| Welcome to the
Board of Directors
Patti Song!
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Patti is PCDA's newest member of the Board of Directors.
Patti is a global representative of Cloutier Remix Agency as a freelance hair colorist. She brings enthusiasm and her past experience with community service to support PCDA.
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Monster Mash Halloween Socials!
Thanks to everyone who participated in the Monster Mash Halloween Socials during the last week of October!
Much fun was had by all! Check back next month for pictures.
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Turkey Tryouts!
The 6th Annual Turkey Tryouts are happening on Monday November 7th! Make sure to sign up with your Feeding therapist.
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PCDA Tour for Pacific Oaks College Students
Vivian Tamkin, Ph.D is a licensed psychologist, professor and adjunct faculty member at Pacific Oaks College in Pasadena, where she is currently teaching Introduction to Therapeutic Companions: A Behavioral Intervention. This course uses texts including The Child with Special Needs, by Dr. Stanley Greenspan, the developer of Floortime.
Dr. Tamkin is familiar with PCDA from working here as a contracted Developmental Interventionist over 10 years ago for one child she brought to receive DIR/Floortime services. She brought her class of 9 students to PCDA to show them an agency that provides services like the ones they are learning about and to connect them with professionals in their field of study.
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Friends of PCDA
The friends of PCDA are a group of parents and others from the community who come together to help in various fundraising activities to support the mission of PCDA.
Please join us!
We meet on the first Tuesday of every month
Upcoming meeting:
Tuesday Nov 1
6:30-7:30pm
PCDA Small Conference Room
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Parent Support Group
This group provides a forum to discuss ways to use DIR/Floortime with your child, and will have guest speakers who will provide practical tools and tips. DIR/Floortime is an approach that supports child development for all children.
Tuesday November 8
(every 2nd Tuesday)
6:30-8:00pm
Topic: The DIR Approach to Behavior Management, Part II
Facilitator: Brandt Chamberlain, Ph.D, Head of Psychology & Counseling Services
For more information, please contact Brian (626)793-7350 x257
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Parent Orientation to Floortime
Are you new to using Floortime? Would you like to understand more?
Please come to our Parent Orientation to Floortime meeting which is FREE, and held once a month to answer your questions about using Floortime strategies with your child.
6:30 - 7:30pm
PCDA Small Conference Room
Please RSVP to Katherine at
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Sibling Saturdays
Saturdays
1-2:30pm
PCDA
$5 per child
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Tea For Siblings
Thank you to Chado House for another successful Tea for Siblings on October 29! |
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Congratulations to
Claudia Chavez
for being selected Volunteer of the Month for October 2011!
Thank you for your hard work!
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Feeding Team Travels
In addition to providing feeding therapy to PCDA families, members of the Feeding Team present to audiences of pediatric therapists about PCDA's unique and renowned relationship-based approach to feeding therapy, utilizing DIR principles.
In November the team is travelling to the East Coast to present The DIR Approach to Pediatric Feeding in New York City and Boston!
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Volunteers Wanted!
PCDA is in need of volunteers!
Please contact Katherine to begin the process and get involved.
(626) 793-7350
x219
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There is lots going on at PCDA this month, including Date Nights, Turkey Tryouts, new Creative Arts programs, and our monthly parent and sibling support groups. We hope to see you at some of November's events and activities!
Happy Thanksgiving!
-All the staff at PCDA
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Harvest Moon
On Sunday October 2nd, PCDA hosted its annual Harvest Moon Home Tour and Art Auction at the historic Blacker House in Pasadena. Homeowners Harvey and Ellen Knell graciously opened up their home for an exclusive tour enjoyed by the Harvest Moon guests. Home tours led by docents dressed in early 1900s costumes were followed by a cocktail reception and silent auction of fine art. The evening continued with a heartwarming program highlighting PCDA's services for children with special needs and a gourmet dinner under the Harvest Moon. This year's Harvest Moon event raised over $12,000 for PCDA! Thank you to all the generous donors and participants.
Guests enjoy wine and conversation during the art auction.
Dr. Diane Cullinane and Mimi Winer (in center),
co-founders of PCDA, with guests.
PCDA therapists as volunteer docents,
giving tours of the historic Blacker House.
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Creative Arts Programs
Check out Fall offerings from the Creative Arts department!
Animals in Art
for children ages 6-12 
Create animals with various mediums
Learn basic hand building skills
Children can glaze their own pieces!
Taught in conjunction with the Armory Center for the Arts
Tuesdays
November 15-December 13
4-5:30pm
$200 per child (includes materials)
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Art Saturday
for families
Drop in at any time
Try out different art stations
Have fun with music, art and drama!
Saturday November 12
9:30am-11:30pm
PCDA Large Conference Room
$5 for a family of 3
$10 for a family of 4+
Pay at the door
RSVP to Melissa St. John by Nov 9
(626) 793-7350 x261
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Date Night!
Elements Kitchen and PCDA have teamed up for the month of November to offer parents a way to enjoy time together and help PCDA at the same time.
Eat dinner at Elements Kitchen on Wednesday evenings in November and PCDA will recieve a portion of the proceeds.
Free childcare is available on those Wednesday evenings (2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd and 30th) from 6pm-9:30pm at PCDA. Please sign up by calling Katherine at (626) 793-7350 x219.
Check out the restaurant's website to make a reservation, or call (626) 440-0044.
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Online Auction
Mark your calendars!
