Little Star Center Advisory Board (L to R): Dr. Patrick Friman, Dr. Dorothea Lerman, Dr. Dennis Reid, Dr. Mary Jane Weiss, and Dr. Thomas Zane.

Little Star Center is pleased to announce the formation of a distinguished board of advisors consisting of notable and influential individuals in the field of behavioral analysis.  The board membership includes: Dr. Patrick Friman, Dr. Dorothea Lerman, Dr. Dennis Reid, Dr. Mary Jane Weiss and Dr. Thomas Zane.  The board is conducting the first of three annual meetings this week.

“I have wanted to put together an advisory board of prominent behavior analysts for years,” said Mary Rosswurm, executive director of Little Star.”When Dr. Zane came out to visit a few years back to launch Little Star’s lecture series, he really guided me on how to put it together. The purpose of the board of advisors is to advance our center’s clinical programming and ensure that it is empirically validated, highly effective, and produces the best possible outcomes for our learners.

“We believe we can achieve this by developing our clinical directors through prominent mentorship. Leadership on best practices is essential as we expand our services and further refine our procedures. Advisory board members will help direct research, skill acquisition, and behavior deceleration techniques as we continue to provide state-of-the art services to our learners while contributing to the field of applied behavior analysis (ABA).  In addition, they will help us continue the Little Star Lecture Series–which is free to the public. I am truly humbled by the five advisory board members–that they would give their time to help Little Star. We look forward to an exciting and productive future with their involvement.”

Patrick C. Friman, PhD., ABPP received his Ph.D. from the University of Kansas. He is the current Vice President of Behavioral Health at Boys Town and a Clinical Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of  Nebraska School of Medicine. He was formerly on the faculties of Johns Hopkins, University of Pennsylvania, and Creighton Schools of Medicine.  He was also formerly the Director of the Clinical Psychology Program at University of Nevada as well as the Associate Chairman of the Department of Psychology.  Dr. Friman is the former Editor of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and former President of the Association for Behavior Analysis International.  He is also on the editorial boards of six peer-reviewed journals. He has published more than 180 scientific articles and chapters and three books and he currently writes a regular column on child behavior for Family Spectrum Magazine.  The primary focus of his scientific and clinical work in is in the area of Behavioral Pediatrics and Behavioral Medicine.  Dr. Friman’s work in behavioral pediatrics has concentrated on the gap between primary medical care for children on one side, and referral-based clinical child psychological and psychiatric care, on the other. A secondary focus is on adolescent behavior and development an example of which is a commercially available DVD on Adolescence and Other Temporary Mental Disorders.  He also specializes in consultation regarding workplace issues such as motivation, dealing with difficult people, change, and pathways to success. 

Dorothea C. Lerman, Ph.D., BCBA-D is Professor of Psychology at the University of Houston-Clear Lake, where she directs the master’s program in applied behavior analysis and serves as Director of the UHCL Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities. She received her Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Florida, specializing in the experimental analysis of behavior. Her areas of interest include autism, developmental disabilities, functional analysis, teacher and parent training, and treatment of severe behavior disorders (e.g., aggression, self-injury), and she has published more than 60 research articles and chapters on these topics. Dr. Lerman is the founding editor of Behavior Analysis in Practice and former associate editor of The Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and Research in Developmental Disabilities. She has received a number of significant awards for her work including the 2007 Distinguished Contribution to Applied Behavioral Research Award, the 2001 B.F. Skinner Award by the American Psychological Association (Division 25), and the New Researcher Award by the American Association on Mental Retardation (Division 5). She also was named a Fellow of the Association for Behavior Analysis-International in 2008.

Dennis Reid, Ph.D., BCBA-D has more than 35 years of experience as a manager and clinician in residential, educational, and community support settings for people with intellectual disabilities and autism, and has consulted with human service agencies in the majority of states of the United States as well as Canada and New Zealand. He has published over 140 refereed journal articles and book chapters focusing on applied behavior analysis and authored or co-authored eight books. His Motivating Human Service Staff book is now in its 2^nd Edition and received the Writer’s Digest Certificate of Merit Award. Dennis is also the senior author of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) Supervisory Training Curriculum. In 2007 he was awarded Fellowship status in the Association for Behavior Analysis International and in 2006 received the AAIDD International Research Award. Dennis is the founder and current director of the Carolina Behavior Analysis and Support Center in Morganton, North Carolina, USA. His company has employed people with autism and other severe disabilities in a supported work capacity for 17 years.

