Making Changes that Last in the New Year

Dear Friends of Quest, I hope that this monthly installment of our newsletter finds you happy and healthy!  Happy New Year from Quest!  I can't believe another year has come and gone.  The beginning of January is always when I kick in to full gear to plan everything for the upcoming year so I can say that as a staff we are excited about what is in store for Quest this upcoming year!  Our Winter School Year Groups  Start Wednesday January 7th! Sign Up Now! This issue of our newsletter includes tips of how to celebrate the best achievements of the last year and how to best prepare to reach new goals in the year ahead.  At Quest, we are proud to provide an innovative treatment program through our therapeutic summer camp and school year therapy groups that have been proven to reduce problem behaviors not only at camp, but in school, at home, and in everyday life.  We hope that our newsletter will be a source of support and applicable information to improve the lives of the amazing children and families in our community.    Sincerely, Jodie Knott, Ph.D. Director and Licensed Psychologist Quest Therapeutic Camps of Southern California

Making Changes in the New Year that Last The end of the year brings a good time to reflect on the past and to set goals for the future year to come.  Last month's newsletter was a piece on how to let things go and move forward, which often can be a good message people can carry into the new year.  In addition, I think the start of a new year can hold a new hope that this can be the year for amazing growth and change to occur.  Being a person whose career is focused on being invited in to see the transformation and growth that can occur in people's lives I can truly say that amazing things are possible when people are motivated to change and they have some key ingredients for change in place.  Below are some tips that I hope are helpful to you and your families as you may be setting out to make some resolutions or changes this year that will truly last the whole year to bring lasting change. 1.     Celebrate Successes --It is critical to celebrate the successes that you have had.  This is a key step in moving forward and staying motivated in one's journey of self-change.  It is often true that you will take two steps forward and one step back because change is hard and it is really important to see progress to keep moving forward.  This is true for children and adults.  For example: even in the worst moments such as a child's tantrum it is often possible to see improvements and provide genuine praise such as, "Johnny, even though you still have to work on using your words, I like how today you calmed down much faster.  That tells me you are using a lot of your coping skills.  Good job!" One activity I like to give to adults or families is to have each person make a list of the 3 things they are most proud of themselves for accomplishing this year and then parents write a list for their children.  Sometimes this can be challenging for the children I work with so if they have trouble coming up with a list I will have their parents give a list first and then they can say whether they agree with the things listed or not.  Either way, I think it is helpful feedback for children to have their parents provide them a list of at least the top 3 things that they think their child has been successful at this past year.  I like to have both parents or various loved ones give lists of their child's successes since often different people see a variety of accomplishments for a child. 2.     Set Realistic Goals that are Clear and Measurable --Setting realistic goals is a key ingredient to success.  You want to set a goal that you can achieve.  The fastest way to feel discouraged is to set an unrealistic goal and then to stop because you were never going to reach that goal. (For example: The quickest way to end up eating a gallon of double chocolate malted crunch ice cream right out of the container is to set a goal to lose 10 pounds in one week.)  It is also important to set goals you can measure regularly such as give my child verbal praise at least 5 times a day since this is something that can be easily counted and isn't ambiguous. 3.     Focus on the Process Versus the Outcome --For example if I set an overall goal to be healthier by changing my diet and exercising more I want to celebrate my successes for having a good process (making it to the gym at least 3 days per week, eating vegetables 5 days per week, no drinking soda, only having fast food twice per week, etc.) since the outcomes related to this (lower cholesterol, weight loss, etc.) will happen in time.  People usually have more success focusing on the process since these are things typically more in our immediate control. 4.     Set Timelines for Change for Over Several Months --To be successful it is critical to know that real change takes time.  Research shows that often to make lasting change that becomes a habit often takes doing a certain behavior for a minimum of 2 months so make sure to make resolutions that are for at least a couple of months minimum.  It is better to start small and have a longer plan since you will be more likely to maintain this change over time.  I hope this new year brings you health and happiness and that you choose joy.  Good luck in your journey as you move forward, hopefully celebrating many successes and also continuing to set new goals to challenge yourself in the new year.

Letting It Go

Dear Friends of Quest,     I hope that this monthly installment of our newsletter finds you happy and healthy!  Happy Thanksgiving from Quest!  We hope that you have a wonderful holiday this month. This issue of our newsletter includes tips regarding how to let things go in order to live a more full life.  At Quest, we are proud to provide an innovative treatment program through our therapeutic summer camp and school year therapy groups that have been proven to reduce problem behaviors not only at camp, but in school, at home, and in everyday life.  We hope that our newsletter will be a source of support and applicable information to improve the lives of the amazing children and families in our community.    Sincerely, Jodie Knott, Ph.D. Director and Licensed Psychologist Quest Therapeutic Camps of Southern California

Letting it Go  (Written by Brittany McKee, Quest Counselor) The month of November is a common month in which we take the time to think about the things we are most thankful for in our lives.  With Thanksgiving fast approaching, it seemed to be a beneficial time to discuss the art of letting things go.  In a recent article in Psychology Today Judith Sills, PH.D writes in reference to letting things go and moving forward so that we can focus more of our time on what we are most grateful and thankful for.  Sills notes the importance of getting "unstuck" and how it involves reconsidering the past from a different point of view.  This can be very difficult for us to do because it forces us to confront the three strongest emotional drives we as humans have: love, fear and rage.  Having the capabilities to acknowledge the things that are difficult for us to let go of and to look at them from a different point of view can give us the opportunity to move forward. [1] Sills presents six action steps to take to let things go.   1. Anchor Yourself in the Future It can be difficult to let go of the past when we do not have a positive view of tomorrow.  It is really important to have a vision for tomorrow.  Having a positive activity or goal to look forward to will help pull you out of the quicksand of yesterday.  2. Discard To actively push past the past it is important to discard things that are going to keep you in the past.  Sometimes it can be difficult to discard things, in which case, you can put these memories in a box or suitcase and put them in the back of your closet until discarding them will be less difficult.  But it is important to keep discarding so that we can keep moving toward the future. 3. Repair Making amends can be an important part of letting go and moving forward.  Stating your remorse involves three parts--an articulation of the harm you feel you did; a chance for the other person to express his or her point of view or past pain; and an authentic expression of remorse from the heart.   4. Transform Your Narrative A powerful way to ease past pain is to rewrite key aspects of the story from a more balanced point of view.  A healthy rewrite can make you feel less victimized, devastated and less lost.  They do not change the facts of the narrative they just look at the facts from more empathetic, mature and less injured eyes that can help you let go. 5. Forgive Transforming your narrative is one of the toughest steps toward forgiveness.  It can feel powerfully rewarding to continue feeling angry when we are deeply wronged.  Forgiving someone can even make us feel as though we are letting the bad guy get off easily.  Forgiveness is  a decision that says "You wronged me.  I didn't deserve it.  I've been angry long enough.  I am laying down my anger because I don't want to carry it anymore."   6. Learn to Be Present There is nothing more powerful than learning to be in the present.  Having a sense of mindfulness, an acquired skill, has stress-reduction benefits that are well documented and can give us many positive emotional side effects.  As you increase your mindfulness, you will be able to get past the past.  [1] Sills, J (2014). Psychology Today. Let It Go! Sills presents six action steps to take to let things go.

