Category Archives: Pick of the Week

Pick of the Week: Buggy Balance Measurement Activity Set – A Motivating and Adorable Way to Teach Measuring

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Comparing linear measurements and weights has never been so accessible… or adorable! Use our newly added Buggy Balance Measurement Activity Set to compare weights of caterpillars and leaves in this tree-themed measurement set.

This week only, take 15% off* your order of the Buggy Balance Measurement Activity Set by using promo code BUGGY at check out!

The set comes with 24 caterpillars in two sizes and two weights (8 large, 16 small), and 36 leaves in two sizes and two weights (12 large, 24 small). The balance arm snaps into place for quick assembly and calibrates easily with sliding compensator clips. Balance measures 15.75″L x 4″H.

Don’t forget to save 15%* this week only on your order of the Buggy Balance by using our promo code BUGGY at check out!

*Offer is valid until 11:59pm EST on January 13th, 2015. Not compatible with any other offers. Be sure there are no spaces or dashes in your code at check out!

Pick of the Week: Sensory Tubes – Reinforcers filled with endless possibilities of stimuli!

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We love these Sensory Tubes here at Different Roads to Learning! This set of 4 clear and sturdy Sensory Tubes is remarkably versatile.
What we love about them is that you can fill each one with assorted visual or auditory stimuli that a particular student finds reinforcing, completely individualizing them. This week, take 15% off* your order of the Sensory Tubes by applying promo code TUBES15 at checkout!

Each tube features dual openings with 2 solid lids along with four vented lids that let children explore their sense of smell or even observe little critters.

The lids easily twist off and on, and the solid lids hold liquid securely inside. The tubes measure 12 inches in height and 2.5 inches in diameter. These Sensory Tubes will make your student’s reinforcement possibilities endless!

Don’t forget to save 15%* this week on your set of Sensory Tubes by applying promo code TUBES15 at checkout!

 

*Offer is valid until 11:59pm EST on December 23rd, 2014. Not compatible with any other offers. Be sure there are no spaces or dashes in your code at check out!

Pick of the Week: Fine Motor Fun Deck – Hands-on activities to reinforce fine motor & visual motor skills

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Use your hands to be an alligator. Trace the dotted lines to make a mountain. Our newly added Fine Motor Fun Deck contains exercises and writing tasks that challenge overall hand-use and coordination skills. The front side of the card has kid-friendly hand activities for strengthening and dexterity, while the backs contain prewriting, wipe-off activities for reinforcing fine motor and visual motor skills. This week only, save 15%* on your set of the Fine Motor Fun Deck by using our promo code MOTOR at check-out!

Activities in the Fine Motor Fun Deck include tracing and drawing simple lines and shapes, connect-the-dots, mazes, name writing, and finish-the-pictures. There are four additional cards that provide directions, game ideas, and exercises for hand skill development that require the use of simple classroom or home supplies. There are 52 cards, each measuring 7″ x 4″, 4 connector cards (and, or, before, and after), and 4 dry-erase markers, all stored in a sturdy tin. Recommended for children ages 4 and up.

Don’t forget—you can save 15%* this week only on the Fine Motor Fun Deck by applying promo code MOTOR when you check out online or over the phone with us!

*Offer is valid until 11:59pm EST on December 16th, 2014. Not compatible with any other offers. Be sure there are no spaces or dashes in your code at check out!

Pick of the Week: “Getting Started” by James Partington, PhD, BCBA-D

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The latest book from James Partington, PhD, BCBA-D, author of the ABLLS®-R and AFLS, Getting Started: Developing Critical Learning Skills is an accessible guide that teaches parents and educators how to develop critical skills for learning in children who have no, or very limited, language skills. Save 15%* this week only on your copy of Getting Started. Just use our promo code GETSTART at check-out to redeem these savings!

Written in non-technical language, Dr. Partington explains how to teach these children how to ask for items they want, imitate actions and vocalizations, attend to actions with objects, and to initiate social interactions.

Getting Started provides evidence-based Applied Behavior Analysis and Verbal Behavior methodology along with critical information on where to start and the procedure involved in teaching these critical learning skills that form an important basic foundation for a child’s overall development.

Step-by-step instructions allow a parent or teacher to implement training and track the child’s acquisition of these important skills. All of the strategies in this book are linked to the skills in the ABLLS®-R. In addition, it provides the reader with strategies to motivate the child to participate in those learning activities as well as identify appropriate goals. This book is printed in soft cover with 260 pages.

Don’t forget to apply our promo code GETSTART at check-out to take 15% off* your order of Getting Started: Developing Critical Learning Skills for Children on the Autism Spectrum.

*Offer is valid until 11:59pm EST on December 9th, 2014. Not compatible with any other offers. Be sure there are no spaces or dashes in your code at check out!

Pick of the Week: What Do You Say… What Do You Do… In the Community?

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What Do You Say… What Do You Do… In the Community? is our newly added interactive social skills board game that helps teach and reinforce important social skills children need as they interact with their peers, family members, and community helpers. The social questions in the game are ideal for improving reasoning, inferencing, as well as pragmatic, narrative, and conversational skills. This week only, you can save 15%* on your set of What Do You Say… What Do You Do… In the Community? by using promo code SAYDO at checkout!

