In So Many Words

How Do I Teach This Kid to Read? Teaching Literacy Skills to Young Children with Autism
by Kimberly A. Henry, M.S.
Future Horizons, 2010
97 pages

About the Book

Reading is so much more than reciting words on a page!

Reading provides personal enjoyment, access to information, and opens doors to opportunities throughout life, both recreational and occupational. Reading helps us grow and vicariously experience things we are curious about, and dream about.

But for many young children with autism, reading is often a factual memorization of letters and words. The playful, imaginative qualities of reading may be missed in favor of the repetitive, predictable alphabet and visual appearance of words on a page.

This book presents simple instructional strategies that can be used to help develop early literacy skills in young children with autism. Award-winning author Kimberly Henry provides dozens of fine-tuned, easily adaptable activities that teachers and parents can implement separately or in infinite combinations. Included are units on phonemic awareness, vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency. Kim also lists numerous other resources you can use to supplement the lessons.

Best of all, this book comes with a FREE CD of printable, visual tools, such as:

• ABC Books
• Text-Picture Matches
• Songs, Chants, and Poems
• Word Webs
• Visual Organizers
• Sentence Builders
• Graphics for Games
• And many more!

My Thoughts

I was extremely impressed by this book. Even having had a child who started reading on his own, I can see where the activities in this book would have helped me expand and direct his learning, especially in those areas where having autism impacted him more.

Kim makes an important comparison in the introduction when she says:

Because the ability to read and comprehend is closely linked to an individual’s language abilities and social understanding, children with autism often struggle with the process of reading.

For my son, the biggest issue thus far has been comprehension. I recall asking him what he thought would happen next as I reached the end of a page in a storybook, hoping to prompt some sort of prediction from him, and being told, “You’re going to turn the page.” It makes an adorable story, and he has progressed past that point, but there is still a gap between how he interprets what he reads and how his teachers expect him to see it.

As Kim points out, amongst other considerations related to comprehension:

Children with ASD characteristically are challenged by a lack of social understanding and “theory of mind”—the ability to take the perspective of another person and recognize their emotions, interests, and motivations. This area of deficit, then, affects their ability to understand and relate to characters in fictional text.

The book itself is laid out nicely, with helpful information regarding each area of literacy prefacing a number of activities directly related to that area. It also includes a CD with printable resources for many of the activities described, which is worth as much as the price of the book over again.

The subtitle reads, “Teaching Literacy Skills to Young Children with Autism, from Phonics to Fluency,” and I agree that it is probably best suited for those working with younger kiddos or early readers. But I would say that it could be very useful even with children who appear to be progressing independently with both phonics and fluency, especially with regard to the area of comprehension.

How Do I Teach This Kid to Read? is available directly from Future Horizons, where you can use the code INTERRUPTED to receive 15% off and free shipping in the continental US.

Note: This is Book #99 of my 2011 Reads (master list here). I received a review copy of this book for free, and the Future Horizons discount code is an affiliate link. All opinions are my own.

Everyone’s been telling me third grade is when it gets harder, especially with the homework. So far it has actually been nice to have a bit more challenging assignments – Michael protests less when it doesn’t seem like busy work, but I’m sure we are still in the honeymoon phase of the school year!

What a timely opportunity it was for me to be able to read and share this article from the July/August 2007 issue of the Autism Asperger’s Digest (www.autismdigest.com).

It’s a lengthy article, but well worth the read. It has a ton of great ideas and an excellent resource list at the end.

Our daily lives are made up of an endless stream of thoughts, decisions, actions and reactions to the people and environment in which we live. The internal and external actions fit together, sometimes seamlessly sometimes not, largely dependent upon a set of invisible yet highly important skills we call Executive Functioning (EF).

These skills, which involve planning, organizing, sequencing, prioritizing, shifting attention, and time management can be well-developed in some people (think traffic controllers, wedding planners, business CEOs, etc.) and less developed in others. They are vital in all parts of life, from making coffee to running a profitable business. The skills develop naturally, without specific, formal training, and we all have them to some degree – or at least, we all assume we all have them.

Things are never quite as simple as they seem, and these EF skills are no exception. They require a multitiered hierarchy of decisions and actions, all coming together within the framework of time, knowledge and resources.

