Ho-ho-ho. M-M-I-merry Christmas.
Members of the Munroe-Meyer Institute’s Severe Behavior Program welcomed Santa Claus to the institute in December for the inaugural visit in what they hope will become an annual tradition.
Jessie Weber, a behavior analysis specialist in the Integrated Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ICASD), conceived the idea after talking with a caregiver about challenges they’d faced trying to get a photograph of their child with Santa Claus at traditional locations, such as malls.
 |
The “Santa and his Elves” team from the ICASD included, from left: Jessie Weber, Jayci McGill, Alexandra Hardee, Joe Genoways, Christy Williams and Melissa Nieman |
“They had had experiences that were good as well as not so good, but there had been a number of struggles,” Weber said. “Not knowing if there are going to be crowds, not knowing if there would be a lot of commotion and noise. . .”
Asking around, Weber found that not only did the ICASD have plenty of staff familiar with children who have behavioral issues and willing to dress up with Santa, it also had a professional photographer on staff. Behavioral technician Jayci Foster has her own photography business and was more than willing to lend her talents to the enterprise.
“Jayci actually had been working in Camp Munroe for multiple years before joining our staff, so she was very familiar with our staff and our kiddos,” Weber said. “We asked if she’d be interested in taking the photos, and she volunteered right away.”
Foster also gave the photos to families free of charge.
“I was so happy to have the opportunity to take pictures for the kids and the caregivers,” she said. “It was a blast.”
The Department of Recreational Therapy provided a location — a room in the former J.P. Lord School that had already been decorated, including a Christmas tree, for a rec therapy event.
“It was a big room that allowed the kids to have space to explore, which made them feel more at ease,” Weber said.
Behavioral technician Joe Genoways donned the Santa suit.
“I was happy to be able to let the kids be kids,” he said. “In such a setting, both parents and their kids could relax and just enjoy their time together, instead of focusing on the challenges that can come with a normal community visit. I was honored to be a part of their joy, and I can’t wait for next year.”
For its inaugural event, the ICASD group saw youth and adults in two one-hour blocks, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Groups included Project SEARCH interns and children from the early intervention, pediatric feeding and severe behavior programs.
“It went really well, and we had great feedback from the parents,” Weber said. “A lot said that they hadn’t been able to get a good picture with Santa before.”
Foster took photos of about 20 children.
“Overall, it was a big success,” Weber said. “It’s definitely something we’d like to do again in the future.”