Then we invite you to attend our 3rd Semi-Annual Parent Appreciation Party, being held June 9th at the Trackside in Wilton, CT.

Come get your groove on and celebrate with Team Angelfish.  It’s just our way of showing how much we appreciate everything our clients do for us and for their children.  So join us for food, drink, and a live band, Eight to the Bar, and be ready to dance, socialize, and be groovy!

DOWNLOAD THE FLYER FOR MORE INFORMATION

Last week, the CDC released findings that raised estimates about the number of children in the U.S. with autism to 1 in 88 (previously, it was estimated at 1 in 110). That’s roughly a million U.S. children and teens.  And the incidence among boys is even higher — around 1 in 54. These figures are both saddening and alarming, and the fact that they’re based on data from 2008 means the picture could be even bleaker for children in 2112.

One of the many challenges faced by children “on the spectrum” — including those with related Asperger Syndrome — is that at first glance, you might not even know that a child has a diagnosis.  In many cases, the symptoms are subtle, and hard to spot unless you’re looking for them — things like sensory and language issues, low muscle tone, social awkwardness, anxieties, and learning problems.  Once revealed, these symptoms can result in children with autism being misunderstood and even mistreated by their peers, and even by school systems that are struggling to keep up with these rising statistics.  Which is a shame, because as we can tell you, from working with these children in the pools, they are some of the most amazing, intelligent, brave, creative, and funniest people you’ll ever meet.

Today is World Autism Awareness Day, and April is Autism Awareness Month.  Obviously, this is something that we at Angelfish Therapy and the families of our autistic clients are all-too-aware of every single day of the year.  But if you’re not, then we hope you’ll take some time this month to educate yourself about the realities (and the fallacies) of an autism diagnosis.  Because at 1-in-88, odds are, if you’re the parent of a school-aged child, he or she will have a classmate on the spectrum who will need your and/or your child’s understanding and patience.  Not to mention, if we as a society ever hope to slow or reverse this epidemic in our lifetime, it will require all of us to understand what autism is in order to effect the changes needed.

The enrollment period has begun both for Camp Mighty Mind and Camp Angelfish. If you haven’t already, check out this great introduction of Camp Mighty Mind, our 3-week fun-filled movement- and activity-based day camp program that your kids will love …

CLICK HERE IF THIS VIDEO WON’T PLAY ON THE PAGE

Intensive and engaging, Camp Mighty Mind (July 23rd – August 10th) is designed to improve weak brain connections by using neuroplasticity and the brain’s innate ability to rewire itself based on intensive stimulation.

CLICK TO ENROLL OR LEARN MORE ABOUT CAMP MIGHTY MIND

Want a traditional overnight camp experience? Camp Angelfish (August 12th-17th) is a week-long summer camp for children with a broad range of ability levels, which has been specifically designed to be friendly to those with a variety of special needs, including physical, sensory, developmental, or neurological issues.

CLICK TO ENROLL OR LEARN MORE ABOUT CAMP ANGELFISH

If you have questions about either of these camps, please contact us.

First up is our Swim Whisperers DVD, which shows you how to overcome the various obstacles that prevent teaching children with sensory and motor issues how to swim …

Next is our Pediatric Group Therapy DVD, which walks you through the basics of aquatic therapy, with footage from our popular parent/child Jumpstart Angelfish group classes …

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THESE DVD PRODUCTS

This decision was made to cut down on the amount of travel that Cindy and Ailene need to do over the next few months. They’ll be in both California and Colorado in March, then in Florida speaking at the 1st Annual NDPA (National Drowning Prevention Alliance) International Adapted Aquatics Conference on April 30th and May 1st.  So it made more sense to piggyback the workshop onto that trip.

Here’s the new Spring 2012 schedule …

• Friday & Saturday, Mar. 16th & 17th:
  Colorado Springs, CO @ Donna’s Dolphins Swim School
• Friday & Saturday, Apr. 27th & 28th:
  St. Petersburg, FL @ Tampa Bay Turners Swimming & Gymnastics

CLICK HERE to learn more about what these workshops can offer you.

