Sharing best practices and promoting inclusive opportunities for students with special needs
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Executive Director's
Message
Dear LABBB Community,
Welcome to the 2023-2024 school year! What a start … rain, heat, more rain, hurricanes, I am hoping that this is it on the weather front! LABBB staff had a great opening and in my travels around the collaborative, I am happy to share that there are many smiles and happy students! Our goals this year are to continue to support our commitment to LABBB’s mission and core values. Our core values include partnership with home and school, fostering independence in our students, the provision of quality programming that maximize student strengths, improving our communication that is respectful, open and collaborative, supporting the integration of mind body management as well as promoting diversity, equity and inclusion, and providing opportunities to participate in physical activities and music or art. Our message is one of belonging!
Our teachers, educational assistants, and related service staff ensure that the needs of students and families are the priority. While there are continued challenges, their incredible work and commitment, creativity, dedication, and resilience continue to be remarkable. My sincere appreciation to all of the LABBB staff. And a shout out of thanks for our parents, caregivers and guardians who believe in the work being done here on behalf of your children!
LABBB Evening Parent Meetings
We are continuing to hold LABBB Parent Meetings on the same evenings as monthly dances. This provides parents an opportunity to drop off their child at the Lexington Community Center (39 Marrett Road), then attend the meeting upstairs at the Center.
These informative meetings allow us to discuss various topics related to programming, special needs planning, recreation, transition, post-22 planning, supplemental security income (SSI), financial planning, and many other important issues.
Parent meetings for 2023-24 will take place from 7:00 to 8:15 pm on the following dates:
October 26, 2023 (LABBB Transition Deptartment)
November 16, 2023
December 7, 2023
January 18, 2024
February 1, 2024
March 7, 2024
April 25, 2024 (Annual Transition Fair)
May 30, 2024
We look forward to seeing you!
Other noteworthy dates-
Special Olympics- May 10, 2024
Graduation - June 6, 2024
Recreation opportunities continue for our middle and high school aged LABBB students, under Paula Rizzo’s expert guidance. If you are interested in exploring any of these opportunities please contact your child’s teacher or program coordinator. I hope that everyone that attended the Reunion Dance on September 14th had fun!
With appreciation,
Pam
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Clinical Corner: Trigger Warning
By Christine Carr, LICSW, LABBB Counselor
The National Alliance on Mental Illness defines a trigger as “an action or situation that can lead to an adverse emotional reaction.” (nami.org) Identifying triggers is helpful as we navigate life and promote safe and healthy spaces for ourselves and others. It is extremely important for trauma survivors who are suffering from PTSD due to physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. For example, a student who has a history of physical or sexual trauma may not want to be touched even for a high five or similar encounter that we may view as “harmless” or supportive. In this instance – and a good rule of thumb for interactions with all students – don’t initiate physical contact at all and thus, in this instance, we are effectively using the known trigger to avoid the potential adverse emotional reaction.
Yet, acknowledging triggers should not automatically mean avoidance. As adults, we can likely name our own less severe triggers – being told to “relax” or “calm down” is one of mine. My adverse emotional reaction is to do the exact opposite of relaxing and get even more fired up. For our students, triggers may include placing a demand such as a math worksheet, transition from playing with Legos to a non-preferred activity, or, like me, being told to “calm down”. Again, identifying triggers is helpful as we navigate life and promote safe and healthy spaces. We can validate those triggers when working with students, “I know math is not your favorite, but let’s pause Legos and get some work done.” Despite the inevitable externalizing behaviors, we must not avoid making the demand but put in place the necessary steps to assist the student to navigate the distress associated with the demand. That is how skills and new habits are developed. Avoidance does not mean safety, and often only perpetuates unsafe feelings and situations.
As part of the social emotional learning curriculum, working on self-awareness is a core principle. Knowing one’s triggers is a big part of that self-awareness. Once known, we can develop and practice skills to cope with the triggers and/or develop the necessary plan once a trigger occurs. As much as we want to (because often the resulting externalizing behaviors are no fun for anyone) a trigger is not just something to avoid. If we know that a student “gets triggered” when it is time for math, it does not mean that they should never do math. It means we as a team must help students manage the distress caused by the trigger.