Limiting Electronic Exposure

Dear Friends of Quest,     I hope that this monthly installment of our newsletter finds you happy and healthy!  Happy Halloween from Quest!  We hope that you have a wonderful holiday today. This issue of our newsletter includes information regarding how to limit children's time and exposure to television and electronics, especially regarding violent or more mature content.  At Quest, we are proud to provide an innovative treatment program through our therapeutic summer camp and school year therapy groups that have been proven to reduce problem behaviors not only at camp, but in school, at home, and in everyday life.  We hope that our newsletter will be a source of support and applicable information to improve the lives of the amazing children and families in our community.    Sincerely, Jodie Knott, Ph.D. Director and Licensed Psychologist Quest Therapeutic Camps of Southern California

Limiting Children's Time and Exposure to Violence and Other More Mature Content Given children's high interest and often obsession with television and other electronics such as video games it can be very challenging for parents to limit both children's time on across these devices, but also what type of mature and violent content they are exposed to.  While this can be challenging due to the wide range of devices and often the pressure from children it is critical for children's well-being that there are clear limits set on the amount of time they have for time interacting with electronics, but also they types of messages that they are exposed to when they actually are plugged in.      The American Academy of Pediatrics has come out to say that television should not be viewed by children under two at any time.  There is also a lot of information regarding both the amount of exposure and potential harm that exposure to electronics can bring to children.      Children and teenagers have been found to spend an average of four hours per day watching television, according to the Palo Alto Medical Foundation.  This time does not include time spent on the computer, being on the internet, smartphones, or playing video games.  Some negative effects that electronics can have on children and teens include: 1) Increased obesity risk--too much screen time can promote a sedentary lifestyle, which is one of the major contributing factors in obesity.  The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry estimated that 33% of teens in 2011 were obese an recommended that by replacing 30 minutes of screen time per day with physical activity would dramatically decrease children's health risks. [1]  Additionally, children who view television are found to be more vulnerable targets of advertisements for food products of poor nutritional value than children who don't watch television. [2] 2) Increased aggression--teens with exposure to violent television and video games may also experience increased aggression by being more likely to fight with peers, argue with teachers, and have more generally aggressive behaviors according to the Palo Alto Medical Foundation. [1]  Research studies have shown that children exposed to violent images are initially frightened and traumatized. With repeated exposure, they can become desensitized to the real effects of violence. Children exposed in this way may act aggressively, with no sense of consequences. [2] 3)  Sleep problems--Having electronics in your teenager's bedroom can negative affect his or her normal sleep cycle.  This is true even when children are not getting up to answer their phones since updates might be disturbing their sleep if their devices aren't completely powered down. [1] 4)  Potential mental health problems--spending too much time playing video games can increase depression in teens who have a predisposition to social or mental health problems, notes Douglas A. Gentile, a psychology professor at Iowa State University.  He cites how there is a group of teens who become addicted to video games and become isolated and depressed.  Gentile recommends monitoring and limiting game time as appropriate. [1] 5)  Television and electronic media displace social interaction--the American Academy of Pediatrics also found that time spent watching television or playing a computer game is "time not spent engaged in a creative activity, or interacting with other people. Television viewing is an especially passive experience, offering no opportunity to interact or respond. When the amount of time spent in front of the television or sitting at a game console is prolonged, it can displace social activities such as play, or even conversation. Spending too much time with electronic media can be an isolating experience, with a negative impact on the development of social skills." [2] 6)  Movies and television portray an unrealistic view of the world--The American Academy of Pediatrics also found that movies and television programs glamorize smoking and drinking and send dangerous messages to children. [2]  On a similar note, Dr. Martha Klassen and I recently heard Geena Davis speak about her institute's research regarding gender in the media.  Geena Davis' Institute's data regarding how girls and women are being portrayed in programming designed for children under 6 is considered the highest in the field and is now informing policy at places from the UN to Disney since her organization's work revealed that only 17% of characters on screen for children are female, that female characters are typically in supporting roles and have lower level careers compared to males presented, and it is not uncommon for females to be presented in suggestive clothing. More can be found about Davis' organization and their findings and efforts to change what children are exposed to at www.seejane.org. What you can do to limit your child's exposure: 1)  Set clear time limits on the amount of screen time that your child receives during the week.  For many of my families that I work with screen time isn't a right, but a privilege that is earned in small doses.   2)  If your child has difficulty abiding by the time limits or rules of screen time, you might remove screen time all together or put parameters in place to help monitor its use such as: -lock up devices or keep out of children's bedrooms for better monitoring -have passwords on all devices -know potential of all devices (for example: I have had young children in my practice before accessing inappropriate content on the internet through their Wii since the parent didn't set parental controls not realizing the device with the potential to access the internet) -use apps that can shut down electronics when time is up (some phone carriers provide these options as well)    3)  Have hard limits about what types of programming your child is allowed to be exposed to.  The facts are that there are many negative elements in television, films, and video games and especially given the large amount of time that children these days spend on these devices it can have a large negative impact on children.  You need to be your child's biggest advocate despite how they will pressure you or even how other adults might tell you that these things are not damaging.  Games, shows, and movies have ratings for a reason.  One website I find helpful for making decisions about appropriate content for different age children is www.commonsensemedia.org since this will review a movie with potential areas of concern prior to going to a film or watching a show and being surprised.  This site also provides potential talking points for good discussions with children.  It can be tough sometimes to set hard limits, but your children need you to be the bad guy for them. 4)  Sometimes you might choose to allow your child to watch a show or play a game that has some questionable content as a way to educate your child about an issue.  This can be incredibly helpful.  We want our children questioning the world around them.  For example: Geena Davis gave an example during her talk about how you could talk to children about a scantily clad girl going to rescue someone where you could ask questions like "Do you think someone would really dress like that to go help somebody?"  "What do you think you would wear instead?"  Images for teens with alcohol and smoking for teens could lead to a conversation with teens in this area about your family values about drug use and what you expect for them. 5)  Be confident knowing that you are not alone and that there are many other parents out there who are also out there who are also making the same choices.  The more you can partner together the better.       [1] Roberts, Holly. The negative effects electronics have on teens. September 6, 2011 www.livestrong.com [2] Walsh, Eileen.  Electronics and young children. February 18, 2011 http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Electronic_Media/

