Writer Learning

I absolutely love the "Writer" from Writer Learning. http://www.writerlearning.com/ This is a durable, portable, long battery life keyboard with many enticing features. The Writer has so many features. I use the Writer to work on the basic typing skills using the typing program. The Writer has 16 folders for students and within each folder you can save numerous files. My students type stories, spelling lists, and notes using the Writer. When they are finished with their document the file can be beamed to the computer or printer for further editing or printing. One of my favorite features is called Word Prediction. Kids that have difficulty with motor skills to type out every word are able to use word prediction to help them type faster. Once they begin to type a word the Writers best guesses comes up with options. If the word the child was typing appears they simple press the corresponding number and move onto the next word. There are many more features so check out the website. The Writer is currently $149. The company also produces a device called the "Fusion" this device has voice output (text to speech) so somebody could hear what is being typed.

Lego Game

I have started a social skills group on Thursday evenings. I was out looking for some good social games to play. Many of the kiddos I work with enjoy playing with Legos but this tends to turn into parallel play versus joint interaction. I purchased a game called Lego Creationary. In this game you begin to build an item from a picture and then the rest of the group has to guess what you are building. I love this idea because the kids get to be creative and the ones guessing have to use their discrimination skills and descriptive skills to interpret what is being built. Now the game does not come with any direction for how to put together each object. If you are playing with kids that need directions I found many step by step directions on the following Lego web page. Now these don't go directly along with the game but you can use them instead of the pictures offered in the game. http://creative.lego.com/en-us/Familytime/buildinginstructions/BuildingInstructionsmonthly.aspx?month=August&year=2010 Happy building :)

Sandpaper

Can you tell I have been spending my time in hardware stores...Well here is one more idea. When a student is writing place the paper on top of sandpaper. This will add an extra sensory experience. Try different types of sandpaper from very fine to coarse and bumpy. When the child colors or writes they will be able to feel each mark more easily. When finished the child can run their fingers over the coloring and feel the tiny bumps. This is a fun way to engage student in more fine motor skills.  

Sand and Shells

Sensory Bucket ~ Reward

I love the beach. The sand and ocean. Unfortunately living in Utah the opportunity to go to the beach is few and far between. When you need a little taste of this feeling bring the beach to you. I purchased 100 lbs. of play sand that you can find at any hardware store for a few dollars. I then bought a large bucket to put the sand in. If you want to be able to cover the sand make sure you buy a container with a lid. I placed a bag a seashells into the sand. You can find your own shells along a real beach or you can go to Walmart and purchase a bag of shells to put into your sand. This then becomes a wonderful sensory activity. Children can dig in the sand and find shells. I also generally turn this into a language building activity by having the kids describe what they are feeling (ex: I feel something bumpy and round) The nice thing about sand is that you can hide all sorts of treasures in the play sand. If you want to have a fun scavenger hunt. Create a little map that will lead the kids to the bucket of sand and then follow the clues to find the sand and treasure. One final thought, students with many sensory needs generally enjoy digging in the sand. I have worked with many kids that would complete their TEACCH jobs and their reward was playing in the sand.

Hardware Stores

You know, you can find amazing things at hardware stores. The versatility of building products is huge. I have worked with many students with autism. One thing that can be challenging is when the child folds, eats, or lacks the fine motor to pick up the picture icons. I have tried placing the icons on pieces of wood, tile, and other thicker objects. This is my favorite so far. I purchased sticky-back floor linoleum squares. Each square was about $1.00. Then I printed off my pictures, laminated them and stuck them to the floor linoleum. The nice thing about floor linoleum is that you can create any size of picture icon small to huge because the linoleum can be cut easily to size. To cut the linoleum I would recommend using a razor blade because it gives a more precise cut. Scissors sometimes create cracks in the linoleum. The icons are now a little thicker, sturdier, and easier to pick up.



Floor linoleum - Laminated Boardmaker Icons
2 1/2 inch by 2 1/2 inch



Language Quote

“If all my possessions were taken from me with
one exception I would choose to keep the

Power of Communication

for by it I would soon regain all the rest”

-Daniel Webster

iPad Success

For those of you out there that have worked with or have a child that is nonverbal you understand the frustration of not being able to understand what the individual wants. I have worked with many kids over the years that are nonverbal, including my sister. I am working with a teenager who is using an iPad to communicate using the program Proloquo2go. This is a text/picture menu system with voice output. She has done very well with things like requesting food, yes/no, and a few other reinforcing items. Today while I was working with her, she said, "I want to go to Walmart" I told her we can't today. She said again, "I want to go to Walmart." I told her not today. She then went into an entirely different menu area in the iPad and said "Why not!" I was blown away. I had never gotten such a thought provoking question. I was so impressed. I know these kids that are nonverbal have so much to say but just don't have a way to express themselves. In the end I still couldn't take her to Walmart but I told her that when her mom came to pick her up we would ask if she could go to Walmart with mom.