Imagine trying to navigate life when EF skills are impaired or nonexistent, as they are with individuals on the autism spectrum. For most of us, our imagination won’t stretch that far. Therefore, we assume all these kids – especially those who are “bright” – have EF skills and we act and react to our spectrum children or students as if they did.

Nowhere does this EF skill deficit cause more turmoil than in the area of homework, producing monstrous levels of anxiety and dread in students, parents and teachers alike. The myriad of details that need to be accomplished in a student’s class, school day or week can overwhelm even the healthiest student; it can shut down our ASD kids.

I am regularly asked: if tasks are so overwhelming to their EF systems, should we just avoid having students deal with them? The answer is an unequivocal emphatic “NO!” Organizational skills are life skills, not just school skills, and even though they are “mandatory prerequisites” for succeeding at school, like social skills they are rarely directly taught. Few states include explicit teaching of EF skills in their “standards of education.”

So where do we start?

First, by understanding how complex organizational systems become by the time students reach middle school. We can only be good teachers if we appreciate the demands the skills we teach place on our students.

Second, by understanding organization as a skill set, which involves static and dynamic systems.

Static organizational systems and skills are structured: same thing, same time, same place, same way. Static organizational tasks are introduced in kindergarten, first and second grade. We break down tasks and ask students to explicitly complete very defined units of information, at a certain time and place. Write your name at the top of the page, read the instructions, complete the work, when done turn the paper over and sit quietly until time is up.

Dynamic organizational systems and skills involve constant adjustments to priorities, workloads, timeframes, tasks and places. They are less teacher directed and more student-directed. By 4th grade, teachers are introducing dynamic assignments to students with moderate levels of support. Soon after that we expect students to be able to manage increasingly dynamic workloads with little extra support or direct teaching. By high school, almost all school and homework has dynamic components requiring students to use EF skills to allocate time, resources, places to work, etc.

Here’s the good news: most of us understand that to tackle a dynamic task we have to break it down into its static elements. The dynamic part of the task requires thinking; the static part of the task requires doing. A dynamic assignment such as writing an essay requires a significant portion of the task be spent thinking about the topic before the static tasks of actually writing the paper at a table, at a specified hour, etc. One of the great challenges for our spectrum students is learning to break down dynamic tasks into more concrete, static chunks of work.

Fostering organizational skills in students with ASD requires an evolutionary approach towards teaching students, one that is ideally started at an early age. Students hone organizational skills starting in preschool, when we first ask them to clean up their toys. Teachers can accurately identify organized versus disorganized students as early as kindergarten. By 4th grade teachers expect students to be proficient with EF skills.

However, the reality is that the majority of our ASD students of all ages desperately need help with homework, specifically, and EF skills in general. Help is available.

The following 10 steps illuminate specific aspects of EF skills that increase students’ static and dynamic organizational coping mechanisms. While these steps are interrelated and synergistic, avoid trying to teach them all at the same time. Each may be difficult to grasp and master for the student with ASD; allow learning to take its own pace. Keep expectations realistic, talk things through regularly, and probe for misunderstandings or miscommunication. Learning EF skills is a dynamic system of its own, with its static components. Make sure your child or student experiences success and feels competent at each stage of the process.

10 Steps to Foster Organization Skills

1. Clearly define what needs to be done
Too often, parents and schools view organization goals too simply: “the student must write the assignment in his planner.” Clearly this is not nearly enough detail for most tasks and may not even be the best starting goal for a particular student. Adults must be organized in their own thinking if they are to effectively teach students with EF deficits this skill. Go beyond giving out assignments; help the student understand how to also approach the task from an organizational standpoint.

2. Move it with motivation
Almost all students with weak organizational skills also struggle with motivation to accomplish homework tasks. Parents and teachers often don’t realize this lack of motivation can stem from feeling overwhelmed by the task demands. Students with the greatest motivational challenges are often our most intelligent students (e.g. those with high IQ scores). We often assume “smart” means “organized” and say things like “come on, I know you can do this, I know you are smart.” Yet, they may have the hardest time motivating themselves when overwhelmed because they have never had to work at learning. Learning just happened if they stayed attentive.