What Do You Say…What Do You Do… helps build social and decision-making skills appropriate for a variety of situations. Students move around the colorful community game board and answer social-skills questions. With each correct answer, they collect a token and try to fill a token strip. Students will visit places on the game board common to all communities: doctor’s office, police station, library, fire station, hospital, courthouse, city hall, park, grocery store, restaurants, and more.

The Social Situation Cards target several different settings, and the open-ended questions encourage students to problem-solve and are excellent for role-play. The game includes a foldable 18″ x 18″ Game Board, 144 laminated cardboard Community Tokens, 390 color-coded Community Situation Cards, 6 laminated cardboard Community Characters, 6 Token Strips, and a 6-color Die.

Don’t forget to take 15% off* your set of What Do You Say… What Do You Do… this week only by using promo SAYDO at checkout!

Pick of the Week: “I Feel Angry When…” – A Social Skills Game to Teach How to Express & Respond to Anger

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I Feel Angry When… teaches children the important skills of learning how to express their anger in a nonthreatening way, and to respond in positive ways when they feel angry. This week, we’re giving you 15% off* your order of the I Feel Angry When… game by applying our promo code IFEEL at checkout!

With this game, kids learn how to use I-Messages – a verbal template that offers a way to communicate how you feel and what you want without offending others. This method, when combined with basic anger control strategies, gives children an opportunity to express their anger in a calm way without resorting to aggression.

As they respond to anger-provoking situations described on game cards, players learn how to use I-Messages to communicate their feelings. They also learn 12 anger control strategies that help them retain their composure in the moment anger erupts. Simple and straightforward, this game gives children the skills they need to keep their cool. The game comes with 2 Anger Control Spinners (one for ages 6–9 and one for 10–12), 1 I-Message Guide Cards, 200 Reward Chips, 54 Situation Cards, and 6 “Tell Me About It” Cards. This game is recommended for children ages 6 to 12.

Don’t forget to use promo code IFEEL at checkout this week to save 15%* on your set of I Feel Angry When…!

*Offer is valid until 11:59pm EST on November 25th, 2014. Not compatible with any other offers. Be sure there are no spaces or dashes in your code at check out!

Pick of the Week: ABA Curriculum for the Common Core for Kindergarten

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We’re thrilled to introduce this pioneering curriculum kit containing both the materials and programs to teach each Kindergarten Common Core standard for both English Language Arts and Math. Authored by Sam Blanco, MSEd, BCBA, the curriculum has been created exclusively for students in special education settings using the evidence-based principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA).

We’re offering this robust curriculum kit for a limited-time introductory price of $499.95.

Completely unique, this kit contains a curriculum book that drills down into each standard and breaks it into teachable steps. Programs are presented in a format that supports data collection and ease of use. Each Common Core standard is presented on its own page with clear instructions detailing the Teaching Procedure, Discriminative Stimulus (Sd), and Materials required for teaching. Each standard lists several targets that demonstrate the component steps and skills required for mastery.

A thorough “how-to” guide presents the main tenets of ABA, giving staff an accessible understanding of Motivation and Reinforcement, Pairing, Prompting, Generalization, Natural Environment Teaching, Preference Assessment, and Data Collection. In addition, comprehensive Data Sheets are included, along with samples of how to complete them.

Our ABA Curriculum for the Common Core Kit comes with more than 24 quality, versatile manipulatives, flashcards, games and tools. The curriculum book explicitly explains how to use these materials to teach and generalize each standard. The materials included in the kit have been carefully selected to not only assess and teach each standard and prerequisite skill, but also be wonderful additions to any classroom setting. The materials can be used during more intensive group and one-to-one instruction, as well as during center time and independent play.

The goal of this curriculum kit is to make the Common Core standards accessible and relevant to students with autism and special needs. Additionally, by breaking each standard down and drilling into the prerequisite skills, the opportunity exists to use these Kindergarten programs for older students who are not developmentally able to meet grade-level standards. By equipping teachers with teachable steps for each and every standard and pairing the teaching with motivating, versatile materials, the ABA Curriculum for the Common Core Kit puts Kindergarten students in Special Education on the path to achieving success.

 You can also purchase today the Curriculum Book separately for only $64.95 $59.95. This curriculum book is best utilized in conjunction with our ABA Curriculum for the Common Core Kit: Kindergarten and explicitly explains how to use the materials presented in the kit to teach and generalize each standard. Soft Cover, 176 pages, by Sam Blanco, MSEd, BCBA.

 Special educators and consultants are already finding this to be an invaluable resource in the classroom.

