Wednesday 8 December 2010
Autism Handout Cards - Set of 25 - For Parents
07:06 | 
Posted by
Sharon Underwood |
Turn people's stares into teaching moments by handing these educational cards. Text on front reads "I apologize if my child was disturbing you. AUTISM is a neurological disability affecting about 1 in every 150 children born today. Behavior that may on the surface seem rude is my child's ONLY way of dealing with the world. If this is the first time autism has touched your life, I hope you will be patient and understanding."
Rear of card reads, "To learn more about autism, please visit Autism Gear and click on Links."
(Text and design © 2005 Autism Gear.)
Business-card size, high quality, sturdy, professionally printed cards. Front is glossy, rear is matte finish.
Price: $3.75
Sunday 5 December 2010
Earobics Step 1 Home Version
Earobics Step 1 trains critical auditory skills young children need. There are 6 interactive games, 309 levels to help 4-7 year olds learn Caterpillar Connection; synthesis, attention, memory; phonological awareness. Basket Full of eggs; discrimination, attention and memory. CC Coal Car Train; sound-symbol correspondence, awareness, identification, discrimination, memory. Rhyme Time; rhyming, figure-ground, attention, memory. Rap-a-Tap-Tap; segmentation, attention, and memory; phonological awareness. Karloon s Balloons; memory, identification, discrimination, attention, figure-ground. Home Version. Search Earobics Step 1 for more options.Price: $103.96
Friday 3 December 2010
Living In the Spectrum: Autism & Asperger's Audio CD
Some times you just can't help but flap your hands or spin around! When people look at you, simple say What? Is my Asperger's Showing?Price:
Thursday 2 December 2010
Temple Grandin
A BIOPIC OF TEMPLE GRANDIN, AN AUTISTIC WOMAN WHO HAS BECOME ONE OF TOP SCIENTISTS IN HUMANE LIVESTOCK HANDLING.Price: $26.98
Tuesday 30 November 2010
The Explosive Child: A New Approach for Understanding and Parenting Easily Frustrated, Chronically Inflexible Children
Flexibility and tolerance are learned skills, as any parent knows if they've seen an irascible 2-year-old grow into a pleasant, thoughtful, and considerate older child. Unfortunately, for reasons that are poorly understood, a few children don't "get" this part of socialization. Years after toddler tantrums should have become an unpleasant memory, a few unlucky parents find themselves battling with sudden, inexplicable, disturbingly violent rages--along with crushing guilt about what they "did wrong." Medical experts haven't helped much: the flurry of acronyms and labels (Tourette's, ADHD, ADD, etc.) seems to proffer new discoveries about the causes of such explosions, when in fact the only new development is alternative vocabulary to describe the effects. Ross Greene, a pediatric psychologist who also teaches at Harvard Medical School, makes a bold and humane attempt in this book to cut through the blather and speak directly to the (usually desperate) parents of explosive children. His text is long and serious, and has the advantage of covering an enormous amount of ground with nuance, detail, and sympathy, but also perhaps the disadvantage that only those parents who are not chronically tired and time-deprived are likely to get through the entire book. Quoted dialogue from actual sessions with parents and children is interspersed with analysis that is always oriented toward understanding the origins of "meltdowns" and developing workable strategies for avoidance. Although pharmacological treatment is not the book's focus, there is a chapter on drug therapies. --Richard FarrPrice: $14.99
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Monday 29 November 2010
What is Asperger's Disorder? Understanding Aspberger's Syndrome
The question 'What is Aspergers?' can be answered expediently by way of definition: Aspergers disorder, also known as Aspbergers Syndrome or autistic psychopathy, is a neurobiological condition which falls within the group of childhood disorders classified as pervasive development disorders.
The namesake of Aspbergers disorder is Hans Asperger, a Viennese physician who in 1944 published a description of behavioral patters in male youths who displayed normal intellect and linguistic capacity but compromised social functioning and communication skills. It holds some parallels to autism, however children with Aspergers disorder rarely experience equivalent difficulties in language acquisition to those children who have autism.
Parents of children with Aspergers disorder are no longer left to ponder 'what is aspergers' insofar as it is now classified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (text revised) as being a developmental disorder of childhood. However, the symptoms of aspergers disorder in children or individuals can be problematic and concerning pre-diagnosis.
The primary features are as follows:
1. Severe impairment of social reasoning & interaction including:
A reduced appreciation of non-verbal communication, such as eye contact, body language, and facial expressions.
A latency in developing age appropriate peer relationships.