By adolescence, students need to appreciate that completing work – even work that seems somewhat ridiculous to them – has its rewards. It establishes them as hard working in the eyes of others, improves their grades and increases feelings of self-worth through meeting their grade level academic expectations. However, as obvious as this sounds, this level of cause-effect can still be too overwhelming to some spectrum students because it requires delayed gratification.

Many students need to start at a much more concrete level of motivation, with very small work steps combined with reward early in the task completion process. For example, if a student cannot easily work for an hour, have him work successfully on a single part of the task for just 10 minutes before he gets to pause and congratulate himself. Self motivation increases when students feel confident in understanding and accomplishing the task before them. It doesn’t matter how “well” you teach students these EF skills; if they are unmotivated, they will not implement the ideas. Work directly on helping students tackle and overcome motivation challenges.

3. Prepare the environment
Most adults familiar with helping students “get organized” understand this point. Establish a dedicated workspace for homework that includes the essential tools: pen, pencil, paper, etc. Color coding tasks, making sure the student has an organized binder, possibly access to a time-timer (www.timetimer.com) create structures that promote success during homework time.

4. Chunk and time it
Assignments that sound coherent and structured to teachers can still overwhelm a student with EF challenges. For example: “write a report focusing on the economy, culture, weather and climate of a specific country.” Clear enough, you think? Maybe to us, but not to them. Make sure the student understands how to “chunk” an assignment (break it down into smaller pieces) and how the individual parts create the larger whole. For example, not all students will know their report needs four sections, essentially “miniessays” worked on separately and then joined together.

Furthermore, once they “chunk” the project students also need to predict how long each chunk will take to complete. The majority of our students with poor organizational skill have a resounding inability to predict how long projects will take across time. In fact, they tend to be weak in all aspects of interpreting and predicting time. Consider this: Is there anything you do without first predicting how long it will take? We “time map” everything, gauging how the task will or will not fit into what we’re doing now, an hour from now, later in the day or later in the week.

Homework functions in much the same way. Students are more willing to tackle homework when they can reliably predict how long they will have to work on the task. For example, a student will usually calmly do math if it should only take 5-10 minutes. However, for those spectrum students who can’t predict time, the nebulous nature of the activity incites anxiety such that they may cry 45 minutes over doing a 10-minute math assignment. When the student does not – or cannot – consider time prediction as part of his organizational skill set, he is likely to waste a lot of time rather than use time to his advantage.

5. Use visual structures
As the school years progress, homework shifts from mostly static tasks doled out by one teacher to mostly dynamic tasks assigned by many different individuals. We expect students to self-organize and know how to juggle the many pieces of learning that make up each class, grade and level of education. Yet, this valuable skill is never directly taught!

Visual long-term mapping charts, such as a Gantt Chart, (www.ganttchart.com) can help students plan and monitor multiple activities. These bar type graphs allow a student to visually track multiple projects across time, determine when they are due and how much time is available to work on each.

For example, a history paper may be assigned in February and due in late March; a line would run from early February to late March to indicate the time allocated to the project. A math project assigned in early March is also due in late March; another line would represent this project. Visually the student can see that two big projects are due at about the same time, and both are worth significant grade points. This then helps the student understand why he should not wait until the last minute to start one or both assignments. Gantt charts are frequently used in business, but have yet to make it into student software for school/homework planning. However, they are easy to create and use at home or in the classroom. For students with ASD, they are invaluable tools for organization.

Visual structures can represent entire projects and then also be used for individual chunks, creating the visual organizational framework students with EF deficits need. Once assignments are understood as needing to be worked on across time, we can encourage students to chunks tasks to be worked on during specific weeks, then make related lists of things to do on specific days.

6. Prioritize and plan daily
Learning to prioritize is a valuable skill and helps the student get things done. Keep in mind that many of us make daily lists but don’t always complete all tasks on our list, and that priority is largely based on the value we place on the assignment. Within the school setting, “value” is often dictated by the teacher. Priority is a factor of the task’s value overall, its deadline and the time to complete it. However, just because a task is due does not mean a student needs to make a decision to complete it, especially if it is a low priority or low value task to the student or the teacher.

