Healthy Families at UNH

05/10/2022

We wanted to showcase Ali, a UNH student, and our partnership with University of New Hampshire and UNH Healthy Families. Through this partnership, we were able to pilot our Sensory Scout Program. Ali helped evolve the program and evaluated nine different businesses in the community. She then presented her findings in an oral presentation at the University of New Hampshire Undergraduate poster presentation.

11/17/2021

"Except for my autism. I would be. Like everyone else." - Jack Cariello

{ The comment that inspired the essay below. }

Also, pizza training continues.

"Mom. For I think cooks. WEAR HATS."

_____________________________

Be Like Us
{ Post date: 11/15/2021 }

Can’t you be a normal kid?

Have fun.

Act silly.

Blow bubbles in the springtime and chase waves in the ocean and jump into big piles of autumn leaves.

Make friends.

Go to birthday parties and sleepovers and camping trips.

What if I can’t, he asked.

Try harder, they answered.

Try bigger.

Try with everything you have.

I am trying.

I am all the time trying.

Be like us.

Say hello when someone talks to you.

Shake hands.

Hug people good-bye.

What if hugging makes my skin feel like fire?

Do it anyway. Do it, because it’s the right thing to do, no matter the heat.

Stop flicking your fingers/flapping your hands/rocking back and forth. It makes people nervous.

You make people nervous.

Maybe you should hide who you really are so the rest of us feel good.

Be like us. Be normal.

What does normal mean?

Sit very still during story time and don’t jump around or ask a bunch of strange questions.

It’s not that loud in here, you’re just too sensitive. It’s Chuck E. Cheese! Every kid has fun here! There are games that make loud chime-y sounds and a big purple mouse and how can you not like it?

Everyone else likes it.

Here, put this costume on for Halloween. You know, the holiday where we all dress up like something scary or spooky with masks and daggers and wander around the neighborhood after dark?

You want candy, don’t you?

You can’t get candy if you don’t wear a costume!

Wash your hands throughout the day.

Just don’t wash them too many times because that is weird and called Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and there is medicine for that so your brain stops telling you about the germs and your skin doesn’t turn red and raw.

Only don’t take the medicine because it is bad for you.

It is a quick fix.

It means you didn’t try hard enough.

But what if I need it?

Try harder.

Try bigger.

Try with your whole entire self.

I mean, why are you so afraid all the time? It’s just in your head. You need to stop worrying so much. Anxiety isn’t real. It’s something doctors made up as an answer to everyone’s problems.

What you feel is not real.

Are you a savant? Like Rainman?

What do you mean, you don’t play sports? How about basketball, or soccer, or even tennis?

Normal kids play sports. They high-five each other on the field and they have big spaghetti dinners and they cheer for the homerun.

You should be more like them.

How come you’re not on the honor roll?

You’ll never get into a good college if you aren’t on the honor roll.

The honor roll tells people how smart they are.

I am smart.

Don’t talk about your diagnosis with people. It makes them uncomfortable. Don’t talk about the doctors and the tests and the words Autism Spectrum Disorder stamped all over the paperwork.

Keep it a secret.

I don’t want to be a secret.

It’s better this way.

You don’t look like you have autism.

You just look like you don’t have any self-control and you are rude and selfish and loud.

I have autism.

Everyone has autism these days.

Just be normal, okay?

Be easy.

Keep your body still.

Lower your voice.

Eat what is served at the table.

But what if the food all mixed up feels like bugs in my mouth?

Just try one bite.

Don’t you want to sit with other kids on the bus?

Don’t you want to play tag during recess?

Don’t you want all the same things the rest of us want?

Think like us. Move like us. Feel the way we do.

Be a normal kid who will grow into a normal man and marry a normal woman and have more normal kids.

Why?

It’s better this way. It’s better for the rest of us. We don’t have to look deep inside ourselves and figure out all the reasons we are afraid to be different.

Our way is the best way.

But maybe, he said, my way is good too.

Show us, they said.

