Contributed by Tracy Gale, PsyD, HSPP
The hustle and bustle of the holiday season can be challenging – this is often especially true for families with children with special needs or autism.
Here are some tips for helping your family keep the happy in the holidays.

• Create a plan. Have a schedule and things planned out to reduce surprises. Also, have a Plan B in case things change.
• Ask for help. Friends and family may not know what to do that would be helpful, so do not hesitate to tell them what you need.
• Remember to schedule some down time for you and your child.
• Wrap toys that are already assembled and ready to play with to reduce frustration and waiting.
• Consider wrapping familiar toys. It will give extra practice, and the familiar toys are already something your child knows how to use.

Season’s Best from Easterseals Crossroads!

Raise Awareness

Easterseals Crossroads is cutting the dis from disability and we need YOU to help us create awareness!
In just a few minutes, you can video your unique perspective of how you can take the dis out of disability and share with all your friends on Facebook and Twitter.
Want to see how? Here are some videos that have already been done:

Join the fun today and Cut the Dis for a GREAT cause!

Grant supports Central Indiana veterans, caregivers and individuals with disabilities on path to better health through Freedom from Smoking program
Blog contributed by Tessa Barnard
Tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of death and disease in the United States. While more Americans are kicking the habit, 42 million still identify as smokers – accounting for 1 out of every 5 citizens. People living with disabilities face even higher instances of smoking, nearly 40% more than those who reported having no disability (CDC, 2011).
CVS Health knows promoting a tobacco-free lifestyle extends well beyond their cigarette-free stores. That’s why they’re working with Easterseals, the nation’s indispensable resource for people facing disability, to help the disability community, veterans and caregivers kick the habit for good.
“If we are to help Americans on their path to better health, then tobacco-free living must remain a top, public health priority – for people of all abilities,” said Eileen Howard-Boone, President, CVS Health Foundation. “And that path starts in a different place for everyone. Together with Easterseals, we’re engaging the populations they serve including people with disabilities, veterans and caregivers who we know want to quit, but may not know where to start.”
Through support from the CVS Health Foundation, and in collaboration with the American Lung Association, Easterseals is advancing a smoking cessation program specifically tailored to the populations it serves: people with disabilities, veterans and caregivers – all groups with higher incidence of smoking. The partnership leverages the American Lung Association’s Freedom from Smoking online program, which takes participants through modules containing tips and lessons to quit smoking.
“We’re proud to partner with the CVS Health Foundation as we help the individuals and families we serve kick the habit for good,” said Patrick Sandy, President & CEO of Easter Seals Crossroads. “It’s a true honor to be selected among the grant awardees. We hope Central Indiana families are inspired to take advantage of this opportunity.”
Easter Seals Crossroads was among six affiliates to receive this year’s grant. The grant will support local efforts to put the Central Indiana community on the path to better help.
Learn more about smoking cessation
CVS Health is a pharmacy innovation company helping people on their path to better health. Through its approximately 9,600 retail pharmacies, more than 1,100 walk-in medical clinics, a leading pharmacy benefits manager with more than 75 million plan members, a dedicated senior pharmacy care business serving more than one million patients per year, and expanding specialty pharmacy services, the Company enables people, businesses and communities to manage health in more affordable and effective ways. This unique integrated model increases access to quality care, delivers better health outcomes and lowers overall health care costs.
Learn more about how CVS Health is shaping the future of health

Easterseals Crossroads has been a vital resource for 80 years. Throughout those years, we have responded to community needs with our programs and services for adults and children with disabilities, special needs and challenges.
We started in 1936 with a club of 12 teenagers with disabilities who formed a social group. The group formally organized in 1939 under the leadership of the Indiana Society for Crippled Children and leased a building at 30th and New Jersey streets. A curative workshop was established to prepare persons with disabilities for jobs in the community. In 1956, the organization moved to a newly built two-story structure at 3242 Sutherland Avenue, and in 1958, became an affiliate agency of the United Way of Central Indiana.
Our Easterseals affiliation came years later in the late 1980s followed by a physical move to our current main location at 4740 Kingsway Drive. We maintain this facility, along with two others – our Industrial Services division at 8302 East 33rd Street and our south location at 3215 East Thompson Road.
Our “look” has changed over the years in addition to our physical location. When we affiliated with Easterseals, we adopted the Easterseals logo, which was a blend of the national organization’s integral icons – the lily (introduced in 1952) and the seal (incorporated later because it captured the appeal of the signature fundraiser and namesake for Easter Seals).
In May of this year, our national organization introduced a new philosophy, brand and architecture to be adopted by all 70+ affiliates within the next 2 years. This new look is accompanied by our affirmation as the leading disability service provider locally and nationally – and we are taking on disability together as a national effort.
At the beginning of November of this year, Easterseals Crossroads will sport the new look and we are excited to be part of this national effort to change the way the world defines and views disability. While we may look different at the beginning of November, be assured that we continue to hold the best interests of our consumers, donors, volunteers and partners at the very core of our service delivery.

Think of Easter Seals Crossroads as your family’s back-to-school support team!
We understand the demands on our busy families’ lives; that is why we want to help in every way we can. We offer programs that help our families live, learn, work and play all during the year.
Our full-range of services for families include:
Vital programs to help individuals live independent lives.

• Families living with autism can benefit from behavioral treatment services from an interdisciplinary team of clinicians who provide individual as well as family intervention.
• Our diagnostic clinic offers comprehensive evaluation services for children ages 18 months through 8 years with symptoms that may indicate the presence of ASD or other developmental disorders.
• Physical, occupational and speech-language therapy services are available for children with special needs ages 3 – 18 years old to help them maximize their independence.
• Community services are available for children, teens and adults with developmental or special needs and can include respite, individual community hab (CHIO), personal assistance care (PAC) or recreational therapy.Resources and therapy that help people learn in order to grow, develop and thrive.
• Free and open to the public, the Autism Family Resource Center is a place for families to connect through parent-to-parent support, use library and video resource materials, access the internet and engage in support groups.
• The Speech and Hearing Resource Center – offered in partnership with Hear Indiana – provides speech therapy, audiology, information and referral, school outreach and counseling for parents of children who are deaf or hard of hearing.
• We provide specialized driver evaluation and training for adolescents and adults with disabilities.
• Our Assistive Technology Center is a nationally-recognized resource for individuals with disabilities.
• Early intervention therapy services are available for children ages birth to 3 years. We offer a free screening tool, the Ages & Stages Questionnaires, which will help identify if your child could benefit from developmental services at Easter Seals Crossroads.Activities that help families and children relax and enjoy play.
• Respite services include Parents’ Night (and Day) Out programs at multiple locations and Teen Night Out for adolescents.
• Summer camps for children and adolescents to enjoy recreational time and enjoy learning during the summer months.