main office: 225 south school...

June 2013/Issue 2www.meaningfuldays.com

newsletter

Meaningful Day ServicesMAIN OFFICE: 225 South School StreetBrownsburg, IN 46112 (317) 858-8630 Fax: (317) 858-8715

SOUTHERN INDIANA OFFICE: 700 Missouri AvenueJeffersonville, IN 47130 (812) 288-4688

NORTHERNINDIANA OFFICE: 6142 Saint Joe Center Road, #171Fort Wayne, IN 46835(260) 517-3811

INDIANAPOLIS DAY SERVICES: 2461 Director’s Row, Suite HIndianapolis, IN 46241(317) 248-0016 Fax: (317) 248-0013

The ABA Staff Builds Relationships

ABA Summer programs in fullswing! . . . page 2

Using Social Stories to developskills . . . page 6

Equine Therapy accepting referrals . . . page 10

IN THIS ISSUE:

Left to right: Melissa, Reonna, Gina, Brittany,

and Zenda.

When life gives you lemons

We have all heard the phrase, but how

many of us really know what it means.

To me it is somewhat of a mantra.

Everyone has bad things happen to

them. There are no exceptions. If

that’s the case, why do some people

succeed when many others don’t?

To me it's all about the lemons . . .

Lots of individuals have difficult

childhoods, but what if you take

that experience and decide your life

is going to be different. Your not going to have the same life for your

children?

Lots of people get divorced. Some individuals take the opportunity

to become a better person and rethink their life and decisions.

Others simply move on and make the same mistakes, just angrier

than the first time.

Lots of people lose friends and family, sometimes in awful circum-

stances. Some individuals never move on, hanging onto that loss until

their own passing. Others try to find some good in the situation and

move on to help others.

Lots of families have children with disabilities, yet some families

become bitter and angry at the world, while others decide that they

are going to enjoy “Holland” and find a different but wonderful life

than what they expected.

I recently was in an accident. When my son came to see me he said,

“Wow, you could have been injured so much worse!”

That’s right. Pass that lemonade!

Life is short. Make it good.

Sandra Miller-Givan, M.A., CEO

Meaningful Day Services, Inc.

MDS Newsletter – 3 – June 2013

ABA SERVICES ][ FROM THE CEO

Summer is here and that means all three of our ABA Summer Programs are

going strong across the state of Indiana. After a rigorous training and set-up

week the last week of May, our therapists were eager to implement all of the

new strategies that they picked up and engage the kids in all of the fun and

therapeutic activities that we had planned for our clients. Despite the busy

training schedule, we managed to fit in a team building Minute-To-Win-It

week-long challenge!

All of our summer program activities and content were planned by a

multi-disciplinary team that includes a board certified behavior analyst, two

master’s level behavior consultants, a licensed special education teacher, a

licensed occupational therapist, a board certified recreational therapist, and

two board certified music therapists. The individualized programs are based off

our clients’ most recent VB-MAPP and/or Vineland assessment. After a morning

of focus on independent programming combined with art, circle time, move-

ment, music, and social skills group rotations, our clients then go out and

practice what they have learned while enjoying their community!

We kicked off the month by helping our Southern Region families in their

fundraising efforts to reduce cost of community outings by selling World’s

Famous Chocolate Bars and hosting a big yard sale. This will be the Southern

Region’s 4th Annual Yard Sale. Each year the amount of money raised has

allowed the Southern Region program to engage so much more in the

community without having to stretch families’

budgets. A big thank you to those families!

We really appreciate their commitment to

support and enhance our ABA Summer

Program.

While our clients are having a blast at zoos,

bowling alleys, restaurants, museums, stores,

pools and parks across the state of Indiana,

they are also engaging in natural environment

programming, functional life skills, and social

skill practice. Summer program runs through

July 26th so look for lots of great pictures in

our July newsletter!


ABOVE: Kristin (left) and Gina enjoy music at the park.ABOVE RIGHT: Alicia relaxes in the sun.LEFT: Kelsey, Drake, and Kelsey—twice the Kelsey's, twice the fun!

Summer is here!