Mary Jane Weiss, Ph.D., BCBA-D is the Executive Director of Research at Melmark. She is also a Professor at Endicott College, where she directs the Master’s Program in ABA and Autism.  Formerly, she served as clinical director at the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center at Rutgers University. Dr. Weiss has worked in the field of ABA and Autism for over 25 years. Her clinical and research interests center on defining best practice ABA techniques, on evaluating the impact of ABA in learners with autism, in training staff to be optimally effective at instruction, and in maximizing family members’ expertise and adaptation. She received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Rutgers University and has written numerous articles and four books on autism.  These include Right From the Start: Behavioral Intervention for Young Children with Autism (co-authored with Sandra Harris, 1998; 2nd edition, 2007), Reaching Out, Joining In: Teaching Social Skills to Young Children with Autism (co-authored with Sandra Harris, 2001),  Sibling Stories: Reflections on Life With a Brother or Sister on the Autism Spectrum (co-authored with Lynne Stern Feiges, 2004) and Practical Solutions for Educating Young Children with High-Functioning Autism and Asperger Syndrome (2008).  Dr. Weiss is a regular presenter at regional, national, and international conferences on topics relevant to ABA and autism. She is Past President of the Autism Special Interest Group of the Association for Behavior Analysis, and serves on the Board of Trustees for Autism New Jersey, on the board of the Association for Professional Behavior Analysts and on the Scientific Council of the Organization for Autism Research.

Thomas Zane, Ph.D., BCBA-D is a Professor of Education and Director of the Applied Behavior Analysis Online Program at the Institute for Behavioral Studies, Van Loan Graduate School, Endicott College. Dr. Zane earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in psychology at Western Michigan University and his doctorate in Applied Behavior Analysis at West Virginia University. He has served as a Post-Doctorate Research Associate at the University of Massachusetts, Professor at Mount Holyoke College, and Johns Hopkins University Department of Psychiatry. He is a licensed psychologist in New York and Massachusetts. Dr. Zane has published in various journals and books, presented at regional, national, and international conferences, and been an invited lecturer in Ireland and the Republic of China. His research interests include teacher training, staff development, and evidenced-based practice in autism. As part of his duties at Endicott College, he offers a BCBA certificate program through distance learning.

Patrick Richard

Little Star congratulates Patrick Richard who was appointed by Governor Mitch Daniels before he left office as a member of the Indiana Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission. Patrick is working with Little Star – Lafayette on renovating several areas including the playground. He is a residential and commercial builder in Lafayette and a member of the Builders Association (BA) of Greater Lafayette. He serves as an Area Vice President and State Director for Indiana Builders Association (IBA), and is former president of the Builders Association of Greater Lafayette.

The Commission adopts the code of building and fire safety laws that affect all buildings classified as Class 1 or Class 2 structures in the state of Indiana. The Commission also reviews applications for variances, appeals of state and local orders, and reviews local building ordinances.

“I was one of six people that IBA asked to submit a resume to the Governor for consideration,” said Patrick.  “I’m not sure how many other groups had an opportunity to submit folks from their association to be considered, but I am honored!  It was a surprise because a couple of months passed without any noise about the position…and then, BAM, I got the call.  I am filling a term being vacated and the appointment is only until the end of June of 2013. I hope to be reappointed.  Thank you, Little Star,  for your support, business and friendship over the years.”

Brian Martin accepts the 2012 traveling trophy for holiday decorating on behalf of the Middle Star staff.

Little Star Center has started a new tradition, presenting a traveling trophy to the therapists who best decorate their area for the holiday season, as determined by volunteer judges.  Middle Star Center won the 2012 Decorating Contest award for their Dr. Seuss’ Grinch Who Stole Christmas theme.  Congratulations to everyone for their hard work and to Middle Star staff for winning the honor.

Learners help finish placing LEGOS® on the mosaic.

Little Star is proud to announce it has hung a custom-made mosaic of its logo made of LEGOS® in the front lobby of the Middle Star Center in Carmel!   The wall hanging will greet visitors at the Middle Star facility inside the reception area.

