Supernanny -save the date

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Registered: 06-25-2003
Supernanny -save the date
9
Thu, 10-20-2005 - 8:10am

got this from the ASA newsletter:

-Paula

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“Supernanny” Teams With Acclaimed Autism Expert to Help Child with Autism
Show to Air Friday, November 4
ABC Media Relations:
Patrick Preblick (212) 456-7819

Supernanny Jo Frost teams with world-renowned autism expert Lynn Koegel, Ph.D., to tackle the parenting issues faced by a family whose three-year-old son is an outsider in his own home. This episode of “Supernanny” airs on Friday, November 4 (8:00-9:00 p.m. EST) on the ABC Television Network.

Deirdre and Trae Facente don't know how to integrate their autistic son Tristin into their daily life with their twins, Kayla and Marlana (4). Tristin is completely non-verbal, caught up in his own world of spinning, jumping, swinging, and, often, taking off his clothes. The only time he spends with his family is sitting at the dinner table.

Enter Koegel and Supernanny Jo. Together they refine the classic “Supernanny” methods and teach all the Facentes about Koegel's inclusion and communication techniques to help engage Tristin. In just a week, silent Tristin goes from zero words to speaking hundreds of times using over 20 new words. He is bursting with requests to play a favorite game, be tickled, or eat a treat.

Step-by-step, Jo and Koegel help the parents keep Tristin from his disruptive behaviors by including him in family chores and activities. These efforts culminate in the boy helping his dad set the table, a seemingly mundane task that is so miraculous for Tristin, it brings tears to Trae's eyes.

Lynn Kern Koegel, Ph.D., is one of the world’s foremost experts on the treatment of autism. She and her husband, Robert L. Koegel, Ph.D., founded the renowned Koegel Autism Center at the Graduate School of Education at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She co-wrote the bestselling book on autism, Overcoming Autism: Finding the Answers, Strategies, and Hope that can Transform a Child’s Life, and also co-authored with her husband the new book, Pivotal Response Treatments for Autism.

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-Paula

visit my blog at www.onesickmother.com
iVillage Member
Registered: 01-27-2004
Thu, 10-20-2005 - 8:20am
Thanks for posting this!!! I love this show anyway, but I will be sure to watch this one! :)

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-20-2001
Thu, 10-20-2005 - 12:23pm
I cant wait to see this episode.

 


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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Thu, 10-20-2005 - 1:01pm

come on guys...learns to speak in a week!! what a crock of crapola!! if this is how they portray it on the show, it is going to really hurt autism awareness in the eyes of those who don't understand it. "well, that kid could learn to talk in a week, why can't your kid". no wonder i find "reality" shows ridiculous.

valerie

~Valerie
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-25-2003
Thu, 10-20-2005 - 3:09pm

Val,

My read on this was that the kid was probably perfectly *capable* of communicating, but his parents probably didn't have the skills to facilitate.

-Paula

-Paula

visit my blog at www.onesickmother.com
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Thu, 10-20-2005 - 3:24pm

paula,

evem still, many people won't understand this. they will think that someone with autism can speak in a week with a little bit of help.

valerie

~Valerie
iVillage Member
Registered: 02-02-2004
Thu, 10-20-2005 - 3:54pm

give the show a change...don't forget everyone's version of "talking" is different.
my dd(5yrs NT) she talks circles around some adults... ds(7yrs PDD-NOS) talks only when he as to and NEVER goes into details, he's very direct and to the point...lol..lol

I can't wait to see the show... its the only relality show I watch.. because it is so true...and sometimes its so our house...lol...lol

I loved, the show, with the little girl that had Downs Syndrome, Jo really got help for that family, and she said in that show... things don't happen overnight,but with the proper technics, they are achievable.(I love the way she talks...lol...lol)
I hope she does more shows like that..

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Thu, 10-20-2005 - 5:10pm

Actually val, I did it more than once with little guys.

Sometimes little ones who haven't had intervention before just explode with new skills when they are taught in a way they understand. My best memory ever is a 5yo boy who had 2 word approximations and a sign or 2 in one week was using over 100 pecs words, full pecs sentences appropriately and had over 50 word approximations.

Sometimes you get lucky. Sometimes a kid is just finally ready to start a new skill and when they get that information in a way they understand they really take off.

But you are definitely right on the point that many who don't know autism will automatically think this is always the case. Really, hopefully there will be a disclaimer that it doesn't happen always. But in this case glad that it did.

Renee




Edited 10/20/2005 5:13 pm ET by rbear4
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iVillage Member
Registered: 06-09-2005
Fri, 10-21-2005 - 9:51am

I agree with Val on this. I'm very skeptical when reality TV shows tackle serious issues.. they tend to trivalize them. They only have an hour to show how bad it is, and what progress they can make. This child probably did show improvement over a week with a new therapist/dr, especially a world renowned expert. But IMO, progess for our kids is measures in months and years.. not days and weeks. What will happen after the expert and the supernanny leave? They don't often show that part.

I do plan on watching.. but I watch with a grain of salt. It's interesting to see what is going on in other families. But I often wonder, if it's as bad as they make out in the previews.. what have they been doing on their own to help the situation? Or have they just been waiting for a TV show to come along and help them?

For this family, what therapies is this child receiving now? Are their drs/therapists ineffective? Then find new ones! Why would you wait, or trust, a TV show to help your child?

The email I got from PA_autismsupport said..

"For example, when they introduce the new daily schedule to everyone, Dr. Koegel
uses a picture board with Tristin to help him understand in a concrete way."

They never tried a picture board before? Ever book I ever read, or dr I talked to mentions this for non-verbal kids. Ryan has a picture schedule at school, and he's AS and pretty verbal.

OK, I'm having a really bad day. It's cold and rainy here, and alot of Ryan's sensory issues with getting wet and wearing a heavy coat seem to be coming back. ARGHHH! Really bad morning. I'm getting back on my broom and flying away. Hope I didn't offend, but this is my 2 cents.

Kate

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Fri, 10-21-2005 - 10:26am

I'm so glad they are doing this b/c on a few shows that I have seen