An In S.T.E.P.P.S. Update!

Happy Spring to all our of friends, families, team members, and supporters! We hope this little blog of ours finds you well. We wanted to take a few moments to update you on all the recent happenings over at In S.T.E.P.P.S. 

Last month, Executive Director, Dr. Yvonne Bruinsma was nominated for the Presidential Women of Influence Award. Today, Clinical Director, Dr. Erin McNerney, and Coordinator of Clinical Staff Development, Rachel Zetino, attended the Women of Influence Awards on behalf of Dr. Bruinsma, who was busy attending a national behavior analysis conference. The event highlighted the many strengths and contributions of business women across industries. It was an honor to see Dr. Bruinsma among these many accomplished women!

Dr. Yvonne Bruinsma, Executive Director and Women of Influence Award nominee!

Coordinator of Clinical Staff Development, Rachel Zetino, and Dr. Erin McNerney, Clinical Director, attended the awards in Dr. Bruinsma's honor!

In S.T.E.P.P.S. continues to expand! Our administrative department has been relocated to their very own suite (be sure to stop by and say hi!), and we are using the extra space for clinic rooms! We are so excited about this as it will allow us to better serve our clients by allowing for skill generalization to other environments, team meetings, observations, training, additional social skills groups, and more! If you are interested in moving any of your 1:1 sessions to the office, let us know!

We have several new clinic rooms at our Irvine office!

We even have a two-way mirror!

Our San Diego and Los Angeles locations are really up and running! Huge shout out to our Regional Directors, Nicole Horton and Nicole Floyd, as they have put in an abundance of work to help In S.T.E.P.P.S. reach these communities. If you or someone you know would like more information about our additional locations please email us!

In S.T.E.P.P.S. San Diego! Isn't it beautiful?!

Clinic room in San Diego

Reception area in San Diego

Parent's Night Out (PNO) is becoming increasingly popular every month! We love that this one evening a month allows parents to have some much deserved time off to enjoy a date night, see friends, catch a movie, grab some dinner, or just relax at home. As you may have noticed, we have set a maximum number of attendees on our RSVP list on Evite. This is to ensure that we have enough support staff to guarantee a low child to adult ratio, and to make sure it is a positive experience for all those that attend. Unfortunately, this may mean we have a wait list each month. We hope you understand! Be sure to RSVP early to claim your spot. If you have any questions, email Clinical Supervisor (and PNO organizer), Lindsey Lewis, at LindseyL@instepps.com. Our next scheduled PNO is Friday, April 29 from 6:30-9:30. You can find the answers to FAQ by clicking here! 

We always end PNO with a dance party!

We have a big presence on Facebook, so be sure to head on over there and check us out. Be sure to "Like" us so you see our daily posts, pictures, and announcements in your news feed!  https://www.facebook.com/In-Stepps-212450818767386/

Autism Researchers Coming Together!

We are excited and proud to announce that our Directors, Yvonne Bruinsma and Erin McNerney, are co-authors on an important position paper published yesterday in the prestigious Journal for Autism and Developmental Disorders.  This position paper has an impressive list of authors that include some of the biggest names in current research on Autism Treatment and we are thrilled that In STEPPS was able to contribute to this important work!

The paper is titled: Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions: Empirically Validated Treatments for Autism Spectrum Disorder. It describes how the field of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) evolved from Discrete Trial Training to naturalistic teaching methods like PRT and ESDM that take developmental theories into account. It also describes common elements in naturalistic developmental intervention models demonstrating that these models have more similarities than differences. In short, the paper makes a strong case for autism researchers and practitioners to come together and work under the NDBI umbrella in order to bring improved understanding of the interventions to parents and funding agencies, and the most up-to-date, high quality services to our kids.  

We would be happy to email the paper to any of you that would be interested in reading it, but below is the link if you would like to download it from your own computer.

Download Your e-Offprint (PDF file) Your 'Online First' electronic offprint is now available! Download your PDF file using the following link: http://www.springer.com/home?SGWID=0-0-1003-0-0&aqId=2805611&download=1&checkval=2302d5fc550199d1f9115bd719ac2a6e If the PDF file does not open automatically, please copy and paste the URL into your browser window. Please note that your free e-offprint will only be available for four weeks! Your article will be assigned to a specific journal issue. After the production of that issue has been completed, you will be notified by email and a new, paginated e-offprint with the final cover of the respective issue will become available to you as a free PDF-download. Any additional (printed) offprints or posters you might have ordered will then be shipped to you.