A lack of reciprocity, and spontaneity in engaging in shared interests with others, coupled with a notable lack of empathetic emotion.
2. Repetitive patterns of behavior including:
A pre-occupation with an interest or activity, often singular objects or parts of objects, which is extenuated by abnormal focus and intensity.
Rigid adherence to routines or rituals.
Repetative motor activities such as finger tapping, head motion, or more complex body movements.
What is often lacking in children with Aspergers disorder is any significant delay in general language capacity. Most children progress with normal development in infancy and are capable of communicating with phrases by the age of 3. Other children with Aspergers in fact display high degrees of functioning in specific areas, which can give rise to behavioral eccentricities. This at times can place additional emphasis on the social awkwardness of these children and serves to further alienate them from their peer group.
Similarly, Aspergers Disorder children can display normal cognitive development and the appropriation of self help skills, adaptive behavior and natural curiosity. However, basal motor coordination may be diminished, and as such children may present as somewhat clumsy, and lack coordination.
Focusing again on the question of what is Aspergers, it is noteworthy that the profession is somewhat divided as to whether Aspergers disorder equates to a form of High Functioning Autism, or whether it is more appropriately categorized as a Non-verbal Learning Disability.
Certainly the diagnosis of the condition has become more advanced, but if the question what is aspergers remains yet to be comprehensively answered, it begs the question as to how effectively it can be treated.
The namesake of Aspbergers disorder is Hans Asperger, a Viennese physician who in 1944 published a description of behavioral patters in male youths who displayed normal intellect and linguistic capacity but compromised social functioning and communication skills. It holds some parallels to autism, however children with Aspergers disorder rarely experience equivalent difficulties in language acquisition to those children who have autism.
Parents of children with Aspergers disorder are no longer left to ponder 'what is aspergers' insofar as it is now classified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (text revised) as being a developmental disorder of childhood. However, the symptoms of aspergers disorder in children or individuals can be problematic and concerning pre-diagnosis.
The primary features are as follows:
1. Severe impairment of social reasoning & interaction including:
A reduced appreciation of non-verbal communication, such as eye contact, body language, and facial expressions.
A latency in developing age appropriate peer relationships.
A lack of reciprocity, and spontaneity in engaging in shared interests with others, coupled with a notable lack of empathetic emotion.
2. Repetitive patterns of behavior including:
A pre-occupation with an interest or activity, often singular objects or parts of objects, which is extenuated by abnormal focus and intensity.
Rigid adherence to routines or rituals.
Repetative motor activities such as finger tapping, head motion, or more complex body movements.
What is often lacking in children with Aspergers disorder is any significant delay in general language capacity. Most children progress with normal development in infancy and are capable of communicating with phrases by the age of 3. Other children with Aspergers in fact display high degrees of functioning in specific areas, which can give rise to behavioral eccentricities. This at times can place additional emphasis on the social awkwardness of these children and serves to further alienate them from their peer group.
Similarly, Aspergers Disorder children can display normal cognitive development and the appropriation of self help skills, adaptive behavior and natural curiosity. However, basal motor coordination may be diminished, and as such children may present as somewhat clumsy, and lack coordination.
Focusing again on the question of what is Aspergers, it is noteworthy that the profession is somewhat divided as to whether Aspergers disorder equates to a form of High Functioning Autism, or whether it is more appropriately categorized as a Non-verbal Learning Disability.
Certainly the diagnosis of the condition has become more advanced, but if the question what is aspergers remains yet to be comprehensively answered, it begs the question as to how effectively it can be treated.
Saturday 27 November 2010
The Original Folding Trampoline
Galt The Original Folding Trampoline: 33 in. square x 32 in. floor to handle
- ASTM safety approved.
- Easy fold down storage.
- Suitable for indoor/outdoor with tough weatherproof mat and tubular steel frame.
- Extra safety, comes with padded frame cover and handle.
