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Get the support and resources your child needs and enjoy family activities with The Red Kite Project at Chicago Children's Theatre If your child has a physical, developmental, or intellectual challenge, NPN's 12th Annual Developmental Differences Resource Fair can help. Our free fair, designed for the whole family, puts you in touch with school options, therapy providers, and more resources that will encourage your child to reach his or her highest potential. Your child does not need to have a diagnosis for you to benefit from the resources offered at this fair. Parents with concerns about their child's development due to COVID regression will find help here. Children are welcome! Your whole family can: - Chat with speech, occupational, physical, and ABA therapy providers; schools; fun extracurricular options; and more at the exhibitor booths. List of exhibitors (updated weekly!) - Learn at our session: Decoding CPS: Tips for Special Needs Parents and Advocates from Early Childhood through Middle School - Act out during activities with The Red Kite Project at Chicago Children's Theatre - Rest in the staffed Calm Room provided by Twenty-One Senses. A Calm Room is available to help anyone reset from the possible overload of the crowds, sounds, and smells, allowing you and your kids to continue to enjoy the event - Pose for professional family photos from 2:30 - 4:00! Families can take selfies in front of the backdrop before our photographer arrives! - Win: Enter our FREE raffle to win the Altitude Trampoline Park's Private Table 10 Jumper Package - valued at $450 - Pick up free snacks for kids - Enjoy this child-friendly space Event Schedule 12:00 - 12:30 Event opens with Chicago Children's Theatre's Red Kite Program activities in the 1st-floor lobby 12:30 Exhibit hall opens on the 2nd floor (elevator access) 1:30 - 2:30 Decoding CPS: Tips for Special Needs Parents and Advocates from Early Childhood through Middle School (more info below) 3:30 - 4:00 Event closes with Chicago Children's Theatre's Red Kite Program activities in the 1st-floor lobby (Exhibit hall closes at 3:30) MUST-KNOW INFO When: Saturday, February 11, 12 pm–4 pm Where: Chicago Children's Theatre, 100 S. Racine Avenue, Chicago, IL 60607 Who: Open to the public! Registration required. Children welcome! Parking: Free parking on a first-come, first-serve basis. Free parking is available at Chicago Children's Theatre, Blue Bird Day, Intercultural Language Montessori School, and Soul City Church. Click here for a map. Cost: $25 donation is recommended. Donate here. NPN is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. We rely on your financial support to bring free resources like this to Chicago families. Session Information 1:30 - 2:30 pm Decoding CPS: Tips for Special Needs Parents and Advocates from Early Childhood through Middle School In this session, participants will learn how to decipher the differences within the cluster and blended classroom levels, the school assignment process, when and why to contact case managers and district representatives, and the overall breakdown of the intake process for students with disabilities entering the system. This session will cover early childhood through middle school. There will be time for Q & A at the end. Our presenters can answer general questions about support in high school and point parents in the right direction to get more details. Our esteemed presenters are Kimberly Johnson and Carrie Comer-Yates. Kimberly Johnson is the proud mother of a young adult who was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at age six. Through advocacy, she has gained knowledge and skill sets as an advocate, due process, and IEP liaison for families, and is well versed in the Department of Human Services Waiver program, as it relates to options and consent decrees. For the past four years, she was a Ligas Family Advocate with The Arc of Illinois, a nonprofit organization supporting all persons with developmental and intellectual disabilities. She has been involved in the Chicagoland Autism Connection Parent Support Group for over 18 years and currently serves as President of the Board of Directors. Chicagoland Autism Connection Family and Professional Support Group is one of the largest family support groups in the state of Illinois. Kimberly received her formal education at Indiana Wesleyan University. Prior to her advocacy outreach, Kimberly worked for two large nonprofits as the membership marketing manager for a combined 20 years of service. Carrie Comer-Yates is a native Chicagoan and proud product of Chicago Public Schools! She received a B.S. in Early Childhood Education and M.S. in Early Childhood Special Education from Southern IL University Carbondale. Additionally, she holds a C.A.S. in ESL and Curriculum Development. As an Educator with over 15 yrs. of experience in Early Childhood Special Education, in both Public and Private settings, it is imperative to continue assisting families to gain the foundational support they need in order for their children to be successful. In her current role as Sr. Manager, Carrie oversees the Programming for Early Childhood Special Education classrooms throughout Chicago Public Schools. Carrie, although an educator, personally experienced the struggles many parents face when their child is identified as having delays. Her son required multiple therapies from the age of six months-three years and received this through the State of Illinois Early Intervention Services. Consistency and building relationships with Service Providers provided him the skills necessary to transition into General Education PreK, as well as now being identified as Gifted. Her ultimate mission is to assure that all families have positive success stories navigating the Special Education process while having access to everything they need. Questions? Email Events Manager Elizabeth Gourio at egourio@npnparents.org. By registering for this event, you agree that NPN may share your name and email address with our presenting sponsors. Interested in exhibiting or advertising opportunities? Find out more HERE. Thank you to our presenting sponsor