We likely know what will trigger our students. The hard part is leaning into the distress the student is feeling (and our own subsequent distress in the moment) and supporting them in the big feelings and countering the negative thinking. Practicing and modeling our own mindfulness can help. Stay present for the student, reassure them that they are safe, the distress is temporary, math will be over soon, Legos are just being paused, and nobody needs to be told to “just calm down”. Connect with the counselors or BCBAs in your programs for advice on how to lean in and provide support if you have questions.
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Recalibration and Rejuvenation! Welcome back!
By: Jimmy Kelly, High School Program Director
Late summer, early fall, and school re-entry bring forth feelings of rejuvenation, novelty, hope, and connectivity.
Though students may have mixed emotions about returning to school, their presentation upon entering their school environment is more often than not, one of eagerness and excitement. At LABBB, one of the pleasures of our return to school is seeing the students reconnect with friends and staff that they have cultivated meaningful relationships with.
Whether it is when disembarking from their van on the first day of school, the first moment they enter their classroom, or when they set eyes upon their familiar friends and staff, the moment of reconnection is priceless.
One of the pleasures we have at LABBB during these moments is recognizing that these feelings of reconnecting are not just in the moment, but translate into sustainable, need-fulfilling relationships. As LABBB staff we are also aware that the opportunity for our students to establish additional friendships will also follow.
The launching of the new school year is not only healthy and beneficial for our students, but for our staff as well!
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A Community of Learning and Connecting
By: Donna Goodell, Program Director
When you choose LABBB for your child, you are choosing a school community whose goal is to provide quality educational programming and services that promote academic, social and career independence for every student. Our teams of staff across all our programs are always thinking about what skills students need to be working on right now that will make the biggest positive impact on their ability to access the next step of their journey, whether they are headed to the next grade, the next school, or headed into adulthood. The more independence they develop, the more opportunities that open up for them along their journey.
We also understand that when students come to LABBB, it is a less traditional educational journey that takes them and their family away from their local school community. While our focus for students is on developing independence, we are also focused on creating a sense of community, not only for our students, but for their families as well. One way we do this is our Parent Nights. These events offer time for casual social networking as well as some informational presentations. We welcome parents from all our programs and hope that you will find them helpful and enjoyable. Our Parent Night on October 26th will feature a presentation by our new Program Coordinator of our Transition Department, George Clement. He will share with you a bit about himself, as well as information about what our Transition Department provides for our high school students currently and our vision for the future.
We are also interested in what you would like to hear about at future Parent Nights. Please click on this link to offer your thoughts and suggestions. These events are for you, and we want to make sure they are meaningful to you.
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LABBB Adapted Physical Education, Recreation and Social Opportunities
September is a busy month in the LABBB Recreation Department.
Our LABBB Recreation Brochure was sent out in the mail in mid-August, and by September 5th (the due date), the Monday Bowling, Wednesday Dance/Arts & Crafts and Walking/Glee club were full. We still have a few spaces left in some of the other activities.
Our LABBB Halloween Dance will be held outdoors on October 26th! The dance will be held in the back of the Lexington Community Center under a tent. Not only does this give us plenty of fresh air and space to dance, but dancers should not overheat in their costumes. There’s lots of room for our decorations, too!
Upcoming events:
September 19 Tuesday Bowling starts
September 22 Mini Golf starts
October 2 Monday Bowling starts
October 2 Monday Movie Nights start
October 4 Wednesday Rec starts (walking/Glee and Dance/Arts & Crafts)
October 5 Thursday Zoom Bingo Starts
October 13 Mini Golf Trip, Kimball Farm in Westford, MA
October 14 LABBB/Best Buddies Craft Fair, Lexington HS Fieldhouse
October 16 School Photos for LABBB high schools
October 26 Halloween Dance, Lexington Community Center
Remember to follow @LABBBREC on Twitter
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LABBB Parent Resources
https://www.mass.gov/orgs/department-of-developmental-services
Interested in fitness or arts programs for your child? Check out these resources.