- Hold
Price: $135.99
Friday 26 November 2010
ThinkFun Rush Hour Jr. Game
Now drivers as young as six can experience the fun and challenge of steering through traffic in their ice cream truck escape car. Playful vehicles and 40 simpler, age-appropriate challenges will amuse kids for hours. Escape the Traffic before the Ice Cream Melts! Features: 40 challenges, travel bag included, challenge cards fit neatly into pull-out tray beneath the game tray, solutions.Price: $17.99
Wednesday 24 November 2010
The Language Builder
An absolute essential for home and center based programs, this set was created by a parent and a therapist both personally experienced in the program needs of Applied Behavioral Analysis. This set of 350 vivid, beautifully photographed noun cards is an invaluable tool for teaching key language concepts to children with autism or other speech and language delays. The set includes images in nine basic categories: Animals, Foods, Vehicles, Furniture, Clothing, Toys, Everyday Objects, Shapes and Colors. Stage One is comprised of 105 cards that present two identical images on non-distracting white backgrounds. These basic cards foster matching, labeling and categorization skills. The remaining cards round out Stage Two, which presents the images in their natural settings, enabling children to conceptualize and generalize. In addition to fostering receptive and expressive language, these cards are also ideal for higher learning, including functions, story telling and more. On the back of each card is an easy to use system for tracking your child?s progress, including a list of possible program uses, with the date that each is introduced and mastered. Each set includes 57 foods, 39 animals, 27 vehicles, 31 clothing items, 24 furniture items, 39 familiar toys, 15 basic stages sets, 13 colors with duplicates, 12 shapes with duplicates and 83 additional objects familiar to your child. Each card is 3 1/2" by 5".Price: $150.00
Tuesday 23 November 2010
Why Do Some Aspergers Disease Children Become Very Angry?
Aspergers disease children fall in the group of the Autism Spectrum disorder. Aspergers is often known as 'high functioning' Autism as the signs and symptoms are not as acute as Autism signs and symptoms and so an Aspergers kid can function a lot more than a full Autistic child.
Aspergers disease children will often have some behavior issues like anger, violence and depression. These behaviors can surface because of the frustration that comes along with being unable to cope with social situations and these behaviors can be incredibly hard to handle for a parent.
The Features Of Aspergers
Aspergers doesn't really begin to show it's signs and symptoms until around the age of three and quite a few children are often not diagnosed until aged five or six and sometimes older. Aspergers tends to be more common in males than it is in females. Not all Aspergers children will show the same signs or symptoms as they can differ a big deal from person to person and in mild cases can be quite hard to diagnose.
Aspergers disease children generally are highly intellectual and will often have fairly high grades at school, but it is the emotional and social skills that these children are lacking.
The main features of Aspergers Disease are:
* Bright and often excel in subjects like Maths and Science
* Absorb and learn things with no trouble and quickly
* Don't cope extremely well when criticized and in fact will sometimes take criticism very personally
* Lack initiative to initiate a conversation or join a group but will instead wait to be asked to join in with a group or wait for someone to initiate a conversation with them
* Because of their reserved and withdrawn nature they can sometimes be the victims of bullying
* Are sometimes clumsy
* Can sometimes be seen as unusual or eccentric
* Can be extremely sensitive and over emotional
* Find it hard to understand jokes or sarcasm and can often take a joke as a personal attack
* Like to stick to specific rituals and routines.
Why is Anger Frequent In Aspergers children?
Aspergers children find it enormously difficult to interact with other children and are often extremely not comfortable in social situations. It's not that they don't want to be social, it's just that they are lacking social skills and find it hard to be social. Because of the need to be accepted and because they would like to be social but can't, then they can turn out to be quite angry and frustrated. They don't really understand why they aren't being accepted and why they can't interact the way that other kids do and sometimes they will just feel like other kids just simply don't like them. The more this transpires the more withdrawn a child might become and this may result in that child becoming quite a sad little person.
The earlier that your child is diagnosed with Aspergers the faster you can commence helping them to learn social and communication abilities. They are capable of learning these skills but just need that bit of extra help to do it. It is also important to assist them to build up a healthy self esteem so that they don't grow up to feel that they are inferior in some way due to their lack of social skills. By helping them become skilled at social skills and promoting self confidence will help to lower anger development.
The need for Aspergers children to have set routines and rituals is one more reason they can become annoyed if those routines are changed. Sometimes it can be hard to stick to a routine 100% but it is important to attempt to give them with their routines as much as possible to avoid an anger outburst.
Aspergers children may get rather angry and even violent over a changed schedule even though this is something that a lot of people wouldn't really fret too much about. An Aspergers child can be taught how to stay in control during times like these with some Cognitive Behavior Therapy.
These children can be extremely annoyed little people and it is also frustrating for a parent to deal with these issues. These children appear completely normal and it can be easy to forget that they do in fact have a condition and when you are in public people do not realize that they have a disorder and may sometimes just assume that they are a 'naughty' child. Dealing with these issues on a day to day basis can take it's toll on any parent. An early prognosis of Aspergers is valuable so that you can make a start to teach your child the skills that they need and how to deal with the problems that make them angry. If your child gets the right care then they can live a quite happy and fulfilling life.
