Imagine! Early Intervention Rock Star - Ally Joel

Congratulations to Ally Joel, recently selected as an Imagine! Early Intervention (EI) Rock Star.

Ally has truly been a rock in EI – she naturally jumped into her position as a Service Coordinator and has eloquently supported her families like she has been doing this job for years! Ally has also tackled her role as EI Admin Supervisor with full force. She has been covering two jobs and has been working very hard to make sure everyone is taken care of. Ally brings a positive attitude to our team, a great laugh when we all need it, and overall is a dedicated and strong individual within EI!

Imagine!'s Dayspring Bulletin - December 2018

Imagine!’s latest Dayspring Bulletin is available online.

Imagine! Case Management Unsung Hero - Stephanie Moss

Congratulations are in order for Stephanie Moss, recently selected as an Imagine! Case Management Unsung Hero.

Stephanie is an extraordinary supporter and advocate for her families. She wastes no time determining what an individual needs support with, and exhausts all resources to ensure those needs are met. In one example, Stephanie had a child on her caseload who was constantly eloping. The family lived in an apartment complex, and mom had a difficult time communicating with the office manager. Stephanie stopped by the apartment office, and requested the installation of locks. These locks were installed, and the child was prevented from eloping in the future. She constantly seeks out ways to go out of her way for families, regardless of the amount of work that may add, all without complaining. Thank you, Stephanie, for being an advocate for the families we support!

Imagine!'s Family Support Bulletin - November/December 2018

Imagine!’s latest Family Support Bulletin is available online.

Imagine!'s Gift Giving Drive Is Underway

“Tis the season for giving, and there are a lot of folks served by Imagine! who could use a little extra Holiday cheer. Our Annual Gift Giving program started accepting donations yesterday, and we’d love to have you be part of it. Gift ideas are below, you can drop them off at Imagine!, or arrange a pickup for multiple items by contacting Elizabeth Hill (ehill@imaginecolorado.org).

Imagine! Innovations Super Hero - Anna Knott

Every month, Imagine!’s Innovations department presents the “Super Hero of the Month” award to the employee or provider who has best demonstrated excellence in one or more of our Innovations Quality Standards:

• Health, Safety, and Wellbeing 
• Effective and Efficient 
• Respect and Dignity 
• Opportunities 
• Integrity 
• Care 

This month, the award was presented to Anna Knott, who is a Coordinator for our Host Homes Program.

Anna has been a huge help since she started, and is always so willing to reach out to providers and guardians. I have worked on a difficult case for the last five years with a lawyer’s office, and have not been able to work out a solution. Anna immediately stepped in and said that that was not acceptable since we are the Representative Payee, and it was important for us to access what we needed to complete paperwork. Anna instantly stepped in and started working with the lawyer through both email and phone, and was able to reach a solution that everyone was comfortable with. On top of all that, I had several other issues that I needed help on during the process, and she didn’t even hesitate to help. It is great to have her around. She really cares for the individuals on her team, and wants to go the extra mile to make sure they are all getting what they deserve.

Tips For DSPs: Navigating The Holiday Season

Today's post is a column submitted by Imagine! employee Jonny Brennan, who has extensive training and experience working with individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities (I/DD). The Imagine! PR team asked him to share some knowledge on how to better navigate the Holiday season as it has the potential to cause stress for people with I/DD. 

With the holiday season rapidly approaching, our clients’ environments will see a heightened amount of stimuli. Music, vibrant colors, crowds, etc. will engulf us soon enough, and it is so important that we are prepared. One technique that helps is the use of pre-cueing and specific prompting. When entering new environments (stores, parades, holiday parties, community events),  take a few seconds to let the individual you are supporting know exactly where you are going, what the activity is, what time you will be leaving, and if possible, who they will be seeing. This may help ease some apprehensive feelings.

For example: “Joe, we are going to Target today at 9:30am.  When we get to Target, we are walking to the holiday aisle, picking out wrapping paper, then buying it. When we are done buying wrapping paper, we are going back to the car and driving home.”

This is a lot more clear than, “Hey, get ready, we are going to the store.”

Pre-cues and specific prompts allow the consumer time to process the information being presented and may lead to a better understanding of what’s ahead.  Of course, using reinforcing statements each step of the way is imperative!  It may seem silly, but little statements like, “Joe, thanks so much for coming to Target with me, I love shopping with you!” or “Great job finding the holiday aisle and the wrapping paper Joe, you are an amazing shopper!”

These not only act as reminders of the tasks you are completing, but may in fact make previously aversive situations reinforcing and exciting!

Cheers to a wonderful holiday season!  ~ Jonathan Brennan, MA, BCBA

Jonny graduated from Ball State University with an M.A. in Applied Behavior Analysis and an emphasis on autism. He received his Board Certified Behavior Analyst certification in August of 2018.