Different Skill Notebook socialmindcenter

In this episode, Melissa Pascucci shares her success finding and pursuing a profession she loves.  Melissa shares the steps she took to help find her new career.  Melissa never stopped attending events at her school, Marino Campus.  She participated in all professional and community events hosted and promoted by the Dan Marino Campus. 
She emphasizes the importance of pursuing learning and growth.  She says that one must stay connected to the community.  Attending events helps you to make new connections with people that can help you find a career that is your passion.  Melissa also stressed the importance of volunteering to obtain experience and exposure. 
Melissa connected with a mentor, Gabriella Procci, whom she met through a program Dan Marino Campus had started called the Academy.  The Academy offered continuing education for graduates of the Dan Marino program.  This mentor encouraged Melissa to pursue working with the neurodivergent population. 
Gabrielle recommended Melissa for an internship at the Social Mind Center.  The Social Mind Center had not had this type of internship before; we were sure we could all learn from each other.  Melissa started as a paid intern at the Center, coming several days a week to assist in social communication groups.  She would shadow Dr. Savinelli in social groups.  It modeled running a social group, which requires lesson planning, teaching strategies, and promoting opportunities for the kids to engage and connect.
There is also the part of managing the sticky situations that arise.  Melissa learned to help children/teens to cope with stressful situations.  Melissa also became a moderator with the Brick Club (Brick-by-Brick Programme).  Becoming a moderator for Brick Club required her to complete a course and additional hands-on training running a group. 
The internship gave Melissa a preview of what a career working with a neurodivergent community may be like.  It allowed her the opportunity to experience teaching and managing a group.  We both agreed that the best possible experience to determine your career path is exposure to different opportunities to observe and work in a field of interest, as an intern or even a volunteer. 
 

In this episode, Melissa shares her journey after high school to find her place and purpose in the world.  Her employment experiences and career ambitions.  Her story is one of perseverance and hope.
She expresses the need for autistics to be consistently exposed to different experiences and opportunities.  This helps them to figure out what may be the best fit for them.  She says independence for autistics requires their parents to allow them to do life their way.  There are multiple pathways to finding one's place and purpose in life.  Parents must believe in their children's ability to find their way. 
Autistics may need more time and different opportunities to find their path.  Melissa was candid on how parents can be too controlling and struggle to listen and respect their autistic young adult as an individual—respecting that they may have different desires than you.  Also, to respect that they may know autism best, so their perspective and voice matter. 
Melissa continues to advocate for herself and her students.  She deeply desires to help autistic people find a career they love and self-realize.  As an advocate, she believes in and encourages her students. 
She emphasizes how parents can support new experiences, listen, and respect their young adult. 
In our next episode, Melissa will share her internship at the Social Mind Center and her new career. 
 

 
 

Before the term neurodiversity and neurodivergent came to be, I used the term autism mind. My son taught me 18 years ago that autism was a different kind of mind. He had a different process in which he approached his daily life. I realized the strategy was to equip him to navigate the neurotypical world. I taught him how the neurotypical world worked. How does the world work, and what does it expect of you? I taught him the neurotypical perspective, and he showed me the autism mind perspective. My most appreciated aspect of his process was to take breaks. From age three, he understood what he needed; he just needed words to express his needs. His process and pace influenced mine. I learned that you can still get plenty done at a slower pace. Thanks to him, I changed my pace and learned to live in the moment rather than my days defined by a list of tasks. 
We bridged the gap between his process and the neurotypical expectations with strategies to help them adapt. There is more than one pathway to learning and living. Both Gaby and Nick needed strategies to help them navigate their school days. Gaby required more information to manage her anxiety, and Nick needed breaks throughout the day to sustain attention and stay on task. Eventually, Gaby learned to locate the additional information she needed, and Nick learned to get through the day without breaks.  We devised ways for them to meet their needs and work through the neurotypical expectations. And it was okay if they could not meet the neurotypical expectations, especially when the NT person was dealing with had no compassion and was highly rigid. Together we learned different ways to get things done. We learned together. I hope the information in this episode will help you help your child thrive. More often than not, my children would not meet the neurotypical expectations. Amazingly enough, you can still thrive without meeting neurotypical expectations.  

 
 
 

 
 
 

Seventeen years ago was the first time I heard the word autism. This episode shares the events that lead me to seek an evaluation for my son.  How did I know my son needed an evaluation? What did I do when I heard the word autism? 
This series of episodes will discuss the start of my journey in seeking to know autism. Reflecting on what I have learned from my children and thousands of other children. This past year, I believe there has been a significant pivot in my perspective in advocating and educating autistics to be independent and self-realize their dreams. Ana Anselma 
 
 
 
 

 

 
In this episode, Gaby Anselma joins us again to continue our conversation on anxiety. We discuss medication as a tool to deal with anxiety symptoms. Some of the other points discussed in this episode: 
Medication is a tool, not a total solution to anxiety management.
When do you decide to take medication? 
What are some of the symptoms or signs that lead one to consider medication? 
clouded thinking
frozen and unable to act


How can medication help you? 


Stop the extreme symptoms and 
Allow you to explore the source of your anxiety more and use coping strategies to manage your anxiety
Understand that some of us are wired to worry


When the medication started helping manage my anxiety, I could better plan and expand my activities to manage my anxiety. Anxiety impacts your ability to think clearly.
 
How did tennis help me understand and manage my anxiety? 

Help you understand how your thinking drove my anxiety
How I would self-sabotage my tennis game
What was your breakthrough for you in managing your anxiety? 
Understanding that your thinking can heighten your anxiety
Sometimes our anxiety is physiological. Your body is anxious outside of your thinking

Do you believe medication helped you gain the skills to manage your anxiety effectively? 
 
When did you stop taking medication? 
 
How do you manage your anxiety now? 
 
Thank you for listening. 
 
www.socialmindcenter.com
 

 

Considering medication for your child is a serious decision. In this episode, we discuss the different factors and considerations involved.
1. Does your child/teen struggle with? 
Attending or focusing
Anxiety
Self-regulation - organizing mind and body to achieve goal-directed behavior
Emotional regulation
Irritability
Impulse control
Cognitive inflexibility- restrictive behaviors
Depression
 
2. Do these symptoms impact their quality of life and ability to navigate daily activities?  
Most notably, are these symptoms/behaviors a barrier to learning? 
 
3. What is the intensity and frequency of the symptoms impacting your child? 
 
4. What systems are in place in your child's home and learning environment to help minimize these symptoms and struggles? 
0rder, structure, and predictability
Consistency 
Individual Education Plan IEP
Smaller classroom 
Individualized instruction/tutoring
Interventions/coaching focusing on skills to cope and manage symptoms
 
5. Journal as many details relating to the symptoms and the impact on daily activities. Specifically, document the frequency and intensity of symptoms and behaviors.
Have someone else observe your child in the classroom to assist you in gathering data. 
 
6. Consult with either? 
Behavioral Pediatrician
Psychiatrist
Neurologist
 
7. Pursue diagnostic evaluation with a psychologist to seek the source of symptoms and behaviors. 
Spending some time reflecting and examining the information from the above list can help you make a more informed decision. Sometimes the answer to improving your child's quality of life and learning is more related to implementing systems, building coping skills, and altering their environments. Medication is a tool that should be combined with other tools to increase success. Medication is not a tool that teaches skills. It alleviates barriers to learning.