Blog

By Integrated Pediatric Therapies

A Social Story, developed by special needs teacher Carol Gray, is a social learning tool that support the safe and meaningful exchange of information between parents, professionals and people with autism of all ages.

by Dawn Levin, Liaison

How can an agency with services as wide-ranging as JCFS Chicago become more accessible while directly addressing the needs of a synagogue community? The Synagogue Community Partnership (SCP) was developed solely for this purpose.

Planning a Vacation? We Can Help!

While traveling with a child with special needs may require a little more planning and adjustment, it's just a different category of family vacationing! - Lissa Poirot

Travel Tips For Families with Children with Special Needs
Check out these tips from our Integrated Pediatric Therapies therapists for ways to make the trip easier and fun for the entire family!

A force for social justice, JVS Career & Employment is a 501C(3) non-profit serving more than 5,000 employees, employers and entrepreneurs annually with programs for adults, youth and people with disabilities.

The Opportunity: Employees with disabilities offer a large untapped talent pool for employers. While business is challenged with an aging workforce and a shortage of skilled workers, individuals with disabilities continue to be underemployed. Our goal is to partner with an inspired entrepreneur/business leader to develop a new entity to generate revenue and create employment opportunities for people with disabilities. As an integral part of its value proposition, the social enterprise will commit to creating public benefit in addition to generating profit.

By Marc Bermann, Recruiter/Trainer
312.673.2755

With the summer months upon us and our thoughts turning to summer fun, it's important to revisit one of the simplest and most meaningful of human activities: music and singing.

Music is everywhere: on the radio, in movies and television shows, and as a backdrop when people shop or celebrate holidays and other milestones. Music is an integral part of cultures all over the world. Music can express emotions not otherwise easily communicated. It also provides a sense of community and belonging and can help unite divided people and sooth the stresses of everyday life.

By Robin Stein, LCSW
Director, Response

True confession… I binge-watched the entire Netflix series titled “13 Reasons Why!” My initial reaction was that it was a show that covered truisms that many adolescents face in today’s world (bullying, sexual assault, sexual harassment, isolation, drunk driving, parent-teen communication issues). The characters were well developed and, while often graphic and painful to watch, I thought it did a good job of addressing some pretty dicey subject matter. But after processing the series more with colleagues, I began to have concerns about some of the missed opportunities to more transparently shed light on the theme of mental illness; something that impacts one in five teens in our society today. While we occasionally see Hannah and Clay (two of the main characters), sitting alone in the lunchroom or apparently feeling invisible in classroom scenes, the only references to mental illness are within Clay’s family scenes, when mom identifies that perhaps he might want to return to therapy or re-start some medication; she’s concerned about him.

Autism is one of the fastest growing developmental disorders in the United States.  With 1 in 68 children now estimated to have autism spectrum disorder, community support is critical. During May Is Better Hearing & Speech Month, the speech-language pathologists at Integrated Pediatric Therapies encourage people to use this as an opportunity to consider how they communicate and interact with people with autism.

Remember, we are all in this together, in the best interests of the children and youth in your care. Thank you for all you do!

By Rosalie Greenberger, LCSW JCFS CHICAGO

When a loved one dies, the effects of loss are as varied as our loved ones. Our feelings of grief are influenced by our relationship with the deceased, the circumstances of death and the timing of the death. At times, grief is manageable. We may be sorry that our loved one has died and feel sadness, but overall, the death will not have a large impact on our lives going forward.

By Jody B. Miller MA, CCC-SLP Integrated Pediatric Interventions at JCFS Chicago

Every living creature needs to sleep. Sleep is especially important for children as it directly impacts mental and physical development. Changing the clocks back or forward can disrupt a child's sleep cycle, which can affect the entire family.