Kaleidoscope Child and Family Care
363 Baldoon Road, Unit 200 N7L 0C1 Chatham, ON, Canada

April 2 is World Autism Awareness Day. We have been lucky to meet many unique and amazing kids with Autism Spectrum Disorder and their families. We’ve learned about the struggles and successes they experience. Every individual with autism is different, with their own strengths to be celebrated!

Just taking a moment at the end of this long Monday, which happens to be International Women’s Day, to give a shout out to my colleagues at Kaleidoscope. Cheers to all women-led businesses. Cheers to supporting one another. Cheers to our amazing team at Kaleidoscope! ~ Melanie

Keep checking your battery and encourage others to check theirs. Getting through the day isn’t always easy and the pandemic has increased stress and isolation. Know what will help you recharge, even just a little, and reach out if you’re not sure. #BellLetsTalk

Today is #BellLetsTalk Day. Take any opportunity to start the conversation.

It’s been quite a year! We want to thank every family that has let us be part of their story this year, and send wishes of happy holidays to all. Take good care of yourselves and others.

Kaleidoscope got a bit of an early Christmas present this year! We’re happy to announce that Amanda Ruggiero, registered social worker, has joined our team! Amanda will be available to offer counselling services to children, adolescents and adults. As always, all of the contact information for our Kaleidoscope team can be found on our website: www.kalchildandfamily.com

Music for the Mind Fundraiser donates funds to the CKHA Inpatient Mental Health Unit. Their online Christmas auction starts on December 6. It's a wonderful event to support our community! There are a lot of great items donated by local businesses - including a few of the folks at Kaleidoscope! Check it out!

Heads up! Support a great cause between December 6 and 16!

‘Tis the season! We are continuing with our annual Christmas project again this year!!! If you are interested in donating gifts, giving a cash donation or sh...opping for a family in need please connect with Ang Elley at [email protected] or 519-358-4594 Thank you #chathamkent for your support!! #ckont #ckcstrong

On Thursday November 26th Boston Pizza will donate 10% of all takeout and delivery orders on that day back to the Music for the Mind fundraiser. Please note th...at orders made in the restaurant and through Skip The Dishes will not be included. The fundraiser will run from 11am-9 pm for delivery and 11 am-11pm for takeout. So, mark your calendars and let Boston Pizza cook for you on this day. Your order will help to support a very worthy cause!! Thank you for your support!!

October is Dyslexia Awareness Month! Did you know research shows that without intervention, children who are poor readers at the end of Grade 1 almost never acquire average reading skills by the end of elementary school? When beginning readers who are at risk for dyslexia/reading impairment DO receive intensive instruction, between 50-90% of them reach average level ability. While we offer diagnostic assessments at Kaleidoscope, we also offer screening assessments for studen...ts between 4 and 6 years of age that look at factors most linked to reading difficulties. We can provide recommendations about the type of supports they might require to develop better reading skills. Parent and teachers can rely on this information to better support these amazing students at home and at school. You can contact us at [email protected] to get more information on assessments and screening, or to see if your child might qualify.

October 10 is World Mental Health Day. Let’s keep the discussion going.

Calling all parents of children with anxiety!! Researchers at the University of Western Ontario need your help to ensure that community supports are accessible and appropriate for all children experiencing anxiety. If you live in Southwestern Ontario and are interested in helping out, contact Chelsey Masson at [email protected] or 519-614-0534.

Lots of big decisions have been made recently about kids going back to school in the next few weeks. This resource can support some decision-making, if you haven't finalized plans, and also provides some tips to help prepare kids who are headed back in September. https://www.cheo.on.ca//resources-and/resources/P6225E.pdf

The Learning Disabilities Association of Chatham-Kent is doing some great stuff this summer! Dont miss out!

Happy Canada Day from all us at Kaleidoscope!

Attention CK families! The LDACK team is very happy to announce that we're launching a FREE Online Tutoring program for elementary aged children in our community. Contact us today for more information and to book your time slot!

There are some great free webinars being offered by the psychologists at the Peel Childrens Centre, directed to parents and caregivers. Check them out! https://wheretostart.ca/free-webinars-for-parents-caregive/

Heres another tip for parents: First help your child calm down or regulate before you try to talk through a problem behaviour or deliver a consequence. A calm brain is better able to understand and make connections. Stay safe, stay healthy and stay connected!

