Lenny enjoys watching superhero movies, including Avengers, which is one of his favorites. He also enjoys fan art and decided to draw all of his friends as superheroes, “because being friends to me are like superheroes to me, and this is a way to honor and appreciate our friendships because my friends have extremely great honor.” ​(Lenny Tartaglia)

Since July 2014, Lenny has drawn hundreds of superheroes, including his friends from previous schools, most of the staff at Celebrate the Children, and their families.

​This past October, Lenny appeared as a guest-star on a Radio Talk Show, Chit Chat with Alyssa Lego, to talk about his drawings. A co-worker was inspired to dress up as her superhero ego and won a costume contest at CTC.

It’s no secret the current pandemic has been tough on everyone. To help combat all the feelings and emotions that result from social distancing and quarantine, Lenny recently drew, “Lenny the Virus Slayer,” and created a comic book for CTC. Lenny says, “this book can be used to teach people during the quarantine.”  It also offers a sense of hope that this virus will soon be defeated once and for all. 

​When you visit CTC, you can find copies of Lenny’s drawings in binders so visitors and staff can enjoy reading them while they wait for meetings or take a break and eat lunch. You can also find Lenny’s drawings pinned up in multiple offices and classrooms throughout the building. As Lenny’s friends and co-workers, we are so grateful and honored to be drawn as superheroes.

BY JUDITH NEWMAN
PHOTOGRAPHS BY LYNN JOHNSON
PUBLISHED APRIL 1, 2020​

Celebrate the Children School appeared in this month's issue of National Geographic Magazine! Photographer, Lynn Johnson worked with Monica Osgood at the school over a few days, and we are thrilled that one of her remarkable images from Celebrate the Children made the cut! 

In the article, published April 1, 2020, author Judith Newman (“To Siri with Love”) gives a personal, unabashed look at what’s new in her son’s life, who is an autistic young adult.

"Finding work, love, and independence can be especially difficult for those on the spectrum." The article talks about learning life-skills, such as dating, being employed by companies created by business-minded family members, and discovering new therapies, such as the Floreo, a program that uses virtual reality to impact individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities meaningfully.

In collaboration with Floreo, Monica and CTC were also published in Virtual Reality Support for Joint Attention Using the Floreo Joint Attention Module: Usability and Feasibility Pilot Study, in JMIR Pediatrics and Parenting in 2019 (vol. 2, iss. 2).

Read the article, For autistic youths entering adulthood, a new world of challenges awaits.

​For special, limited-time access to this article, sign in with this info:
email: [email protected]
password: YellowBorder*1888

April is Autism Awareness Month.

It's a month filled with celebrations - families and communities coming together across the globe to shed a light on autism and promote acceptance. For Celebrate the Children, a school for children and young adults with autism and other special needs, this year is no different.
 
It’s no secret the past few weeks have introduced a huge change for all of us.

The global pandemic has left schools and auditoriums empty, but that hasn’t stopped Celebrate the Children. In celebration of World Autism Awareness Day on Thursday, April 2nd, the school teamed up with three-time, Grammy-nominated, children’s music artist, Brady Rymer and the Little Band that Could, to host their annual Light It Up Blue concert on Facebook Live – straight from Brady Rymer’s living room. The virtual concert reached nearly 20,000 people from around the world. Students, families, staff members, and friends joined in on the celebration and danced around their homes to some of their favorite tunes. Many of the songs were from the Love Me For Who I Am soundtrack – an album inspired by the students at Celebrate the Children school, celebrating diversity in children with all abilities.
 
“I look forward to the Light It Up Blue concert at Celebrate the Children every April - students, teachers, moms, and dads all having a blast dancing and singing together in the school’s gym. We’ve been doing it for many years and it’s become a fun and special tradition for all. We knew we had to make it happen this year, no matter what. The school did an amazing job connecting the community online, and as I was live streaming alone from my living room 150 miles away, I felt close and connected like we were all lighting it up blue in the gym like we usually do. It was a Light It Up Blue concert we’ll always remember!”   -    Brady Rymer, Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could

Learning continues.

Celebrate the Children is currently delivering their sensory-motor, experienced-based curriculum via their newly developed online distance learning module, which includes live video meetings and chatting threads throughout the day. The school continues to evolve the model as they assess the needs of their students and families. All students have been equipped with electronic devices that allow for full participation in the program and the school has received an overwhelmingly positive response to its online learning environment.
 