Okay, he said.

I don’t like the ocean but I do like to swim.

I am scared of loud noises but I love the streaks of color fireworks leave across the sky.

I may be afraid, and yet I am fearless.

I have autism.

I don’t want to hide.

What is normal for a cloud is chaos to the sun.

01/19/2021

The UNH Healthy Families Research Program in the Department of Occupational Therapy is providing a free 10-session occupational therapy intervention research study for 2-17 year old children with special health care needs and their families delivered via telehealth to your phone, tablet, or laptop. Participant families will receive up to $300 in e-gift cards depending on your level of participation. The purpose of this research is to determine if telehealth works effectively to improve children and families’ ability to participate in the everyday activities they want and need to do.

We are reaching out to you to consider participating and to spread the word about our study titled Supporting children with special health care needs and their families via the Healthy Families Flourish Program. Weekly sessions last about 60 minutes and involve parent(s) and sometimes your children. Sessions will address both your child’s and your family’s needs and include developing goals and a plan, and incorporating strategies to meet your goals.

Sarah Smith, DSc, OTR/L, UNH assistant professor or Stephanie Gagnon, MS, OTR/L will provide the therapy. Dr. Smith and Ms. Gagnon are nationally board certified, licensed pediatric occupational therapists each with over 15 years’ experience working with children with special health care needs and their families. Up to two occupational therapy students will also engage in the therapy sessions. Participant families will complete two online surveys about your family and an interview at the end of the program about your experience. We expect your total time commitment to be about 12 hours across 10 weeks. At this time, we are specifically recruiting 6-8 families with a child with special health care needs between the ages of 2-17 who lives at home. Families must speak English and have access to Zoom via their own internet connection and personal phone, tablet, or computer. Families can begin the program anytime this February.

If you are interested in participating or for more information, please contact Dr. Smith at s.smith@unh.edu or via phone at 603-862-2463. If you would like further information about the study, please visit our Healthy Families Research Program website.

Thank you.

10/26/2020

“Mom. No one is the expert. Of me.” Poignant truth. Thank you Carrie Cariello for keeping us grounded and mindful.

Last week my son Jack brought the mail in, and on the top of the pile was a brochure with a picture of a man. Underneath his smiling face was the title Autism Expert. Jack had some questions. We both did. We looked at the picture and we looked at each other and then we looked down at the brochure ag...

10/05/2020

Being a healthy family is a journey, especially during COVID-19. Let us help you on the road...

Dr. Sarah Smith, director of the UNH Healthy Families Research Program in the Department of Occupational Therapy is conducting a research study for families raising children with special health care needs ages 2-17 years, delivered via Zoom to your phone, tablet, or laptop. Participant families will receive up to $300 in egiftcards depending on your level of participation.

You are invited to participate in a free 10-week program called the Healthy Families Flourish Program to support your family's ability to participate in the everyday activities you want and need to do and to determine if telehealth works effectively to address your family needs.

Weekly sessions last 45-60 minutes and primarily include parents and sometimes your children. These sessions will involve talking about your family’s health from the perspective of balancing individual/whole family needs, connection, living purposefully, and communication. You will consider your own family’s needs, develop family goals and a plan, and incorporate strategies to meet your family goals. You can begin sessions anytime after October 9 on a day/time convenient for your family including some evenings. Participant families will be working with Dr. Sarah Smith, a nationally board certified, licensed pediatric occupational therapist and UNH researcher with over 20 years of clinical experience working with children with special health care needs and their families.

Participant families will be asked to complete two online surveys (once at the beginning and once at the end of the program) and an interview at the end of the program about your experience. We expect your total time commitment to be about 12 hours across 10 weeks. Families must have access to Zoom via their own internet connection, have a personal phone, tablet, or computer, and must speak English. If you are interested in participating or would like to hear more about the study, please contact Dr. Smith at s.smith@unh.edu, via phone at 603.862.2463, or direct message. You may also click this link to learn more about the Healthy Families Research Program. https://mypages.unh.edu/healthy_families/home

06/23/2020

Being a healthy family is a journey. Let us help you on the road...