For example, during her sophomore year in high school my daughter was looking at her math grades online. I looked over her shoulder and saw she had mostly A’s and B’s but noticed she had two F’s. I exclaimed, “Robyn, you have two F’s”, to which she replied, “Mom, they were each worth one point. They were hardly worth doing.” Robyn realized that in light of the many assignments she had to juggle for all her classes, projects with the least point value were not worth doing; she’d rather save her time and effort for the larger, more important projects.

With a prioritized plan in hand, many students will still struggle with actually working on the tasks. Even students with high intelligence may have difficulty getting themselves to work on projects not of their liking. Their baseline attention span may be no more than 7-10 minutes. (Test one of your student’s baseline attention span by observing how long he can attend to mundane projects without self-distracting. You may be surprised by how short it is!)

Help students succeed with their daily schedule by teaching them to take frequent small breaks at the end of their baseline attention span. For example, a graduate student in theology found he could only push himself through 10-minute work cycles before feeling overwhelmed or internally distracted. He used a visual time-timer and gave himself a short stretch break every 10 minutes. Once he completed a number of these short work cycles he gave himself a larger reward.

The key to using self-reward is to make sure the small reward isn’t likely to be distracting or absorbing (computer games, TV, reading a book). Instead make these small breaks quick and refreshing, just to refocus attention: sensory based activities (stretching or movement), a small snack, a quick trip to the bathroom or pencil sharpener.

7. Hunt and gather
Simply put: students need to plan time into their schedule to locate different resources to complete a task. For example, research at the library might be a “chunk” they plan for on their homework list (don’t forget travel time!).

8. Consider perspective
Homework is more effectively completed when students start by considering the teacher’s perspective before diving into the assignment. An assignment done well is one that meets the teacher’s expectations and follows the teacher’s instructions. A high school student went to great lengths to develop a computer program for his computer programming class. His teacher came to me exasperated, explaining that while well done, the project was totally unrelated to the class assignment.

Parent perspectives enter into the homework plan also. Many parents expect children to finish homework before watching TV. Even though children may have accomplished a great deal of homework (in their mind “enough”), trouble can still erupt because it wasn’t “finished” in the parent’s mind.

Perspective taking can be quite overwhelming to many students with social learning and organizational problems. A strategy called “social behavior mapping” (Winner, 2007) can help students understand how expectations, actions and reactions affect not only how we are viewed by others, but how their responses ultimately impact the way we view ourselves.

9. Communicate and then communicate some more
Homework assignments often result in students needing help from others. Knowing when and how to ask for help can be challenging for students with social learning and organizational weaknesses. Avoid assuming students – especially “bright” students – should intuitively know how to ask for help, clarification or even how to collaborate with others on assignments. These skills are not nearly as simple as they seem and may need to be explicitly taught by the special education teacher or speech language pathologist at your school.

Tip: as students age into middle school and beyond, most are turning to their peer group rather than their teacher for help. This fosters peer support networks desperately needed for success in college and later life.

10. Completion and Reward
Having a clearly defined “end” to a task is important for the concrete thinking minds of students with ASD. Be sure the child knows what “finished” means, both at school and at home. For instance, a homework assignment is not truly “done” until it is turned in to the teacher at school. While homework turn-in boxes (static) are commonly found in elementary school, they all but vanish during middle and high school years when even the act of turning in homework becomes dynamic.

Make sure your students know where to turn in homework. Also, parents should save big celebrations for completed projects until the assignments are actually turned in. Some students may need reminder systems set up to make sure work is turned in on time. Visual notes, PDA messages or watch timers can be used to help.

At home, “finished” homework yields its own rewards when students can engage in more personally pleasing activities, such as a computer game, watching TV, reading for pleasure, etc. Even our favorite activities have a finite time frame attached to them before it is time to go to bed. Many of these organizational strategies can be used to help a student learn to shut down a favorite activity and get his brain ready for bed.

“Planning takes time!” This is a message we need to constantly reinforce with our spectrum students.

“Teaching organizational skills takes time, across months and even years!” This is a message we need to reinforce to parents and teachers. Whether students are using organizational skills for homework, doing chores, preparing for a weekend activity or something as simple as getting a snack, as children grow and develop, tasks become increasingly complex and dynamic with each passing year. Teachers and parents need to work together, while children are still in elementary school, to identify and teach any or all of the 10 steps mentioned in this article that are problematic for the spectrum child. In doing so, we give children the tools not just to handle homework, but to be successful in all areas of life.

