Santa Claus, one of his elves, and a reindeer visited Little Star Center at Lafayette on December 14 and Carmel on December 15!  Youngsters shared their wish list with the Man in the Red Suit, had their picture taken with him, and chatted with the Jingle John and the reindeer, Misfit while enjoying a pitch-in of holiday treats.  Olive, the Other Reindeer also joined the festivities (Boston Terrier).

Jingle John said, “This is our second year of visiting Little Star Center in Carmel.  It is the Best!  Misfit, Olive and I had a great time sharing stories about life at the North Pole and what we do the rest of the year.  Rudolph was busy getting ready for Christmas Eve travels and wasn’t able to join us, but he wanted me to be sure to tell everybody how much fun he has landing on rooftops and to be sure he’ll be visiting your home.”

Santa walked around the Motor Room, visiting with the children, hugging those who wanted it, and holding babies.  Learner Ellie Trivedi was quite surprised that Santa knew her name!  “I’ve enjoyed seeing Ellie the past six years I’ve dropped by  Little Star’s Christmas Party in Carmel,” he said.  “She’s a beautiful girl who has become much more comfortable with me as she grows up.  I was pleasantly surprised this year, when she voluntarily sat with me and had her picture taken. “

 

 

Learners went to see Jolly Days Winter Wonderland at the Indianapolis Children’s Museum! They enjoyed the Yule Slide, visiting the Hot Wheels for Real exhibit and Mr. Bear’s Playhouse. Outings like these give our learners the opportunity to practice generalizing skills they learn in the center to other social environments.

Little Star learners visited Woodland Bowl in Carmel, learning how to hold the ball and roll it down the lane to the pins.  It was an eventful day which sometimes required a therapist to “help along” a ball that settled within the lane or the gutter. Outings like these give our learners the opportunity to practice generalizing skills they learn in the center to other social environments.

Little Star Center is pleased to announce it was named one of the recipients for the Cause for Elegance art show fundraiser. The event — presented by Studio OTB at Outside the Box — features works of art created by Studio OTB artists based on the recipient’s purpose. Little Star’s mission served as the inspiration for the painting shown here, “Illuminate Hope,” which was created by participants in the Wednesday Art Class.

Lauren Church, studio coordinator, said, “All the artwork created in the studio is a collaborative effort. This particular piece was created by our Studio OTB artists that attend the Wednesday evening art class along with their studio instructors.

“We are so honored that Little Star allowed us to work with them. All the pieces for our annual show turned out beautifully and we had a wonderful turnout, selling most of the paintings. If you are interested in seeing the remaining available pieces, check us out on Facebook.”

Outside the Box provides custom-created services for individuals with developmental disabilities who may not fit into other models of services. Its mission is to empower people with disabilities to be the leaders in their lives and create meaningful days by providing collaborative art experiences for people of all ability levels to connect with the community through creative endeavors.

Studio OTB is the Therapeutic Art Program at Outside the Box. It has its own name, space, and gallery, to create, sell, and teach classes to Outside the Box attendees and to Indianapolis community members. Its art services are open to any and all ability levels of artists interested in learning more about art or for those just wanting to get messy! For more information on Outside the Box, click here.

Future Horizons is sponsoring an Autism/Asperger’s Conference in Indianapolis on Friday, January 18 (venue TBA), featuring Dr. Temple Grandin, the noted scientist who has autism; Eustacia Cutler, the mother of Temple Grandin who shares her views of autism through her personal experiences raising Dr. Grandin; and Dr. Jim Ball, a highly experienced, Board Certified Behavior Analyst and president/CEO of JB Autism Consulting who discusses behavioral intervention for young learners.

Folks interested in attending can save 10 percent off of the regular conference prices by using coupon code TGCONF when registering (can’t be combined with any other discounts or offers). For more information about the conference and/or to register, please visit Future Horizon’s website at http://www.fhautism.com/.