Many families ask for ways to help their children be active and healthy at home. One family recently shared a program that they found for their son. It is called Inclusive Fitness and it is a program that helps to create healthy lifestyles for neurodiverse people, their families and communities. For more information, you can check out their website at https://inclusivefitness.com/.
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.
Greater Massachusetts Special Needs Events
Family Support Center Directory by Town
Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress
20 Burlington Mall Road, Suite 261
Burlington, MA 01803
781-221-0024
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Families with MassHealth Need to Renew Coverage:
Families with MassHealth need to renew their coverage this year in order to maintain coverage. Coverage protections put in place during the pandemic will end soon, and MassHealth will return to standard annual eligibility renewal processes. Please help inform MassHealth families that they need to take the following steps:
- Update contact information – make sure MassHealth has their most up-to-date address, phone number, and email so that they do not miss important information and notices about what else is needed.
- Report household changes to make sure MassHealth knows about any changes in their household, like a new job, address, changes to income, disability status, or pregnancy.
MassHealth Eligibility Redeterminations Information
Merrimack Valley Disability Transition Fair: Virtual Event with the Lawrence Public Schools. https://bit.ly/3Mo8Lmq
• Visual Impairment “Early Connections” Conference: w/ Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown https://bit.ly/41mrOCJ
• The Inevitable Aging Process for Special-Needs Caregivers & Their Loved Ones: Webinar with the MinuteMan Arc https://bit.ly/3KqQkvX
• Higher Education for Those with Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities in Massachusetts https://bit.ly/3KjDzCd
Special Needs Art Programs Inc.
Registration for the Fall 2023 through Summer 2024 program year will
begin on August 1st. SNAP will have a new registration platform for
signing up singers and artists. This new platform will offer many more
features to make the sign-up process more efficient and let you check
on payments and registrations easily!
Registration is on a first come, first serve basis and enrollment is
limited. Please register early to secure your spot.
Riverside Family Support
Extra Steps Launches Innovative Programs
Wilderness skill building can be a thrilling and empowering adventure for school age kids. A new program called Kids in the Wild is being offered through Extra Steps Pediatric Therapies. The first session will take place on December 10th in Sudbury for children ages 7-12.
Additionally, Extra Steps is offering Caregiver Workshops to help families build connections with one another and promote skill development in their loved one. An example is a workshop held on Nov. 2nd that focused on holiday stress.
For more information, contact Director Sherry Kenin.
Asperger/Autism Network (AANE) provides individuals, families and professionals with information, education. Community, support and advocacy is offering free community connection sessions .Our.Free Online Community Connection Sessions are single-session discussion groups and a great way to meet our staff and connect with the community for the first time. All times listed are in the Eastern Time Zone. Please click the date for more info and to register.
Housing Navigator Massachusetts
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Discovery Museum Announces 2023 Series of Free Events for Families of Children with Disabilities
Discovery Museum is ADA-compliant and all exhibits are accessible, designed according to Universal Design principles to be both aesthetically pleasing and useable by the widest possible range of people, without regard to age or ability.
Special resources are available to families including noise-reducing headphones, a sensory guide to the Museum, sensory-based programming, and American Sign Language (ASL) language facilitators at some events. Additionally, dinner, including a gluten-free option, is provided at all evening events.
All Especially for Me events are free to attend for all family members, but preregistration is required. Dates and registration links can be found online at http://bit.ly/EspeciallyforMe.
2023 Event Schedule
Sensory-Friendly Afternoons (open to the public, but no group visits are scheduled):
Tuesdays 1:30 to 4:30pm | August 1, October 3, November 7, December 5
Evenings for Families with Deaf, Hard of Hearing, & KODA Children (closed to the public):
Saturdays 5:00 to 8:00pm |
Autism-Friendly Evenings (closed to the public):
Saturdays 5:00 to 8:00pm | September 16, October 21, December 16
All-Access Evenings (closed to the public):
Saturdays 5:00 to 8:00pm | November 18
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A LABBB PODCAST
Patric Barbieri, Hosts a Podcast talking about special needs planning and resources related to our community
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LABBB Collaborative
123 Cambridge Street, Burlington MA. 01803| LABBB.com
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