Connection of Diet and Attention/Behavior

Dear Friends of Quest,     I hope that this monthly installment of our newsletter finds you happy and healthy!  Our school year groups started last week and we are off to a great start.  Our school year groups began on:   Wednesday, September 24th (we are still accepting last minute signups)  Fall Groups  Early Afternoon Therapy Group --General group at the Central Library in Huntington Beach from 4 to 6pm on Wednesdays. Rock Climbing Therapy Group --At ClimbX Indoor Rock Climbing Gym from 6 to 8pm on Wednesdays.  This issue of our newsletter includes information regarding how diet can affect attention.  At Quest, we are proud to provide an innovative treatment program through our therapeutic summer camp and school year therapy groups that have been proven to reduce problem behaviors not only at camp, but in school, at home, and in everyday life.  We hope that our newsletter will be a source of support and applicable information to improve the lives of the amazing children and families in our community.    Sincerely, Jodie Knott, Ph.D. Director and Licensed Psychologist Quest Therapeutic Camps of Southern California

The Connection Between Diet and Attention and Behavior  This month, Experience Life, had a great article by Pamela Weintraub summarizing some of the current research and thoughts in the field regarding attention and behavior related to diet, titled, "Connecting ADHD and Nutrition."  Weintraub's writing details the start of concerns regarding diet and behavior in the 1970's to recent, rigorous studies to examine the diet/attention connection.  She also provides several tips for parents regarding how to integrate, nutrition-based approaches into their child's life to see if these changes impact behavior.      Questions about how diet could affect behavior was first developed by Dr. Ben Feingold, a pediatric allergist, in the 1970's when he came to believe that food dyes, preservatives, and some chemicals in food could cause hyperactivity.  There became a lot of controversy about Dr. Feingold's theories, with some studies disproving him, but many parents insisting that his recommended diet was working for their children.        Weintraub noted that a problem with Dr. Feingold's approach was that it pointed to too many problematic substances and didn't create for a way to separate out for various diagnoses.  She stated "the only way to tell whether eliminating a given food or additive might aid a certain disorder is to conduct studies to the highest standards of science.  And in recent years, researchers have done just that." (page 62)  Notably, Dr. David Schab of Colombia University Medical Center performed a meta-analysis (an analysis of all the placebo-controlled, double-blind studies) and found that artificial food colors had an enormous, negative effect of focus and concentration, and increased hyperactivity in a subset of children and teens.  In addition, the preservative sodium benzoate can trigger hyperactivity and inattentiveness.  These effects were more pronounced for young children and for those with more exposure to the dyes or sodium benzoate.  In addition, Lidy Pelsser, Ph.D., a researcher at the ADHD Research Centre in the Netherlands placed 50 children with ADHD on a restrictive diet of water, rice, turkey, lamb, lettuce, carrots, pears, and other whole foods rarely known to cause allergies and 64% of children had significant remission of symptoms, and most children relapsed after stopping the elimination diet.  Of note, despite criticism given these types of findings the FDA decided after an 8 to 6 split vote not to put warning labels on food with food coloring, while conversely in Europe a similar panel voted to label food and many international food makers are only using natural dyes, while American food products continue to use artificial colorings.      Julia Rucklidge, Ph.D. in New Zealand published a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trail testing a micronutrient mix (14 vitamins, 16 minerals) versus a placebo to find that those taking the micronutrient reported greater improvement in inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.  In addition, a greater effect was found for those who had been taking the micronutrient for longer periods.      Weintraub also sites work by Dr. Kenneth Brock in his book Healing the New Childhood Epidemics: Autism, ADHD, Asthma, and Allergies, in which he reports that gluten and casein can sometimes profoundly exacerbate symptoms associated with ADHD.  He notes that by removing gluten and casein from children's diets in these cases it is possible to have children who are much calmer, focused, and who have overall better general health.      Next, Weintraub discussed the work of physicians, Drs. Luke Curtis and Kalpana Patel, since they advocate for bundling nutritional and environmental interventions together.  In their work they often will eliminate foods and dyes, add whole foods, supplements, and probiotics, and reduce a child's exposure to toxins and then see positive changes for the child.   Weintraub's provides a list from the experts for a "Nutritional Tune-Up"  (Of course, consult your physician or naturopath to discuss these specifically for your family) 1.  Remove artificial colorings--especially Red #40, Blue #2, Yellow #5, and Yellow #6. 2.  Eliminate food additives--especially the preservative sodium benzoate (commonly in soda and other carbonated beverages, fruit juices, jams, salad dressings, condiments, and pickles). 3.  Remove medicines and foods containing salicylates--found in aspirin and fruits 4.  Supplement your child's meals with targeted micronutrient--vitamins and minerals including vitamin D, B vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, amino acids, calcium, iron, magnesium, and zinc. 5.  Try a restrictive diet like referenced for Dr. Pelsser above and if symptoms subside slowly reintroduce foods to try and see what your child is having a food allergy to. 6.  Try an elimination diet such as a gluten and casein free diet. 7.  Consider your child's gastrointestinal health--work with a physician to add a probiotic along with the supplement tricycline to improve problems related to leaky gut if appropriate. 8.  Consider a low-glycemic eating plan (high in protein and fiber, low in carbs such as refined carbs and sugar). 9.  Rebuild your child's diet based on whole, organic, nutrient-dense foods. I know this article summary has a lot of information and a lot of tips.  My hope is that this information will create opportunities for parents to increase communication with their children's physician's and other providers in the community such as naturopathic providers so that more comprehensive services can be provided for children.