The auction opens
November 25 (Black Friday)
and runs through
December 9
Click here to check out the goods!
We are fortunate to have lots of toys in the auction this year, so be sure to check out
holiday gift ideas!
Do you have an old treasure, a talent or service, that you can donate? We accept all contributions! It's an easy way to help support our programs.
For more information, call Kelly at (626) 793-7350 x281
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Free G-Tube Supplies!
We have received a large donation of G-tube supplies, as well as a small amount of specialty formula.
If you have a need, please contact the Dietitians at PCDA: (626) 793-7350 x203.
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PCDA on the News
PCDA's Veronica Vallejo, second from the left, is interviewed by the news team. Martha and Jose Cruz are on the right.
On October 6th, PCDA appeared on a Spanish morning news show called Hogar Al Dia, Noticias on Bereavision to bring awareness to the Latin community of the services available for children diagnosed with developmental disabilities and delays. PCDA's Developmental Interventionist Veronica Vallejo conducted the interview. They discussed topics as diverse as the importance of early detection of delays, the Regional Center system, and the support available for children born to undocumented parents. The Cruz family, a PCDA client, generously offered to share their experience of their child's diagnosis of autism, and their struggles with receiving adequate funding for services. Veronica also shared information with the news team about PCDA's history, the agency's philosophy of DIR/ Floortime and the various multidisciplinary services PCDA offers.
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New Evidence-Based Support for Relationship-based Intervention
Strong research support is one of the primary factors affecting funding decisions for services for children with autism. This is one of the reasons we are glad to see a new study by by Devin Casenheiser and colleagues at York University published in the journal Autism.
The article compared a group of children whose parents received 2 hours per week of coaching in helping their children develop social-communication skills, to a group of children who received 4 hours per week of other interventions in the community.
After one year the children in the social-communication group showed greater improvement in their interactions than the community treatment group. In addition, many of the skills we target in Floortime/DIR were directly associated with the children's improvements in language, including joint attention and emotional engagement (Levels 1 and 2 of the Floortime model). Finally, the parents' increased skills were also associated with the children's improved interactions.
It's great to have evidence for what we know from experience: when parents help their children connect emotionally, the children enter more fully into the world of communication with others. |
| PCDA Co-Sponsors Floortime Conference!
The first annual California DIR/Floortime Conference, DIR/Floortime: A State-of-the-Art Approach for People with Special Needs, took place on Saturday October 15th at the Marriott Burbank Hotel. Over 200 parents, clinicians, educators and other professionals from all over California, as well as Arizona, Colorado and Texas , convened to hear about the DIR/Floortime approach from nationally known experts, including Dr. Barbara Kalmanson, Dr. Richard Solomon, Dr. Ricki Robinson, and staff from the Creekside School in San Jose. The conference also featured a Young Adult panel, which PCDA's Dr. Cullinane moderated, as well as a segment on legislative advocacy for parent choice in treatment options.
Keep your eyes peeled for the announcement of next year's conference date!
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What's Cooking?
Perfect for Me Pie
Pie is a wonderful thing. It can be savory, like a quiche. Or it can be sweet like pumpkin pie. Unfortunately we tend to save pumpkin pie for fall and winter but it is almost the perfect food for young eaters. It is creamy, full of vitamin A and protein. Pumpkin pie is forgiving, add a little of this and a little of that and it is still good. This is a basic recipe, play around with it until you make it your own.
 Add more flour to make it a bit sturdier for finger feeding, use a crust or not. Sweeten with regular sugar or use agave syrup. Blend up those peaches hanging from the tree or open a can of pumpkin. Make one low calorie and make one high calorie and keep the whole family healthy and happy.
Perfect for Me Pie Recipe
1/2 cup granulated sugar (see "customize" for sweetener ideas)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs
1 (15 oz.) can of Pumpkin or Butternut Squash or Sweet Potato OR 2 cups pureed peaches Dairy or alternative (see below for amounts)
2 Tablespoons wheat or tapioca flour
Bake in preheated 425°F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350°F and bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until pies test done. This will make two shallow pies or one deep dish. You can also make in custard cups for individual pies.
Customize Your Pie
Full of Dairy
High calorie: use 12 ounces of evaporated whole milk or two 8-ounce blocks of cream cheese.
Low Calorie: use 12 ounces of evaporated NONFAT milk or two 8-ounces of neufchatel cheese (also called reduced fat cream cheese)
No Dairy (Casein/milk free)
Use ¾ cup coconut milk instead of milk. Let the can of coconut milk settle a bit and just scoop out that nice thick milk. Don't add the water at the bottom of the can.
Sweeten it up
If you want to use honey, maple syrup or agave syrup, you will need to add a bit more of flour or tapioca flour to thicken your pie. Remember that agave is sweeter then sugar and you will need a bit less. Start with 1/4 to 1/3 cup and work your way up to 1/2 cup if needed.
Crust or Crustless
Crusts add crunch and some whole grain. You can use a graham cracker crust. Make one from graham crackers or a combination of graham crackers and breakfast cereal. If you are looking to go gluten free with the crust, you can use ground gluten free cookies or cereal for the crust. Add some ground almonds, pecans or walnuts to the crust to bump up the vitamins, minerals and protein.
Most importantly, sit down with your child, eat and enjoy.
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Fun fact!
Pumpkins were once thought to remove freckles and cure snake bites.
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Have a wonderful holiday!
Sincerely,
Pasadena Child Development Associates, Inc. |
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