6 Halloween Tips for Kids with Autism Spectrum Disorders

The feeling of Halloween elicits excitement for most kids. It means showing off new costumes, staying up late and enduring a sugar overdose at the end of the night! 

While having a child with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) may offer challenges during this time of year, the same feeling of enthusiasm doesn’t have to be lost. 

Neither Autism Speaks, nor Kathryn Smith, RH, DrPH, of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles want you, or your family to miss out on the fun. Here are some highlights of Smith’s tips that our patron, Avita Nova Academy, believe you should be most aware of:

If You Get the Message, It's Already Too Late: 7 Tips to Protect Yourself from Credit Card Fraud

by Albert Bustos

I fortunately live in a community that maintains its own highly-active social media site.

A quick scroll through my neighbors’ messages reveals a slew of helpful information; who’s hosting the next bbq, who found someone’s missing pet and that traffic is jammed so leave for work early.

I have to thank my neighbors for giving me the idea for this next article. Because of them, I read thieves infiltrated the local gas station and installed a credit card reader; they stole thousands of dollars.

As of July 2014, 10% of Americans have been victims of credit card fraud. The total amount is at $5.55 billion worldwide. 

6 Scheduling Tips that'll Keep You Organized

Tip# 1: Establish Time-slots 
Here is an example: 

- Morning (8:00 a.m. -10:59 a.m.)
- Mid (11:00 a.m. - 1:59 p.m.)
- Afternoon (2:00 p.m. - 4:59 p.m.)
- Evening (5:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.) 

Stick to these as much as possible; clients should be scheduled in one of them.

Tip# 2: Create Mock Schedules

This is strictly for planning purposes, base it on authorized hours, locations (if home-based), and time-slots. Propose the schedules to the families and confirm with staff start date and schedule.

Tip# 3: Getting there

If home-based, plan for drive time.

Tip# 4: Lunchtime

Plan for legal, 30 minute unpaid lunches for hourly staff when working six or more hours in a day. To be completed by the end of the 6th hour.

Tip# 5: NPAWorks Recurring Schedules

Use recurrences when scheduling appointments and update recurrences when making changes.

Tip# 6: Until the End

If using NPAWorks practice management software, recur appointments through the end of the contract.

ABAI and CodeMetro Team Up to Give You 5 (actually more) Tips for Successful Conference Exhibiting

by Albert Bustos

Showcasing the value of your organization is essential for growing your business or hiring top-notch staff. 

There are many strategies in the marketing tool box to help you spread the word; it’s just a matter of which you’ll choose. Since you already have an effective website and being the networking expert you are, you decide to exhibit at an industry conference. 

Why is this a great choice?

5 Proactive Tips for Scheduling Holiday Requests

By Belen Arredondo

The Holiday Season is right around the corner. What is your organization doing to prepare for holiday vacation requests?

Remember the chaos that was scheduling during the holiday season last year? And the year after that? Well, be proactive this year!

No need to stress over cancelled sessions, underserving clients, not enough hours for staff, and on, and on, and on.

CodeMetro wants good fortune and jolly holidays for all, which is why we wanted to share with you the following tips on how to prepare your organization for the holiday season:

Tip #1

Review your current policy on vacation time – and if you do not already have one in place, create one for the holiday season… NOW!

Tip #2

Remind and discuss with your supervisors what your vacation policy is and encourage that they discuss it with their staff

Tip #3

Have your team reach out to parents regarding their holiday schedules – this may lend itself to parents rearranging schedules to accommodate staff vacation requests and contract fulfillment

Tip #4 

Discuss with staff their holiday availability – some hourly staff members may want additional hours during the holiday season

Tip #5 

Determine whether you will need to hire seasonal staff to carry you into the New Year

By proactively preparing for the holiday season, staff will be more inclined to participate in gathering necessary information and submitting their requests with more than enough time to plan.

NPAWorks Tip: Maximize your scheduling efforts by reviewing the calendar Holidays & Non-Service Days for your organization.

Help your peers prepare for their holiday scheduling needs. Now that you have these amazing tips, share this story with others! 

7 Ways to Keep the Dangerous Trojan Virus Off Your Computer

by Albert Bustos

As an efficient clinician, the last thing you need are major interruptions. Sure, there are inevitable “quick fix” circumstances that stray you from tasks at hand, but you can deal with that. What you cannot afford is a crippling computer virus that stops your productivity to a grinding halt.  

Enter Trojan, or Trojan Horse -- a malicious computer program that performs actions without your consent or knowledge. These actions can consist of automatically deleting, blocking, modifying and copying data, spreading additional malicious programs and launching an attack on other computers. A Trojan infection is catastrophic to your workflow because it offers multiple ways of damaging your computer. 

How do they get in and how can you protect yourself?