Announcing the WHOLE Families toy lending library!  A library for all of our families, except we have toys instead of books.

I am just back from training with the MIND Institute of the University of California, Davis and their WONDERFUL Early Start Denver Model for teaching parents with children on the autism spectrum. In the Early Start Denver Model, parents learn fun and playful ways to engage infants, toddlers, and preschoolers with autism diagnoses and teach super important language, attachment and social skills!  And it is all fun, fun, fun.

I didn’t get to go to California, tho, sniff.  Instead, I stayed with one of my oldest friends in New Jersey, and drove to the training in New York.  My friend has a teen with an autism diagnosis herself, and she cleaned out her attic of old toddler and preschooler toys to donate to WHOLE Families!  I drove home with a huge box of wooden puzzles, trains, musical instruments and wonderful wood toys.  And now we can share them with all of our WHOLE Families and their kiddies!

It is going to work like this:  on visits with Dr. Scotti or Claudia, we’ll bring a selection of toys.  Families can choose to borrow one or two until our next visit, and while we are with  your family I can coach you the parent in using Early Start Denver skills with your child.  You and your child play with the toy together, and while having fun practice skills such as following your child’s lead and keeping your child facing you – easy stuff and super fun AND super important for teaching social skills.

We’ll be bringing toys this week on all of our visits, and we’ll keep a notebook of who has what, and at every visit families can switch the toys (another goal in the Early Start Denver Model)!

So look for us and the new toy lending library this week!

This program provides grants to assist families with medical bills not covered by medical insurance.  You have to have commercial, private insurance, so if you use Medicaid, the Autism Waiver, or CHIP,  you are not eligible.  (Darn it!)

To get more information, go to the United Healtchcare website

here:  uhccf.org/apply

Here is information from the website:

“MORE GRANTS.
MORE SMILES.

What are the grants?
UHCCF grants provide financial help/assistance for families with children that have medical needs not covered or not fully covered by their commercial health insurance plan. The Foundation aims to fill the gap between what medical services/items a child needs and what their commercial health benefit plan will pay for.”

Check them out if you need help with medical bills your insurance will not cover!