Blog Category: ASD

  • Going to the Dentist

    By: Nicole Gegas, TLLP, & Janelle Schenk, LMSW

    December 15, 2023

    Categories: Anxiety, ASD, Other, Parenting

    Going to the dentist can be stressful and scary for any child or parent. This blog gives tips, resources and recommendations for children with special needs.

  • Trauma, Poverty, and ASD

    By: Yadira Estrada, MSW Intern, and Janelle Schenk, LMSW

    November 10, 2023

    Due to the complexities of Autism, there is often an underdiagnosis and undertreatment of trauma and symptoms of adverse events among individuals with ASD. This blog post will outline information collected by authors, Ella Lobregt-van Buuren, Marjolijn Hoekert, and Bram Sizoo.

  • Social Skills Interventions

    By: Juno Elsa Ottathengil, MSW Practicum Student & Janelle Schenk, LMSW

    November 3, 2023

    This blog will further expand on the purpose and benefits of social skills interventions, the types of social skills interventions utilized at Sunfield Center, and the effectiveness of those social skills interventions.

  • Child-Centered Play Therapy

    By: Lio Riley, B.A.

    September 29, 2023

    Play therapy is a broad field with many different interventions designed to address a broad range of concerns and experiences. This blog provides information about Child-Centered Play Therapy, a kind of play therapy that allows the child to take charge of their own therapeutic process with the specialized support and facilitation of a CCPT therapist.

  • Managing Behavior at Home: An Update to Naguib and Kurtz (2004)

    By: Andi Stephens, MS, MA, BCBA/LBA, TLLP

    September 22, 2023

    Caregiver-child relationships are unique, complex, and intense in nature. Difficulties can arise when the caregiver is unsure how to handle the child’s challenging behaviors. This blog post will cover common challenging behavioral concerns experienced by children, tips to manage behaviors at home, and when to seek professional help.

  • Expressive Therapy in Behavioral Health

    By: Yexenia Vanegas and Janelle Schenk, LMSW

    September 15, 2023

    Expressive therapy is an integrative psychotherapeutic process that explores and communicates emotions, thoughts, and experiences through creative expression. In this blog post, we will delve into the different types of expressive therapies, their functions, and the research supporting their effectiveness in behavioral health settings.

  • Job Accommodations

    By: Andrea Stephens, MA, MS, TLLP; Janelle Schenk, LMSW

    August 25, 2023

    Job accommodations are adjustments to a job or work environment that make it possible for individuals with disabilities to perform their job functions. We discuss here how employees and employers can determine if an employee has a disability that warrants job accommodations, will provide a discussion on reasonable accommodations, and will conclude with a helpful resource for all things job accommodations.

  • Art Therapy for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Reviewing the Literature

    By: Yexenia Vanegas and Janelle Schenk, LMSW

    August 18, 2023

    Categories: ASD, Other

    Art therapy is a nonverbal form of therapy that uses art materials and creative expression to promote emotional healing and personal growth. In recent years, there has been growing interest in the use of art therapy as a therapeutic intervention for children and youth with ASD. This blog will explore the benefits of art therapy for children and youth with ASD, drawing on recent research.

  • ASD and Friendships

    By: Juno Elsa Ottathengil, MSW Practicum Student & Janelle Schenk, LMSW

    August 10, 2023

    Categories: ASD, Other

    Friendships are an essential part of life. They can help humans find purpose and meaning, as well as grow socially. However, friendship building can be a complex skill for many individuals to develop. Read on to learn the importance of friendships, the benefits of friendship building, the challenges of friendship building, and ways for autistic individuals to build and enhance friendships.

  • Update: Finding ASD in Girls who Camouflage

    By: Yadira Estrada, Rachel Piper, LMSW & Suzi Naguib, Psy.D.

    August 3, 2023

    Presently, for approximately every 4 boys diagnosed with ASD, only 1 girl is diagnosed. One reason to explain this sex/gender disparity is a concept known as camouflaging, a strategy individuals on the autism spectrum use to blend in with their social environment and conceal their autism symptoms to appear “non-autistic.”

  • Dr. Ross Greene’s Approach to Concerning Behaviors

    By: Amy Chu, MSW Intern and Janelle Schenk, LMSW

    July 28, 2023

    Problem behaviors can be challenging for parents to manage. There are all different kinds of parenting strategies but it takes time to find the perfect solution. In this blog, we will be introducing a collaborative approach Dr. Greene created that brings parents and children together to find solutions that both sides agree on.

  • Autism, Neurodiversity, and the Double Empathy Problem

    By: Lio Riley, BA

    July 13, 2023

    Many autistic individuals do experience distress directly attributed to their differences in neurological functioning, but social and contextual factors also contribute greatly to what are perceived as “deficits.” Read on for the current research related to diagnosis criteria and social differences..