Blogs

“Living with Schizophrenia: A Call for Hope and Recovery” is a half-hour documentary film that tells the story of three people who are living meaningful lives with schizophrenia, a chronic and potentially disabling brain disorder.  Visit  http://www.hopeandrecoveryfilm.com/videos/trailer.swf to view the documentary trailer.  The film sets out to increase understanding and to reduce the fear and stigma often associated with this mental health condition. About one percent of the US adult population, or 2 million, and approximately 24 million people globally are living with schizophrenia.

“‘Living with Schizophrenia’ highlights the stories that don’t make the headlines – the stories of hope and promise,” said Emily Abt, award-winning filmmaker and director of the film. “My grandmother struggled with schizophrenia, and making this documentary gave me new insights about what it is like to have this illness and overcome the obstacles in life that it presents.”

In the film, viewers journey with three individuals with schizophrenia to experience their daily struggles, personal insights, paths to the mental health recovery process, and the impact their illness has had on those who love them. “Living with Schizophrenia” delves into the lives of Ashley, who after finding effective treatment for her schizophrenia, returned to school and created a blog to share her story with others; Joshua, who was in and out of psychiatric hospitals for six years and now, following his path of mental health recovery, is dedicated to helping others living with the illness; and Rebecca, who spent a decade blaming herself for her diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia and is now actively involved in her treatment process.

Ashley, Joshua, and Rebecca are joined in the film by their families and experts in schizophrenia, including community-based psychiatrist Rebecca Roma, MD, medical director of the Community Treatment Team at Mercy Behavioral Health in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Xavier Amador, PhD, clinical psychologist and founder and director of the LEAP Institute; and, Dave, president of the Georgia chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). Throughout the film, they share their perspectives and reinforce the message of hope and self-acceptance for people living with schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is a complex mental disorder whose cause eludes experts to this day.  Researchers have identified various risk factors for schizophrenia, including heredity, brain damage, and environmental factors such as social stress, isolation, and drug use.  The disease typically manifests as abnormal psychological functioning and disturbed behavior. There are currently no physical or lab tests that diagnose the disease; therefore, schizophrenia is diagnosed by the presence of symptom types.

“By sharing the powerful stories of Ashley, Joshua, and Rebecca, we can work to reduce the fear and reduce the stigma, just like we’ve done with so many other issues over the years,” said Dr. Roma. “Deep down inside, we’re all people with different struggles and I learn from my patients every day about the power of perseverance and hope.”

“Living with Schizophrenia” was funded and produced by Janssen, Division of Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc.  The people featured in the film present their own stories and ideas and were not compensated by Janssen to appear in the film. Janssen products are not named or promoted in the film.

For more information about “Living with Schizophrenia” visit http://www.hopeandrecoveryfilm.com.

International au pairs support American military families

Celebrating Military Appreciation Month

Erie, Colorado May 2, 2011 -- The tradition of honoring our military on Memorial Day is a great example of American culture for au pairs who are experiencing life in the U.S. for the first time. These young people from overseas will attend parades, wave flags, listen to tributes and taps, and kick off summer with their host families. However, for some au pairs, supporting our military goes far beyond Memorial Day.  

Simone Staudenmann from Switzerland is an au pair for the Liebold family which consists of mom Marian, infant twins, and LCDR Wayne Liebold, a deployed career Naval officer. Simone takes photos of developmental milestones of the children and posts them online so LCDR Liebold can see the twins sitting up, crawling, standing and walking. She also regularly shows them pictures of their father and helps them connect via Skype. “This way we can talk for a few minutes, even though I’m on the other side of the world. I can see them clapping, and playing and I know that they are happy and also that they haven’t forgotten me,” says Liebold.

Simone’s efforts are a tremendous help for a busy working mom and a priceless benefit for a deployed father. LCDR Leibold says, “Because of our au pair, I am able to do my job better. I know my family does not just have great childcare, but a family member who willingly has taken on the challenges of joining a military family with intuition, grace and an understanding of our needs and the needs of our children.” 

