by Elizabeth Siegel Cohen, LCSW
Coordinator, illness, loss and spiritual support at JCFS Chicago
Bereavement Specialist

I recently read a letter published in the Washington Post by a young widowed father of two named David Creekmore. The letter was written to his deceased wife, Trish, who died three years ago.  Towards the end of this deeply moving letter David wrote “Life’s too short.  I had to lose you to really understand that. You are not forgotten. We move on because we have to, not because we want to.” These words really resonated with me because they speak so powerfully about how the experience of loss can forever change our focus and priorities in life.

by Caitlin McIlwee, M.A., Psychological Services Pre-Doctoral Intern

You have just learned that your child has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. For some parents, the news comes as a shock, while other parents may have been expecting it. However, almost all parents who receive this diagnosis for their child struggle with reimagining their child’s future with this pervasive developmental disability. You are not alone, and it is normal to feel this way. The important thing to know is that, although there is no known “cure” for autism, there is hope. Your child will be able to learn, grow and gain new skills within their potential. The important first steps are educating yourself about the diagnosis, adjusting the child’s home environment to best meet their needs, and seeking professional therapeutic services.

by Tracey Lipsig Kite

Do you ever have those days when life is just overwhelming? When the meal preparation and clean-up, and the laundry, and the homework all need to get done, and your boss, and your kids, and your sister all need your time and attention? When you are sure there will never be enough of you to go around?  

When I have those days, I used to say to myself “I hate my life.” And when I thought “I hate my life,” everything would feel dark and heavy and endless. That heavy dark feeling led to my yelling at my kids, eating food that isn’t good for me and putting off doing the basic things that are needed to keep our lives going.

by Wendy Guyer, M.S., LCSW, Assistant Director of  the Near North Suburban Counseling Center at JCFS Chicago

It is bedtime, that moment where we put aside the day and relax into the mysterious world of sleep, but how does sleep happen? How important is sleep? Is technology really the enemy of a good night’s sleep? What sleep method is the best? Parents are swimming in advice, and sleep is important. Child sleep patterns really do affect parent mood and levels of stress. Frequently, a child’s ability to sleep well through the night has a huge impact on mood, performance, and behavior. Sleep difficulties can lead to increased parent sleep deficits and have been associated with higher risks of maternal depression.

Does it ever seem like some toys are just too noisy? The sounds that many infant and children’s toys make are loud enough to reach hazardous levels. As cited in an article for Advance Healthcare Network for Speech & Hearing , 200 toys were recently tested and 98% of them measured at sound levels greater than 85 decibels at arms’ length.  That level of noise has the same impact as being near an airplane when it takes off.  White noise machines also exceed healthy hearing levels; some even exceed safe levels for adults. This type of exposure can put a child at risk for noise induced hearing loss.

Everywhere you look, people’s eyes are glued to the screens of their smartphones, iPods and tablets. Commuters on the El or customers waiting in line with their shopping carts at their local Jewel-Osco are scrolling and tapping their hand-held devices—texting, surfing, emailing, gaming, posting and shopping. The Orthodox Jewish community is by no means immune to this digital invasion and it is grappling with how to adhere to Jewish laws in the ubiquitous landscape of technology.

The Integrated Pediatric Therapies at JCFS Chicago is offering Yoga for Kids for children (preK-3rd grade). Come join our Occupational Therapist in a fun, child-centered environment that merges age-appropriate yoga practices including breathing techniques and animal poses with other play, art and social game experiences. This class encourages exploration of early yoga practices while building your child’s gross motor skills, coordination and body awareness.

A study from the University of Washington’s Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences (I-LABS) in Seattle said that babies as young as seven months old are mentally working out the mechanics of how to form words with their mouths; the New York Times ran an article emphasizing the importance of the quality of words spoken to children , beyond just the quantity of words.  And, NPR’s Science Friday  interviewed Fred Genesee of McGill University in Montreal, about his study that suggested that “early impressions of language are much more durable than scientists predicted.”

By Robin Stein, LCSW, Director of Response

When I speak to parents and members of our community about bullying, I most often am asked the following question:  “What’s the big deal?  Bullying happened when we were kids and we all survived!”

Flashback some 35-40 years ago and yes, bullying happened – on the playground, walking home, on the school bus, in the locker room.  Some of us were teased (“four-eyes,” “uni-brow,” “brown-nose”).  And yes, teasing is quite different from bullying.  How so, you may ask?

Connections: A Relationship-Based Phase Model is a just-published manual for early childhood professionals—those who run preschools, Head Start programs and other activities for pre-schoolers  aged 2‒6 years old—promoting social and emotional health in young children.

The book is a product of the Virginia Frank Child Development Center (VFCDC) , a program of JCFS Chicago that operates a therapeutic preschool, trains early childhood professionals and consults with schools and organizations that engage pre-schoolers. All of its authors—Joni Crounse, MA, M.Ed, Kathy Ham, LCSW, Joanne Kestenbaum, LCSW, Wendy Guyer, MA, LCSW, Linnet Mendez, LCPC and Laura Sheridan, MA, LCSW—work at the Center and helped to develop the “relationship based phase model.”