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Psychological Needs Infographic Told with Legos®

12/31/2012

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by Nikki Schwartz

I share this information so often with parents, that I decided to make an infographic on basic psychological needs, according to William Glasser's Choice Theory. Of course, LEGO® is about the most fun way ever to start off a series on proactive parenting and psychological needs. :)  

I found the inspiration here in a post by Brenton Russell on happiness and fulfillment.  I wasn't able to find the original author and decided to adapt it for my own site instead.
Psychological Needs Infographic Told with Legos by Nikki Schwartz
This information applies to parenting both neurotypical children, as well as children with Autism, Asperger's, and ADHD.  Many parents I work with find themselves constantly trying to put out fires and are always chasing behavior.  Without some way to be proactive, you will always find yourself dealing with behaviors. (Click here for a larger version of the psychological needs infographic)
Basic Psychological Needs Told with Legos.  See all of our therapy pins at http://pinterest.com/spectrumpsych/

Grab This Infographic for Your Site
I encourage parents to examine these needs and determine which ones are high for their child in general and then work at meeting those needs proactively.  I'll be talking more about meeting these needs proactively in the future, but for now I'll summarize.

Proactive parenting involves meeting psychological needs before they cause a conflict or a behavior problem.  It is a more subtle approach to parenting and involves a bit more thought and planning.  However, it is nearly always far more effective.

Which needs seem to be strongest for your children?  What proactive solutions have you tried?  Let me know in the comment section. Make sure to check back for future posts on proactive parenting.  I'll be sharing my experiences from my time in wilderness therapy, therapeutic foster care, play therapy, and family therapy.
Disclaimer: LEGO® is a registered Trademark of the LEGO Group of companies which does not sponsor, authorize or endorse this site. 

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Nikki Schwartz is a Licensed Professional Counselor at Oaktree Counseling and focuses on usingneurofeedback, play, and talk therapies to provide practical, effective counseling to families and clients.

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Online Autism Support in Virginia Beach & Hampton Roads

12/30/2012

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There are lots of local autism support resources in Virginia Beach and Hampton Roads.  I wanted to highlight a local Facebook group, Spectrum Parents, as a great support resource. 

I think that self-care for parents with special needs kiddos is so important.  One of the most important things about self-care is having a strong social support group.  That can be difficult when you're struggling just to keep up with all the therapies and interventions.  Online Autism support groups, especially local ones, can be the right solution for many parents.
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original photo by Patrick Hoesly via flickr
The Spectrum Parents group is made up of local parents of children on the Autism Spectrum.  The group is "closed" or private, which means you'll need to request an invite from the group moderator, Suzi Noyes. I know many parents who are able to build supportive relationships with others, even though everyone is so busy with life.  You'll find links to resources, websites, blogs, events calendars, and, most importantly, other parents to connect with.

One of the group's goals is to remain positive and helpful, which means that you can turn to other parents, without the fear of being judged.  If you're a parent in Virginia Beach or Hampton Roads with a child on the spectrum, I'd really encourage you to check out the Spectrum Parents group.

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Nikki Schwartz is a Counselor Resident at Spectrum Psychological and focuses on using neurofeedback, play, and talk therapies to provide practical, effective counseling to families and clients.

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Autism Behaviors are like an onion... lots of layers...

12/26/2012

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by Dr. Rick Ellis

Spectrum Psychological's Dr. Rick Ellis, posted this graphic recently on our Facebook page.  He wrote, "What you see is not what you get on the Spectrum. ASD kids are usually misidentified first as ADHD, then ODD, etc.. Anxiety/ Arousal/ Dysregulation is at the center of the emotional/ behavioral difficulties and should be addressed through consistency, predictability, stability and structure. Sensory issues are often overlooked and must be addressed." Click to see the original post of Layers of the Onion for ASD

Autism behaviors can be mistaken for so many disorders, since many disorders share some of the same symptoms, such as difficulty paying attention, hyperfocusing, and perseverating.  Getting a solid psychological evaluation can be crucial to good intervention and outcomes for children on the Spectrum.  (Did anyone catch my silly reference to the movie Shrek?)
Layers of the Onion for Autism by Dr. C. Rick Ellis
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Dr. Rick Ellis is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and a Forensic Psychologist providing services to children and adults. 