For military families, childcare is especially critical to their stability at home and their ability to focus and have peace of mind on the job. Unfortunately, according to a recent study by The Pew Center titled “On the Home Front”, military families struggle with childcare due to relocation, deployment, and non-traditional work hours. They are also affected by wait lists at military Child Development Centers (CDCs) or do not live on or near official installations that provide childcare.

The au pair option is an attractive alternative for military families for many reasons.  Kimberly Mowat, a local childcare coordinator for Cultural Care Au Pair who works with families in the Erie, Colorado area, shares how the program benefits parents in the armed services.

10 Ways an Au Pair Childcare Can Help Military Families

Quality childcare

All au pairs are carefully screened and trained and families receive attentive year-round support from local childcare coordinators. Cultural Care Au Pair goes above and beyond the strict guidelines that regulate the au pair program set by the U.S. Department of State.

Extra pair of hands

An au pair can provide extra help in the home in addition to childcare. Assistance with light household duties, homework help, and driving to children’s activities is particularly helpful following a spouse’s deployment.

Flexible scheduling

The flexibility of the au pair program allows families with unpredictable work schedules and non-traditional hours to set a schedule that works for them.

Assistance with moving 

Having an extra set of hands gives parents additional time, energy and freedom for packing, organizing and all the logistics involved in getting ready for a move.

Help settling in

When everything else is changing – home, school, friends, job – having consistent childcare can make the transition to a new place smoother for everyone.

Staying connected

An au pair can help children stay connected with deployed parents through daily activities such as letter or email writing, craft projects, and video conferencing.

Peace of mind

Knowing that their children are being cared for at home by a trained, experienced au pair allows military personnel to concentrate at work and focus on the job at hand.

No waiting list

Like many day care centers, military Child Development Centers (CDCs) often have long waiting lists. Families can apply for an au pair and welcome a child care provider into their home in eight weeks and sometimes even sooner.

Network with other military families

Cultural Care Au Pair is proud to serve more military families than any other au pair program. Interested parents can be connected with other military families who have welcomed an au pair into their home.

Military discount

In honor of Military Appreciation Month and in celebration of Memorial Day, military families who apply in May are eligible for a $75 application fee and a $650 program fee discount. To learn more about au pair childcare and other seasonal discounts especially for families of those serving in the military, visit www.culturalcare.com/military.

Families interested in learning more about au pair childcare can call Kimberly Mowat at 303-396-7328 or visit www.kmowat.aupairnews.com for additional information on the Cultural Care Au Pair program.

# # #

About Cultural Care Au Pair

Cultural Care Au Pair is the leading provider of intercultural childcare in the United States. Since 1989, Cultural Care Au Pair has placed more than 85,000 au pairs in welcoming American homes. A U.S. Department of State regulated program, Cultural Care Au Pair is headquartered in Cambridge, MA, with their own extensive network of recruitment, screening and orientation offices worldwide and more than 600 local coordinators across the U.S. For more information about hosting an au pair, visit www.culturalcare.com or call 800-333-6056.

Nearly 10 percent of 9^th to 12^th grade students in Colorado have gone without eating for 24 hours or more; 4.7 percent have taken diet pills, powders or liquids; and 3.6 percent have vomited or taken laxatives – all to lose weight or to keep from gaining weight – according to 2009 data from the Centers for Disease Control. Eating Recovery Center (EatingRecoveryCenter.com), a national center for eating disorders recovery, warns that these behaviors can lead to medical complications, nutritional deficiencies and, potentially, a full-fledged eating disorder.

“Oftentimes, once teens begin to experiment with these behaviors, it can be difficult to get out of the habit of them, especially if they receive positive feedback from peers and others about the initial weight loss,” explained Ginger Hartman, R.D., registered dietitian at Eating Recovery Center’s Behavioral Hospital for Children and Adolescents. “These types of comments can often influence the teen to continue the behaviors and/or increase the frequency of behaviors. Eventually, the teen may no longer be able to control the behaviors and may find him or herself struggling with a life-threatening eating disorder.”