Training Workshops Coming Soon to Colorado:

Our Angelfish Training workshop weekend went so well earlier this month that we’re taking the show on the road. Early in 2012, you’ll find us teaching our Totally Treatment (aquatic therapy) and Swim Whisperers workshops in Colorado …

• Friday & Saturday, Mar. 16th & 17th:
  Colorado Springs, CO @ Donna’s Dolphins Swim School

CLICK HERE to learn more about what our workshops can offer you.

All New Video Training DVDs for 2011:

If you haven’t already, visit our DVD Training page to learn more about our Swim Whisperers DVD + Study Guide, as well as our Pediatric Group Therapy DVD.  These products are a great option for parents and professionals who either can’t make it to one of our workshops, or who want to have something on hand to reinforce the training they’ve already received.

CLICK HERE to learn more about what our training DVDs can offer you.

Whether you’re a swim school instructor/director, YMCA aquatics director, physical or occupational therapist, fitness professional, lifeguard, or even a parent involved with a child or children who deal with the sensory or motor difficulties — like those that affect kids with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), Sensory Processing Disorders (SPD), Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, Rett Syndrome, hypotonia, apraxia, development delays, and more — the innovative methods and strategies provided by these training options will give you the tools you need to make a difference!

If any of these apply to you, or even if you’re just new to aquatic therapy or swim instruction and want to jump start your current caseload with innovative techniques that will help you keep your clients happy, then our Angelfish Training workshops are for you!  And we’ve got two great sessions coming to the Norwalk Marriott in December, taught by licensed professionals with more than 20 years therapy experience both in and out of the water.

On December 9th, join us for our popular Totally Treatment workshop, designed for PTs and OTs who either want to enter the world of aquatic therapy, or who want boost their adaptive aquatic skill set and take full therapeutic advantage of the buoyancy, hydrostatic pressure, and vestibular stimulation offered by a pool environment.

On December 10th, for the first time ever, we’ll be offering our new Swim Whisperers workshop, designed for swim instructors, parents, swim school directors, PE teachers, fitness instructors, or anybody faced with a child or children who experience little to no success with traditional teaching methods.

Both workshops are filling up fast, so don’t wait another day to sign up!

CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS

Click here (or the image above) to view the video.

If you haven’t already, please go read some of the wonderful stories in our Testimonials section.

We also want to thank those of you who took the time to tell us where we’re dropping the ball.  Keep it coming!  Your  ongoing constructive feedback helps to make our programs and your experience with us the best it can possibly be.  Overall, 2011 has been an exciting year for Angelfish Therapy, and we expect that 2012 will bring even bigger and better things.  Not only our new Swim Whisperers program, but also a variety of internal changes, including improvements to our scheduling system, and the addition of a new Director of Operations, Randy Heller, who is more than happy to receive your feedback.

You can feel free to reach out to Randy at AngelfishTherapy [AT] gmail [DOT] com.  And be prepared that he may be reaching out to you as well, by phone or email, or even at the pools, to learn more about you, and to see what your thoughts are about how we can better service your needs.

We at Angelfish Therapy recognize that we owe our success to our many clients and friends, and we hope that you’ll always feel free to communicate with us — about both the good and bad — now and in the future.

Splashingly Yours!
Ailene & Cindy

Now that they’re back in town, it’s time to get down to business.  We still have some Swim Whisperers openings to fill in our Manhattan, Stamford, Danbury, and Wilton pools, and we could use your help.

CLICK THIS LINK (left click to view, right click to download) for a one-page flyer about Swim Whisperers that can either be emailed or printed out.

If you haven’t already, please take a moment this week to tell a few people about this great new program.  It could be your child’s doctor, other PT/OT therapists, speech therapists, or other parents you know.  It doesn’t even need to be parents of child with special needs.  Swim Whisperers is a great program for any child who’s had difficulty learning to swim through traditional methods, even one who’s just afraid to go under water or let go of the side of the pool.  We’ve had great success with kids at all ability levels, and are excited about the idea of turning children into confident and independent swimmers.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Swim Whisperers