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January 2024 Parent Connections
Information for parents and caregivers to help children thrive!
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Welcome 2024! Our team at DFX invites you to enter the new year engaged and energized with us. We've expanded our team and are excited to introduce our three new clinicians who will help us care for more children and expand our work in the community. As our DFX families know, we are enthusiastic proponents of helping kids make connections to nature and we include nature-based activities in therapy whenever possible. To inspire you to spend more time outdoors with your kiddos this year, we've asked DFX Occupational Therapist Lindsay Beckerman to share how she weaves time outdoors into her and her son's schedule every day. As with any new activity, start with small steps and you'll be surprised at the difference this can make in how you greet the world! | |
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Spending Time Outside Every Day with Lindsay Beckerman
This year marks the 4th year in a row that my son and I are participating in the 1000 hours outside challenge. This fun challenge was created to promote wellness by encouraging families to increase the time their children spend outdoors, to offset the amount of time kids are spending on screens and indoors, which now averages 4 to 7 hours per day. While 1000 hours sounds like a lot, it averages out to be about 2 hours and 45 minutes per day.
We started in 2020, and my son and I both quickly found out how much we enjoyed eating breakfast outside. I loved enjoying our bright Colorado sunshine, and it helped to start our day in a more regulated state. I also loved that when we ate breakfast at our outside table, my kitchen floor stayed clean!
Some years, we have tracked our hours on a print out page that we hung on our fridge. One year, we set our goal to spend at least 30 minutes outside every day. This year, we decided to track my hours vs. my son's hours on the 1000 Hours Outside app, turning it into a bit of a friendly competition.
Here are a few of my favorite ways to get some intentional time outside, even when life is busy:
- Take meals or snacks outside, even if it is just on your driveway on a blanket. We enjoy finding a sunny spot to sit, especially in the cooler months!
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Plan family time outside - check out the zoo, a new nature center, or playground (see below for ideas and links to DFX's Outdoor Play guides)
- Take inside toys/activities outside. Magnatiles stick on garage doors, and reading outside is a little more magical with a warm drink and a blanket. We do many crafts outside and play card or board games outside too (as long as it isn't windy)
- Layers layers layers! I don't like being cold, and I wear my snow pants often!
- I often bring my computer outside and work from my front steps. My son also stays outside longer if we are out together, so I enjoy having things to do too.
- Check out classes and activities offered by your local parks and rec department.
Even if you don't reach your goal at the end of the year, any time outside is a win!
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Need ideas for new Denver parks to explore or want to understand more about how outdoor activities promote development? We've got you covered! Click on the links below:
Outdoor Play: A Denver Parks & Play Guide
Move with DFX: 8 Parks Guide
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Welcome Ariel, Kaitlyn, and Sam! |  | |
Ariel Harris, OTD, OTR/L
Ariel (she/her) graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science in Health Education and Doctorate in Occupational Therapy. As an INSPIRE scholar in the University of Florida's Occupational Therapy program, she received advanced training in early intervention services and multidisciplinary early childhood treatment. Ariel’s passion for working with children has enabled her success in expanding play skills and helping children work towards reaching their potential. Her interest in sensory integration led her to learn more about the impact of the sensory systems on daily function. Most recently Ariel studied and worked at the STAR Institute, where she completed her Capstone project, her level I certification, and a 9-month fellowship, specializing in sensory integration with a pediatric population. She is beyond excited to put to use her knowledge and prior experience as she continues to learn and grow as an occupational therapist at DFX. In her free time, Ariel enjoys spending time with her family and friends, going on adventures, relaxing on the beach, hiking, reading, and baking.
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Kaitlyn Darbe, MOT, OTR/L
Kaitlyn (she/her) loves collaborating and partnering with children and their family systems to support engagement in meaningful activities. She has experience in the pediatric and neonatal intensive care unit and outpatient pediatrics focused on sensory health and wellness. Kaitlyn received her master’s degree in Occupational Therapy from Midwestern University.
Kaitlyn’s treatment prioritizes building relationships with families through trust, respectful interaction, and communication. She has completed an Intensive Mentorship Program in Sensory Processing and Integration and is a certified DIR Floortime Provider. She hopes to make a lasting impact on the lives of those she works with and is honored to be a part of their journey. Kaitlyn is committed to foster and provide inclusive, neurodiversity affirming, and equitable therapy across the lifespan. In her free time, Kaitlyn enjoys skiing, hiking, and spending time with her sweet dog Lola.
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Samantha Weiss, MA, CCC-SLP
Sam Weiss (she/her) loves collaborating with kids and their loved ones to support their communication. She has experience working in the pediatric private practice realm, as well as in the public schools. Sam received her master’s degree in Speech Language Pathology from The Ohio State University and her bachelor’s degree from Miami University in Ohio. She is thrilled to be able to be a member of the DFX Team. Sam is a Gestalt Language Processing-Trained Clinician from Meaningful Speech. In addition, she has interests and advanced training in Autism, language development, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), play-based and child-led therapy, complex communication systems, and the total communication approach.
In her free time, Sam enjoys practicing yoga, hiking in the mountains, and reading, as well as spending time with her partner and their cat, Stevie.
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Nature Discovery Trail Guide Now Available in Spanish
This DFX guide features activities that you and your child can enjoy before or after your visit to the clinic. You can access it online or ask your therapist for a copy in English or Spanish next time you are at DFX.
Thank you to Denver CALC for supporting this project!
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Click on the button below to visit our website and learn how you can support our work. | |  |
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A huge thank you to everyone who donated to DFX's year-end campaign. We raised over $60,000!
This support sustains the organization and fuels our efforts to help children and their families find a path forward, to develop innovative models of care, and to train more clinicians in these models so that children who are neurodiverse can be understood and live to their fullest.
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Have you seen our video yet?
We hope you'll take 3 minutes to watch it, and share it with friends and colleagues to help spread the word about how the team at DFX is working to create engaged belonging in the clinic and beyond.
Click on the button below to watch the video.
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DFX Voted
#1 Pediatric Therapy Group
Have you heard? DFX has been voted the #1 Pediatric Therapy Group for 2023 by readers of Colorado Parent Magazine! Thank you for helping us receive this recognition.
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DFX is working to create systemic change by establishing a culture of engaged belonging in which children of all abilities and backgrounds will thrive.
Click on the links on the right to access our website, email us, or make a contribution; you can also use the QR code to make a donation.
Please consider sharing your story with us - let us know how working with DFX has impacted your family and how else we can help you.
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