Category Archives: Pick of the Week

Pick of the Week: The Asperkid’s (Secret) Book of Social Rules

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It’s not easy for any teen or tween to fit in, but it can be especially tough for Asperkids. Jennifer O’Toole knows this first-hand, and has written a book she only wishes she had when she was a teen with Asperger Syndrome.

This week only, save 15% on The Asperkid’s (Secret) Book of Social Rules by entering in BLOGASP7 at check out!

In The Asperkid’s (Secret) Book of Social Rules, O’Toole doesn’t offer advice on what Asperkids should not do, but on what they should do with witty and wise insights into baffling social codes. With helpful tips, practice scenarios, checklists, and quizzes, Asperkids will learn how to:

  • Thank people, apologize, and offer compliments
  • Build and maintain genuine friendships and how to deal with bullying
  • Actively listen and have a meaningful conversation
  • Step back and see the “big picture” instead of focusing on the details
  • Make a correction and let go of the need to be right

This week only, take 15% off The Asperkid’s (Secret) Book of Social Rules in your online order by entering in the promotional code BLOGASP7 at check out!*

*Offer expires on July 8th, 2013 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: Candy Construction Building Set

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Pairing candy with an early construction toy is inherently – and sweetly – reinforcing. Save 15% on this week’s Pick of the Week, the Candy Construction Building Set by entering in the promo code BLOGCNDY4 at checkout.

This set of swirling peppermints, chocolate panels, purple gumdrops, and licorice sticks encourages young learners to develop fine motor skills with creative constructive play.

 

DRG_498_Candy_Constuction_2This construction set comes with 92 chunky, durable pieces, as well as an Activity Guide with illustrated, step-by-step directions, so that young learners can nurture their fine motor skills while exercising creative and problem-solving skills with a variety of fun and familiar designs. This construction building set includes pieces that are self-correcting, fitting together in specific ways and allow children to work until they achieve success. The Candy Construction Building Set is recommended for children ages 4 years and up.

This week only, take 15% off the Candy Construction Building Set in your online order by entering in the promotional code BLOGCNDY4 at check out!*

*Offer expires on July 2nd, 2013 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: ConversaCards

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Many strategies to help individuals on the autism spectrum organize and prioritize their daily activities propose using visual supports, color coding, lists, and other teaching materials such as timers and sequence cards. Understanding the concept of time and honing critical thinking and expressive language skills early in development is especially vital to  creating plans and making conversation independently later on in life.

ConversaCards_Blog&Emailer

Our Pick of this Week this week features the ConversaCards, which were developed to encourage organization, critical thinking, and conversation skills in children. The ConversaCards include six different packs: What Comes Next?, What Do You Do With It?, What Do You Like?, What Do You Need?, What Happened?, and Where Does It Go?

This week only, save 15% on your order with any one of these packs of ConversaCards by using promo code BLOGCNV3 at checkout!

What Comes Next? invites young learners to speculate about sequences of events. Full-color photographs on the cards show children performing sequential activities in identifiable scenarios in series of 2 and 3 cards. Designed to develop effective conversation, listening and social skills, these cards are easy to use and are developmentally appropriate for all levels.

WhDoYouDoWithIt

What Do You Do With it? invites children to speculate about the uses for the everyday objects shown. The photographic objects contain relatable images such as a toothbrush, piano, towel, alarm clock, keys, and ice cream scoop. This set ultimately improves conversation and critical thinking skills, in addition to social skills and sorting in learners.

What Do You Like? invites young learners to identify and share their preferences as well as their reasoning. Designed to promote effective communication and social skills, these cards depict photographs of common objects and scenarios that will encourage analysis and self-awareness.

WhDoYouNeed

What Do You Need? cards were developed to encourage sequencing and critical thinking and invites children to speculate about the possible next steps necessary in order to continue with an activity. Created to promote listening, conversation, and social skills, these cards also inspire creative story-telling.

What Happened? cards were developed to build language skills while inspiring story-telling. These cards are fun and easy to use, so children will enjoy working with them independently or in lessons.

Where Does It Go? cards will encourage children to categorize and place identifiable items, furthering critical thinking while building conversation skills in creative story-telling and sharing experiences.

The back of each card in the ConversaCards™ series contains questions and prompts that can be used for independent work, in one-on-one sessions, or in group lessons. Learning to respond to “what” and “where” questions is the foundation of conversation and expressive language. These flashcards can be used to teach sequencing, storytelling, and logical thinking for a wide range of ability levels. Each deck contains 54 3″ x 5″ cards, a resource guide containing helpful prompts, questioning strategies, and suggested lesson ideas.