Summer Bucket List (Survival Guide?)

A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing, and the lawn mower is broken.

It's official! Summer is here. The kids are out of school and home all day. The weather is getting warmer. You have become the entertainer. Do you find yourself dreading the next few months because you have no idea how to keep the little ones busy? Do the words "I'm bored" or "there's nothing to do" sound like nails on a chalkboard? Let us help!

Make this the best Summer yet by finding a creative way to incorporate daily activities for the kids or big events for the whole family! You can use a large calendar, post it notes, jars, stickers, white board, poster board, colored markers, game spinners, and more to get the kids involved in planning their time off. Or use as reinforcement/rewards for completing less-preferred activities (chores, summer homework, reading, shopping, etc.). The possibilities are endless. Not only will it give the kids things to do but it will also keep your schedule organized and structured. Tip: Take photos of all the fun things you do and make a Summer scrapbook/memory book before school starts.

Need some help brainstorming? Be sure you ask your kids first, they probably have some ideas of their own! Then check out the list below if you are still stuck or need to add more to fun to your calendar. 

Tip: Pinterest also has some amazing ideas and links to step-by-step instructions for recipes, art projects, kid's activities, and more! You could even make a "Mom Bucket List" and try some new crafts, DIY projects, organizing, cooking, and baking ideas! 

Send us pictures of your Summer Bucket List/Survival Guide/Activity Chart and tell us what fun things you will be doing! 

*Have a picnic in the park
*Go on a hike
*Have a bike "car wash"
*Make a lemonade stand
*Run in the sprinklers
*Plant flowers or vegetables
*Bike ride at the beach
*Have a Skype call with a family member or friend that lives out of state
*Eat dinner in the backyard
*Go on a stay-cation. Find a hotel in the area (we suggest one that has a great pool) and book a night or two
*Play hide and seek outside during the full moon or with flashlights
*Bubbles, bubbles, bubbles
*Movie night with popcorn
*Make birthday cards and thank you cards
*Watch fireworks
*Volunteer to walk or play with the dogs and cats at a local animal rescue
*Pull out a map and let the kids pick somewhere to take a day trip. Tip: Help them google all the things to do in that city
*Make a sandcastle
*Go on a bug hunt
*Collect seashells and make home decor by putting them in a jar or basket
*Decorate the driveway with chalk
*Water balloons
*Play "high/low" at dinner every night. Take turns talking about the "high point" of your day and the "low point" of your day. Discuss as a family. 
*Visit an amusement park, water park, aquarium, local museum, zoo, or activity center. Take a family picture in front of each place you visit
*Invite the neighborhood kids over for an ice cream sundae party
*Go to a local senior living home and have the kids read stories to the residents
*Clean out the closets and donate old toys and clothes to Goodwill
*Set up relay races or obstacle courses in your yard or at a local park
*Make a bird feeder with household materials and hang it from a tree
*Send snail mail to someone (write a letter, put it in an envelope, stamp it, and send it through the USPS)
*Ride horses
*Look up local carnivals, fairs, and festivals to attend
*Exercise as a family (walking, biking, yoga, jump-rope)
*Write letters or send care packages to troops overseas
*Check out a local concert in the park
*Visit your local farmer's market and pick up local produce to make smoothies
*Add the hose to dirt or mud and throw in some rubber worms or plastic animals
*Make a playlist of the kid's favorite songs and have a dance party
*Paint with items other than paint brushes (think apples, hot wheels, potatoes, sponges, q-tips, cotton balls, string)
*Spend the day "screen free" (no tv, ipad, itouch, kindle, iphone, laptop, etc.) Tip: Mom & Dad, too!
*Check out library books
*Have a sensory day - fill tubs up with rice, beans, water, slime, sand, etc 
*Find kid-friendly recipes that they can help you make
*Head out to the local bowling alley and have a friendly competition
*Have a family board game night
*Go to baseball games or host your own
*Host a birthday party
*Make homemade popsicles
*Finger-paint with pudding
*Have breakfast for dinner
*Fly a kite
*Find art classes or kids workshops (check out Michaels, Lowe's, and Home Depot)
*Find some household items to use as instruments and make a band
*Make your own playdoh
*Use paper bags to make puppets and have a puppet show
*Build a fort with sheets and blankets in the living room
*Make candy jewelry
*Make homemade ice cream
*Go to all the parks within a few miles of your house. Make a list and check them off as you go.
*Grab a tent and go camping (even if it's only in your backyard)
*Have a campfire and make s'mores