This session is for parents who are concerned about their child’s development and/or trying to make sense of the many therapies available to support their child. In this session we will discuss ABA, speech, and occupational therapy, individual talk therapy, and family therapy. We will explore how all or some of these therapies might work together to meet your child’s needs and what an approach that incorporates multiple therapies might look like. Our Esteemed Speaker: Arthur F. Jimenez MS ABA, BCBA, LBS1, Founder, B.E.T.H. Services, Ltd. Arthur F. Jimenez is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and a licensed special education teacher. As a first-generation college graduate and a son of a parent who immigrated to this country, he understands the very real sacrifice and value, of family, community, and hard work. He is currently finishing his masters in counseling psychology to become a licensed therapist and is beginning his PhD in Applied Behavior Analysis to help develop a framework that works to serve and strengthen family dynamics to develop a language of acceptance and understanding for all individuals.

It’s a night to be supported, to ask questions and share resources, and to be with other parents who get what it’s like to deal with special challenges for their kids. Parents of kids with all types of developmental differences welcome (sensory processing disorder, autism, ADD/ADHD, PDD-NOS, mixed receptive-expressive language disorder, Down syndrome, physical disabilities, medical issues, etc.). Parents/family only, please (no therapists, students or business owners). The Zoom link will be included in your eticket.

It’s a night to be supported, to ask questions and share resources, and to be with other parents who get what it’s like to deal with special challenges for their kids. Parents of kids with all types of developmental differences welcome (sensory processing disorder, autism, ADD/ADHD, PDD-NOS, mixed receptive-expressive language disorder, Down syndrome, physical disabilities, medical issues, etc.). Parents/family only, please (no therapists, students or business owners). Going forward our Developmental Differences Support Group meetings will be alternating in person and via zoom. Our March meeting will be in person at Gigi's Play House, 3948 N. Lincoln Chicago, IL 60613, from 7:45-9:30pm.

It’s a night to be supported, to ask questions and share resources, and to be with other parents who get what it’s like to deal with special challenges for their kids. Parents of kids with all types of developmental differences welcome (sensory processing disorder, autism, ADD/ADHD, PDD-NOS, mixed receptive-expressive language disorder, Down syndrome, physical disabilities, medical issues, etc.). Parents/family only, please (no therapists, students or business owners). The Zoom link will be included in your eticket.

It’s a night to be supported, to ask questions and share resources, and to be with other parents who get what it’s like to deal with special challenges for their kids. Parents of kids with all types of developmental differences welcome (sensory processing disorder, autism, ADD/ADHD, PDD-NOS, mixed receptive-expressive language disorder, Down syndrome, physical disabilities, medical issues, etc.). Parents/family only, please (no therapists, students or business owners). Going forward our Developmental Differences Support Group meetings will be alternating in person and via zoom. Our January meeting will be in person at Gigi's Play House, 3948 N. Lincoln Chicago, IL 60613, from 7:45-9:30pm.