Michelle Garcia Winner is internationally recognized as an innovative clinician, enthusiastic workshop presenter and prolific author in the field of social thinking and social cognitive functioning. Visit www.socialthinking.com for additional information.

References
Allen, D. (2001). Getting Things Done. The art of stress free productivity. Penguin Books: New York. (recommended by an adult with AS)
Dawson, P. and Guare. R. (2004). Executive Skills in Children and Adolescents: A Practical Guide to Assessment and Intervention. The Guilford Press: New York.
Giles-Brown, C. (1993). Practical Time, Language and Living Series. Imaginart. www.proedinc.com
Hyerle, D. (1996). Visual Tools for Constructing Knowledge. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development: Virginia.
Myles, B. & Adreon, D. (2001). Asperger Syndrome and Adolescence: Practical Solutions for School Success. AAPC: Kansas. www.asperger.net
Soper, M. (1993). Crash Course for Study Skills. Linguisystems: Illinois. www.linguisystems.com (highly recommended for building a curriculum!)
Winner, M. (2005). “Strategies for Organization:Preparing for Homework and the Real World.” The Gray Center: Grand Rapids, Michigan. www.socialthinking.com
Winner, M. (2007). Social Behavior Mapping. Think Social Publishing, Inc.: San Jose, California.

A few months ago, I was approached about helping to beta test a new site for caregivers of loved ones with issues such as Alzheimer’s, autism, and more. The site offers a way to connect with other caregivers through online journals and book clubs, and it provides lots of resources related to caregiving as well as to self-care.

Sounds pretty good so far, but what really made this site so interesting to me is that the site is built around an online game where you learn about caregiving while also solving a mystery and having the option to solve various puzzles along the way! I have been through the first two episodes of the game, which primarily discuss caring for an elderly relative with Alzheimer’s or a similar illness, and it really opened my eyes to what my father-in-law and sister-in-law have been experiencing in providing the day-to-day care for my mother-in-law, who has Alzheimer’s.

Of course, I blog mostly about autism and many of my readers are more interested in that topic. There are at least two book clubs specifically focused on autism and a fair amount of resources such as recommended books and tip sheets on various issues. A quick search of the term autism on the site turns up a number of related journal entries and book club discussions.

So, if you or someone you know could use a little break from the stress of the day, or would benefit from connecting with someone else in a similar situation, I would encourage you to check out this site. Right now, they are offering a free one year membership and will also contribute $1 to the Autism Society for anyone who joins using this link.

If you want to stop reading and go check it out, feel free! And if you’d like a bit more information about the site first, I am happy to oblige…

New Resource for Family Caregivers

Despite millions of dollars and hundreds of dedicated websites, family caregivers are still in trouble.

Over 60 million family caregivers in the U.S. alone are sick (with nearly twice the rate of chronic illnesses as their non-caregiving peers); they’re depressed (40-60% report significant feelings of depression) and they’re frustrated, unable to find resources or solutions they need to help with the basic, day-to-day caregiving tasks they face. They’re also costly to our economy, accounting for an estimated $29 billion in lost productivity to our country’s businesses.

It’s time to change this description of the family caregiver. It’s time to do just one thing: Improve the lives of family caregivers. Caregiver Village, a brand new place on the web, is dedicated to doing exactly this.

• Caregiver Village is dedicated to building better health, using an innovative, engaging virtual game to inspire better self-care, teach stress management skills, and build more positive attitudes about caregiving.
• Caregiver Village is dedicated to increasing happiness, by helping caregivers connect more with others, choosing their caregiving journey and encouraging mindful support of each other.
• Caregiver Village is dedicated to easing frustration, by linking to resources caregivers need to make a tangible difference in their lives.
• To achieve such an epic change it will take a true Village – a Caregiver Village – reaching out, inviting friends, family and acquaintances to join with us as we raise our voices, affirm our choices and change the world of caregiving today.

Join in. Make a Difference.

