Teaching Children with Autism

Puzzle Pretzels made by Bachman Bachman is an active supporter...

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 20:28:59 -0400

Puzzle Pretzels made by Bachman

Bachman is an active supporter of Autism Speaks. They are donating 5% of the proceeds from the purchase of this product to Autism Speak.

Click here to order.

Mainstreaming kids with autism

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 23:45:40 -0400

Mainstreaming kids with autism

Video

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 23:02:33 -0400

A new 'World' for autistic children

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 21:23:33 -0400

A new 'World' for autistic children:

Deanna Ballard and TV production specialist Todd Wise have developed a new series of educational DVDs called My World Learning. Featuring regular children as well as animated figures, the videos meticulously introduce basic concepts to children with learning delays. What makes these DVDs unique is how the video moves at a far slower pace & has more repetition than your typical children’s DVDs.

iReport: 'Naughty Auties' battle autism with virtual interaction - CNN.com

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 23:59:45 -0400

iReport: 'Naughty Auties' battle autism with virtual interaction - CNN.com

HBO: Autism: The Musical

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 18:11:31 -0400

HBO: Autism: The Musical

"He Doesn’t LOOK Autistic…. A seminar I attended (at RESA) over the summer had a great..."

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 12:06:02 -0400

“

He Doesn’t LOOK Autistic….

A seminar I attended (at RESA) over the summer had a great diagram explaining children with Autism. I am putting it on here for a few reasons.

1. To show that Autism is a Spectrum for a reason…no 2 children are alike.

2. Just because a child doesn’t LOOK Autistic doesn’t mean he isn’t on the spectrum. That is why it is a spectrum. There are varying degrees of severity.

3. A child doesn’t have to have ALL signs to be on the spectrum. There is a scale doctors go by. A child must have a certain amount of symptoms in different areas to be on the spectrum.

Here is their example.

Student A

Student B

- He has Autism and moderate mental retardation
- He can read basic sight words
- He cannot add without using a calculator or a number line
- He doesn’t know the values of coins and can’t tie his shoes
- He gets lost in the school if he does not have someone to follow
- He is easily frustrated
- He can be aggressive towards other people at times

Student AB

- Is in 5th grade
- Loves playing baseball and watching movies
- Has a dog he takes care of on his own
- Does homework for 30 minutes a night
- Enjoys socializing with people
- Lives with his mom during the week and dad on weekends
- Likes to listen to music and play the computer
- Wants to be a baseball player when he grows up
- He has Autism and moderate mental retardation
- He can read basic sight words
- He cannot add without using a calculator or a number line
- He doesn’t know the values of coins and can’t tie his shoes
- He gets lost in the school if he does not have someone to follow
- He is easily frustrated
- He can be aggressive towards other people at times

(end of example)

Student A and student B CAN be and often is the same student. Autism (of any level) is not noticeable through facial features. It is noticeable through behaviors the child exhibits. Please do not try and diagnose a child you have little or no contact with simply because he
doesn’t LOOK a certain way. With early intervention, whether it be Occupational therapy, Behavior therapy, Social stories, medication, or a combination of all (and others I didn’t list), children with Autism are often able to overcome behaviors that prohibit them from doing
something they can’t do properly.

Autism is a lifelong disability, and there is no cure. Although behaviors often get better, help is usually still needed to ensure behaviors don’t come back. Or if they do return, to work on them immediately.

A lot of children with Autism have difficulties in public places, especially those that are crowded and they don’t know the people. These times are often the hardest on a child with Autism. Please remember this the next time you see a child “misbehaving” in public.
Instead of criticizing and degrading that child, or his parent or guardian, ask to help. You never know the reason that child is misbehaving and what is going on in his or her (or her parents) head.

Children can come a long way with help. A child can go from little or no speech, no eye contact, no communication skills, no social interaction, etc. at age 4, to a child who loves to play with friends, gives eye contact, enjoys being around others, and even speaks for the first time at age 5. That doesn’t mean that same child doesn’t still have concerns to be dealt with. Autism is more the the visual. A lot of the children have no understanding of safety or fear, weird phobias, extreme sensory issues, and “abnormal” behaviors such as
rocking or body movements, need for repetition, etc…things you won’t necessarily see all the time from a child with Autism.

Like they say, “People who have met 1 child with Autism have met 1 child with Autism”.

Please educate yourself and understand. Don’t criticize. Every child is special and unique. Its important to see them for what they can do and can accomplish. Let’s focus on the positive, not what some consider the negative.

”

- Jackie, Blessed mama of a boy with Autism

The Face of Autism

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 01:51:38 -0400

The Face of Autism

Confronting 'That Autism Thing' : NPR

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 17:53:53 -0400

Confronting 'That Autism Thing' : NPR:

Overcoming Autism: Public Schools Deal with a Growing Problem | Edutopia

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 22:32:53 -0400

Overcoming Autism: Public Schools Deal with a Growing Problem | Edutopia:

There may be no greater challenge facing public schools today than the staggering increase in children diagnosed with autism.

