From our families to yours...
Sung Tan Chuk Ha
Joyeux Noël
Kuwa na Krismasi njema
Happy Hanukkah
Sun nien fai lok
Feliz Navidad
May you and your family have a peaceful holiday season and happy 2008!
- Jane A. Walker
Executive Director
Holiday Help
We all know the holidays can overwhelm even the most prepared among us. Schedules are disrupted, routines get tossed aside in the hustle and bustle - and the lights, sounds and joys of the season can sometime be too much for children with special needs and the families that love them.
It's important to take just a small amount of time - each day, if possible - and refocus energy on what's important to you and yours. Spending time with family, taking time to pray, working out arrangements to serve others via charity groups all are ways to reconnect with each other amid the flurry of outside activity.
From author Terri Mauro and "Your Guide to Parenting Special Needs" come these tips for making the holidays the best they can be:
- Make an escape plan before going to a gathering. It's better to leave before things go bad than hit the bewitching time. If your child is coping better than you expected, you can extend your time - but be ready to leave at a moment's notice.
- Pick your battles - and clothes (for the most part) ain't one to pick. If your child truly wants to wear something other than what you think the occasion calls for, remind yourself it doesn’t really matter (unless it's a question of morality and decency). Eyebrows may raise when your child arrives in sweatpants while everyone else sports velvet and lace - but you won't mind the inevitable spill!
- Augment the menu. Make sure there's something your child will eat - the goal is to minimize trauma, not trying new things or pleasing the cook. Even if it's chicken nuggets, and only a certain fast-food nugget will do.
- Be the one who watches the kids. Keeping your own eye on the younger set will help you intervene when necessary and to gauge how your child is doing. You can play with your child if no one else will or lead the other children in a game your child can participate in.
- Bring supplies. Having your own backpack of items that your child finds reliably comforting or fun to play with may help keep your child relaxed. Even if he or she doesn't touch them much, they'll be available.
- Remain calm. Memorize this phrase: "I do not have to apologize for being a good parent to my child." Even well-meaning relatives cannot understand what it's like to walk in your shoes, parenting your child day in and day out. Just remember that you know best what your child needs and do your best to provide it. Staying relaxed and low-key is one of the best things you can do to keep your child's behavior in line.
If you really need to rejuvenate your sense of humor, click here to check out some reworked Christmas carols, such as 'I'm Dreaming of a Quiet Christmas" and "Too-Silent Night."
Take FLIght
There's still time to join the 2008 Family Leadership Institute class, which begins Jan. 12 and ends with graduation May 3.
FLI informs, trains and empowers families to be advocates in their communities and in the state, and includes six weekend sessions with policy makers, advocates and prominent speakers. More than 100 family members have graduated from the institute and are actively working on behalf of all of Maryland's children.
Class space is limited to 25 participants. Click here for the new FLI brochure, including registration and contact information.
DJS Interagency Plan Wants Your Input!
In an effort to improve outcomes for Maryland's youth and divert them from coming into contact with the Department of Juvenile Services (DJS), the Maryland Child and Adolescent Innovations Institute at the University of Maryland (Innovations) has been hired to coordinate the development of a youth services strategic plan.
Innovations will work with DJS and the departments of Human Resources, Health and Mental Hygiene and Education and the Governor’s Office for Children to help develop a strategic plan that improves outcomes for children, youth and families at risk of becoming involved with one or more of these agencies, as well as youth already in the system.
Your help is needed to accomplish this. We need to hear from youth and their families. As a result, we are hosting discussion groups of youth and discussion groups of families throughout Maryland. There also will be broader listening forums throughout Maryland to engage families, youth, service providers and the greater community.
We need to hear from you to:
- learn from your families’ experiences;
- identify which community-based delinquency prevention and intervention efforts worked for you and which did not;
- identify what types of services you need, and whether they are available to you in your community;
- identify the barriers you faced for receiving appropriate services;
- identify what types of services you would like to see in your community that are not currently available; and
- learn about any additional ideas or suggestions you have for improving outcomes for Maryland’s youth.
The first listening forum will be held for the Eastern Shore from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Jan. 2, 2008, in Cambridge, at the Grace United Methodist Church, 501 Race St. Call 410-228-4353 for more information. Other listening forums are planned for that same time frame in Prince George’s County on Jan. 17, 2008; Anne Arundel County on Feb. 13, 2008; and for Western Maryland in Hagerstown on Feb. 25, 2008, at the Otterbein United Methodist Church, 108 E. Franklin St.
Discussion groups tentatively are slated for Baltimore City on Feb. 9, 2008; Wicomico County on Feb. 23; and one conducted in Spanish on March 8, 2008.
The Coalition will keep you informed as additional information about the locations is finalized.
8th Annual Day in Annapolis
Mark your calendar now for Feb. 5, 2008, to join with other families from across Maryland as we converge on Annapolis to make our voices heard in the statehouse. This year it’s more important than ever that families rise above the budget crisis cacophony to ensure our children have access to the services they need.
Carpools and vanpools are in the planning stages now from the following areas: Baltimore City, Allegany, Calvert, Howard, Montgomery, St. Mary’s, Washington and Wicomico counties, and the mid-Shore.
Check the coalition website for details: www.mdcoalition.org.
A Look Back at 2007
It's been a year of tremendous growth and movement for the Coalition as we find new opportunities to help Maryland's children with special needs. Here are just a few highlights of our year of new programs, new places and new people:
- Provided one-to-one support and advocacy for 384 families caring for a child with mental health needs;
- Responded to 567 request for information and referral from families and professionals;
- Expanded outreach across the state by opening regional offices on the Eastern Shore and in western Maryland;
- Published and disseminated 2,500 copies of the Handbook for Families: Navigating the Juvenile Justice System;
- In partnership with the University of Maryland Innovations Institute, provided statewide training on wraparound, family navigation and systems of care for children; and
- Held the 4th Annual Youth Leadership weekend with 17 youth participating.
Upcoming Events
Department of Juvenile Services Interagency Plan Listening Forum, Jan. 2, 2008, for the Eastern Shore, 6:30–8:30 p.m., Grace United Methodist Church, 501 Race St., Cambridge. Call 410-228-4353 for more information.
Department of Juveniles Services Interagency Plan Listening Forum, Jan. 17, 2008, 6:30–8:30 p.m., Prince George’s County. Location to be determined.
New Directions Waiver Orientation, Jan. 28, 2008, 6 p.m., Hagerstown. Maryland’s Developmental Disabilities Administration self-directed services waiver is explored by Catriona Johnson and Edward Willard to help those transitioning into adult services in 2008. Contact Terri for more information and to register at 410.767.5421 or TElliott@dhmh.state.md.us.
8th Annual Family Day in Annapolis, Feb. 5, 2008, 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The Maryland Coalition of Families for Children’s Mental Health will bring the voice of families concerned about children’s mental health to Maryland legislators. Registration required by Jan. 31; please visit www.mdcoalition.org or call 410.730.8267 or 1.888.607.3637 for more information.
Department of Juveniles Services Interagency Plan Listening Forum, Feb. 13, 2008, 6:30–8:30 p.m., Anne Arundel County. Location to be determined.
Department of Juveniles Services Interagency Plan Listening Forum, Feb. 25, 2008, 6:30–8:30 p.m., for Western Maryland, Otterbein United Methodist Church, 108 E. Franklin St., Hagerstown.
