Spring is in the Air at Brooklyn Autism Center!

Brooklyn Autism Center

111 Remsen Street

Brooklyn, NY 11201

http://www.brooklynautismcenter.org/

"Through appropriate instruction, each child can make great strides."

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Who We Are

Admissions

Our Methodology

Next Open House: Wednesday, April 16th at 9:30 AM

School Closing Dates: March 25-April 2. Enjoy your spring break!

Early Dismissal Dates: April 19 - Students dismissed at 1 PM.

Parent Coffee: Monday, April 8th at 9:30 AM.

Peter's Joke of the Month:

Q - When is a door not a door?

A - When it's a jar!

Greta's Book Recommendation:

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss

Students' Favorite Pandora Channels: The Black Keys Radio, Cars Radio, fun. Radio

Students' iPad Recommendation:

The Fireworks app

Students' March Workout!

1) Run up and down hall with 2 lb weights

2) Bicep curls - 10 reps

3) Overhead press - 10 reps

4) Wall squats - 10 reps

5) Shrugs with weights

6) Calf raises with weights

Meet Our Staff!

Julie Russell

Katie Polizzi

Deborah Lewis

Matthew Willings

Tom Cleary

Anna Gianotti

Christina Ryan

Kate McAvoy

Raven Stokes

Sloane Herrick

Jonus Bain-Lucey

Evan Skolnik

Theresa Basile

Sanna Johansson

Spring is in the Air at BAC!

Greetings!

Here we are in the last quarter of our 2012-2013 school year. These past few months have been exciting and successful for the Brooklyn Autism Center and we have a lot of news to share.

First, we would like to give our best wishes to Jaime Nicklas as she moves onto the next phase in her career with her studies in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. One of our students has also transitioned from BAC and we wish him the best of luck at his new school.

We want to welcome two new students, Jason and Brayden, and their families. Welcome to BAC!

We've enjoyed a new and exciting collaboration with the Children's Museum of the Arts. Our learners have been making the trip to the museum to learn about stop-motion filmmaking. The teaching artists (Joe and Emily) also bring these amazing activities to BAC so our learners can practice in both locations! (This is an excellent way to facilitate generalization.) Our learners love their visits to the museum and the workshops here at BAC. Many thanks to the museum and the teaching artists for treating our kids to some movie magic. We are looking forward to continuing our partnership with CMA for the 2013-2014 school year. BAC will also continue to provide our learners with opportunities for horseback riding, swimming, yoga, music, and socialization with peers in order to be sure that we are providing them with a well-rounded program!

We still have three months of spring and several exciting events planned for BAC. We'll keep you posted and informed about our upcoming fundraisers, events, and open houses. Thank you for your continued support and interest, and spread the word about BAC to your friends, family, and people you meet in the autism community!

Sincerely,

Ray Cepeda

Executive Director

Brooklyn Autism Center

An Update From BAC Friends

by Deborah Lewis

As the coordinator of our peer-socialization program, BAC Friends, I have been overjoyed to witness both Friends and Learners develop natural relationships in a fun, safe, and supportive environment. Developed to connect students through a variety of engaging activities, the program allows the group to explore art, dance, drama, and movement via interactive games. Learn more about our program.

Spring Fundraisers

We've had some very successful fundraisers in the past few months, taking us everywhere from Brooklyn's own Prospect Park to Carolines on Broadway. Read more about how we put the "fun" in "fundraiser."

Parent's Corner: Good Days and Bad Mornings

by Melissa Fitzpatrick

As parents, we all experience days with our kids that we think are amazing - those days when everyone happily glides through with little fuss or muss. Then there are the bad days where no one in the house seems to be in sync. You think, "I don't know how I'm going to make it to bedtime, much less through the rest of my life!" As parents of ASD kids, we all know how these feelings can be amplified - in both the kids *and* the parents.

Recently, I have been trying to tackle just one part of the day with Jack: mornings, the hardest part. It seems that no matter how much Jack loves BEING at school, he absolutely hates GOING to school. Read more.

Student Highlights

JC created a paper iPad and drew his own homemade video game!...Peter started an inclusion program with his friends at Hannah Senesh and is learning how to do homework!...TG has made it to World 3, Stage 2 in The New Super Mario Brothers! (He's at the icy level - very slippery!)...Jack is making mosaics and completing puzzles independently!...Greta is a born athlete, whether she's jumping on the trampoline or swinging on the swings!...BS has experimented with Pandora and created three new stations for himself!...DS is doing a great job with yoga every Thursday afternoon and follows directions very well!...AS is learning how to push friends on the swing at BAC Friends!...So You Think YOU Can Dance? You haven't seen Ian! He's memorized all the moves to "Follow the Leader" and knows them cold!

Welcome, New BAC Staff!

We could not be happier to introduce you to Julie Russell, our new Educational Director!

Julie holds a Masters of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis from Simmons College in Boston, Massachusetts. She has over 10 years' experience working with children with autism and related developmental differences in centers, schools, school districts and home-based programs. Julie received her supervision hours (meeting requirements for board certification in behavior analysis) from Dr. Nathan Blenkush, Ph.D., BCBA from JRC in Boston, Massachusetts. She was a Clinical Supervisor at ACES (Center for Applied Behavior Analysis) in San Diego, California and Clinical Supervisor at the ELIJA School in Levittown, NY.

