May 2025 LABBB Newsletter

May Newsletter

LABBB Goes to Disney

Sharing best practices and promoting inclusive opportunities for students with special needs

Executive Director's

Message

Dear LABBB Community,

LABBB’s annual Transition Fair was a resounding success! Students, their families, community members and staff hosted an incredible Transition Fair on April 10th! A shout out to the Transition Department for hosting an inspiring Transition Fair. A special and heartfelt thank you to the parent panel - your wisdom, advice, practicality, and participation mean the world to us. Your words and experiences inspire us - with gratitude….

The Lexington Fire Department held a fundraiser, selling T-shirts and the proceeds went to LABBB Collaborative. We are incredibly grateful for the generous donation. The monies donated will be used to supplement and enhance the education and extracurricular opportunities for students. With gratitude LFD!

LABBB’s graduation ceremony, a remarkable recognition of the dedication and hardwork of our students, will occur Thursday, June 5th at the Scottish Rite Museum in Lexington, MA (more detailed information is forthcoming).

Summer schedules are posted on the LABBB website. Reminder that all of LABBB’s extended year programs run from Monday through Friday for a full day (times match school year including early release days). Specific information regarding your child’s programming will be shared by your classroom teacher and/or program coordinator.

There is much to share, LABBB has a lot of upcoming events:

LABBB Prom - Marriott, Billerica, MA May 29, 2025

LABBB Graduation- Scottish Rite Museum, Lexington, MA June 5, 2025

***Special Olympics - LHS May 21, 2025

*** All LABBB students attend.

All are welcome - if you have questions about any of the events please do not hesitate to contact us

Please do not hesitate to contact me directly at pgirouard@labbb.net with any questions or comments.

With appreciation,

Pam

Clinical Corner: Intro Ideas for Supporting Executive Functioning Skill Development

By: Nolan Duchi

If you were to guess how many students ages 5-17 across the USA have a diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), what would you guess? According to a study done by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) that was conducted from 2020 to 2022, and published in March 2024, about 11.3% of children and adolescents within that age range met criteria for an ADHD diagnosis (Reuben and Elgaddal, 2024). That translates to roughly 7 million individuals; quite a large number!

A staple of understanding ADHD is executive functioning. Everyone has executive functioning processes - they help us to plan and prioritize what gets done and when, organize information, to remember what was just taught and how to apply that, make decisions based on what we know (or don’t know), and they also are involved in emotional regulation. They play an important role in students’ ability to engage and learn in the educational setting. In students with ADHD, a lot of these skills are compromised, which can make learning and school a stressful place to be.

Luckily, there are ways to support executive functioning processes within various settings. Modifying the environment can make it much easier for students with ADHD to access their classroom with feelings of success.

One way to support organization is to use color coding. For example, if a student has difficulty following the steps on a worksheet, it could help to highlight or color the work that is being asked of them to complete.

If helping students to plan is an area of need, making a visual schedule of the day and then posting that schedule for all students to see can help them visualize how the day will go. Knowing when a class is scheduled may help a student with advocating for concerns they have about that class.

Checklists can also be useful for planning and prioritization. After they complete something, they can mark off the task they completed and then look to see what the next step is. Ranking more important steps first can help build the habit of students identifying the more important and more immediate tasks that need to be completed.

If there are challenges with a student initiating a certain task, it can help to incorporate their interests into the exercise to create more buy-in for them. Be creative with this! Another idea for supporting task initiation, planning, and organizing can be to declutter visual information that is presented with demands, or overall just within the classroom. What may look like a page of paper with a few paragraphs on it may actually feel like an entire book, or what may look like a pretty collection of posters on the wall may actually seem like a maze to navigate. Chunking, or presenting one bit of information at a time, can be an effective way to help the student to focus on just one thing at a time and not feel overwhelmed by other visual stimuli.

This is not an entire list of ideas to support executive functioning skills, but it can be a helpful place to start.

LABBB Recreation

We had a great trip this year to DisneyWorld. It was sunny and warm everyday. I will let the pictures tell the story.

We have a fun spring/summer activity planned for June 3rd. LABBB will be taking a trip to a Red Sox Game for the Disability Pride Celebration at Fenway. This is for our die-hard Red Sox fans since it will be a long day.

The trip starts at 3:00 at Lexington High with a Red Sox trivia game. We will head into Fenway Park on a C&W bus, then eat outside/inside the park for dinner. Students can decide what they would like to experience for Fenway dinner food. We will enjoy the game (hopefully a win) then head back to Lexington High School for pick up by parents. Please see the flyer attached.

Upcoming Events:

May 19: Last Day of Monday Bowling
May 20: Last Day of Tuesday Bowling
May 21: Last Day of Wednesday Rec.
May 29: LABBB Prom
June 3: Trip to Red Sox Game
June 5: LABBB Graduation
June 6: Last Monthly Mini Golf

REMINDER: The LABBB Recreation Brochure and monthly trips/dances flyers will ONLY be in our emailed LABBB newsletter and on our website (www.labbb.com). They will no longer be sent to LABBB family homes via USPS.

Remember to follow @LABBBREC on Twitter

LABBB Parent Resources

This information is offered as community resources that may be of interest to our families. LABBB does not have any specific affiliations to these programs.

The Buzzin’ Bean! Opening soon, family of a LABBB student.

This isn’t just a café — it is the beginning of a dream. A dream of building a future filled with purpose, love, and belonging — for our son, who is autistic, and for the vibrant community that surrounds us. Like so many parents of autistic children, we’ve envisioned creating something that celebrates inclusion, purpose, and possibility as our children grow into adults. We hope to create a space where our son and others can thrive in their abilities.

At the core of every strong community is heart, and that heart is inclusive. It’s diverse. It’s buzzing with connection. The Buzzin’ Bean exists to honor that spirit—shining a light on the talents, passions, and potential of all individuals.

We’re building more than a business — we’re building a place where joy is shared, kindness is served, and every person is celebrated for who they are.

Calmer Con - Boston

https://www.calmercon.org/

Calmer Con is specifically designed to meet the needs of those with sensory processing challenges, autism, and anxiety concerns while providing an authentic comics and pop culture convention experience.

ACEing Autism – ACEing Autism

https://aceingautism.org/

Discovery Museum - Acton

www.discoveryacton.org

Discovery Museum Announces Schedule of Free Events for Visitors with Disabilities for the First Half of 2025

Questions can be emailed to sheilman@discoveryacton.org

Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth (MPY)

mpyinc.org

SNAP Arts Programs

https://snaparts.org/programs/

Discovery Museum

fun@discoveryacton.org