The Annual Newsletter Review

Dear Friends of Quest,     I hope that this monthly installment of our newsletter finds you happy and healthy!  It is hard to believe but summer camp is over and we are gearing up for another great school year for Quest.  I don't have enough words to say how incredibly proud I am of how our campers did this summer reaching their goals!  This summer we saw many of our campers try new things, build new friendships, have great achievements like reaching the top of the climbing wall, scoring their first goals in soccer, and boogie boarding for the first time, while building skills for how to better control their emotions and understand the social world around them--All in all, it was a fantastic summer!   Our school year groups begin on:   Wednesday, September 24th! Our online system will be live for registrations on:  Friday, September 5th  (early registration discount September 5th to 10th) Fall Groups  Early Afternoon Therapy Group --General group at the Central Library in Huntington Beach from 4 to 6pm on Wednesdays. Rock Climbing Therapy Group --At ClimbX Indoor Rock Climbing Gym from 6 to 8pm on Wednesdays.  This issue of our newsletter is our annual review of what has been written for the newsletter this past year.  At Quest, we are proud to provide an innovative treatment program through our therapeutic summer camp and school year therapy groups that have been proven to reduce problem behaviors not only at camp, but in school, at home, and in everyday life.  We hope that our newsletter will be a source of support and applicable information to improve the lives of the amazing children and families in our community.    Sincerely, Jodie Knott, Ph.D. Director and Licensed Psychologist Quest Therapeutic Camps of Southern California

The Annual Review of the Newsletter August always seems like a good time to provide a summary of all the Quest newsletters that have been written since it first began in May of 2011.  I thought this would make sense to do since it would be a way to cover some of the topics that I tend to find the most relevant for families and include things I discuss frequently with both the children and adults I see in my office and at camp.  I continue to strive to have the newsletter be a solid resource with information and tips to help children and families live happier, healthier lives.  Hopefully this review will lead you to some of our archived newsletters that you may have missed or would like to further explore at this time.  Below I have listed the article by name and have labeled the topics covered.  A link is also provided at the bottom with all of these newsletters together.   Quest Newsletter Article Review (Sept 2013 to Present)  ARTICLE NAME TOPICS COVERED Apps to Assist with Parenting  Parenting Challenging Children's Fears Parenting Behaviors and Characteristics of Happy People  General Health  Helping Children to Recognize Emotions in Themselves and Others Treatment Social Skills  Taking the Shame out of Parenting for both Children and Parents  Parenting Developing 21st Century Skills Through Summer Camp  Enrichment Through Camp  Getting Children Away From Computer Screens and into Other Activities   Parenting  Exciting New Findings Regarding Children with Autism and Alternative Health   Alternative Health Options Why I am Obsessed with Social Thinking (and You Should be Too!)  Social Skills Treatment  How to Help Children Have Better Sportsmanship and Cope with Losing   Parenting To sign up for the Quest Newsletter: Please click the link on the left side of this newsletter. For Newsletter Articles Please Click Here

Helping Children Improve Their Sportsmanship

Dear Friends of Quest,     I hope that this monthly installment of our newsletter finds you happy and healthy!  Summer camp is flying by! Tomorrow will wrap up week 4 of our 6 week summer camp.  I am excited to say our campers are making fantastic gains this summer and we are enjoying getting to spend time with them.  This issue of our newsletter features an article regarding how to help children increase their sportsmanship and deal with the disappointment of losing.  At Quest, we are proud to provide an innovative treatment program through our therapeutic summer camp and school year therapy groups that have been proven to reduce problem behaviors not only at camp, but in school, at home, and in everyday life.  We hope that our newsletter will be a source of support and applicable information to improve the lives of the amazing children and families in our community.    Sincerely, Jodie Knott, Ph.D. Director and Licensed Psychologist Quest Therapeutic Camps of Southern California

How to Help Children Have Better Sportsmanship and Cope with Losing    Helping children to develop sportsmanship and also how to tolerate losing is not easy.  This is especially true for children with extra struggles to manage their emotions.  It is difficult for parents when boardgames such as Chutes and Ladders, Candyland, or Sorry turn from a fun time with your children into a nightmare.  As many children set very high standards for games (such as to win every time) it can be challenging to help them play games and make the process fun and enjoyable.   There are several strategies that I find can be helpful to improve children's sportsmanship and their ability to cope with losing: 1.  Frontload or pre-teach prior to starting a game with your child that the game is for fun and prepare them that anyone could win. 2.  Teach your child coping skills for when they get upset that they can use for when things don't go the way that they would like in a game.  These coping strategies can include taking deep breaths, using imagery, doing progressive relaxation, talking about their emotions, counting to 10, taking a break from the activity for a while, say "Unlucky, better luck next time." etc. 3.  I often build these coping strategies into games with children.  For example:  If a child lands on a chute in Chutes and Ladders in my office, he or she has to go down the chute, but if they can take a deep breath and say "unlucky, better luck next time" the child gets a bonus roll.  As an adult, I model the same skill, but do not earn the bonus roll. 4.  At Quest, we also play a lot of games that are cooperative in nature and would be difficult to keep score in so that it is difficult for children to focus on winning.  If children get stuck on winning, we stop them and provide bonuses if they can remember that we play for "fun" or if they can demonstrate some type of good sportsmanship such as telling a peer "good game" or give a high five.  We also teach our campers what types of behaviors constitute good sportsmanship and then reward those.  For example: for rock climbing we might do a relay race and then at the end announce that the winners were the team that had the best sportsmanship (which may or may not be the team that climbed the fastest that day). 5.  I also focus a lot with children on the process and the effort they put out versus the actual outcome.  By switching to this focus on effort and the process I find that children tend to feel more proud of themselves since they have a lot more control over whether they put forth effort in a competition and a lot less control over what happened next. While learning to be a good sport takes time, it is an important life skill and it is worth investing in this area with your child.  Children do learn from the examples we set so we can do a lot in how we approach sports and competitions to help set children up for success.  Being able to be a member of a team and be a good winner and also a good loser is important for relationships and future success.