As a pediatric physical therapist, something I hear quite often in new assessments with families is that they "knew something wasn't quite right and had questions on it, but were told to wait and see if it was still a problem" at their next pediatrician visit. Many times, things do work themselves out with development for a variety of factors. Unfortunately, it's not every time. If gaining anything from this article, my advice as a physical therapist and as a parent myself is to trust your instincts. YOU know your child best. Early intervention has been statistically proven to shorten overall intervention times as well as improve results across all disciplines with children. The challenge with the “wait and see” recommendation is that earlier in your child's medical care at their primary pediatrician, you are seeing each other every four weeks. By the time you may have concerns, your check-in period is every three months. Three months is a long time in a child's first year of development: it's a quarter of their life! [Related: Preschool, or therapeutic preschool?] So how does a family pursue occupational, physical, or speech therapy for their child? There are a multitude of different ways to access services, which move along their corresponding timelines for each path. Here are some of your options: 1. Call a reputable, outpatient center or home-based service to provide therapy services. Turn around time to services: one to two weeks Look at online reviews, ask for others’ experiences in local parenting groups, access NPN’s referral list — any of these areas could be a good starting point to contact for an assessment for services. Most places will directly call a pediatrician for the prescription to be on file prior to the assessment. In Illinois, you do not need a prescription for physical therapy, as it is a direct-access state. This means that patients can refer themselves and receive ongoing treatment without an initial referral. Reputable outpatient service locations will still gain a referral and share treatment plans and evaluation results with a primary pediatrician, regardless of the state requirement. You can also ask for this to be done! This is the most direct and fastest way to receive services. This can also be the most costly, especially if you still have to meet an insurance deductible or do not have private insurance to access. If you are in a rush to prioritize services, an important question during this process is whether the outpatient center or private-based therapy service site providers are also in network with Illinois's Early Intervention system. (We'll review how to access both services down below.) 2. Call the Illinois Early Intervention program. Turn around time to services: six to 12 weeks, depending on availability Illinois has a robust Early Intervention program offered for children ages 0 to 3. Services included in Early Intervention are speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, developmental therapy, developmental vision therapy, developmental hearing therapy, feeding therapy, social work, nutrition services, and diagnostic referral services, to name a few. Services are typically provided in home, in a daycare, or via teletherapy, depending on a family's preference. [Related: What to look for in a therapeutic preschool] Families can call the child and family connection facility associated with their home address ZIP code to obtain an assessment and report concerns related to their child's development. Pediatricians or other physicians related to your child's care can also directly refer to the Early Intervention system. To begin Early Intervention services, your pediatrician must agree with and sign off on all recommended services after the assessment. After calling to schedule an assessment, it typically takes two weeks to receive a scheduled assessment. Following the evaluation, recommendations are made and new providers are searched for to provide the recommended frequency of services. This process in finding your child's provider team can at times be lengthy to get set up, depending on availability of clinicians in your area. Despite the issues with timely services, the benefits to using the Early Intervention system are great for families! Monthly family fees are assessed based on number of family members and overall household income. This family fee is set from $0 to $200 max per month. Early Intervention can act as your primary insurance (as in, the only insurance plan that is billed for therapy services), or it can act as your secondary insurance (e.g., the insurance to handle any unpaid amounts after visits are processed by your primary insurance plan). Because of this set up, Early Intervention can provide an extremely affordable and accessible means for therapy services for children up to the age of three. 3. Combination of utilizing private insurance and the Early Intervention system through the state of Illinois. Turn around time: one to two weeks to get started; up to three months to bring on Early Intervention coverage At times, when a problem has been identified, waiting several months for services can feel like a lifetime. This is where a provider that can initially work with your insurance plan, that has providers certified through the Early Intervention program, can work nicely. Think of it as billing just your primary insurance for the first weeks before Early Intervention can "kick in." Early Intervention can then be used primarily as your benefits plan or to help supplement your insurance plan. Finding an initial provider that provides both services is also helpful so that you do not have to get services started and then switch providers to a different facility. Hopefully this has been a useful guide to accessing services and pursuing early intervention for your child. Again, listen to your instincts, pursue help when needed, and don’t rely on “wait and see”: it could prove to take even more time to make gains with this approach.

Join Us For an After-Hours Benefits Webinar on SSI, SSDI, HFS, DHS, PUNS, and more - Understanding the Alphabet Soup of Government Programs and Benefits brought to you by Family Benefit Solutions in partnership with Anixter. This interactive informative session will focus on the who, what, where, and when of the four major government benefits, how working may affect them, how they may change over a lifetime and how to protect them. This is a free, online event. RSVP is required. Please go here to register. This is an external partner event. Please contact the organization directly with any questions or concerns: BGlavaz@anixter.org

PlayWorks Therapy, Inc. is a pediatric therapy clinic providing a variety of clinical therapies to children ages 0-12 and is conveniently located in the Roscoe Village neighborhood at the Bradley Business Center.

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) can be an effective therapy for kids on the autism spectrum. For parents wondering how ABA works and whether it's right for their child, this live session will offer straightforward information and an opportunity to ask questions at the end. Speaker Rose McLean, pediatric physical therapist and owner of Chicago Pediatric Therapy and Wellness Center, will address: - The philosophy behind ABA therapy - Types of behaviors ABA can address - How to incorporate ABA into your child's schedule - How a child's progress is measured - And much more! About the Speaker: Rose McLean has been specializing in pediatrics since 2004. Upon graduating from Northwestern University with her doctorate in physical therapy, she began her career at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. In the creation of the Chicago Pediatric Therapy & Wellness Center, she not only wanted families to have a center where multi-disciplinary communication and therapist collaboration for each child was a priority, but she also wanted recreational and educational programs available for families to access outside of their one-on-one therapy sessions.

Helpful services and tips to help families find and afford effective autism therapy & supports, such as grants and government programs.