Aspergers disease children can be difficult to live with but if they receive the right treatment they can be happy and fulfilled children.
Aspergers disease children will often have some behavior issues like anger, violence and depression. These behaviors can surface because of the frustration that comes along with being unable to cope with social situations and these behaviors can be incredibly hard to handle for a parent.
The Features Of Aspergers
Aspergers doesn't really begin to show it's signs and symptoms until around the age of three and quite a few children are often not diagnosed until aged five or six and sometimes older. Aspergers tends to be more common in males than it is in females. Not all Aspergers children will show the same signs or symptoms as they can differ a big deal from person to person and in mild cases can be quite hard to diagnose.
Aspergers disease children generally are highly intellectual and will often have fairly high grades at school, but it is the emotional and social skills that these children are lacking.
The main features of Aspergers Disease are:
* Bright and often excel in subjects like Maths and Science
* Absorb and learn things with no trouble and quickly
* Don't cope extremely well when criticized and in fact will sometimes take criticism very personally
* Lack initiative to initiate a conversation or join a group but will instead wait to be asked to join in with a group or wait for someone to initiate a conversation with them
* Because of their reserved and withdrawn nature they can sometimes be the victims of bullying
* Are sometimes clumsy
* Can sometimes be seen as unusual or eccentric
* Can be extremely sensitive and over emotional
* Find it hard to understand jokes or sarcasm and can often take a joke as a personal attack
* Like to stick to specific rituals and routines.
Why is Anger Frequent In Aspergers children?
Aspergers children find it enormously difficult to interact with other children and are often extremely not comfortable in social situations. It's not that they don't want to be social, it's just that they are lacking social skills and find it hard to be social. Because of the need to be accepted and because they would like to be social but can't, then they can turn out to be quite angry and frustrated. They don't really understand why they aren't being accepted and why they can't interact the way that other kids do and sometimes they will just feel like other kids just simply don't like them. The more this transpires the more withdrawn a child might become and this may result in that child becoming quite a sad little person.
The earlier that your child is diagnosed with Aspergers the faster you can commence helping them to learn social and communication abilities. They are capable of learning these skills but just need that bit of extra help to do it. It is also important to assist them to build up a healthy self esteem so that they don't grow up to feel that they are inferior in some way due to their lack of social skills. By helping them become skilled at social skills and promoting self confidence will help to lower anger development.
The need for Aspergers children to have set routines and rituals is one more reason they can become annoyed if those routines are changed. Sometimes it can be hard to stick to a routine 100% but it is important to attempt to give them with their routines as much as possible to avoid an anger outburst.
Aspergers children may get rather angry and even violent over a changed schedule even though this is something that a lot of people wouldn't really fret too much about. An Aspergers child can be taught how to stay in control during times like these with some Cognitive Behavior Therapy.
These children can be extremely annoyed little people and it is also frustrating for a parent to deal with these issues. These children appear completely normal and it can be easy to forget that they do in fact have a condition and when you are in public people do not realize that they have a disorder and may sometimes just assume that they are a 'naughty' child. Dealing with these issues on a day to day basis can take it's toll on any parent. An early prognosis of Aspergers is valuable so that you can make a start to teach your child the skills that they need and how to deal with the problems that make them angry. If your child gets the right care then they can live a quite happy and fulfilling life.
Aspergers disease children can be difficult to live with but if they receive the right treatment they can be happy and fulfilled children.
Sunday 21 November 2010
What is Aspergers Disease
Aspergers is not actually a disease at all but more of a condition that many children have. The word disease itself can give the wrong impression of Aspergers and the many wonderful children who experience it. In this article I will give a simple explanation of some of the characteristics of Aspergers and then give some useful tips on how to manage challenging behaviours which are often associated with this condition.
Aspergers is a developmental disorder that affects a child's ability to socialize and communicate effectively with others. Children with Aspergers typically exhibit social awkwardness and an all-absorbing interest in specific topics. Signs and symptoms of Aspergers include displaying unusual nonverbal communication, such as lack of eye contact, few facial expressions, or awkward body postures and gestures. People with Aspergers will often show an intense obsession with one or two specific, narrow subjects, such as baseball statistics, train schedules, weather or snakes. They will appear not to understand, empathize with, or be sensitive to others' feelings and will have a hard time "reading" other people or understanding humor. When they speak it is often in a voice that is monotonous, rigid or unusually fast. They will sometimes appear to move clumsily, with poor coordination and display an odd posture or a rigid gait
Children with Aspergers frequently display challenging behaviors as a response to a world which they cannot deal with effectively. Any attempt to discontinue the behaviors must first consider why the behavior is occurring. The best way to establish why the individual with Aspergers is displaying challenging behaviors is to complete an A-B-C analysis. This includes an analysis of the Antecedent, Behavior, and the Consequence.