Why I Am Obsessed with Social Thinking

Dear Friends of Quest,     I hope that this monthly installment of our newsletter finds you happy and healthy!  I am incredibly excited to say that summer camp is officially 1 week away!   Quest STILL Needs Your Help: 1.  More parents are needed for our research study that is starting this week:  We are continuing our research study this summer and need to connect with more potential participants.  We are looking for parents of children ages 6 to 18 with mild to moderate social, emotional, and/or behavioral difficulties who are not already engaging in Quest services.  Participation will be approximately 3 to 4 hours total from now to November.  As a thank you for participation, Quest will provide a free rock climbing event for the children of participants.  Please email Dr. Knott for more information or call 714-490-3428.     Summer Dates: July 7 to August 14  Please Click Here to View the Summer Calendar This issue of our newsletter features an article regarding social thinking.  At Quest, we are proud to provide an innovative treatment program through our therapeutic summer camp and school year therapy groups that have been proven to reduce problem behaviors not only at camp, but in school, at home, and in everyday life.  We hope that our newsletter will be a source of support and applicable information to improve the lives of the amazing children and families in our community.    Sincerely, Jodie Knott, Ph.D. Director and Licensed Psychologist Quest Therapeutic Camps of Southern California

Why I am Obsessed with Social Thinking (and You Should Be Too!)  My obsession with social thinking began a few years ago when I first started to read the works by Michelle Garcia Winner.  Winner has written multiple books regarding how to assist children with social difficulties by teaching children how to utilize "social thinking".  The first book I read by Winner was exciting since it was a literature review regarding what works and what doesn't when teaching social skills to children and presented her ideas for how to use the best of evidence-based practices while also stretching further to incorporate the teaching of social thinking to increase the likelihood of children truly becoming social thinkers and generalizing the actual social skills being taught [1].   It is difficult to build social skills and have these skills generalize due to the complexities inherent in our social world. "Social thinking and appropriate social actions help us navigate a world shared by other people-people with differing thoughts, motives, beliefs, desires, and perceptions...Seemingly simple social skills are, in reality, quite complex networks of interdependent thoughts and actions, supported by an equally complex organizational structure. Once again, this structure develops without effort or concrete teaching in the neurotypical child; it's a normal part of the child's social development. Not so for the child with social challenges, and without a structure that helps the child organize and make sense of social learning, the child drifts even further without this innate compass to guide his thoughts and actions...It is not enough for an individual to have social knowledge. The student or adult must be able to systematically coordinate prior social knowledge within the context of the current situation, reading both verbal and nonverbal cues from the environment and people within it-whether or not verbal conversation is taking place." [2]      Winner states that sometimes these skills won't generalize to other environments if a larger social knowledge is not present. Social skills need to be taught in context with support often given to assist with emotion regulation.  In addition, children with social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties do not learn the same way as other children.  Due to this difficulty they often need direct feedback related to the "hidden rules" of social interactions that they often miss that other children know without having to think about.  Children with these types of social struggles often need repeated exposures and practice, often with engaging forms of teaching that are multi-sensory in nature.  These lessons often have to be direct in nature and assist children to become social thinkers since they do not naturally process facial expressions, body language, and social cues.   Major components of social thinking include:   1) Teaching about what behaviors are "expected" versus "unexpected" and how engaging in these two different types of behaviors illicit different emotional reactions from others.  2) Teaching children not just to have "eye contact," but what types of information they should actually be seeking out with their eyes (AKA--the art of being a social detective). 3) Teaching "hidden rules" of social interactions 4) Teaching the steps of perspective taking 5)  Teaching the steps of communication  I am excited as this next camp season draws near since we plan to dedicate time each day specifically for social thinking instruction.  I am listing out some of my favorite books in the area of social thinking below for those interested in learning more.      **Michelle Garcia Winner has multiple books available at her website, www.socialthinking.com that offer wonderful resources regarding social thinking.  She has books, curricula, and games designed for professionals, parents, and for children.   Winner, M. G. (2010) Sticker Strategies: Practical strategies to encourage social thinking and organization --This book has many of the hidden rules and great lessons.  It will be a cornerstone of our camp program this summer. Winner, M. G. (2007) Thinking about you, Thinking about me. --Great for practitioners Crooke, P. & Winner, M. G. (2011) Social Fortune or Social Fate --A graphic novel for teens Winner, M. G. & Crooke, P (2009) Socially curious and curiously social: a social thinking guidebook for bright teens and young adults --Book for teens and young adults with a lot of information  Jessum, J. (2011). Diary of a social detective --Book for children to understand social cues Cannon L., Kenworthy, L., Alexander, K & Werner M. (2011)  Unstuck and On Target --A great book with many cognitive flexibility activities  [1] Winner, M. G., 2008. A politically incorrect look at evidence-based practices and teaching social skills: a literature review and discussion. Social Thinking Publishing, Inc. San Jose, CA. [2] Winner, M. G., 2008. A politically incorrect look at evidence-based practices and teaching social skills: a literature review and discussion. Social Thinking Publishing, Inc. San Jose, CA. pp. 3-5