“Celebrate The Children has been committed to using technology not only to educate our Children but to maintain those relationships that ground our children and give them security. Showing our kids each day that they can still learn, and spend quality time with the peers and professionals that were a part of their lives on campus is crucial to our kids being able to understand that people do not disappear when circumstances change and even become scary and unpredictable.”  -    Abby Rafkin, Parent, Celebrate the Children
 
"We have all been students during this remote learning period. Administrators, teachers, parents, and students have all learned new and unique ways to deliver and receive instruction and have risen to this challenge in amazing ways. While our typical instruction has continued in a new format, this has also been an opportunity to really showcase the value of relationships, the importance of everyone working together for the greater good, and an appreciation for many things previously taken for granted. The positive life lessons experienced during this unprecedented time may be the most important instruction of all." -    Cathy Helmlinger, Director, Celebrate the Children

We're here to help.

Celebrate the Children is committed to continuing to provide support to their students, families, and community during this difficult and uncertain time. The school has shared a variety of resources and virtual events on their social media and resource sites for families caring for children and individuals with autism and other special needs since the school’s closure. Explore Celebrate the Children’s website and visit their Facebook page to see what they’re up to and to join in on the fun.

First and foremost, we hope you and your families are healthy and staying safe.

We are all experiencing great stress given the uncertainty that surrounds us. So many suggestions are coming our way, that even good ideas can at times feel demanding and just too much!  And we all wonder how long this pandemic will last? We now know it will be a prolonged period and will reach far and wide. I would like to think about some ideas that might be helpful to all caregivers, and to you to reduce stress!

Anxiety and stress impact all of us in situations we cannot control, especially during this transition to the “new normal” for ourselves and our children.

My question is what will help you alleviate some of the stress, to stay calm, contain anxieties and be present for your family?  It is easy to say care for yourself and give yourself some space and some time to think about what would be helpful to you. We are facing so many demands caring for our children all day, meals, setting them up for school, keeping everyone occupied, thinking of all the activities we should try as you are now teacher, therapist, floor time player, and also doing your own work at home while you worry about your partner who may be working out of the home.  And what about finances, your parents, your siblings and friends, and and and …

Coping with all this may depend, in part, on knowing yourself.

Is it time to take a deep breath and think about what might work for you, the break you need, or what has worked when you were under stress in the past, and what are you missing now. Take a few minutes to reflect on how you have dealt with stress and what you learned about yourself that might remind you of your inner strengths or recognize pitfalls. As a parent, you probably mobilized in the interest of your child or, like many of us, at times found yourself yelling in distress. What did you wish you would have done instead? Perhaps you need to get up a half-hour earlier to face the day before the kids jump on you? Do you need to talk to a friend or relative about your feelings, or do you really want to talk about something else? Perhaps you too miss social time and want to have a cup of tea with a friend and find a good book or movie you could both watch and discuss after the kids are in bed. Or, try a mindfulness or Yoga activity together? Or, just connect and empathize, to feel you are not alone and pick up some words of wisdom. Perhaps, just do nothing for a while. Do these ideas seem unrealistic to you? Are you thinking, doesn’t she know how much I have to do, how overwhelmed I feel and now she asks me to reflect!

Yes, reflection and knowing yourself is a way to cope with stress and keep perspective.

Now is the time to give yourself credit, to cope with your response to the challenge through reflection about how you feel, who you are and remember you know yourself and your family better than anyone.  Reflect on what is or is not working and describe what is happening without judgment and with forgiveness in order to clear a path for what does work. “Talk” about it with yourself or with someone you trust, and acknowledge when you were upset or got overwhelmed. Being mindful will help you consider other options; perhaps you will take another approach, or determine to try harder to control what you can, or be more organized tomorrow, “I will give myself more time for…” Keep in mind no judgement, understanding and self-acceptance. Sometimes self-reflection does not feel like its enough to reduce your stress, and it may be time to seek a therapist for support.

Being reflective can become a practice and will help you also be reflective with your children, to pause and think about what they are experiencing and express your empathy and understanding of the stress they experience.

Be reassuring of the efforts to help us all that are underway, e.g. doctors are working night and day to help us. Reflection also helps you differentiate your feelings from theirs, to listen and be forgiving, accepting them, and expressing your love and help to problem solve together. The outcome may be to enjoy something together, lots of hugs, and restore the security and importance of your relationship. Build a platform for reflection within you and you will find your strength, stability and build on the relationships that anchor your family and you in these trying times.

Profectum would like to share guidelines to support children with developmental challenges as well as a list of resources from our colleagues and others addressing special needs and parents. At this time we all have special needs.
​
Link to Profectum Foundation’s COVID-19 Resource Page