Tommi Orchards by PVII

SSSA 2010
Conference

July 9 - July 11, 2010
Arlington, Texas
Sheraton Hotel

Arlington, Texas will be the proud host city of the SSSA Conference in 2010.

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Sotos Gene Discovered

Our esteemed Medical Advisory Board offers their coordinated point of view to help us understand what this means for all of us.  The goal of this letter is to inform parents, provide perspective and look to the future. 

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The Tommi Melon

 

Childcare

We want the children to enjoy coming to the conference as much as their parents. Providing a high quality, fun conference experience for all ages is extremely important to us. We provide professional, caring childcare to look after your children and teens of all ages while you are attending the conference workshops on Saturday and Sunday. Childcare is for all children -- those with Sotos Syndrome and their typical siblings. Adults with Sotos Syndrome who need supervision or assistance can also be included.

Age Groups

We divide the children into different age groups in order to provide age-appropriate activities for them.

Age Range (years) Minimum Adult:Child Ratio
Infants (0 to 3 years) 1:2
Pre-School (4 to 6 years) 1:3
Elementary (7 to 11 years) 1:5
Teens and Assisted Adults
(12 years and over)		 1:7*
*Extra supervision may be added when going off-site on a field trip.

Activities

Infants and young children are cared for on-site at the hotel. We often have a special guest such as a magician, puppeteer or storysteller come visit the children while they are in childcare. Other activities will include a variety of age-appropriate toys, games and crafts. If the hotel has an appropriate outdoor area such as a nearby green space, we will also spend some time outside.

On Saturday, we take the older children and assisted adults on a supervised field trip to a local tourist attraction such as a zoo, science centre, sea world or similar venue. Both children with Sotos Syndrome and their siblings often find these experiences very rewarding as they spend time with other children who are "just like me".

Sibling Workshop

Being the brother or sister of someone with Sotos Syndrome creates its own set of unique experiences and challenges. A sibling workshop is an opportunity for these brothers and sisters to obtain peer support and education within a recreational context. Qualified facilitators offer a combination of discussion and lively games and activities that help siblings share their joys and concerns about having a sibling with special needs. Siblings can also learn how others handle some common situations that happen in their lives. The workshop is aimed at siblings approximately ages 10 and older (exact age cut-off will vary at each conference). It will take place on Sunday morning.