You can be a part of this transformation. All it takes is a few simple steps:

JOIN – Become part of Caregiver Village and join a community of supportive, positive, life-changing individuals.

SOLVE THE MYSTERY – Put the “fun” into what is perceived as a terrible drudgery by others. Play the Village Chronicles virtual game, and have a little fun while learning valuable self-care techniques.

SHARE YOUR STORY – Creating and sharing a journal can be an incredibly helpful experience. No writing expertise required. Everyone’s welcome.

GET CONNECTED – Join one of the many book clubs within Caregiver Village. You’ll find a group of people ready to help, support, educate and amuse you. They’re waiting just inside.

FIND RESOURCES – Caregiver Village has a selection of resources selected just for busy family caregivers. Find resources that can make daily caregiving tasks much more manageable. You’ll find links to important organizations as well as exclusive Tip Sheets and Online Training courses designed just for you.

Join me today in reaching out and improving your life – my life – and the lives of other family caregivers all over the country.

LIMITED TIME OFFER:
Join NOW and receive a year’s membership free – $50 value! In addition, when you join using this link, Caregiver Village will donate $1 to the Autism Society.

Move About Activity Cards: Quick and Easy Sensory Activities to Help Children Refocus, Calm Down or Regain Energy
by David Jereb, OTR/L & Kathy Jereb, COTA/L
Sensory World, 2010
64 cards

About the Book

Winner of an iParenting Media Award, this colorful 64-card deck provides fun-filled activities that will help children develop their sensory-motor skills in a game-like format. These cards offer delightful activities for children of all ages and abilities.

Many activities require no special equipment, while others make use of standard, classroom equipment to develop children’s sensory-motor skills and improve their learning and behavior. A great tool for parents, teachers, or therapists to use at home, at school, or in the clinic!

Includes 64 cards on a convenient a snap-ring holder, “How to Use” pamphlet, and sturdy storage box.

My Thoughts

My son and I were both delighted by the adorable illustrations and fun activities in this card pack from the moment we opened it. We took turns finding some activities we were already familiar with and then picking out some new ones to try.

Of course, he quickly decided that his favorite was the most involved one – creating a five-part obstacle course. But he also enjoyed things like walking over a gym ball and back, or passing a weighted ball above your head to a friend while standing back-to-back.

I took them to school last week to show the team and talk to the OT about having him use some of them there during sensory breaks. She was very receptive to the idea and, after discussing which types of activities would be appropriate for school and what equipment she could provide, we picked out about 8 to let him choose from during his breaks. We plan to rotate the cards once a month so the activities stay fresh, and then we can use the others at home as needed.

I think these are great because they provide that much needed visual component and are kid-friendly in appearance and ease of use. They also give the adults a good selection of ideas and a way to structure the timeframe for the kids.

MoveAbout Activity Cards is available directly from Sensory World/Future Horizons, where you can use the code INTERRUPTED to receive 15% off and free shipping in the continental US.

Note: This is Book #78 of my 2011 Reads (master list here). I received a review copy for free, and all opinions and comments are my own. The Future Horizons discount code is an affiliate link.

Sensational Journeys: 48 Personal Stories of Sensory Processing Disorder
by Hartley Steiner
Sensory World, 2011
270 pages

About the Book
Written by the mom of a young man with SPD, this much needed book tells the stories of over 48 families as they go through the trials and triumphs of sensory issues. It will cover all different aspects and what families should expect as they enter, and what hope lies ahead.

My Thoughts
What a wonderful idea to pull together all of these different stories and perspectives into one book! As a mom who is very familiar with one particular expression of sensory processing disorder (SPD), I found it extremely enlightening to see this condition through other eyes.

The children described vary in age and circumstance; some have other diagnoses or conditions, while others have only SPD; some were recognized and treated at an early age while others struggled longer until answers were found. What they have in common is a parent or parents who love them and are determined to help their children succeed no matter what their challenges may be.

I think this quote, from the story “The First Day of Kindergarten,” sums it up best:

The fact is that my daughter is who she is, and “who she is” is a wonderful, bright, and sweet child whose brain processes sensory input differently from that of other children. She will learn to make her brain work for her, and she will learn to work in the way that’s best for her brain. And she will thrive.