Exciting New Findings In Alternative Health

Dear Friends of Quest,     I hope that this monthly installment of our newsletter finds you happy and healthy!  Our school year rock climbing group comes to an end tomorrow with a climb out in Malibu and then we are set to for another great summer at Quest!     FREE EVENT: Dr. Jodie Knott, Director or Quest, will be speaking about "Teaching Emotion Regulation and Pro-Social Skills for Children: Strategies for Parents."  The talk will be held on Thursday, June 5th, from 6 to 8:30pm at the Central Library in Huntington Beach (Room D) and is open to parents and professionals in the community.  Please RSVP to Jodie_Knott@questcamps.com. Quest Needs Your Help: 1.  More camp counselors needed:  We have hired several, new great camp counselors this year to add to our already amazing staff, but are still looking for a few more great people!  Please help us get the word out to have qualified applicants apply through the contact us page of our website. 2.  More parents are needed for our research study:  We are continuing our research study this summer and need to connect with more potential participants.  We are looking for parents of children ages 6 to 18 with mild to moderate social, emotional, and/or behavioral difficulties who are not already engaging in Quest services.  Participation will be approximately 3 to 4 hours total.  Please email Dr. Knott for more information. As I announced last month we are putting into place several new things that I think will help to improve the camp experience.   New Additions for Camp this Summer Include: --A transportation shuttle service to and from camp --New field trips for bowling and the movies --Additional Parent Meetings --A new registration that will be much more user friendly than our last system and allow for signups by smartphone and tablet --Additional staff to assist with the administrative details of camp    Summer Dates: July 7 to August 14  Please Click Here to View the Summer Calendar    This issue of our newsletter features an article regarding new findings in the field of alternative health.  At Quest, we are proud to provide an innovative treatment program through our therapeutic summer camp and school year therapy groups that have been proven to reduce problem behaviors not only at camp, but in school, at home, and in everyday life.  We hope that our newsletter will be a source of support and applicable information to improve the lives of the amazing children and families in our community.    Sincerely, Jodie Knott, Ph.D. Director and Licensed Psychologist Quest Therapeutic Camps of Southern California

Exciting New Findings Regarding Children with Autism in Alternative Health This month I thought I would write about some exciting research that has been coming out lately in the field regarding children with autism.  I was inspired to write about this topic since my mom is always reading up on more alternative health approaches for treatment.  As a scientist-practitioner myself, I value a lot of what is available in alternative treatments and feel that there can be much to be gained, but do think you have to be a thoughtful consumer.  Basically, there is a lot of noise out in the world about what may or may not be helpful to people with different levels of support or research to back it up and a lot of parents who want what is best for their children who are willing to go to great lengths for their children so I am always really cautious about what I recommend or endorse.  With that being said...here are a couple exciting findings in the field of alternative health that could make sense to discuss with your care providers to see if they might make sense for your child. 1.  Potential Benefit of A-acetylcysteine (NAC) A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of 12-week duration was completed on young children with autism.  Participants in the study were mostly boys (31 with 2 girl participants as well) from the ages of 3 to 10.  The children all had stable care providers and medications with no planned changes during the 12 week study and had never had a trial of NAC or were currently taking other antioxidants or glutathione prodrugs.  NAC was given at 900 mg per day for the first 4 weeks, 900 mg twice per day for the next 4 weeks, then 900 mg three time per day for the final four weeks (or as tolerated). "Primary Outcomes: NAC treatment showed significant improvement in ABC irritability subscales over placebo (P<0.001). Improvement was evident at week 4 and increased through week 12.  Children also showed a trend toward significance in less stereotypic/repetitive behavior. Minimal adverse effects were observed with the exception of 1 participant whose symptoms worsened." "This study is of potential clinical relevance for treatment of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and other mental health issues. Two theories that have been presented as to why NAC may have clinical benefit in ASD are its effect on glutamatergic neural pathways and its use as an antioxidant...  NAC has shown clinical benefit in ASD, as well as other mental health issues, including depression, OCD, and addiction. Whether as an antioxidant or by manipulating glutamate, it seems to be able to help balance neurotransmitter levels. It can improve symptoms of irritability, depressed mood, and impulsivity. Given its very low potential for side effects, NAC could be a useful adjunct to other therapies for these conditions."  [1] Though, this study had a small sample size it was very well designed with families and researchers not knowing who was receiving NAC versus a placebo, which really increases the importance of the results found. 2.  Taking Probiotics to Potentially Reduce Signs of Autism  Dr. David Williams is a big proponent of taking probiotics.  He cites the same study I cited above and then goes on to talk about how antibiotic use, sterilized foods, chlorinated water supplies, and other factors have greatly affected the population's intestinal bacterial flora into disarray. "Animal studies have shown probiotics can help reduce the signs of autism.  Young animals infected with fragments of the flu virus exhibited the same signs of autism: limited interaction with others, difficulty communicating, and repetitive and compulsive disorder. And in every case, they were found to have a permeable gut wall also called a 'leaky gut.' This occurs when there's a lack of beneficial, protective bacteria in the intestinal tract.  Researchers found that, by administering probiotics and changing the ecology of the intestine, they could return the normal bacterial flora and negate the signs of autism."  In addition, researchers at Colombia University have found distinctive differences in the microorganisms in the guts of autistic children compared to non-autistic children {MBio 2012 Feb 14;3 (1)}. [2] As stated above, the field is always changing and there are exciting discoveries in research that help everyday to inform practice.  The best advice I can give is to develop good working relationships with the professionals in your life (pediatricians, psychiatrists, naturopaths, neurologists, psychologists, teachers, etc.) and ask questions. [1] Grigel, K. R. N-Acetylcysteine in the treatment of childhood Autism. Natural Medicine Journal, September 2012, vol 4, issue 9, http://naturalmedicinejournal.com/journal/2012-09/n-acetylcysteine-treatment-childhood-autism [2] Williams. D. Alternatives, Volume 16, No 9, September 2013. Solutions for Autism

Getting Children Away From Computer Screens and Into Other Activities

Dear Friends of Quest,

I hope that this monthly installment of our newsletter finds you happy and healthy!  Our spring sessions are in full swing and summer is just around the corner!  