Ballastexistenz

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 00:45:15 -0400

Ballastexistenz

Meet Amanda, a non-speaking physically disabled and autistic woman who’s lived in institutions, whose income comes from a disability check, and whose services are funded by the state.

This blog is about her assorted ideas, but most will have something to do with human rights, autistic liberation, disability rights, and so forth.

Autism Awareness Web Browser Toolbar

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 00:04:19 -0400

Learn more about the toolbar and download the install application from FoggyRock.

In celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, SuperDuper is...

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 20:18:46 -0400

In celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, SuperDuper is offering 10% off all web orders.

Unmasking the Face

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 00:52:18 -0400

Unmasking the Face:

an exercise in the identification of emotions
expressed by the human face

What Remains: Songs about autism and families

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 18:51:30 -0400

What Remains: Songs about autism and families:

The album What Remains by Jamie Manning chronicles the lives of parents raising children with autism. It was written to raise awareness of the chronic emotional and financial stress that accompanies an autism diagnosis, and to rally support for increased health insurance coverage for autism, enforceable special education laws, and national standards of care and certification for autism professionals.

Temple Grandin's Teaching Tips for Children and Adults with Autism

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 22:00:21 -0400

Temple Grandin's Teaching Tips for Children and Adults with Autism

Documentary: My Family and Autism (2003)

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 21:54:55 -0400

Documentary: My Family and Autism (2003):

This documentary is being streamed by TV-LINKS.cc.

Autism no longer an obstacle for students seeking college degree | Detroit Free Press

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 21:23:14 -0400

Autism no longer an obstacle for students seeking college degree | Detroit Free Press:

Mentors, trained teachers, help students with high-functioning autism to see success.

Meet Heather & Learn About Her Kids Can Dream Autism Site

Sun, 09 Mar 2008 21:27:55 -0400

Meet Heather & Learn About Her Kids Can Dream Autism Site:

Meet Heather. She is a 16-year-old high school student from New York, who aspires to be a special education teacher in hopes of working with children with autism.

Heather’s website, Kids Can Dream Autism, features general information about autism, links to free picture communication symbols (PCS) resources, and a weekly list of teacher “freebies”.

Also, Heather shares a little on the site about her two brothers. One of her brothers has PDD, and the other has moderate-to-severe autism.

Heather herself could not walk or talk until she was 3. Early intervention did her wonders! She was never diagnosed with anything other than a muscular disorder. However, at one point she was tested with Muscular Dystrophy. She has recovered as time goes by.

Now that she is great, Heather wants to help others! Please visit her site and comment in her guestbook.

Glimpse

Sun, 09 Mar 2008 20:32:25 -0400

Glimpse:

Glimpse is a new literary magazine featuring works by people with autism and other.

Washington, D.C., March 5, 2008 (ICDL). The premier issue of America’s first online literary magazine featuring works by people with autism and other developmental challenges offers more than a Glimpse into the rich, creative inner life of these individuals. Remarkable as both art and insight, these poems, short essays, paintings, drawings, and photography broaden our understanding of the creative processes in all of us.

Glimpse is published by the Interdisciplinary Council on Developmental and Learning Disorders (ICDL), a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the prevention, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of emotional and developmental disorders in infancy and childhood by promoting dialogue and integrating knowledge from different disciplines.

Please click here to access a PDF version of Glimpse.

For more information about Glimpse, including submission guidelines, please visit www.icdl.com or contact the editors at Glimpse@icdl.com.

Contact:
Lori Jeanne Peloquin (co-editor): 585-697-0944 X91 or Glimpse@icdl.com OR
Natasha Labbe: 240-421-0606 or nlabbe@icdl.com

Teaching Children with Autism

Puzzle Pretzels made by Bachman Bachman is an active supporter...

Mainstreaming kids with autism

Video

A new 'World' for autistic children

iReport: 'Naughty Auties' battle autism with virtual interaction - CNN.com

HBO: Autism: The Musical

"He Doesn’t LOOK Autistic…. A seminar I attended (at RESA) over the summer had a great..."

The Face of Autism

Confronting 'That Autism Thing' : NPR

Overcoming Autism: Public Schools Deal with a Growing Problem | Edutopia

Ballastexistenz

Autism Awareness Web Browser Toolbar

In celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, SuperDuper is...

Unmasking the Face

an exercise in the identification of emotions expressed by the human face

What Remains: Songs about autism and families

Temple Grandin's Teaching Tips for Children and Adults with Autism

Documentary: My Family and Autism (2003)

Autism no longer an obstacle for students seeking college degree | Detroit Free Press

Meet Heather & Learn About Her Kids Can Dream Autism Site

Glimpse

an exercise in the identification of emotions
expressed by the human face