“I’m excited for this idea to come to fruition,” said Mary Rosswurm, executive director of Little Star Center. “The possibility of seeing our logo made of LEGOS® crossed my mind a year or so ago; but, it was pushed to the back burner.  We came across Indiana LEGO® Users Group (IndyLUG) recently and asked David Gregory to create this special piece of art.  He left part of the sign unfinished so our learners would have the opportunity to help complete the project.”

Gregory said, “IndyLUG is an adult LEGO® fan club of about 25 members.  It was founded in 2001 so adult fans of LEGO® in the Indianapolis area would have a group to share ideas and display group layouts.  Our members create a wide variety of things from LEGOS®.  Different members have different areas of expertise.  Some of us build mosaics, while others build robots, trains, sculptures, space stations or anything else we can dream up.”

The project took three weeks from start to finish and began with a preliminary image of the logo at the desired size using the program, PicToBrick. Gregory modified the image so it would look like Little Star’s actual logo. “Then,” he said, “I made a trip to the LEGO® store at Castleton Square Mall, my favorite thing!”  The process included attaching baseplates to a melamine backer board, printing out instruction sheets for each baseplate per the PicToBrick program, then building the piece beginning with the blue words, Little Star man, and stars. Next, he built the yellow outline and filled everything else in white.

“I was excited to learn that Little Star posted a view of the mosaic on its Facebook page as the cover photo,” said Gregory.  “I’ve been sending the link to all my friends, telling them that Little Star made my LEGO® mosaic its cover photo!  This is the largest logo our group has ever attempted to make.”

Story you may have missed on WTHR, Channel 13…

Autism is a topic that garners a great deal of attention these days, both for the alarming number of children diagnosed with the condition to the research and funding targeted on finding a cause.

While the Federal government mandates educational services for children, that help disappears once they turn 21.

Patty Reed couldn’t be happier to watch her daughter Jessica work in the café at Lawrence Central High School.

“They are teaching her academics that she will need in daily life and, at the same time, preparing her for having a job when she finishes high school,” Reed said.

Her 18-year-old daughter has autism and will never go on to college or a career. She will never be able to fully care for herself.

“She’s not able to make decisions concerning her safety and manage her money and anything like that, so she, she will not be able to live on her own,” Reed said.

Reed’s hope is that her daughter will be able to hold a job and live in a group setting, yet she worries about her future.

“There’s not enough group homes, there’s not enough programs to train these individuals,” she said.

Nationwide, stories like Jessica’s have seen a 78 percent increase in just the past decade. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the autistic population has exploded since Jessica was diagnosed in the mid-1990s.

Two decades ago, one in 10,000 children were diagnosed with autism.

“Jessica is just at the cusp of autism diagnosis. Behind her, there’s a lot more kids coming who have autism,” Reed said.

Today in the United States, one-in-88 kids have autism, including one out of every 83 children here in Indiana. It is costing families an average of $70,000 a year to care for their child, including doctor visits and medications, behavioral and speech therapy, as well as expenses for things like special education and child care.

If those numbers mean nothing to you, maybe these will. Nationally, autism is costing Americans $126 billion a year. That’s with a lack of funding for many autistic adults.

“Parents will say their hope is that they live one day longer than their child with autism, because they are so afraid of what will happen to them once they become adults,” said Dr. Cathy Pratt, an autism expert at Indiana University.

Pratt says all of the research and attention to autism, including most of the funding, has been focused on children and causes. She doesn’t dispute how important that is, but stresses that it’s only part of the puzzle

“It’s not been as attractive to think about ‘How do we help people with autism, who are adults, find and maintain employment? How do we help them have meaningful lives and lives we envy?’ That has not been a very trendy conversation for people to have,” Pratt said.

No one knows that better than Christine Held.

Held’s daughter is an honor student and a standout golfer. Both of her sons have autism.

“My 19-year-old is severe and profound. He is totally non-verbal,” she said.

Her other son, 21-year-old Cameron, completed high school, but cannot find work. For now, he volunteers at his high school’s bookstore.

“Although he is pretty high-functioning and he’s very intelligent, he doesn’t communicate using words very well, so we are constantly helping him with those situations,” Held said.

A lack of resources and lack of understanding mean Cameron spends most of his time at home.

“I would prefer that my child was out working, paying taxes, rather than living off of the government, so I don’t know. Something has to be done,” Held said.