The UNH Healthy Families Research Program in the Department of Occupational Therapy is conducting a research study for families raising children with autism ages 2-17 years, delivered via telehealth to your phone, tablet, or laptop. Participant families will receive up to $300 in egiftcards depending on your level of participation.

You are invited to participate in a free 10-week program called the Telehealthy Families Flourish Program to support families’ ability to participate in the everyday activities they want and need to do and to determine if telehealth works effectively to address your family needs.

Weekly sessions will last 45-60 minutes and primarily include parents and sometimes your children. These sessions will involve talking about your family’s health from the perspective of balancing individual/whole family needs, connection, living purposefully, and communication. You will consider your own family’s needs, develop family goals and a plan, and incorporate strategies to meet your family goals. You can begin sessions anytime after June 24 on a day/time convenient for your family including some evenings. Participant families will be working with Dr. Sarah Smith, a nationally board certified, licensed pediatric occupational therapist and UNH researcher with over 20 years of clinical experience working with children with autism spectrum disorder and their families, and Ms. Carli Rita, a trained occupational therapy honors student.

Participant families will be asked to complete two online surveys (once at the beginning and once at the end of the program) and an interview at the end of the program about your experience. We expect your total time commitment to be about 12 hours across 10 weeks. Families must have access to Zoom via their own internet connection, have a personal phone, tablet, or computer, and must speak English. If you are interested in participating or would like to hear more about the study, please contact Dr. Smith at s.smith@unh.edu, via phone at 603.862.2463, or direct message. You may also click the link below to learn more about the Healthy Families Research Program.

05/31/2020

The Coronavirus pandemic of 2020 is influencing many families’ everyday lives. The UNH Healthy Families Research Program in the Department of Occupational Therapy is conducting Zoom interviews as part of a study called “Family Health During the Coronavirus” to understand how this crisis has affected your family. We are looking for families from all walks of life, especially those with children with special health care needs, to participate in one 45 minute interview over Zoom. All interviewed families will receive a $25 Amazon egift card. If you are interested in participating or want more information about the study please message us here on facebook or contact Dr. Sarah Smith at s.smith@unh.edu. We are interviewing the weeks of June 1, 8, and 15th. Thank you!

03/30/2020

Maybe covid 19 is a wake up call for family connection which our research suggests promotes family health. Now balance, which also promotes healthy families, well that’s indeed a challenge during this time! Carrie Cariello is an incredibly real author.

Whenever I go to my grandmother’s house, I ask her about the time the world turned upside down in the blink of an eye. “Well, when I was twelve, something called Coronavirus ripped through our coun…

03/25/2020

11/25/2019

Poignant. Joy.

Jack-a-boo. Jack-attack. Jack. My son. Not a day goes by when I don’t wonder who you are. Or who you might have been. I wonder why you, out of all my children, were given autism’s complicated…

09/30/2019

If you are a primary caregiver caring for a 16-27-year old with a cognitive or intellectual disability who recently transitioned out of the educational system or is transitioning soon please consider participating in a 10-15 minute online survey found at https://unh.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cBjmBLdTab39vjD. You have the opportunity to be entered into a drawing for a $45 Amazon gift card upon survey completion.

The University of New Hampshire Healthy Families Research Program in the Department of Occupational Therapy is conducting a study called Caregiver Burden in the Transition out of the Educational System for Children with Cognitive Disabilities. We want to understand caregivers’ experiences when a child transitions out of the educational system into adulthood including both transition supports and barriers so that we can develop ways to best support caregivers in this process.

If you are interested in participating, you can learn more about the study and begin the survey by clicking https://unh.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cBjmBLdTab39vjD. Contact Elizabeth Preble at ebp1002@wildcats.unh.edu or via phone at 603-362-2513 if you have any questions or would like further information.

https://unh.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cBjmBLdTab39vjD

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