We also have a number of new staff that we have not yet formally introduced, and we'd like to give them all a warm welcome to the BAC team.

Jonus Bain-Lucey, B.S.

Behavioral Instructor

Jonus holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Childhood Special Education from SUNY Geneseo. He has two years' experience working with students with Autism Spectrum Disorders. He served as a Peace Corps volunteer working with at-risk youth in rural Costa Rica. He is presently pursuing his M.S. and BCBA at Hunter College. Jonus loves playing outdoors, food, dogs, and snow.

Anna Gianotti, M.S.Ed

Behavioral Instructor

Anna holds a Master of Science in Education from Brooklyn College for teaching children in both special education and general education classes. She has worked with children with a wide range of disabilities for the past two years in various public schools in New York City. Anna is currently enrolled in the Advanced Certificate Program in Autism Spectrum Disorders at Brooklyn College.

Christina Ryan, B.A.

Behavioral Instructor

Christina holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. Christina has been a Research Assistant in the Cognitive Aging Lab at The Catholic University of America, a Research Assistant and ABA Therapist at B.A.S.I.C.S. ABA Therapy in Washington, DC, and a volunteer First Grade Teacher for the Jesuit Volunteer Corp. at Pohnpei Catholic High School in Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia.

Raven Stokes, B.A.

Behavioral Instructor

Raven holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from St. Francis College. Raven interned at the Brooklyn Autism Center for six months prior to being hired as an instructor. Working in BAC has sparked a great interest in Raven to continue her studies in the field of education.

Evan Skolnik, M.S.Ed

Behavioral Instructor

Evan holds his Masters of Science in Education in School Psychology from LIU: Brooklyn. He completed his internship in the North Merrick School District in both the elementary and high schools. Evan has been working with children since he was in high school and is very enthusiastic about acquiring behavior analytic skills that he can add to his knowledge of school psychology. He has also been involved in organizing teams to raise money for Autism Speaks!

Sloane Herrick, B.A.

Behavioral Instructor

Sloane holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theater Education from Wagner College and has her special education certification through the NY Board of Education. She lived in Lima, Peru for a year while working at an early intervention center for students with autism. Immediately following that experience, Sloane worked at a private center for students on the autism spectrum in her hometown of Carlsbad, Ca.

Tom Cleary

Business Manager

Tom holds a Bachelor of Arts from Lehigh University where he graduated with honors. At Lehigh, Tom studied accounting, economics, and international relations. He also worked as a resident adviser and tutor. Prior to joining BAC, Tom spent several years in the financial services industry, working in both finance and client relations roles, and most recently worked for a Brooklyn-based green startup.

Theresa Basile

Administrative Assistant

Theresa holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Education from Hofstra University. A former English teacher in the New York City public school system, Theresa completes freelance writing projects for an educational website. In the summer, Theresa volunteers at Camp Fatima of New Jersey, a one-to-one camp for children with disabilities, writing and directing short films starring the campers.

International Intern

We have had the pleasure of having Sanna Johansson from Stockholm University as an intern. Sanna has proven to be an asset to BAC as she has acquired an impressive behavioral repertoire of data collection, data display and teaching! Sanna returns to Sweden at the end of April and we look forward to maintaining a collegial relationship with her in order to help her in her future plans to work with children with autism.

Reverse Inclusion

We have developed a fruitful relationship with Hannah Senesh in Carroll Gardens. The 4th and 5th graders from Hannah Senesh have been coming to BAC every Wednesday for structured activities to facilitate cooperation and socialization between our learners and their peers. Thanks to Deborah Lewis for taking the lead on coordinating the activities and for having everything run smoothly!

Farewell and Best Wishes

This month we said goodbye to Jacqueline Vidopio, who has been an amazing behavioral instructor and just a great person to know. Jacqueline is moving on to pursue her passion of music with her band HYPODIVE. Keep an eye out for them - we will be saying, "I knew her when..." very soon!

Ray's Upcoming Lectures

1. Wednesday, April 3rd

Location: NYU

Presentation: "Functions of Behavior: Why does he do that?...and what can I do about it?"

Ray will be talking to students as part of the Advanced Seminar in Autism Spectrum Disorders coursework.

The presentation is not open to the public.

2. Thursday, April 18th

Conference: The Young Child Expo

Registration: : www.youngchildexpo.com

Location: Hotel Pennsylvania at 33rd and 7th, NY

Presentation: "Flowcharting and Curriculum Development: Designing, Individualizing and Troubleshooting Program Sequences for Learners on the Autism Spectrum"

3. Thursday, May 9th

Conference: YAI International Conference

Registration: www.yai.org/resources/conferences/yai-conference/

Location: Hilton New York, 1335 Avenue of the Americas, NY

Presentation: "Flowcharting and Curriculum Development: Designing, Individualizing and Troubleshooting Program Sequences for Learners on the Autism Spectrum"

Brooklyn Autism Center | 718-554-1027 | tbasile@brooklynautismcenter.org | http://www.brooklynautismcenter.org
111 Remsen Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201