Monthly Archives: March 2012

Prevalence of Autism now at 1 in 88 Children

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The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has just issued a new report on the prevalence of autism in the United States.  The estimate now is that 1 in every 88 American children is diagnosed with autism (1 in 54 boys, 1 in 252 girls).  That’s up from the 1 in 110 number just a few years ago.

The CDC’s alarming new statistics reveal that there has been a 78% increase of autism diagnosis cases throughout the US, over a 6 year period (2002-2008), which can be considered a cautionary reminder to all of us how serious and vast this issue has become.

With Autism Awareness Month approaching, Different Roads to Learning is pledging to participate in Autism Speak’s Light It Up Blue campaign on Monday, April 2 to help raise public awareness. We hope you’ll join us.  Now more than ever, we need to be sure that proper attention, research, education, intervention and funding is focused on the children and families living with autism.

During the month of April, Different Roads to Learning will be hosting a wide variety of events including sales, giveaways, an Autism Awareness Ribbon Project, and more. Be sure to stay tuned to our Blog, Facebook and Twitter pages for up to date information on how we’ll be supporting our community and raising awareness this April.

If you would like to learn more about the recent statistics, you can visit:

https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/30/health/rate-of-autism-diagnoses-has-climbed-study-finds.html?hp

https://www.autismspeaks.org/science/science-news/autism-prevalence-rises-1-88

Autism Speaks’ 2012 Press Release on CDC Numbers.

 

Pick of the Week: Know the Code at School – Social Skills Card Games

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Know the Code at School is a behavioral and social skill card game that illustrate 50 social skills in typical school scenarios. Each card shows a skill with a relevant photo, lists five sequential steps to accomplish the skill and suggests a talking point. The cards are great for games and role plays at an elementary or middle school level.

This week only, save 15% on the Know the Code at School cards by entering the Promo Code BLOGKC9 at checkout.

*Offer expires on April 3, 2012 at 11:59 pm EST. Not compatible with any other offer. Be sure there are no spaces after the Promo Code when you enter it at checkout.

Pick of the Week: Parachute Play

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On this first day of Spring, what can be better than getting kids outside into the spring sun and fresh air? Our Parachute provides an ideal way to spend some time outdoors, getting bodies in motion after a long, cold winter. The bright and colorful parachute has something for everyone: you can teach colors, turntaking, prepositions…Most of all, it’s plain old fun for all.

This week, save 15% on Parachute Play by entering the Promo Code BLOGPPS12 at checkout.

*Offer expires on March 27, 2012 at 11:59 pm EST. Not compatible with any other offer. Be sure there are no spaces after the Promo Code when you enter it at checkout.

Pick of the Week: The Language of Perspective Taking

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Work on social language and help your students feel more comfortable in social situations as they learn to see things from someone else’s point of view with The Language of Perspective Taking. An important milestone in a child’s development is seeing things from the perspective of someone else. The ability to understand another’s point of view contributes to the development of pragmatic language and communication and is a cornerstone of literacy as well.  
This interactive workbook has pages for both students to work on and guides for teachers that explore emotions, empathy, and how feelings are affected by various factors and experiences.

This week only, save 15% on The Language of Perspective Taking by entering the promo code BLOGLPA at checkout.

*Offer expires on March 20, 2012 at 11:59 pm EST. Not compatible with any other offer. Be sure there are no spaces after the Promo Code when you enter it at checkout.

Sensory-Friendly Showings of The Lorax, Mirror, Mirror and more at AMC

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AMC and Autism Society of America have teamed up once again to bring sensory-friendly special screenings of current, hit movies to families. The auditoriums dedicated to the program have their lights up, the sound turned down and audience members are invited to get up and dance, walk, shout or sing.

March 10 – Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax

April 7 – Mirror Mirror

May 5 – Pirates! Band of Misfits

June 2 – Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted

All shows are at 10:00 am local time.

Click here for a complete list of participating theatres.

Pick of the Week: Teaching Language to Children with Autism

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Teaching Language to Children with Autism or Other Developmental Disabilities is the foundation for anyone looking to implement a Verbal Behavior program. Based on B.F. Skinners behavioral analysis of language, this manual presents a concrete language assessment and intervention program. Relying on the notion of errorless teaching, the authors explain the theory and methodology behind the Verbal Behavior approach to teaching children language.

The book provides information on preparation for language intervention, including a brief language assessment with interpretive guide in order to determine the best place to start intervention according to an individual child’s needs. There is also information on augmentative communication and how to assess it’s importance and necessity, as well as the form it should take. It also addresses the development of initial communication skills for nonverbal children and teaching more advanced language and social skills.

This week only, save 15% on Teaching Language to Children with Autism and Other Developmental Delays by entering the Promo Code BLOGTLA at checkout.

*Offer expires on March 13, 2012 at 11:59 pm EST. Not compatible with any other offer. Be sure there are no spaces after the Promo Code when you enter it at checkout.