Here's a short video, narrated by Dr. Melanie Freeman, clinical child psychologist at Kaleidoscope. It gives some tips on how to deal with challenging behaviours during this stressful time, when kids might be struggling to express and manage their emotions. But we'll give you another tip... These emotion-focused strategies will be great even after the pandemic! Stay safe, stay healthy and stay connected!

Gratitude is about appreciating and finding joy in both the big and little things in life. What do you have to be grateful for today?

Did you know research has shown that practicing gratitude for a run of 21 days can actually change your balance of optimism and pessimism? Dont we all need some more optimism right now? Check out this CBC article for suggestions on how to practice gratitude daily or continue reading below for a summary of the 6 exercises suggested by psychologist Shawn Achor, and written by Ioanna Roumeliotis. https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.cbc.ca/amp/1.3040937... 1. Gratitude Exercises. Write down three things you're grateful for that occurred over the last 24 hours. They don't have to be profound. It could be a really good cup of coffee or the warmth of a sunny day. 2. The Doubler. Take one positive experience from the past 24 hours and spend two minutes writing down every detail about that experience. As you remember it, your brain labels it as meaningful and deepens the imprint. 3. The Fun Fifteen. Do 15 minutes of a fun cardio activity, like gardening or walking the dog, every day. The effects of daily cardio can be as effective as taking an antidepressant. 4. Meditation. Every day take two minutes to stop whatever you're doing and concentrate on breathing. Even a short mindful break can result in a calmer, happier you. 5. Conscious act of kindness. At the start of every day, send a short email or text praising someone you know. Our brains become addicted to feeling good by making others feel good. 6. Deepen Social Connections. Spend time with family and friends. Our social connections are one of the best predictors for success and health, and even life expectancy.

These days it's difficult to find things to be grateful for. Here's Andrea Wathy,registered social worker, with a short video about some things to do to find gratitude in the smallest ways! Stay Safe, Stay Healthy and Stay Connected.

Have any of you started to work through your Mindfulness Bingo cards? I'm slowly (and mindfully!) working my way down the I column. When you finish the squares on your Bingo card, here are a few links to more activities to promote mindfulness in kids and adults. https://positivepsychology.com/mindfulness-for-children-ki/ https://annakaharris.com/mindfulness-for-children/... https://positivepsychology.com/mindfulness-exercises-techn/ https://www.mindful.org/ Stay safe, stay healthy and stay connected!

Right now, our minds are scattered in all directions. Depending on our ages and responsibilities, we might be wondering about when we might get back to work or school, whether we or our loved ones might get sick, and when we might get to hug our extended family members or friends. Cultivating mindfulness - for even a few minutes a day - is a good way to calm our minds and focus on right now. Our creative Kelsey Gonzalez, registered psychotherapist, has created a Mindfulness ...Bingo game, full of great ideas to help you stay grounded in where you are and what you're doing. We're wondering who can BINGO first! (Straight horizontal or vertical line, or a diagonal from corner to corner. No four corners or H shapes - we'll leave those to the pros.) Post a pic or a line or two to let us know how you're being mindful during the pandemic. We'd love it! Stay safe, stay healthy and stay connected!

Wheel of Coping? How about Wheel of Self-Care? Andrea gave some good tips on self-care in our last video. Spin this wheel and see if any of these ideas might make you a little calmer or happier today. Feel free to replace Love Island with Tiger King (!) or any other crazy TV show you love.

Andrea Wathy, registered social worker, works with older children, adolescents and adults here at Kaleidoscope. Watch as she gives some tips about self-care. It's very important to take care of ourselves now, but remember - as life starts to resemble what it looked like a few months ago and even when it's just a regular old Tuesday again, it will be just as important to mind our self-care. Stay safe, stay healthy and stay connected!

Linda Shoebottom, registered social worker, has some tips to help us mange our mental health and take care of ourselves during the COVID-19 pandemic. Watch below as she talks about staying connected with those we love, creating new routines and taking care of ourselves so we can take care of others. This is one in a series of videos and resources we'll be posting here on our Facebook page, creating and curated by the Kaleidoscope clinicians and offered to support our communi...ty through this time. Please be patient with us as we get more familiar with new-to-us technologies and ways of connecting. As always, you can reach us here on Facebook, through our email at [email protected] or at our website: www.kalchildandfamily.com Stay safe, stay healthy and stay connected!