With swimsuit season and teens’ accompanying focus on body image around the corner, it is vital that parents keep an eye out for behaviors that may trigger disordered eating. Hartman offers the following six recommendations for parents who notice their teens engaging in unhealthy food-related behaviors:

1.     Better identify what your teen may be struggling with by learning more about eating disorders. 

2.     Parents should be on the alert for negative changes in attitudes or beliefs. Changes in your teen’s attitude about size or weight, dissatisfaction with his or her body and health consciousness may precede abnormal eating behaviors. 

3.     Discuss with your teen, in a caring, gentle and non-judgmental way, what you have noticed or observed and why it concerns you.  

4.     Schedule a medical check-up with a physician who has a background in working with eating disorders.  

5.     If behaviors persist, seek assistance from an eating disorders therapist and/or a registered dietitian who specializes in eating disorders.  

6.     Intervene early. The sooner that intervention occurs, the less likelihood there is for long-term effects or consequences from the behaviors. Earlier intervention can also increase the potential for lasting recovery.

Eating Recovery Center’s Behavioral Hospital for Children and Adolescents provides comprehensive eating disorder treatment for children and adolescents – both girls and boys – ages 10 through 17. Focused on empowering families to become agents of change in their children’s recovery, the program is led by a nationally recognized expert in child and adolescent eating disorders, Ovidio Bermudez, MD, FAAP, FSAHM, FAED, CEDS.

Learn more about treatment for eating disorders in teenagers and children at http://bit.ly/j9cLer.

• Contrary to popular belief, lactic acid is not what builds up in skeletal muscles - lactate is.  Biochemist used to believe that the body produces lactic acid which immediately turns into lactate after losing a proton.  Now it has been proven that this was incorrect.

• Cortisol levels go down.  Cortisol levels elevate in periods of stress.  Since training is a form of stress on the body, cortisol gets released.  This unfortunately can be catabolic in long term.  When you do not rest enough in between training sessions, your body will go into a state of overtraining and cortisol levels will remain high while insulin levels will remain low.  Since insulin is a great hormone to build tissues, this may lead to performance and/or muscle loss.  Sleeping is a great way to lower the cortisol levels.

• Increased levels of Human Growth Hormone.  When sleeping, your natural levels of HGH get elevated.  This mainly occurs in the later and deeper phases of sleep so when you cut your sleep short, you are missing out on a significant opportunity to recover.   HGH supports muscle recovery, promotes lipolysis (decomposing fat), stimulates the immune system etc.  No doubt this will aid your recovery and performance.

• Higher testosterone levels.  The more and better you sleep, the higher your testosterone levels will be when waking up.  This gives you mental and physical energy and promotes bone and muscle mass since it is an anabolic steroid.  The body produces testosterone itself in men and women.  The levels differ but women have testosterone in their system and men have estrogen in their body.

The World’s Most Refreshing Beer continues to out-cold itself, as Coors Light packaging now features a new design that tells you when your beer reaches the “peak of refreshment.” As part of its upcoming Super Cold Summer, the brand is debuting the latest in cold-activated technology: New Coors Light Two-Stage Activation bottles and cans, which make it easy to see when your Coors Light goes from cold … to Super Cold.

Studies indicate that more than 70 percent of legal-drinking-age men have put their beer in the freezer to achieve the desired level of cold. The trick is to know when to take the beer out. Now on Coors Light bottles and cans, the iconic mountains still turn blue when the beer is cold, and in addition, a new Cold Indicator bar will turn blue at the same time. Then, when the Coors Light temperature is at the peak of refreshment, a second Super Cold Indicator bar turns blue.

