Dear Friends,

In our DIRFloortime milestone 2, we talk about the joy and trust created in fun experiences that we can anticipate- that we know through repetition- and that we share together. Holidays help to celebrate the rhythm of the year, and we can increase our enjoyment of them through the whole process of planning, building expectations, and creating tradition.  This month, we look forward to Thanksgiving and all the meaning and symbols of the day.  We are grateful for our PCDA team and the children we serve and extend our warmest wishes to you as you gather with family and friends for the holidays. 

Warmly,

Dr. Diane   
Diane Cullinane, MD   
Executive Director

"Dear PCDA,

I am writing this letter to express my gratitude for the therapy you have provided to my son,
Christopher. Ryuji Yoneyama, MS, AMFT, has been working with Christopher and me for approximately 4 months and the results have been incredible - that is no exaggeration. Without a doubt, the therapy provided through PCDA has positively changed the way my family functions.

Christopher is 11 years old and has orthopedic, visual and speech impairments. He is a very smart, loving and perceptive child, but he has a lot of anxiety about certain loud sounds, situations involving dogs or screaming children, and changes to his routines. As he got older, Christopher’s behavioral response to his anxiety became more difficult to handle - he would scream, cry and physically move his body in a way that made it impossible for my husband or me to move him. I initially did not think that PCDA would have anything to offer Christopher insofar as his issues were more physical than behavioral, but as time went on, I realized that my entire family was altering its actions so as to avoid problems with Christopher. We needed help.

When Ryuji first started coming to our house, he just focussed on getting to know Christopher. He built a friendship with him and Christopher decided that he seriously liked playing games at the kitchen table with Ryuji. Gradually, Ryuji started talking with Christopher about the issues that he and I discussed in our weekly phone meetings. Ryuji’s strategy for helping Chris handle his anxiety was/is in part to be open and honest with him and to help him vocalize his thoughts and to come up with ideas about how he might better handle certain situations in the future.

In the past 4 months, Christopher has discussed many fears with Ryuji and strategies for how to deal with them. Christopher and the rest of the family have worked on trying new things and documenting our success in that regard. We have all noticed that we each have a part to play in helping Christopher move past and/or handle his fears. We still have a lot to work on, but on behalf of my family and Christopher, thank you so very much for helping us live life more fully!

Sincerely,
Anne L. Bigley
Christopher's mom"

Leslie has a Bachelor’s Degree in Child Development from California State University, Dominguez Hills. Prior to working at PCDA, Leslie was a teacher’s assistant in the classroom setting doing internships for school. She also was Child Life Volunteer at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles where she created playful experiences for patients.

At PCDA, Leslie has been valuable to our in-home program, SEDI, not only for her interactions with the families, but for her skills at being bilingual in Spanish. Leslie also supports the Social Skills program and has recently taken on doing assessments for our Programs Department. In her time at PCDA, Leslie has grown to understand the DIR/Floortime approach and seeks out support to strengthen her skills and the work she is doing with her clients. We are proud to recognize Leslie as our Developmental Interventionist of the Month. 

Morgan Ogata has been a valuable asset to PCDA since she started volunteering in 2015.  Morgan's very first volunteer assignment was to represent PCDA as a "fan in the stand" at the 2015 Special Olympics Summer World Games.  Along with her friends and family, Morgan helped to cheer on hundreds of athletes from around the world! 

Since then, Morgan has demonstrated to be a dedicated volunteer by becoming involved with many different opportunities at PCDA.  On an ongoing basis, Morgan has helped at PCDA's annual Variety Shows and Holiday Recitals where she facilitated arts and crafts activities and provided event support.  Morgan has also been involved with PCDA's Adapted Art classes and the My Special Dance program where she has been able to work hands-on with young children.  Although Morgan has a genuine love for making children feel special, she is not a stranger to rolling up her sleeves and getting dirty, too!  Morgan has helped with PCDA's annual Holiday Toy Drive where she sorted hundreds of toys and unwrapped/broke down boxes and as needed, Various administrative tasks such as stuffing envelopes could not get done without the enthusiastic support of volunteers like Morgan!  More recently, Morgan signed up to volunteer at PCDA's Harvest Moon Gala where she was instrumental in ensuring the success of the Silent Auction portion of the evening's festivities.  Needless to say, PCDA is very fortunate to have Morgan be part of our great volunteer team.  We are appreciative of Morgan's dedication and love for making a difference.  Morgan has expressed an interest to help with PCDA's Special Olympics Young Athletes Program in the future and we can't wait to have her fun energy in the program!

In addition to volunteering, Morgan is involved with diving and enjoys sports overall such as basketball, volleyball, track n cross country.  She loves art, music, and school. This year, she is serving as her school's student council president and is busy getting ready for high school.  Thank you, Morgan, for supporting PCDA's mission and the work that we do.  We love having you on our volunteer team and part of the PCDA family!

 Boy + BOT is a great look at perspective taking. It helps children to understand that we don’t all look at things the same way because we haven’t all learned the same information. The misunderstandings are treated in a light and humorous way that make for a good read for all.