According to the Department of Labor, the unemployment rate among Americans with disabilities is four percent higher than those without disabilities.

Watch video here

An instructor goes over some of the concepts used in the Language for Learning program

Little Star staff participated in a SRA (Science Research Associates) training for Language for Learning and Reading Mastery recently.

Tim Courtney, Little Star research and training director, said, “We utilize SRA to help individuals with autism spectrum disorders overcome cognitive deficits and therefore have greater success when transitioning back to school settings. SRA offers multiple scripts utilizing direct instruction.  Direct instruction is an evidence-based method to help individuals with various cognitive difficulties.“

Language for Learning is geared for young learners who lack essential language skills for pre-reading success.  It provides practice in vocabulary, a variety of word and sentence forms, and hard to teach concepts such as some/all/none and same/different.

Reading Mastery is intended for older learners requiring additional assistance with decoding and comprehension.  In particular, it covers phonological awareness, phonics/word study, comprehension, fluency, vocabulary, spelling, and writing.

, Just remember, the true spirit of Christmas lies in your heart.–Polar Express

Santa Claus, one of his elves, and a reindeer visited Little Star Center at Lafayette on December 14 and Carmel on December 15!  Youngsters shared their wish list with the Man in the Red Suit, had their picture taken with him, and chatted with the Jingle John and the reindeer, Misfit while enjoying a pitch-in of holiday treats.  Olive, the Other Reindeer also joined the festivities (Boston Terrier).

Jingle John and Misfit, the reindeer, visit with party guests in Carmel.

Jingle John said, “This is our second year of visiting Little Star Center in Carmel.  It is the Best!  Misfit, Olive and I had a great time sharing stories about life at the North Pole and what we do the rest of the year.  Rudolph was busy getting ready for Christmas Eve travels and wasn’t able to join us, but he wanted me to be sure to tell everybody how much fun he has landing on rooftops and to be sure he’ll be visiting your home.”

Not sure who is more comfortable here, the Man in the Red Suit or the baby in the purple jacket!?!

Santa walked around the Motor Room, visiting with the children, hugging those who wanted it, and holding babies.  Learner Ellie Trivedi was quite surprised that Santa knew her name!  “I’ve enjoyed seeing Ellie the past six years I’ve dropped by  Little Star’s Christmas Party in Carmel,” he said.  “She’s a beautiful girl who has become much more comfortable with me as she grows up.  I was pleasantly surprised this year, when she voluntarily sat with me and had her picture taken. “

Little Star staff preparing gifts for adopted families.

Little Star elves wrap gifts for five adopted families (between Carmel and Lafayette centers). It was a big job, but a great way to kick off the holiday weekend!

Little Star learner goes down the Yule Slide in the Jolly Days Winter Wonderland at the Indianapolis Children’s Museum. (Photo: Whitney Emmert)

Learners went to see Jolly Days Winter Wonderland at the Indianapolis Children’s Museum! They enjoyed the Yule Slide, visiting the Hot Wheels for Real exhibit and Mr. Bear’s Playhouse. Outings like these give our learners the opportunity to practice generalizing skills they learn in the center to other social environments.

2012 Little Star volleyball teams. (Photo: Whitney Emmert)

Blue team wins championship!

Little Star Center fielded two teams in the 2012 Monon Community Center (MCC) Fall co-ed volleyball league from September to early December (yellow team and blue team).  Blue team members included (L to R): Kasey Philpott, Lisa Steward, Megan Fager, Kassi Kite, Kelly Doyle, Robyn Eads, Dwayne McCoy, Taylor Barker, Adrian Bramlage and Nick Wehner.  Yellow Team included (L to R):  Whitney Emmert, Maggie Moore, Casey Moore, Tim Courtney, Casey Barker, Shaina Barry, Mary Oliver, Kristy Shoaf, Lindsey Erdmann, and Brooke Raderstorf.

According to Matt Leber, adult supervisor of recreation at MCC, “MCC is set up with two divisions – MCC and CCCPR (Carmel Clay Parks & Recreation).  The first division consisted of six teams and the latter, eight teams.  The teams played an eight week regular season followed by a double elimination tournament.

As tournament winners, the Little Star Blue Team will receive complimentary entry into the Spring league, which runs from late January – April.”

Congratulations!