Starting this month, the launch of Coors Light Two-Stage Cold Activation will be supported in many ways from coast to coast. This includes new creative featuring entertainment mogul Ice Cube in two commercials, titled “Cold Talk” and “Cold Challenge,” that depict a humorous stand-off between Ice Cube – hip hop star, actor, screenwriter, director and producer -- and Super Cold Activated Coors Light in a battle over who is colder. To view “Ice Cube: Behind the Scenes, Cold Challenge,” visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYk0zteaKD4

Known to be one of the most important figures in rap history, Ice Cube can add actor, screenwriter, film director, and producer to his illustrious list of accomplishments.  As a rapper, he has sold more than 10 million albums to date.  As an award-winning actor, he has appeared in more than 20 films, and he has directed or produced movies such as “Are We There Yet?” and “Barbershop.” Additionally, he served as one of the producers of the Showtime television series “Barbershop” and the TBS series “Are We There Yet?,” both of which are based upon films in which he portrayed the lead character. Cube is getting ready to kickoff a European concert tour in June.

Cube’s popularity and relevance started and grew in the world of hip-hop.  However, as his popularity has increased, so has his cross-over appeal.  It is Cube’s mass appeal that allows Coors Light to strongly engage and motivate a broad, diverse legal-drinking-age audience to embrace the brand, its cold refreshment and its new Two-Stage Activation bottles and cans.

The Ice Cube commercials will air on a variety of TV stations during the NBA playoffs, including ESPN and TNT. Both spots were created for Coors Light by Chicago-based commonground.

As an extension of the Two-Stage Cold Activation packaging launch, nearly 3,500 beer retailers who meet the right criteria to ensure Coors Light is Super Cold at the point of purchase will be “Super Cold Certified” this spring. The retailers will display a neon sign as evidence that the Coors Light in their store is Super Cold.

For more information on the Coors Light Super Cold Summer and to view the “Cold Challenge” video, visit (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYk0zteaKD4) or visit Coors Light on Facebook.

“Living with Schizophrenia: A Call for Hope and Recovery” is a half-hour documentary film that tells the story of three people who are living meaningful lives with schizophrenia, a chronic and potentially disabling brain disorder.  Visit  http://www.hopeandrecoveryfilm.com/videos/trailer.swf to view the documentary trailer.  The film sets out to increase understanding and to reduce the fear and stigma often associated with this mental health condition. About one percent of the US adult population, or 2 million, and approximately 24 million people globally are living with schizophrenia.

“‘Living with Schizophrenia’ highlights the stories that don’t make the headlines – the stories of hope and promise,” said Emily Abt, award-winning filmmaker and director of the film. “My grandmother struggled with schizophrenia, and making this documentary gave me new insights about what it is like to have this illness and overcome the obstacles in life that it presents.”

In the film, viewers journey with three individuals with schizophrenia to experience their daily struggles, personal insights, paths to the mental health recovery process, and the impact their illness has had on those who love them. “Living with Schizophrenia” delves into the lives of Ashley, who after finding effective treatment for her schizophrenia, returned to school and created a blog to share her story with others; Joshua, who was in and out of psychiatric hospitals for six years and now, following his path of mental health recovery, is dedicated to helping others living with the illness; and Rebecca, who spent a decade blaming herself for her diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia and is now actively involved in her treatment process.

Ashley, Joshua, and Rebecca are joined in the film by their families and experts in schizophrenia, including community-based psychiatrist Rebecca Roma, MD, medical director of the Community Treatment Team at Mercy Behavioral Health in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Xavier Amador, PhD, clinical psychologist and founder and director of the LEAP Institute; and, Dave, president of the Georgia chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). Throughout the film, they share their perspectives and reinforce the message of hope and self-acceptance for people living with schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is a complex mental disorder whose cause eludes experts to this day.  Researchers have identified various risk factors for schizophrenia, including heredity, brain damage, and environmental factors such as social stress, isolation, and drug use.  The disease typically manifests as abnormal psychological functioning and disturbed behavior. There are currently no physical or lab tests that diagnose the disease; therefore, schizophrenia is diagnosed by the presence of symptom types.