Look for us and

“Like us” on Facebook!


RESIDENTIAL SERVICES ]


MEET DENESSE!Denesse has been supported by MDS Residential

Services since February 2013. She has been working at

Noble of Indiana since 2006. She is a hard worker and

is very enthusiastic about her job and her friends at

Noble. Since she has been supported by MDS, Denesse

has started a GED class at Central 9 in Greenwood.

She is very excited to pursue her goal of obtaining her

GED. Denesse and her team lead, Amanda Stapleton,

are also working on filling out applications for jobs in

the community.

OUT ABOUT DAYSAND

Tyler and Nick on the swings at Bob HedgePark in Jeffersonville, IN.

Amber at her first summer

picnic with MDS.

Tim and Devonta taking in the sun at the Indians game.

MDS Newsletter – 7 – May 2013MDS Newsletter – 6 – May 2013

[ BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT SERVICES

Behavior Management Counties

Alicia enjoys her art work.

Ashley and Susan show off the tye-dyed shirts they made.

Providing quality, hands-on services that enhance and improve the independence of

each unique individual.

Using Social Stories for Children andAdults with Intellectual DisabilitiesWhat is a Social Story?

A social story is a short story that describes to an individualthe relevant social cues and common responses in a specificsituation. It explains what happens and why the situation occurs. A social story is designed to prepare an individual for an uncertain event, to share information, or to providehim/her with a strategy to deal with an event effectively witha thought-out plan and guide. The social story should bebased on the individual’s specific needs that relate to a particular concern. Social stories can help individuals to copewith numerous things such as new situations, transitions andchanges in daily routines, social interactions, academic tasks,and any situation that may cause anxiety or be unclear.

Goals of Social Stories:Based on identified needs, a social story may:l Be part of a behavior, social skills, or communication

programl Translate a goal into understandable stepsl Facilitate social interactionsl Include the individual in more activities within social

settings by facilitating independence and related skills

Using a Social Story:1.) Select a behavior that would increase a positive social

interaction for the individual and break it down into sequential steps

2.) Define the target behavior concisely3.) Collect data about the target behavior before, during,

and after using a social story as an intervention4.) Help the individual to generalize the story across

situations through different activities and experiences5.) Gradually fade out the use of the story

For further information:www.autism.nethttp://members.spree.comhttp://home.ican.netwww.geocites.com

Article information from:http://members.spree.com/autism/socialstories.htmSOCIAL STORIES

Bryan comes to our day program to work on some academic,life skills and communication. He has an iPad that he uses tohelp him calm down at times and practice some skills likespelling, matching, pairing and math. He is going to startusing his iPad to communicate with us as well.

Bryan also goes to the YMCA with his direct care staff, rectherapist or behavior consultant. The water helps calm himand is a nice reward at the end of his day at ADS.


[ MUSIC THERAPY SERVICES

June Music Therapy UpdateA special thank you goes to all of the performers at

the recent Carmel and Kokomo summer concerts. We are excited to announce that our music therapy

intern, Grace Dubrowski, will be staying on as an employee after completion of her internship in June. She will be sittingfor her board exams in July of thisyear. Grace will be working with consumers in the Indianapolis area.Best of luck to Grace as she preparesfor her board exam and enters in thework force as a member of theMeaningful Days family!

Upcoming Events:North-Central Indy Drum CircleJuly 12, 20136:15 pm –7:15 pmCarmel Lutheran Church4850 E. Main St.Carmel, IN 46033

West Indy Drum CircleJuly 19, 20135 pm–6 pmMDS Adult Day Center2445 Director’s Row Suite KIndianapolis, IN 46241

Fort Wayne Drum CircleJuly 12, 20136 pm –7 pmEpiphany Lutheran Church6606 Maplecrest RoadFort Wayne, IN

Madison County Drum CircleJuly 22, 20134 pm –5pmBethany Christian Church1920 North Rangeline RoadAnderson, IN 46012

North-Central Indy Drum CircleHenry County Drum CircleJuly 18, 20134:30 pm –5:30 pmDSI (Formerly Raintree Programs)1510 Washington StreetNew Castle, IN

Music Therapy Counties

ABOVE: Christina singing aFleetwood Mac song with musictherapist, Chelsea Douglas.

