CSAAC Online Newsletter Articles

Article V1.7- 2/21/20

Swing into Learning – By Tom Rowse

The swing set is now in, the bed of mulch has been laid, and the students are using it regularly even in the cool weather. On the reasonably warm days during this amazingly mild winter, teachers are bringing their classes down to the swing! The Community School of Maryland is identifying students who will benefit from “swing therapy” and adding it to their daily schedules. Everyone is looking forward to the warmer weather so each classroom can come to swing into success on a daily basis.

—————————————————————————–

Article V1.6- 1/31/20

Swing Along – By Tom Rowse

Over the past two weeks as the swings were being built, students at the Community School of Maryland have been anticipating being able to use them and have been asking each day when they can. During the previous week, a huge mound of mulch was piled in the parking lot while the weather decided to get difficult and unable to spread it out. CSAAC is thankful that John Longest who is CSAAC’s landscaper and a supporter, donated his time, grabbed a friend to assist, and used his bobcat to spread the mulch under the swings. When everyone arrived on Monday, the mound was gone, the mulch was spread appropriately under the swings, and the students are using the swings regularly for what is termed “Swing Therapy.” The Community School of Maryland would like to Thank John for his phenomenal contribution to the students at the Community School of Maryland!

—————————————————————————–

Article V1.5- 1/10/20

Soothing Swing – By Tom Rowse

CSAAC’s Community School of Maryland (CSM), Occupational Therapist Wayne Tart has been working tirelessly to get a swing installed for the students and this week after an over two-year journey, he laid out the footprint of his project as we anticipate breaking ground this coming Monday on the beautiful Brookeville School Campus.

Wayne was inspired to take up this project by the kids he works with on a regular basis. After 17 years of working with the student population, he noticed they all had something similar in common and it was the need for movement to calm and soothe them. Many children will make repetitive sounds commonly known as “Stims” attempting to soothe themselves while acclimating to their surroundings. Wayne noticed over the years when they went to a local parks for different recreational activities, the children were drawn to the swings on the playground and a curious thing happened when they entered what seemed to be a sanctuary as they stopped “stimming,” calmed down and rocked to the motion of the swing’s embrace. It was during these brief and somewhat fleeting moments, they seemed at peace in their world.

From these experiences, Wayne knew he had to bring a piece of these parks back to the CSM for the kids to enjoy anytime they wanted so he looked to find grants so he could have a swing for his students built to their specs to use. This started the journey toward realizing this dream and it was a long, tedious process, but he remained calm, looked toward his goal with measured patience and stayed upbeat through heavy doses of optimism.

The look on Wayne’s face when we laid out the footprint of the swing set spoke in volumes as in his minds-eye he pictured the kids swinging, rocking and soothing themselves in what he likes to call a “Judgement Free Zone” which will be all their own.

—————————————————————————–

Article V1.4- 11/27/19

Farming Friendships

CSAAC has developed a strong relationship with the non-profit farm named Red Wiggler in Clarksburg. Red Wiggler Community Farm practices organic, sustainable farming and their mission is to create an opportunity for people with and without developmental disabilities come together to work, learn, and grow healthy food together. Several adult individuals have been working the farm while learning about the different aspects of the farming process and are enjoying their time interacting with other members of the community as they work towards the common goal of heathy eating while getting positive social interaction. Each day on the farm offers them a different opportunity. One day, they’re digging in the dirt to pull potatoes from the ground, next they are harvesting berries from the berry patches then picking herbs to use in cooking or plucking flowers to make up fragrant bouquets and all while getting to know other members of the community while having fun. The fruits and veggies are sold locally through a Community Supported Agriculture program which gives members the opportunity to come and pick up seasonal produce each week during the growing seasons. Also, approximately 30% of the farm’s yield goes to lower income households to promote consistent healthy eating practices for the entire community.

—————————————————————————–

Article V1.3- 11/19/19

On Thursday, November 14^th, CSAAC held an art extravaganza titled “Beauty Through the Spectrum” at the Jane F. Salzano Center for Autism in Montgomery Village, Maryland. At the show, attendees were given the chance to purchase the pieces of art and support all the artists in their continuing endeavor to share their worldview.

On display were a wide assortment of art forms and an equal number of unique interpretations of the world, which surround the artists. From scenic landscapes, to sitting portraits, to impressionistic expressions, and free-handed pottery, their vantage points were shown by all the different displays of their talents. With titles of Parachute, Psychologists, Bird and Tiger, their one-word descriptions belied the simplicity of their work while you could be awed by their wide range of expression in their preferred medium. Interestingly, everyone was able to ask the artists the meanings of their work. The artist would freely share their artistic expression as everyone received a glimpse inside of their thoughts through the avenue of art.

Art is in the eye of the beholder, and in this rare moment through their creations, we were able to reach into their uniquely individualistic minds and marvel at their complexities. CSAAC would like to thank everyone who attended and the vocational program for hosting such a fantastic event! Special thanks to Jackie Nah for coordinating the art show!

—————————————————————————–

Article V1.2- 11/14/19

Power of the PECS

At the Community School of Maryland (CSM) in Brookeville, we have come to understand the importance of routines for the students. With this in mind, we use what is commonly called PECS scheduling. PECS is an acronym for Picture Exchange Communication System and this system has and will continue to be an amazing resource for our teachers to help the students remain organized and on task.

PECS, allows people with little or no communication skills to communicate through the use of pictures. In each CSM classroom, the teacher has their own interpretation of applying the schedules with the emphasis on customizing them for each student while incorporating their unique individual abilities and interests to make it their own. Similar schedules are used for the entire class while maintaining a uniformity with the larger group to make for easy transitions into the following activity because the student has a clear picture of the day which leads to less confusion and lowers anxiety levels. Knowing what comes next is important to the daily flow of learning. By providing a clear picture as the framework for the day and allowing the student to make choices about what they would like to do through this type of modeling, they are empowered and more likely to behave while wanting to participate in learning activities.

Breaking down the communication wall between students and teachers is crucial to bridge the learning gap and PECS is a tool we can use to inspire our students to knock down this wall to facilitate learning.

—————————————————————————–

Article V1.1- 10/11/19

CSAAC has launched a multi-pronged approach towards sustainability to find ways to help reduce energy and fuel costs.

Phase I was installing solar at the Community School of Maryland Brookeville Campus. In April 2019, Paradise Energy installed over 100 solar panels and 2 electric vehicle charging stations at the Community School of Maryland. The school serves 50+ students who work diligently toward learning. As a respected leader in adaptive learning for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, CSAAC serves students throughout many counties in Maryland.