Congratulations to two of our staff member on becoming Board Certified Behavior Analysts!

Congrats to two of our staff members – Maggie Dickson and Casey Moore on becoming Board Certified Behavior Analysts!

Maggie Dickson, our Assistant Clinical Director, earned her Masters of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis from Northeastern University in August 2010 and a Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology from Western Michigan University prior to that. Her career in autism started in 2004 in an ABA based early intervention preschool classroom and continued on to working for the Center for Autism at WMU as an undergraduate therapist in the Parent Training Clinic and Behavior and Diagnostic Clinic. While completing her Master’s, she worked full-time at the New England Center for Children from as a case-manager.

Casey Moore, a Program Manager, earned his undergraduate degree in Psychology from Western Michigan University in 2006. During that time, Casey worked at a school for preschoolers with autism and learned about the effectiveness of ABA. He then moved to Massachusetts and for the next three years worked full-time as a Behavioral Therapist for self-injurious and aggressive boys at the New England Center for Children while simultaneously earning his Masters degree from Northeastern University.

autism indiana

Some Great Reading Material When the Weather has you Stuck Inside – The Latest Autism Topics and Research: ASAT Newsletter Winter 2011

Hi Everyone,

Hope you are warm and your schedule is back to normal after all the crazy weather last week.  Little Star Center was closed three days due to ice and snow, but we are back and ready to roll.

This morning, when I sat down at my desk, I was excited to see I had the latest edition of the ASAT Newsletter in Inbox.  My favorite part is Media Watch – a section where Association for Science in Treatment of Autism (ASAT) responds to both accurate and inaccurate portrayals of autism intervention in the media.

This quarter, there are also three research article summaries – examining hyberbaric oxygen therapy, the use of weighted vests and a manualized DIR parent training approach to treatment.

Also, check out page six for our latest ad!

Happy reading and enjoy the sunshine today!

The Latest News Regarding the Issue of Vaccines and Autism – Dr. Wakefield’s Research

As you know, there has been a media frenzy lately regarding Dr. Wakefield’s 1998 research paper that linked the childhood measles, mumps and rubella vaccine to the onset of autism.  Recently, Dr. Wakefield’s paper and research have been discredited since follow up studies could not replicate the findings casting doubt on its conclusions.

NPR’s, The Diane Rehm Show, has done a great job of discussing this issue and has had some experts come on and speak about it. Check out the latest edition – Vaccines and Autism: A Story of Medicine, Science and Fear.  Click listen to this hear this discussion.

If you give a kid a cookie…

An awesome little guy who attends Little Star Center sat across from me at lunch today. He excitedly dumped the contents of his lunch bag onto the table and dug through the chicken chunks, fruit cup, cheese, bread and juice box until he found a bag of four chocolate chip cookies. He emptied the bag onto his empty plate and began to eat them. May your day also be a day of dessert first!

Serving children with autism since 2002…

Little Star Center is excited to launch its new website! Please check out our center and the services that we offer.

Annual Holiday Party – Reindeer and all!

It’s the season to be jolly, when we gather together to celebrate with our nearest and dearest!  I love parties, it’s no news.  I love attending them, hosting them and even hearing about them – so I thought you might too!

Little Star hosted it’s annual holiday party on Saturday.  Over 130 people were in attendance including LSC parents, kids, siblings, staff and their families.  Santa Claus came by and the kids were sitting on his lap, telling him their lists (I did, too!).

Also, in attendance were a couple of his reindeer – the kids loved petting them and feeding them carrots and apples.  Attendees ate great food, met other families and watched the kids play.  It was a great time and we look forward to doing it again next year!

Happy Holidays to everyone and feel free to stop by my office and tell me about your parties – again, I love parties!