LEFT: Bobby Jo and Chelseasing together at the talent show.

Music Therapists Lara Christ and Chelsea Douglas play a duet on the trombone and kazoo.

Music Therapy Director,Sarah Ardoin, assists

Brian Badgett with thebee keeping at the

Badgett Family Farm(Brian is the husband ofABA Regional Director,

Amber Badgett).

Marisha performs during the Jeffersonville talent show


MDS Newsletter – 11 – June 2013MDS Newsletter – 10 – June 2013

[ RECREATIONAL THERAPY SERVICES

New EmployeeThe RT department would like to welcome Chelsea

McDonald to the team. Chelsea graduated from IndianaUniversity in 2007 with her degree in Therapeutic Recreation. She has clinical experience in physical rehaband has worked several summer camps with people withphysical, intellectual and developmental disabilities. Shespent the last few years working in the field of early childeducation. Chelsea is serving Hamilton, Hendricks, Johnson and Marion counties.

Bon Voyage!We would like to wish Christa Van Keulen all the best

on her return to her home state of Michigan. Thank youfor your time and commitment to Meaningful Day Services!

New BabyCongratulations to Jackie Lursen who welcomed a new

baby girl on April 29th!

Equine-Assisted TherapyMeaningful Day Services has immediate openings for

individuals interested in Equine-Assisted Therapy. Thisservice is provided in Avilla, IN, in northeastern IN, and can be funded through the Medicaid Waiver. For questions regarding this service, please contact Rheta Conner at 260-750-5748

Recreational Therapy Counties

A creation made at the Louisville Glassware during a Recreational excursion.

Karlie Herman, office administrator

Nate and Princess.

Bowling at Hoosier Spare in New Albany, IN.

Making Days Meaningful

This camera catchesJesse catching a nap atthe park!


[ ADULT DAY SERVICES

OutingsDay Service Participants RACED into summer with

many fun activities. They went to a day game to see

the Indianapolis Indians Play at Victory Field. It was a

beautiful day to see a baseball game and picnic in

the grass. Other fun outings this month were: The

Indianapolis Zoo, Canal Downtown, Mooresville Park

for an all staff all client picnic, the Central Library,

YMCA, Washington Park in Avon. We will be enjoy-

ing the weather and many outdoor outings this

summer such as outdoor swimming at the YMCA.

Please make sure all participants bring sunscreen

and supplies to enjoy the outdoors.

New Day Service Staff:Kiara Davis joined our Day

Service Team in May. She

recently moved from the state

of Washington to Indiana and

ran into our staff and clients on

an outing. She has 15 years

experience in the field and was

excited to find a company where

she could continue to do what she loves. She has

been a great addition to the team.

June Respite Club:l Saturday June 1st: Center Grove Rocks the Park

(FREE) All day concert featuring 12+ bands—with

silent auctions, good food and more. Please bring

a sack lunch.

l Saturday June 15th: WFYI ‘PBS Kids in the Park’

at Military Park. This FREE, one-of-a-kind, family

festival includes an all-star entertainment lineup

on three stages, activity booths, bounce houses,

favorite PBS KIDS characters, food court and

more. Lunch is a choice between a sack lunch and

money for the food court

l Saturday June 29th: Conner Prairie Interactive

History Park ($15 admissions). We will enjoy

activities including animal encounters, history craft

activities, hands-n science activities, frontier tales

and a special activity— “Tree houses: Look who’s

living there.” Please bring a sack lunch or a

minimum of $8 for lunch at Café on the Common

(food items on the menu start at $5). Additional

money for candle dipping and the gift shop is

optional.

To particpate in Respite Club or for any questions,please contact Amy Richards at 317-248-0016.


BELOW: Justin, Grace, and Jared enjoy timetogether at the summer picnic.

Making every day

Meaningful.

LEFT: Micheala and Grace enjoy the weather.

Jenny (left) with Jessie at Indy Trailblazers summer picnic.

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