 Advance Praise for the ABA Curriculum for the Common Core

 “ABA Curriculum for the Common Core is bound to be the type of reference book every special educator will be reaching for. With its comprehensive, accessible, and task-analyzed programs, ABA strategies, and data collection sheets, Sam Blanco has created a compilation dream for all educators working with children who have special needs.”
– Val Demiri, PhD, BCBA-D

“This highly organized and comprehensive curriculum is a must for all special education teachers working to implement the common core standards in the classroom. Every teacher and student need is anticipated and planned for. With this curriculum as a resource, the common core standards are no longer an obstacle, but instead an accessible program of study for all students.”
– Linda McSorley, Special Education Teacher

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Pick of the Week: Speaker’s Box – Expand expressive vocabulary & language

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Ideal for auditory and visual learners, Speaker’s Box helps strengthen oral language skills in whole-class or small-group settings, as well as in one-on-one instruction. This week only, take 15% off* your order of Speaker’s Box by using promo code SPEAKER at checkout.

With Speaker’s Box, students reach into the box, choose a color-coded prompt card, and then start chatting. There are four color-coded categories included:

  • What’s Happening Here?/What Comes Next? has the students talk about what is going on in the picture or what might happen next.
  • Step by Step has students look at the picture and correlating question on the back to give detailed directions on how to do something.
  • Would You Rather? presents questions that students answer with a personal statement based on the first thing that comes to mind.
  • Things You Like Best also asks students questions about their preferences and to explain why.

This is a great teaching tool that fosters receptive and expressive language, peer interaction, perspective-taking, and more. The set includes eighty-six 2.5-inch square write & wipe-cards (14 are blank for customization) in a nifty storage box. This game is recommended for children ages 6 and up.

Don’t forget to use our promo code SPEAKER this week to save 15%* on your set of Speaker’s Box.

*Offer is valid until 11:59pm EST on November 11th, 2014. Not compatible with any other offers. Be sure there are no spaces or dashes in your code at check out!

Pick of the Week: Social Skills Games to Teach What’s “Just Right”

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People communicate using not only words, but also tone of voice and body language. Many children, however, fail to notice these relatively subtle social cues in self-expression and personal space. This week, we’re featuring two of our newest social skills games, Too Much, Too Little, Just Right and Too Close, Too Far, Just Right to help you teach your learners what is “just right” in social situations. Use our promo code JUSTRIGHT to save 15%* on your sets!

Too Much, Too Little, Just Right teaches children to pay attention to tone of voice, observe body language, and note how these cues affect the message. Children assume two roles during game play: Messenger and Listener. They learn by observing others and by getting immediate feedback about their own expressive abilities. They learn to adjust volume, expression, gestures, and other physical cues in order to communicate effectively and achieve greater self-control, thus developing more appropriate and satisfying social relationships.

Ideal for 2 to 8 players, this game can be easily used with larger groups or classrooms as well. Because it focuses on social interaction rather than on a game board, the game can be played virtually anywhere. Clearly focused and easy-to-use, Too Much, Too Little, Just Right is an outstanding tool for those working with children who have autism spectrum disorders. The game includes: 45 Too Much/Too Little/Just Right Cards, 90 Message Cards, 64 Action Cards, 50 Response Cards, 100 Reward Chips, and 1 Feedback Express-O-Meter. Recommended for children ages 5-12 years.

Too Close, Too Far, Just Right teaches what’s “too close,” “too far,” or “just right” in social situations. Children take turns performing social scenarios described on the Role Play Cards, and then the instructor or group of students decides whether their proximity to each other is appropriate for the particular situation. The objective is to understand the concept the personal space. Focused and engaging, this game is a gentle way to help students with autism and ADHD grasp the idea of appropriate proximity and physical boundaries and thereby improve their relationships. The game includes 65 Role Play Cards, 24 color-coded Feedback Cards, 3 “Where do I stand?” Cards, 1 Footprint Mat, and 1 booklet with instructions, game preparations and play, and variations on game play with a large group or class. Recommended for children ages 5 and up.

Don’t forget to save 15%* on your order of Too Much, Too Little, Just Right or Too Close, Too Far, Just Right this week by using promo code JUSTRIGHT when you check out online or over the phone with us!

*Offer is valid until 11:59pm EDT on November 4th, 2014. Not compatible with any other offers. Be sure there are no spaces or dashes in your code at check out!

Pick of the Week: Token Towers – Reinforcing just got more fun!

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We can never get enough reinforcement tools, especially for group settings. Help students meet behavioral or academic goals with these interactive Token Towers. And this week only, you can save 15%* on your set of the Token Towers, by using promo code TOKENTWR at check out.

Set goals using the colored ring and insert tokens as reinforcement for appropriate behaviors or correct responses. The hard plastic chips with smiley faces make a fun noise as they drop into the containers, which is almost as fun as watching the tokens pile up!

This kit includes four Token Towers (red, yellow, green, and blue) and 140 tokens (35 for each tower). Each Token Tower has target goal levels of 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 and can hold a maximum of 35 tokens. The towers measure 6 ½” tall with tokens measuring 1 ½” in diameter. Recommended for children ages 3 and up.

Don’t forget! We’re featuring this newly added set of Token Towers as our Pick of the Week, so be sure to use promo code TOKENTWR to take 15% off* your order.

*Offer is valid until 11:59pm EST on October 28th, 2014. Not compatible with any other offers. Be sure there are no spaces or dashes in your code at check out!