FREE EVENT:
Quest will be hosting a meeting to describe many of the therapeutic components we use at camp regarding developing better emotion regulation and pro-social behaviors and how parents can utilize these strategies in the home setting.  The talk will be held on Thursday, June 5th, from 6 to 8:30pm at the Central Library in Huntington Beach (Room D) and is open to parents and professionals in the community.  Please RSVP toJodie_Knott@questcamps.com.

As I announced last month we are putting into place several new things that I think will help to improve the camp experience.

New Additions for Camp this Summer Include:
--A transportation shuttle service to and from camp
--New field trips for bowling and the movies
--Additional Parent Meetings
--A new registration that will be much more user friendly than our last system and allow for signups by smartphone and tablet
--Additional staff to assist with the administrative details of camp


Summer Dates: July 7 to August 14

Please Click Here to View the Summer Calendar


This issue of our newsletter features an article regarding how to encourage children to engage in a wide range of activities.  At Quest, we are proud to provide an innovative treatment program through our therapeutic summer camp and school year therapy groups that have been proven to reduce problem behaviors not only at camp, but in school, at home, and in everyday life.  We hope that our newsletter will be a source of support and applicable information to improve the lives of the amazing children and families in our community.

Sincerely,


Jodie Knott, Ph.D.

Director and Licensed Psychologist

Quest Therapeutic Camps of Southern California



Getting Children Away From Computer Screens and Into Other Activities
A common struggle that many parents have is how to tear their children away from electronics and computer screens and to get them participating in other activities.  This can be especially true for children who have attention and social difficulties, who appear to be more likely to be sucked into the strong gravitational pull that these devices tend to have.  The good news is while it can take effort there are ways to help get children into other interests and even out into the outdoors.

This heightened pull toward electronics for children with attention and social difficulties could be related to several factors including:
1.  Children with attention difficulties are more likely to hyperfocus at times and video games are designed to be highly stimulating.
2.  Children with social difficulties are often less likely to have social activities in the hours after school compared to children with many friends.
3.  Interacting with other children in video games through game interfaces often feels safer for children than engaging in face-to-face interactions.
4.  Children with attention difficulties struggle with feelings of boredom in many situations and having a handheld device serves as a distraction or a way to possibly avoid social situations in public that could be stressful.

Strategies that parents can use to get away from electronics:
1.  Limit game time and make it a reward when it is allowed.  Many families set many restrictions for screen time.  Some will set rules around no game or screen time on school days or will only allow screen time as a bonus when homework and other responsibilities are completed.

2.  Assist children with understanding what other types of activities are available when electronics are not going to be available to them.  Some children with attention and learning difficulties have more difficulty than other children remembering all the other activities they can do since if children are hyperfocused on video games this type of tunnel vision can make it difficult to remember other options.  Some children do well when they work with their parents to create a written list of all the activities that are possible to do.  I know other families who have set up activity stations for their children with stations housing a variety of different types of activities or hobbies.  Stations should be tailored to the child, but can work well when their are several options (books, Legos, art supplies, sketch pads, visual puzzles, models, journals,etc.).

3.  Teach children social rules they might not be attending to including that all children are bored at times and it is a life skill to be able to find appropriate ways to entertain oneself.

4.  Provide bonuses for children who participate in various enrichment activities without dwelling on their desire to spend more time playing with electronics.  It is common for children with attention and social difficulties to really fight against going to activities or trying something new.  Bonuses for children who try new things or who have a good attitude when they are directed to new activities can be helpful.  Also, in these types of situations I find that often children are anxious about not knowing what to expect or are overwhelmed in part due to other activities of the school day.  In these cases, helping children to increase their skills in regulating their emotions by using a variety of coping strategies can be helpful.

5.  Have days where the whole family unplugs together.  These could be days spent outdoors such as having a family outing or playing a game together.

Developing interest in other activities can sometimes take time and investment, but can really payoff for children and their families as a whole.  Hopefully these tips will help to get more families outdoors and away from screens.  

Developing 21st Century Skills Through Summer Camp

Dear Friends of Quest,

I hope that this monthly installment of our newsletter finds you happy and healthy!  Our spring sessions are in full swing and summer is just around the corner!  

We are putting into place several new things that I think will help to improve the camp experience.

New Additions for Camp this Summer Include:
--A transportation shuttle service to and from camp
--New field trips for bowling and the movies
--Additional Parent Meetings
--A new registration that will be much more user friendly than our last system and allow for signups by smartphone and tablet
--Additional staff to assist with the administrative details of camp


Summer Dates: July 7 to August 14

Please Click Here to View the Summer Calendar


REGISTRATIONS BY APRIL 15TH WILL RECEIVE $200 OFF SUMMER CAMP COSTS!

This issue of our newsletter features an article regarding how camps can teach children the skills considered critical to be successful in the 21st century.  At Quest, we are proud to provide an innovative treatment program through our therapeutic summer camp and school year therapy groups that have been proven to reduce problem behaviors not only at camp, but in school, at home, and in everyday life.  We hope that our newsletter will be a source of support and applicable information to improve the lives of the amazing children and families in our community.

Sincerely,


Jodie Knott, Ph.D.
Director and Licensed Psychologist
Quest Therapeutic Camps of Southern California





Developing 21st Century Skills Through Summer Campby Nicole Wurm,
Head of Counselor Services

What are 21st Century Skills and why does it matter?
            According to the American Management Association (2013) employers reported that companies with many job openings were unable to hire applicants due to lack of higher level skills. These skills are called 21st Century Skills which include creative solution development, ability to function as a team to solve problems, critical thinking, communication, flexibility, adaptability, social skills, leadership, and much more. The companies that formed the Partnership for 21st Century Skills asked for schools and youth development organizations to begin developing these skills in their students. The development of these skills is critical in preparing children for their adult life and career. Schools are beginning to use 21st Century Skills to develop these skills in conjunction with the new Common Core standards. These skills are an important part of being a well-rounded individual and a capable leader in business or the workforce.