As a parent of a special needs child, I look forward to the periods of platitude. Every developmental stage is an uphill climb that seems to take forever. So when my child hits a plateau and can thrive in an age-appropriate developmental stage, I relish in the peace that comes with it. I have learned to relax during these periods until it’s time for the next developmental growth challenge. Well, during the spring of 2021 when we had finally settled into our “new normal” and were thriving in a pandemic world, BOOM! I started to notice my usual rule-following, kind-hearted son becoming more irritable out of the blue. And when I say "out of the blue," I mean over things that were never an issue for him in the past. He seemed more tired than usual, he was more sensitive to touch, and even though he has a speech delay, he is verbal — but he really did not want to talk at all. [Related: Raising a Black autistic boy in America] My husband, his teachers, and his therapists all saw this dramatic change in him. For weeks, I chalked it up to the time change. He has always had a hard time adjusting to the bi-annual time changes, especially when we spring forward, so I just assumed this particular year was just a bit harder for him. After weeks of dealing with his attitude, I finally spoke to his pediatrician. She referred me to an endocrinologist. After blood tests and an exam, the endocrinologist looked at me and said, “Well mom, the hormone fairy has asked him to the dance, and he has accepted." He is only 11, My baby is growing up, What does this mean? and Oh no, it’s time for the sex talk, were all the thoughts running through my head. I pulled myself together enough to ask her, "What does puberty look like in a child with autism?” She told me it is different for each child; however most will be more sensory-defensive during this time. She asked me to close my eyes and imagine what it would feel like to feel every single hair growing on my body, what would it feel like to feel the lump of an adam’s apple forming in my throat, and to feel all of the aches as the muscles grow and form in my body. She explained that this is what my son is feeling on a magnified level. This completely explained his change in behavior and his new sensitivity. [Related: Tips for your next IEP meeting from a special-ed attorney] Armed with the knowledge of what was happening, my husband and I immediately put a plan of action in place. The first thing we did was communicate this information to his teachers and therapists. This allowed them to make adjustments in their support. It helped him to continue to be successful and get the most out of school and therapy. Second, we talked to him about what was going on with his body. We discussed the physical and the mental changes that were happening. What stood out to me most was that once we assured him everything he was feeling was “normal,” his irritability lessened by 50 percent. I realized the unknown of what was happening was half of the stress he was feeling. We also asked him to tell us what things he thought would help him cope. He said exercise. Lightbulb moment! My son is a swimmer, and pre-pandemic he was in the pool for three 2-hour sessions per week. This gave his body good sensory work out. Since the pandemic he had been only able to do one 45-minute session per week. His body and brain needed a workout to cope and process all the changes that were happening. Since our son had done Tae Kwon Do in the past and enjoyed it, we picked that up twice a week. It took a few weeks, but we finally started seeing our son return to his rule-following, kind-hearted, non-irritable self. Lastly, we told him to come to us with any questions or thoughts he had about what was going in with his body. We told him nothing was off limits. We also prepared ourselves to be ready and open to answer any questions and have uncomfortable conversations. This part is ongoing, and things come up day by day. However, we have built a deeper level of trust that will be helpful as we enter the teen years. What I have learned on this journey is to start researching and talking to your doctors about puberty when your child is 10 years old. Prepare yourself and be open to questions and conversations. Honestly, if puberty was on my radar, I would have had a preparatory conversation with my son at 10 years old. I would have told him in a very clinical way what changes he may see in his body, and to let me know when it starts happening. Trust what you know about your child. If they have sensory issues, prepare for them to feel body changes on a deeper level, and think of activities they enjoy that can help their bodies cope with the feelings. Be patient, give them grace, and assure them that all the strange things they are feeling are normal and okay. Lastly, as a parent of a special needs child, remember our journey is a marathon: Breathe and give yourself a break. You are doing great!

As parents it is hard to imagine our kids as adults, especially if your child is developmentally different. Will they go to college, trade school or get a job? Are there employment opportunities and, if so, what type? Will they be able to live independently? The panelists on this webinar can help you prepare for the many different options for your child so they can live the most fulfilling life possible. PEERS Chicago will discuss their social coaching program for young adults and Urban Autism Solutions will present their residences, transition academy and farm solution program. We will also learn about Elmhurst University's Learning and Success Academy and Anixter Center will discuss their pathway to college and employment programs. Our esteemed panel consists of: Diane Gould, CEO & Owner, PEERS Chicago, Heather Tarczan, Executive Director, Urban Autism Solutions, Tim Ahlberg, Assistant Director of Admissions, Elmhurst University ELSA and Dina Donohue-Chase, Vice President of Growth & Innovation, Anixter Center