New App for Teaching Language to Children with Autism is Now Available!

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 New York, NY, March 5, 2012 – Different Roads to Learning, Inc., a global retailer of educational products for children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and other developmental disabilities, today announced the launch of Tell Me About It! Learning Language by Receptive Function, Feature & Category, an iPhone/iPad app for developing early language skills.

This app uses Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), a systematic teaching approach that involves breaking down skills into small, easy-to-learn steps. ABA is the only evidence-based effective intervention treatment for Autism endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the United States Surgeon General.  The Tell Me About It! App is now available for $9.99 at itunes.

“A new wave of educational apps has been on the rise since the iPad first launched; now, they are more efficient and visually stimulating than ever. These apps are especially pertinent in the early education of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. We are pleased to develop the Tell Me About It! App, which covers the basic foundations of language for children diagnosed with Autism. Our Tell Me About It! App for the iPhone and iPad allows parents and professionals to apply ABA in any setting,” said Julie Azuma, CEO of Different Roads to Learning, Inc., which she founded in 1995 after her daughter was diagnosed with Autism.

“Mimicking an actual one-on-one instructional session with a therapist, the app utilizes Discrete Trial Teaching, a method of teaching students with Autism and other language or developmental delays by breaking skills into the smallest possible steps, teaching each step intensively until its mastered, providing repetition, prompting incorrect responses, and using positive reinforcement. It’s like having a personal tutor at your fingertips,” said Abigail Schlaifer, VP Sales & Marketing.  She added, “Teachers, parents, and psychologists can delve into the Teacher’s Console to control the difficulty settings for each student, and will appreciate the Student Report Card, which displays data for each student with an option to email results.”

About the Development of the Tell Me About It! App

The concept for this app was developed by Stacy Asay, LMSW, and Abigail Schlaifer for Different Roads to Learning and created by Infusion, which combines expert software engineering with appealing user experiences.

Different Roads to Learning was one of ten small businesses selected for the CEO-UBS Small Business Advisory Program, a philanthropic partnership between UBS Wealth Management Americas and the William J. Clinton Foundation. As a participant in the Program’s New York Metro Area pilot, Different Roads to Learning received six months of pro-bono strategic financial and business advice from a UBS Financial Advisor and a dedicated client. The app is a product of this mentorship program. For more information, visit itunes.

Here are the reviews on the app:

 

About Different Roads to Learning

Founded 17 years ago by the mother of a child diagnosed with Autism, Different Roads to Learning understands and embraces the unique needs of every child on the spectrum and strives to enable parents and professionals to help children grow to their full potential by offering over 500 of the most progressive and carefully researched quality products in support of the Autism Community. Visit www.difflearn.com. Read our blog.  Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.

For more information, please contact:

Product: Abigail Schlaifer, (212) 604-9637 or abigail@difflearn.com

Media: Julie Huang, Kaimen Company for Different Roads to Learning, (888) 989-8808 x703 or (917) 807-0718 or julie@kaimenco.com

Different Roads meets President Clinton! The UBS/CEO Mentorship Program Leads to the Creation of Different Roads to Learning App Tell Me About It!

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It’s been a really exciting few months here at Different Roads to Learning and we wanted to share some of the highlights with you. Different Roads to Learning was one of ten small businesses selected for the CEO-UBS Small Business Advisory Program, a philanthropic partnership between UBS Wealth Management Americas and the William J. Clinton Foundation. Our App – Tell Me About It! – was developed by the incredible and innovative talent at inFusion, and is a product of this program.

The entire process was really exhilirating for all of us here. As a small business, we gained so much incredible knowledge and had the opportunity to work with a team of gifted individuals. And to top it all off, our App was unveiled at a dinner where we had the privilege of meeting President Clinton! That was a truly exciting night for all of us.

Julie and Abigail meet President Clinton along with our mentors Amy Butte and Sharon Sager

At the dinner, they even showed a short video about the making of Tell Me About It! which we wanted to share with you here. Along with interviews and demos, you’ll learn about how and why we created this App for children with Autism and a bit more about Different Roads in general. You can also read the full press release for Tell Me About it here. We hope you enjoy it!

 
 

We also wanted to share the absolutely wonderful reviews of Tell Me About It! that we’ve received thus far from trusted sites devoted to reviewing Apps for children and those with special needs:

Best Apps for Kids: https://bestappsforkids.com/2012/02/tell-me-about-it-learning-language-by-receptive-funtion-feature-category/

I Heart This App: https://iheartthisapp.com/tell-me-about-it-an-app-to-teach-labelling-to-a-child/

Special Apps, Special Kids: https://specialappsspecialkids.blogspot.com/2012/02/app-review-tell-me-about-it-different.html

 

Tell Me About It! App Press Release, Page 1

Tell Me About It! App Press Release, Page 2