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What is a Neurotherapist?

12/17/2012

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by Nikki Schwartz

When our brains are over or underaroused, we have trouble focusing and concentrating, planning our day, regulating our moods, attitudes, and motivation.  So, what is a neurotherapist?  And what do they do?

A neurotherapist helps calm the brain by reading a client's brain waves, or EEG, and uses that information to create "feedback" as part of a video game to show the brain what the brain is doing.
What is a Neurotherapist? #Neurofeedback | By Nikki Schwartz, MA, NCC | SpectrumPsychological.net

How does "feedback" help the brain calm itself?

Information on brainwave activity is fed into the computer and is used to control elements of a video game, such as the speed of the spaceship moving through the tunnel.  The video game uses the brainwave activity to adjust the speed of the spaceship, the amount of exhaust smoke, the volume of the video game music, and the visibility of the screen.

When the brain sees that it is controlling what is happening on the screen, usually after a few minutes, it will use that "feedback" to adjust it's own activity to be more calm, more stable, and better regulated.
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How does the brain know it's controlling the game?

According to Sigfried Othmer, in this video from EEGInfo, the brain spends most of it's time focused on itself and it's own activity.  The brain seeks to control the outside world and quickly recognizes that it is impacting the activity on the screen.  It can use the information to regulate it's own activity.

This is a learning process, so the brain is able to regulate itself based on the training provided by the neurotherapist through the neurofeedback process.
Let me know in the comments what you think about neurofeedback for yourself or for your child.  I love to hear from readers and always respond to your comments.

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Nikki Schwartz is a Licensed Professional Counselor at Oaktree and focuses on using neurofeedback, play, and talk therapies to provide practical, effective counseling to families and clients.

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ADHD Tips for Parents: Background Music

12/11/2012

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ADHD Tips for Parents: Background Music by Nikki Schwartz at SpectrumPsychological.net
Photo Credit: D. Sharon Pruitt via Flickr
This is my third post in the series ADHD Tips for Parents.  Each post discusses strategies that help people manage ADHD symptoms, without annoying everyone around them.

Has your child ever insisted they could study better with music?  It might seem unlikely to someone without ADHD.  How could they focus?  Well, they are probably right.  They probably can study better with the right type of background music. CONTINUE READING

Read More
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AutismCares Grants Application Deadline is December 22nd

12/9/2012

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AutismCares provides financial assistance up to $1,000 per family in cases of hardship or emergency. Applications are due on December 22nd this month to be eligible for the grant.  
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You can find the link to start the grant application process on the their website.  You'll need start a user account on their website.  If, in the last 90 days, you've experienced a job loss, foreclosure on your home, natural disaster, a death or critical illness, or termination of employment, you're family might qualify for an award of financial support.  According to their site, they review applications once per month, so you might consider applying a second or a third time, if your family is not chosen the first time.

I think it's great that organizations like AutismCares offers assistance to families in need under these types of circumstances.  Do you know of other resources where families with a child or family member with autism can receive financial asssistance?  Let us know in the comments, I'd love to post about other resources.

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Nikki Schwartz is a Counselor Resident at Spectrum Psychological and focuses on using neurofeedback, play, and talk therapies to provide practical, effective counseling to families and clients.

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Autism, Virginia Beach on Pinterest
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ADHD Tips for Parents: Exercise, Lots of Exercise

12/5/2012

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I often hear from clients, whose kiddos have ADHD, that their children's habits are disruptive or annoying to peers and classmates, as well as family members.  I started this series a few weeks ago with an ADHD infographic to help offer some suggestions. CONTINUE READING
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Read More
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    Nikki Schwartz, Licensed Professional Counselor

    Nikki Schwartz,
    LPC, NCC

    About Nikki

    Nikki is a Licensed Professional Counselor and owner of Oaktree.  She focuses on utilizing neurofeedback in the Virginia Beach area, as well as play therapy, and other counseling techniques to help clients and families play, live, and work together.

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  • Home
  • Counseling
    • Request an Appointment
    • About Nikki Schwartz, LPC
    • ADHD
    • Anxiety
    • What if Talk Therapy Isn't For You?
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    • Directions to Our Office
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