For more information on the 21st Century Skills framework or skills please visit:

http://www.p21.org

http://www.p21.org/storage/documents/1.__p21_framework_2-pager.pdf


How can 21st Century Skills be Built?
            The use of experiential learning is an effective means for developing 21st Century Skills. Experiential learning is the process of learning from experience. Summer camps use experiential learning to develop these skills. Quest camp has taken the lead in developing and preparing children with the skills that will be in high demand for future jobs. A person begins developing these skills by experiencing team building initiatives that draw out the need for these skills. In order to successfully complete the tasks children must work as teams to create innovative solutions. During and after the experience they must reflect on the problem and what methods they can use to create a solution. They are building new knowledge and understandings through reflecting on the process they engaged in during their experience.   Although these skills are beginning to be integrated into schools, camps have been developing these skills in children for decades (Brody, 2013). Summer camps and other outdoor adventure experiential learning facilities are at the forefront of fostering these skills (Hattie et al., 1997; Henderson et al., 2007; Thurber et al. 2007).  Quest camps purposefully create its curriculum to foster the development these skills among its campers.

How Quest Builds 21st Century Skills?
            The games, activities and social interactions that Quest Camps utilize are developed to provide students with the opportunity to experience situations that need these skills. We build these skills up by starting with simpler experiences and construct a scaffold for students to build the knowledge and skills upon. Team building activities occurs several times throughout the week requiring students to work together to solve a problem; the objective of the exercise maybe to develop improved communication skills, teaching methods of problem solving or fostering creative thinking skills. Other experiences are designed to develop leadership, flexibility, social skills, responsibility and adaptability. Quest also integrates some of the information, media, and technology skills through the use of video game making week and movie making week, as well as, creativity, collaboration, communication, innovation etc. Leadership is highly encouraged within our program as campers develop the necessary skills and confidence and their abilities. Quest Camp uses experiential learning through the games, activities, and social interactions to develop the skills they will need to flourish and succeed in the 21st Century workplace and their lives.

**Information in this article is from Nicole's Thesis from California State University, Fullerton.

Taking the Shame out of Parenting for Both Children and Parents

Dear Friends of Quest,

I hope that this monthly installment of our newsletter finds you well!  We are super excited at Quest since we have already been planning many great things for this upcoming summer!  We are putting into place several new things that I think will help to improve the camp experience.

New Additions for Camp this Summer Include:
--A transportation shuttle service to and from camp
--New field trips for bowling and the movies
--Additional Parent Meetings
--A new registration that will be much more user friendly than our last system and allow for signups by smartphone and tablet
--Additional staff to assist with the administrative details of camp

It is hard to believe that our winter groups will be concluding in the next 2 weeks.  Both of our two therapy groups (our general group with some video game making and our rock climbing therapy group) will be starting the spring sequence on Wednesday, March 19th!  

Summer Dates: July 7 to August 14

Please Click Here to View the Summer Calendar


OUR NEW REGISTRATION SYSTEM WILL BE FULLY ACTIVE BY FRIDAY, MARCH 7TH!  REGISTRATIONS BY APRIL 15TH WILL RECEIVE $200 OFF SUMMER CAMP COSTS!

This issue of our newsletter features an article regarding how to discipline children without them experiencing shame.  At Quest, we are proud to provide an innovative treatment program through our therapeutic summer camp and school year therapy groups that have been proven to reduce problem behaviors not only at camp, but in school, at home, and in everyday life.  We hope that our newsletter will be a source of support and applicable information to improve the lives of the amazing children and families in our community.

Sincerely,


Jodie Knott, Ph.D.
Director and Licensed Psychologist
Quest Therapeutic Camps of Southern California





Taking the Shame out of Parenting for Both Children and Parents    

This month I decided to pull a couple excerpts out of a book by Dr. Brene Brown called, Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent and Lead related to parenting and shame.  I read this book recently and have referred it to many people since and have covered many of the concepts with the children I work with since the book is incredibly well written and clearly details many of Dr. Brown's findings as a leading researcher on shame.  She provides tangible suggestions about how to live more wholeheartedly.  Below are a few quotes from the book specific to parenting and shame that I think are helpful.  Dr. Brown defines guilt as "I did something bad" versus shame which is defined as "I am bad".  She discusses how perfectionism, having prerequisites of when we will be worthy, and the need to change how we look at and discuss guilt and shame to transform our feelings as adults, as well as for children, so that we can all have better shame resilience.

When it comes to parenting, the practice of framing mothers and fathers as good or bad is both rampant and corrosive--it turns parenting into a shame minefield.  The real questions for parents should be: "Are you engaged? Are you paying attention?" If so, plan to make lots of mistakes and bad decisions.  Imperfect parenting moments turn into gifts as our children watch us try to figure out what went wrong and how we can do better next time.  The mandate is not to be perfect and raise happy children.  Perfection doesn't exist, and I've found that what makes children happy doesn't always prepare them to be courageous, engaged adults. (Brown, page 15)

Are we sending overt or covert messages about what makes them more and less lovable?  Or are we focusing more on behaviors that need to change and making it clear that their essential worthiness is not on the table? (Brown, pages 221-222)

In addition to keeping a mindful eye on prerequisites and perfectionism, we can help our children keep and cultivate their sense of worthiness in another way, one that relates back to what we learned about the differences between shame and guilt.  Research indicates that parenting is a primary predictor of how prone our children will be to shame or guilt.  In other words, we have a lot of influence over how our kids think about themselves and their struggles.  Knowing as we do that shame is positively correlated with addiction, depression, aggression, violence, eating disorders, and suicide, and that guilt is inversely correlated with these outcomes, we naturally would want to raise children who use more guilt self-talk than shame.

This means we need to separate our children from their behaviors.  As it turns out, there's a significant difference between you are bad and you did something bad.  And, no it's not just semantics.  Shame corrodes the part of us that believes we can do and be better.  When we shame and label our children, we take away their opportunity to grow and try on new behaviors.  If a child tells a lie, she can change that behavior.  If she is a liar--where's the potential for change in that?

Cultivating more guilt self-talk and less shame self-talk requires rethinking how we discipline and talk to our children.  But it also means explaining these concepts to our kids.  Children are very receptive to talking about shame if we're willing to do it.  By the time they're four and five, we can explain to them the difference between guilt and shame, and how much we love them even when they make bad choices. (Brown, pages 224-225)

Brown, B, (2012) Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent and Lead.