Hello and welcome to a new addition of the Pediatric newsletter!

Brought to you by the Pediatric department at Easter Seals.

In this issue you will find:

Easter Seals Closure Days for January and February

Learning Ideas for the Winter Months

Get to Know Another Pediatric Staff Member

Meet our new Vice President of Pediatrics

We hope you find an activity or two that suits your family and the

needs of your child.

Enjoy !

Welcome!

Pediatric News! A Newsletter for Easter Seals Families

We will be closed the following dates:

January 1, 2016– New Year’s Day

January 18, 2016– Martin Luther King Jr. Day

February 15, 2016– President’s Day

If you have any questions about how these

closures may impact your child’s therapy

schedule, please talk to your pediatric

therapist.

Amy joined the Easter Seals team in 2010 after relocating from New York

State, where she worked as a pediatric occupational therapist in home

and school settings for many years, specializing in children from 0-6

years of age. Prior to that, she had occupational therapy experience in

the areas of mental health, physical dysfunction, and spinal cord in-

jury. She has also served as an active-duty Public Affairs officer in the

U.S. Air Force, and she continues to serve in the Reserves. Before

taking the position as the Vice President of Pediatrics, she supervised the

Occupational Therapy Team . The team is made up of 13 Occupational

Therapists and 4 Occupational Therapy Assistants who provide services

to children from 0-21 years old in a variety of settings, including homes,

schools, and clinics in the Sacramento and Stockton areas.

We are thrilled to have Amy leading our Pediatric team!

Introducing the New Easter Seals Vice President of Pediatrics:

Amy Hansen

Easter Seals Vision: People with disabilities will have equal opportunities to live, learn, work and play in their community.

Children with disabilities will be fully included and have the same experiences as their peers.

All adults with disabilities will experience the life style of their choice.

All seniors will live out their lives in comfort and with dignity. Children with disabilities will be fully included and have the same experiences as their peers.

In each newsletter we spotlight a dif-

ferent pediatric team member. This

time we would like to introduce you

to Alisha Rhone. She is a member of

our Child Development team. Her

supervisor says: Alisha has a very

creative and interactive treatment

style. She is known to include siblings

and parents in activities with Early

Start kiddos especially if it has to do

with anything musical.

How long have you been at Easter Seals?

I have been with Easter Seals 7 ½ years.

What’s the best part of your job?

The best part of my job is working with children and having an opportunity to be a positive influence in the lives of others.

What tip do you give parents most?

To learn how to be their children’s best advocate.

What children’s book do you enjoy sharing with clients? .

Ginger, a book from a series called My Sweet Animal Stories. It’s a fun book that allows me to be animated and silly.

Which winter activities that you enjoy sharing with your own family?

Great indoor activities I enjoy with my fam-ily are sitting by the fireplace playing board games or watching a movie and baking and eating together. Outdoor activities we en-joy are riding our bikes, visiting the snow, and hanging out with family and friends.

Tell us something about you that we may not know. I use to write poetry and was fortunate to

have one of my poems published.

Try one of Alisha’s favorite activities and involve your child in the cooking process. Position them so they can help stir ingredients in a bowl or use cookie cutters. Remember safety first!

Page 2 Pediatric News!

Get to Know Your Pediatric Team… Alisha Rhone, BA

For many families, grandparents are a big part of a child’s life. Zerotothreee.org provides several resources for

grandparents who help take care of their young grandchildren. In the article Play With Me! Activities That Make Learning Fun, found at http://www.zerotothree.org/child-development/grandparents/ there are some great suggestions

grandparents and parents can use. Here are a few of our favorites in a condensed version:

Collection: Allow the child to pick up objects and collect them in a bag or box while you are on a walk. When the child

walks, squats, and picks up their discoveries they are working on their gross and fine motor skills.

Name It: During diaper changes, when getting dressed or undressed, you can ask the child to touch

their own body parts (i.e. nose, belly button, eyes, toes) or to name the body parts you point to when

you ask “What is this?”

For more great ideas visit zerotothree.org!

At Easter Seals, addressing the needs of our families is one of our top priorities. With that in mind, we would like to know what you would like to know more about

in future Let’s Talk Newsletter issues. Please email krisc@myeasterseals.org. Thank you.

Have you checked out WarmLine recently?

WarmLine Family Resource Center, warmlinefrc.org, provides many resources to families that have children

with special needs. Check out some of their upcoming events:

January 9: Bouncing Fun

January 23: Sibling Workshop for 14-18 year olds

January 30: Music Play with Music to Grow On

February 6: Sibling Workshop for 7-10 year olds

Visit the WarmLine website to register for any of these fun events. Unless otherwise noted kids, siblings,

family, and friends are all welcome!

Grandparents, you are part of the team and you can make a difference too!