~ Jennifer Kerr Breedlove, www.greenmomintheburbs.wordpress.com

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has a child in their life that is affected by sensory processing disorder, whether you are a parent, grandparent, teacher, therapist, or friend. Each story is quite short and easily read, but they add up to a powerful message of awareness and acceptance of what needs to be done to make a different for these kids.

Sensational Journeys is available directly from Sensory World/Future Horizons, where you can use the code INTERRUPTED to receive 15% off and free shipping in the continental US.

Note: This is Book #76 of my 2011 Reads (master list here). I received a galley copy of this book for free, and all opinions and comments are my own. The Future Horizons discount code is an affiliate link.

I wanted to let you know about some upcoming conferences run by Future Horizons. I attended one last year with Dr. Tony Attwood, which was wonderful, and am excited to be able to go to one in just a couple of weeks with three amazing speakers – Dr. Temple Grandin, Eustacia Cutler, and Paula Aquilla.

There are still spots open for the September 9th conference in the Philadephia/New Jersey area. You can learn more about it and register at the Future Horizons website.

Future Horizons has a number of different conferences planned for the fall and winter all around the United States. The speakers vary somewhat at each one and include, in addition to those already mentioned, Carol Kranowitz, Rebecca Moyes, Lucy Miller, Dr. Tony Attwood, Dr. Jed Baker, and others! Click the link to see the entire list of upcoming conferences.

One other thing – you can use the promotional code INTERRUPTED to get 15% off any purchase made through the Future Horizons online store, including conference registration. Simply enter the code once you have added the item to your cart and then click the update cart button to recalculate the price. If you are purchasing books or other materials, the code will also give you free shipping in the continental U.S.

I have received a complimentary registration to the conference. The promotional code provided is an affiliate link for which I will receive a percentage. I am promoting Future Horizons because I believe in the quality of their products and conferences.

So, today was the final day of the National Autism Conference for this year, and there was a point when I really started to wonder if I should even try to write about autism anymore. On a personal front, the last comment I got here was from someone telling me I am a horrible parent, and it makes me wonder why I choose to put myself out there.

To add to my dismay, the speaker this morning basically said he wasn’t sure what any other professional besides his own kind had to offer a child with autism. Although his actual presentation was objective and informative overall, several of his off-the-cuff comments in response to audience questions were quite shocking.

I sincerely hope the organizers of the conference don’t support the complete OT-bashing (and partial SLP-bashing) that took place this morning, especially as those two groups must make up a good percentage of the attendees.

Ironically enough, the closing keynote speaker was from the same area of expertise and encouraged his fellow practitioners to learn about what the other members of the team are bringing to the table and to respect their contributions and work with them for the best outcomes for the child. I was glad to hear him say that, but talk about a mixed message overall!

So, day 2 of the autism conference was pretty good. Michael had a bit of difficulty when a bucket of water got knocked over during “Wet Day” and his shoes and socks got all wet, but he recovered and had a good afternoon.

Unfortunately, just as I was picking him up, he accidentally brushed his arm against an iron that was still hot and got a minor burn on his arm. He had a nice little blister there now, but it seems to be healing up quickly.

The morning session I attended wasn’t quite what I expected, although the main presenter did have a lovely Irish accent. I bugged out at the break and spent the rest of the time before lunch reading a book.

The Writing C.L.A.W.

I will tell you that there is just one writing grip she likes. It is called The Writing C.L.A.W., and I have never seen anything like it before.

Today, I am scheduled for a session on Adapted Physical Education and another on Legal Issues. Guess I’d better get myself up and moving!

So, Michael and I have made it to State College, and I am eagerly awaiting the start of the National Autism Conference tomorrow morning.

We were supposed to drive an hour the other direction for a family reunion before coming up here, but Michael was so upset about getting here late at night and then having to go to the conference first thing Monday morning that I decided to bring him up early enough to play with his cousins today. They have been happily ensconced on the Wii for the last hour, although from what I can hear at the moment, he is not too happy about losing a MarioKart race to his cousin Jake.

I am so thankful for the hospitality of my brother- and sister-in-law, who happen to live less than 10 minutes from the conference center, and that the fee for a PA family member is only $25 for the week. Quite a bargain for the amount of information provided, even when you take into account missing a week of work!

