Matching Family Needs

Typical Family Targets

Before each family’s visit, we ask them to describe the top five priorities they would like to think about, discuss, and work on during their week at PACE Place. Thus, the family drives the week’s target areas with our guidance and suggestions. We approach each target with the belief that we can make an improvement in every challenge presented to us by the family within the week; each family returns with answers on how to live a higher quality of life. We have listed below real examples of priorities that previous PACE Place families have composed and that we have addressed over the course of a week at PACE Place.

Make that list ! Think long and hard about what problems you want so solve – what makes you cry, what makes you frustrated, what halts your day. Carolyn, NV (Parent)

Please click here to read more comments from previous PACE Place families.

Family Life Targets

I must get a babysitter to go shopping or wait until the evening when my husband is home. My kids run off or throw tantrums when I can’t buy them everything they want. It would be amazing to be able to go grocery shopping with the kids and not have a break-down myself.

Help us learn to balance our son’s needs within the context of the entire family’s needs.

My daughter cannot be convinced to do anything thing the family is doing. If it is her idea…fine. If it is not her idea…we can’t do it.

Our son will not stay with us while in public places (the grocery store, parking lot, and, playground). If we don’t watch him constantly, he will wander off. This is extremely stressful. He exhibits no fear when he cannot find us.

Click here to read more family goals.

Emotional Targets

My son has great difficulty expressing his emotions in a socially appropriate way. We have major melt downs when I try to help him express himself.

My son/daughter is terrified of ______. Can we please work on this?

(Many of our clients at PACE Place have extraordinary fears which we have helped families address. Some specific fears have included: balloons, hair cuts, escalators, crossing streets, strangers, Koosh balls, dogs, elevators, black holes).

He over-reacts to small mistakes or accidents. He needs assistance with emotional regulation.

Click here to read more family goals.

Behavior Management Targets

Our children (both with ASD) are manipulating and controlling. They each think that it is “my way or the highway.” Of course, with BOTH of them thinking this way there is a lot of fighting and screaming at our house.

Help us with our kid’s quick temper, bossiness, and frustration.

Oh my gosh, my son is bossy. It is so hurtful that he speaks to me so rudely and doesn’t care that he hurts my feelings.

Our child has no impulse control. If he wants something, he grabs for it and demands it and will not take no for an answer.

Click here to read more family goals.

Targets Related to Siblings

Please help us with interactions between all of our kids (one ASD kid, 2 NT kids).

Please help my two boys (both ASD) learn to play with each other and enjoy each other.

My son needs tools to use when his little brother is “bugging” him.

I hope to get assistance on how to forge a meaningful relationship between my son (ASD) and his brother.

My (NT) son copies the bad behaviors of my ASD son. What should I do?

Targets Related To Interaction with Peers

Help us build confidence in our son to engage with his peers.

He is so inflexible and so easily frustrated when playing with kids. He needs to work on this before he gets kicked out of school.

Targets for the Learning Environment

My son is a perfectionist. He needs strategies for coping with failure and frustration.

My son must learn to cope with frustration so that he can actually learn from frustrating experiences rather than fall apart.

My son doesn’t know how to get started on a project or how to prioritize when there are several tasks to be completed. Please help us with this.

How will my son ever learn to stay on task at school, for chores, during a conversation at the table?

We are considering home-schooling. We look forward to your suggestions.

Self-Care Targets

I know that you hear this all of the time, but seriously I have the pickiest eater on the planet. He will NOT eat anything new. Even the “acceptable” foods are very specific (only certain brand of hot dog, certain shape of cookie). I’m worried about his nutrition.

Our child is largely dependent on us to perform all self-care tasks (brushing teeth, getting dressed). I KNOW that she is quite capable of doing most of these tasks herself, but she refuses.

Click here to read more family goals.

Language/Communication Targets

My son never initiates a conversation. He’ll answer my questions, but never add anything beyond that. How do I get into his head? I would love to know what he is thinking about? What is his perspective?

How do I stop my son’s use of repetitive talk? He has a very small repertoire of favorite topics and I am sick of talking about these few things.

How do I stop my daughter from making inappropriate comments?

My son does not use communicative gestures and doesn’t understand communicative gestures.

Please click here to read more family goals.

Play Targets

My son perseverates on trains, especially when stressed out. Can he ever learn to enjoy something else?

My son becomes fixated on anything with numbers (microwave, clock, page numbers) and misses the other interesting things in his environment.

My son is not passionate about anything. How do I encourage him to explore and become interested in ANYTHING?

If I leave him unattended, he will destroy things or get into danger. We want to work on appropriate play skills.

PACE Place, Inc.

2360SW 170^thAve
Beaverton, OR 97006

Phone: (503) 356-8334