The antecedent is what happens before the behavior. The behavior is their response to the antecedent. The consequence, and this is the tricky one, is whatever immediately follows the behavior. Often the child with Aspergers will have limited ability to verbalize their needs; you can help them with this once you have identified the cause of the behavior. Remember it will be something that happens either before or after the behavior occurs. Once you have established the reason for the behavior, the child with Aspergers will need a consistent behavior program or method of intervention.
Children with Aspergers crave consistency and routine and need to know what is coming, or you will simply create more challenging behaviors.
For children with Aspergers, the behavioral intervention should include consideration of environmental changes that may need to be made. This may include removing items that may be over-stimulating or providing things that they appear to need. For the child with Aspergers, the behavioral intervention should also plan to provide the individual with a replacement behavior. Remember, if you eliminate the behavior without meeting the need, they will find their own replacement behavior! Autism and Aspergers are difficult to diagnose especially in young children where language and cognitive skills are still developing. All children are different, and many toddlers show a sign or symptom of Aspergers at some point.
It's natural for small children to be egocentric, and many little ones show a strong interest in a particular topic, such as dinosaurs or a favorite fictional character. These alone aren't reasons to be alarmed! However, if your child has frequent problems in school or seems unable to make friends, it's time to consult your pediatrician. These difficulties have many possible causes, but developmental disorders such as Aspergers shouldn't be ruled out. Hopefully this article will have provided you with some ideas of what to do next, where to seek help and how to manage your child's behaviors better.
Aspergers is a developmental disorder that affects a child's ability to socialize and communicate effectively with others. Children with Aspergers typically exhibit social awkwardness and an all-absorbing interest in specific topics. Signs and symptoms of Aspergers include displaying unusual nonverbal communication, such as lack of eye contact, few facial expressions, or awkward body postures and gestures. People with Aspergers will often show an intense obsession with one or two specific, narrow subjects, such as baseball statistics, train schedules, weather or snakes. They will appear not to understand, empathize with, or be sensitive to others' feelings and will have a hard time "reading" other people or understanding humor. When they speak it is often in a voice that is monotonous, rigid or unusually fast. They will sometimes appear to move clumsily, with poor coordination and display an odd posture or a rigid gait
Children with Aspergers frequently display challenging behaviors as a response to a world which they cannot deal with effectively. Any attempt to discontinue the behaviors must first consider why the behavior is occurring. The best way to establish why the individual with Aspergers is displaying challenging behaviors is to complete an A-B-C analysis. This includes an analysis of the Antecedent, Behavior, and the Consequence.
The antecedent is what happens before the behavior. The behavior is their response to the antecedent. The consequence, and this is the tricky one, is whatever immediately follows the behavior. Often the child with Aspergers will have limited ability to verbalize their needs; you can help them with this once you have identified the cause of the behavior. Remember it will be something that happens either before or after the behavior occurs. Once you have established the reason for the behavior, the child with Aspergers will need a consistent behavior program or method of intervention.
Children with Aspergers crave consistency and routine and need to know what is coming, or you will simply create more challenging behaviors.
For children with Aspergers, the behavioral intervention should include consideration of environmental changes that may need to be made. This may include removing items that may be over-stimulating or providing things that they appear to need. For the child with Aspergers, the behavioral intervention should also plan to provide the individual with a replacement behavior. Remember, if you eliminate the behavior without meeting the need, they will find their own replacement behavior! Autism and Aspergers are difficult to diagnose especially in young children where language and cognitive skills are still developing. All children are different, and many toddlers show a sign or symptom of Aspergers at some point.
It's natural for small children to be egocentric, and many little ones show a strong interest in a particular topic, such as dinosaurs or a favorite fictional character. These alone aren't reasons to be alarmed! However, if your child has frequent problems in school or seems unable to make friends, it's time to consult your pediatrician. These difficulties have many possible causes, but developmental disorders such as Aspergers shouldn't be ruled out. Hopefully this article will have provided you with some ideas of what to do next, where to seek help and how to manage your child's behaviors better.
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