The conference kicks off with a session on Autism, Politics, and Law by Lorri Unumb. She is a lawyer and parent of a child with autism who has been heavily involved in advocating for healthcare coverage for autism therapy. I am also attending a parent advocacy session with her later that day, so I am hoping that she provides some useful information for me.

I am especially looking forward to a couple of sessions later in the week – one on Motor Planning and another on Adapted Physical Education. These are areas that I haven’t heard much about and could definitely use some guidance in.

At previous conferences, I have tended to focus my time more on communication, social skills, sensory issues, and educational strategies, but this year I am going in a bit of a different direction. In addition to the parent advocacy session on Monday, I am also going to a legal issues session on Wednesday and a Thursday session on evaluating autism treatments and distinguishing science from pseudoscience.

I am hoping to have lots of great stuff to report here as well as to help me in moving forward as an advocate for my son as well as for other families I encounter along the way.

Title: Nobody Ever Told Me (or My Mother) That! – Everything from Bottles and Breathing to Healthy Speech Development
Author: Diane Bahr, MS, CCC-SLP
Length: 425 pages
Genre: Nonfiction
Publisher/Date: Sensory World, 2010
Source: Review copy

“Do children learn more easily when parents understand their needs and the significance of the various stages of development?”

The answer is most definitely “yes,” and this fascinating new book fills a missing void in the child-rearing world. It explains everything from the basics of nursing, to SIDS, to facial massage, and finishes with the secrets to good speech development and keys to enhancing your child’s best natural appearance. Written by a speech-language pathologist with more than 30 years of experience, this book is a wealth of necessary information for any new parent. It contains practical advice for all new parents on everything they need to know about oral development from birth to 8 years old.

As Diane points out in her introduction, “Good feeding techniques and appropriate mouth activities are essential for your child’s overall health, well-being, and, ultimately, proper speech development.” And as I have learned from years of parenting a child with autism and sensory processing disorder, knowing what your child should be doing and how to help him move to the next step in his development is crucial.

With all of the books I read to prepare me for motherhood, I found myself lost when faced with a baby born three weeks early who wouldn’t wake up to eat and took half an hour to take in an ounce or two of formula even when held away from my body so he wouldn’t fall back to sleep. And after two years of never knowing whether I would have a good eater or a picky one on any given day, I was confounded by a child who began pushing away all but a handful of foods and still couldn’t get a spoon to his mouth without turning it upside down.

I was fortunate to encounter therapists who were able to help me understand some of the physical and sensory issues underlying my son’s behaviors. Although he still avoids a number of textures and tastes within his diet, he now eats a much larger number of foods and has learned to use utensils and drink from a cup appropriately.

Still, I can only imagine how much faster and farther his progress would have been if I had access to the information in this book back then. Diane starts with a thorough explanation of the newborn baby’s mouth and explains how to help your baby have the best experience with early feeding, whether by breast or by bottle. After addressing concerns such as belly time, SIDS, and allergies, she moves into explanations of the “hand-mouth connection” and exercising the mouth through massage and mouth toys.

From there, she gives us the secrets to success in higher-level feeding activities, such as spoon-feeding and drinking from a cup or a straw, and then goes on to discuss the issues of good speech development and your child’s best natural appearance.

The book closes with some advice on working with professionals when there is a problem and with a final chapter devoted to the specific issues faced by children with special needs, such as prematurity, Down syndrome, autism, and others.

All along the way, Diane includes lots of checklists and activities with room for dates and notes about what you are doing or observing with your child. She also lists resources within each chapter as well as in the extensive appendices, recommending what books to look at for further information on a specific topic and who to contact if you are concerned with your child’s development.

I was amazed by the amount of information in this book and especially by how much of it was completely new to me. This truly is stuff that “nobody ever told me,” and I really wish they had! And evidently a lot of people agree with me, as this book won a 2010 Top Choice of the Year Award by Creative Child Magazine.

Note: This is Book #63 of my 2011 Reads (master list here). I received a review copy of this book for free, and all opinions and comments are my own. Nobody Every Told Me (or My Mother) That! is available at Amazon or directly from Sensory World/Future Horizons.