“By sharing the powerful stories of Ashley, Joshua, and Rebecca, we can work to reduce the fear and reduce the stigma, just like we’ve done with so many other issues over the years,” said Dr. Roma. “Deep down inside, we’re all people with different struggles and I learn from my patients every day about the power of perseverance and hope.”

“Living with Schizophrenia” was funded and produced by Janssen, Division of Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc.  The people featured in the film present their own stories and ideas and were not compensated by Janssen to appear in the film. Janssen products are not named or promoted in the film.

Our networking events are the talk of the town!

Hosted by Colorado Sport Aviation, Inc.

 

 

The new Temple Grandin School (TGS) will hold its Open House and invites family and community members to come and learn about our program for strengths-based, real world learning on Thursday morning, May 12 @ 8:00 a.m. at the Bridge School auditorium at 6717 S. Boulder Rd, Boulder, CO.  A link to Google maps is included below.

David Hazen and Jen Wilger, Co-founders of Temple Grandin School, will take you through a “day in the life” of a TGS student and an overview of TGS’ program features; learn about TGS’ challenging academics, the 4+1 program, real-world experience and mentoring, integrated social skills and more. They will share about the program elements and research based approaches to learning that TGS brings to students with Asperger’s Syndrome and other similar learning profiles.  More importantly, research is now showing how these features of education are aspects of how we ALL learn best.    Come learn more! 

Also, check out the latest interview with Jen Wilger at: http://yellowscene.com/2011/04/15/jennifer-wilger/

Come learn, ask questions about TGS and how your student might benefit from an individualized TGS education.  Children are welcome.  Light snacks/refreshments will be provided.

While not required, an RSVP to info@templegrandinschool.org or 303-544-7363 will help us better prepare.

Map to Open House

Mark Inglis

Director of Admissions

Temple Grandin School

Office: 303-554-7363

http://www.templegrandinschool.org

Why, I, Darcie Mae, write fun and educational stories for children:

The message I am trying to send is clearly stated in my quote: "Words can change a life. Make a good change. Read a child a book."

On 9/11, when the towers went down, I was living in the woods in a log cabin and did not know what was going on in the world until someone came out to tell me. That night I listened to all the chaos happening in the world. The first thing that popped into my mind were all the children who were probably listening to it as well. I have always enjoyed putting pen to paper, keeping journals, writing poems, etc. But, it was that night I decided I wanted to take my writing seriously. I made up my mind I was going to write stories for children and I was going to write many. That is what I’ve done, and am doing. I have 100’s of stories done and there will be many more. I hope the stories I write keep children's minds and thoughts busy so they won’t have to pay attention to all the chaos happening in the world. When adults are afraid or worried, children are as well, whether we want them to be or not. I want my stories to keep kids minds busy thinking about what their reading, and thinking about the next story or book they want to read. There is enough time for worrying about world troubles when they get older.

I am also one who thinks a family reading night would great. That is why I am putting The Peably series of stories on my website free to read, and offering a couple coloring pictures free to print and color. I put a new story, and 2 new coloring pictures up each week, usually Sunday. Any night of the week, get out some fruit juice or hot cocoa, make some popcorn or get a snack, print out the new story, print out the coloring pictures and make copies if needed, get out the crayons, colored pencils, and makers, and most importantly, get the family together. Have the same person read each time or take turns reading. Have fun. I guarantee after a while you all will be waiting anxiously to see what the next story will be.

Darcie Mae



Keep your kids moving this summer!

Join us July 18 - 22, 10:30am - 3:45pm, ages 6-12 - non-members welcomed!

Camp is a great time to get to know fellow classmates while participating in Tae Kwon Do skill building, games and movies!

Cost is $150 per child; family discounts available.  Tuition is due upon registration and includes a 25% non-refundable fee.  Please call 720-566-0677 to register, or email traditionalarts@comcast.net.

Please visit our website for more classes and student testimonials!