Our own Kelsey Gonzalez, registered psychotherapist, created this list of 26 strategies to cope with intense feelings - all organized from A to Z! These are great ideas for kids and wed even suggest that adults might like to blow bubbles or get some squishy play dough between their fingers! Stay home, stay safe and stay connected. We hope to see you again soon.

Take a peek at this book to help explain coronavirus to children. It even has a download. Just another way to help children make sense of what is happening in their world right now!

Were all feeling out of sorts these days - physically disconnected from those we love, in new and very different routines, wondering what the future has in store for us. Sometimes, kids demonstrate their worries in different ways. Be sure to keep an eye out for these.

Saw this great little book and UTube video on how to use breathing exercises and be mindful. Take care of yourself and your family in this chaotic time!

A little ray of sunshine that popped up in the parking garage at McMaster Childrens Hospital.

Everyone is working hard to keep our children safe and informed in this difficult time!

Here are some fun ideas to keep your children occupied during self isolation!

So many great resources here to promote the well-being of our children and adolescents through COVID-19.

April 2 is Autism Awareness Day! We love the amazing kids and families we have worked with at Kaleidoscope!

Our Linda Shoebottom, registered social worker, will be on 94.3 CKSY after 7:30AM, talking about kids mental health and COVID-19. Have a listen!

Heres a graphic from Elise Gravel - English to help explain COVID-19, closures and social distancing to kids. It can be downloaded at: http://elisegravel.com//coronavirus-free-printable-comic-/

We want to make sure you feel safe and secure when you visit Kaleidoscope. For that reason and in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have made the tough decision to temporarily close our doors to direct client services as of March 21, 2020. Our clinicians will be in contact with all clients. They are in the process of transitioning to a telehealth model to continue therapy and counselling sessions via telephone or video. All psychological assessments are delayed for now. We... do hope to see you in our offices again in the near future. In the meantime, take good care of yourselves and each other. ~ The Kaleidoscope Team

Here at Kaleidoscope, we are taking precautions to try to keep us all healthy, but our office remains open! We are taking our cues from the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including hand washing, disinfecting high-touch surfaces and covering our mouths and noses when coughing or sneezing. Our clinicians need you to help us out! Practice the prevention tips below. Please call to cancel your appointment if you or your child is sick or if you dont feel comfortable coming in. If you have been travelling, please follow guidelines for self-isolation. We can always reschedule your appointment! Take this time to keep yourself healthy.

Wondering what opportunities are available in our community after leaving high school? Join us! https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/2020-teen-transition-fair-ticke

We were proud to have hosted the Mayor and members of the C-K Economic Development Team this morning! Linda got a little fresh!

Happy 2020! As everyone starts to come back to life after that blur of days between Christmas and New Years Day, wed like to make a couple of announcements! Were happy to welcome Ms. Kelsey Gonzalez to our little Kaleidoscope family. Kelsey is a registered psychotherapist who will primarily be offering services to children and youth between 5 and 18 years of age. Were also extremely pleased - and a little late - to announce that Ms. Danna Dierckens has also joined us! Da...nna is a registered social service worker who is very well-known in our community. She has a passion for working with children on the autism spectrum. At Kaleidoscope, Danna assists with ASD assessments and is also available for in-home or office-based consultations to support parents who are dealing with a new diagnosis. Shes got great skills and is an amazing teacher to parents who are wondering how to engage their little ones on the autism spectrum. Were so excited to have them both at Kaleidoscope with us! www.kalchildandfamily.com

Were taking a little bit of a break for the holidays! After the end of business today, were back to answering calls and emails on December 27. Wishing happy holidays with friends and family, from all of us to all of you.

Take a look at our new spaces! We put a lot of thought into planning these rooms to make them warm, inviting and ready for you.

As of today, our clinicians are seeing clients at our new home! Weve moved to 363 Baldoon Road, Unit 200 in order to better serve children, youth and adults in our community. Big thanks to Linda for organizing and overseeing all of the renovations and the big move, and to Danna, Elyse and Andrea for helping with the unpacking and organizing. Pictures of the new place to follow!