students to reach their goals and become their best selves.

On June 10th, representatives on behalf of the PBIS training method came to Easter Seals of SEPA – Gresh Center to give a rigorous presentation to staff members. Our staff learned a lot and they are now ready to implement technical, multi-tiered strategies in real classroom environments!

For more information on the PBIS training method, including webinars and a training slideshow go to their website: https://www.pbis.org/ .

Montco Movin’ Up Day 2016

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By Colleen Joyce

On Wednesday, June 15, the Friendship Academy’s Class of 2016 celebrated Movin’ Up Day. Movin’ Up Day is the Friendship Academy’s graduation ceremony. It was held this year at the Tucker and Perry Gresh Center, where Friendship Academy classes are also held. The hour-long ceremony took place outside and began at 1:00 PM. Dan Benonis, the Friendship Academy’s music therapist, welcomed students and their families with a lively arrangement of upbeat songs at the beginning of the ceremony. Everyone clapped along as the students began taking their seats and preparing for the graduation. Even some of our staff members came out to join in on the fun!

Afterwards, Mary Berlin made a commencement speech for the Class of 2016. All the teachers, teacher assistants, and therapists who worked with the students throughout the year watched on with excitement. Although the teachers of Classroom F and Classroom G were happy to see their students grow up and move on, they also couldn’t help but be a little sad to see them go.

After the commencement speech, the students were finally ready to graduate. Proud parents, family members, and friends watched as each member of the Class of 2016 received a diploma. All the children were excited to move on and smiled as they saw their fellow classmates graduate. Likewise, their parents, family, and friends will surely cherish the moment they got to see all the children shake hands with Mary and receive their diplomas.

After the ceremony, cake and punch were served to parents, family, and friends as everyone took pictures and said their goodbyes. All the graduates even got one last chance to play with their friends and teachers in the school’s playground after graduation was over! Some family members and graduates stayed after the ceremony to watch a slideshow of pictures and music that chronicled different moments during the year. The graduates reminisced with their family, fondly remembering all the new friends they made and all the new things they learned throughout the year!

Movin’ Up Day was an exciting and fun celebration! We couldn’t have done it without our staff though! We are sure that our incredible teachers, teacher assistants, and staff have prepared each graduate for their new schools and a lifetime of joy. We hope that our lessons involving a variety of disciplines, including reading, math, art, music, science, and technology have well-equipped students with reaching their future goals. The members of the Friendship Academy family also hope that our diverse range of students have made the future generations of children more compassionate and understanding members of society. The Friendship Academy would like to thank the parents and guardians of each graduate since they allowed us to play, learn, love, and grow with their wonderful children. We will miss them all! Congratulations to the Class of 2016!

 

 

Dance/Movement Therapy with the Children at Easter Seals

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By, Michelle Baxley – Dance/Movement Therapy Intern at Easter Seals Early Intervention Center – SEPA

“What is dance/movement therapy? I’ve never heard of it.” Most often that is the reaction I get when people find out I am getting my masters in dance/movement therapy (DMT) and counseling. It’s an understandable question, as DMT is still a rather new field. DMT sits under the umbrella of the creative arts therapies with art therapy, music therapy, and drama therapy. Since its conception in the 1940s, DMT has grown into an internationally recognized therapy with its own national organization and is recognized as an accredited masters program in several universities around the world.

Here is some information to help you better understand DMT and its application to Easter Seals:

  1. What is dance/movement therapy?

The American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA) defines DMT as “the psychotherapeutic use of movement to promote emotional, social, cognitive and physical integration of the individual” (ADTA.org). What this really means is that dance/movement therapists use movement as a way to assess a person’s level of functioning in a variety of areas as well as using movement as an intervention tool to help an people reach their developmental goals. The end goal is ultimately to better integrate a person’s body and mind.

  1. How do you become a dance/movement therapist?

To become a dance/movement therapist you must complete a two-year master’s program in dance/movement therapy from an ADTA accredited university. Once you receive your master’s degree, you must complete a certain number of clinical working hours with supervision and then you may apply to become a Board Certified dance/movement therapist. I am currently finishing my second year of graduate school at Drexel University and have been interning at Easter Seals Early Intervention Center for the past nine months.

  1. My child has limited movement and is nonverbal. How could he/she benefit from dance/movement therapy?

If you think about it, everyone, even those with the most limited movement abilities, moves in some capacity. Movement is our first language. It is the first way infants explore the world through rolling over, reaching for various objects, and moving objects to and from their mouths and then to potentially crawling and walking. Even a head nod or the gesture of a hand is a movement. Dance/movement therapists use this movement, however small, as a means of nonverbally communicating with the child. We create a personal relationship with the child through movement and help that child find other forms of creative expression besides words.

  1. How does dance/movement therapy help my child at Easter Seals Early Intervention Center?

At Easter Seals Early Intervention Center, I use dance/movement therapy to help students create social interactions with peers; practice problem solving, turn taking, and listening; explore creativity in play; facilitate emotional expression; and promote self and emotional regulation all in a playful and creative environment. All of my goals for these children are aimed at helping them transition into kindergarten. Additionally, I work with the other occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech and language therapists, and music therapists to provide a more holistic treatment approach.

  1. Where can I learn more about dance/movement therapy?

Websites:

  • American Dance Therapy Association –

www.adta.org

      ●      National Coalition of Creative Arts Therapies Associations, Inc –

http://www.nccata.org/

  • Drexel University Master’s in Dance/Movement Therapy and Counseling –

http://drexel.edu/cnhp/academics/graduate/MA-Dance-Movement-Therapy-Counseling

Books:

  • Levy, F. J., Fried, J. P., & Leventhal, F. (Eds.) (1995). Dance and other expressive arts therapies. London: Routledge.
  • Naess Lewin, J. L. (1998). Dance therapy notebook. Washington, DC: American Dance Therapy Association.
  • Sandel, S. L., Chaiklin, S., & Lohn, A. (Eds.) (1993). Foundations of dance/movement Therapy: The life and work of Marian Chace. Washington, DC: American Dance Therapy Association.

Videos:

While DMT is still a young field, it is definitely growing and increasing its body of research every year. It’s a versatile therapy that can be adapted for any population. If you have more questions feel free to email me at mbaxley@easterseals-sepa.org.

Happy Moving,

Michelle Baxley,
Dance/Movement Therapy Intern at Easterseals Early Intervention Center – SEPA