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This week only, save 15% on your order of any one of our six ConversaCards by entering in the promo code BLOGCNV3 at checkout!*

*Offer expires on May 28, 2013 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 VB-MAPP Set

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DRB_680_VB_Mapp_SetAssessment and data collection are critical for every student on the spectrum…and can get expensive. This week, we’re thrilled to give you a bit of a break by offering the VB-MAPP Set by Dr. Mark Sundberg as our Pick of the Week. This week only, SAVE 15% on the VB-MAPP Set, VB-MAPP Guide or VB-MAPP Protocol by entering in the promo code BLOGVBM9 at checkout.

Dr. Mark Sundberg’s Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program (VB-MAPP) is an assessment with a curriculum guide and skill-tracking system that assists educators, speech pathologists, psychologists, and parents in creating individualized intervention programs for children with autism or language-based learning disabilities. Continue reading →

Pick of the Week: “I See I Learn” Books

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Early childhood is a period of vital learning through sensory experiences. Visual learning and comprehension are expressed long before children learn to read and utter a wide range of vocabulary. The I See I Learn series by visual learning specialist Stuart J. Murphy applies this natural capacity of young children with engaging and stimulating stories that are reinforced with visual strategies that help young learners prepare for school and other situations.

I See I Learn BooksThe I See I Learn series introduces a neighborhood of gentle, caring individuals, who respect and nurture each other. The stories are infused with experiences in which our fictional friends Freda, Percy, Emma, Carlos, Camille, and Ajay learn basic life lessons by effecting positive results.

 

This week only, SAVE 15% on the I See I Learn books, by entering in the promo code BLOGISIL3 at checkout.

The books are divided into the comprehensive domains of Social and Emotional Skills. Each title addresses a particular issue relevant to the experiences of young learners. In Percy Gets Upset, readers learn how to deal with frustration. Good Job, Ajay! helps children build confidence. Emma’s Friendwich explores the fun and challenges of making friends. In Camille’s Team, the gang must work together to share in the fun and learn cooperation. Percy Listens Up gently helps children understand that not listening often leads to missing out on great fun. And Freda Stops a Bully explores how it feels to be teased and bullied and what strategies kids can use to stop it.

Informative illustrations paired with diagrams that illustrate various issues encountered in children’s daily lives help make these lessons easier for young learners to remember.

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Additional activities and questions in the back of the books also help educators and caregivers further explore each issue discussed in the stories with their children.

Experts in the field of educational development for young children agree that learning tools need to have the ability to apply children’s own viewpoints in solving the conflicts that they may face on a daily basis. Stuart J. Murphy does this exactly with a positive-child approach in his series. Each layout – each word – reflects Murphy’s ability to see scenarios and dilemmas “as a child” and to present them in natural, kid-friendly language with solutions that make sense from their perspectives. The dynamic illustrations in each story are engaging and help generate excitement in young learners when you decide to introduce a new title.
 
 

BLOGISIL3 Promo Code

This week only, SAVE 15% on any one of our selections from the I See I Learn series by Stuart J. Murphy, by entering in the promo code BLOGISIL3 at checkout.*

 

 

 

*Offer expires on May 14, 2013 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: Bullying & ASD – The Perfect Storm – NEW from Autism Partnership

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Work in Progress v6 Cover.inddBullying & ASD: The Perfect Storm – the brand new booklet and DVD from Autism Partnership – comes at a most important time. Recent school bullying and cyberbullying statistics show that:

  • 1 out of 4 kids are bullied
  • 77% of students are bullied either mentally, verbally or physically
  • Cyberbullying statistics are rapidly approaching similar numbers, with 43% experiencing cyberbullying
  • Of the 77% of students that said they had been bullied, 14% of those who were bullied said they experienced severe (bad) reactions to the abuse

Bullying is a real and pressing issue in our schools and online, and children with autism spectrum disorder are especially at risk. In the most recent volume of the Work in Progress Companion Series, Doctors Leaf, McEachin and Taubman explore not only the reasons that children with ASD are targets for bullying, but more importantly, they offer realistic and attainable strategies for kids on the spectrum.  

Several traditional methods of dealing with bullies are explored in this booklet and DVD, including avoidance, informing an authority figure, and fighting back.  In addition, there are strategies for educating and preparing the victims so that students with ASD can better combat bullying.  The included DVD features over an hour and 40 minutes of footage including advice from experts, one-on-one interviews with students, and real classroom brainstorming sessions where students with autism spectrum disorder are shown:

  • The difference between teasing and bullying
  • How to avoid the behaviors invite bullying, including determining the important difference between “cool” and “uncool”
  • When and when not to listen to peers
  • How to react to a bully

This week only, save 15% on the important new booklet and DVD – Bullying & ASD: The Perfect Storm –  by entering the promo code BLOGBASD2 at checkout.

*Offer expires on April 30, 2013 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: Games for Early Intervention & Young Learners

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Our latest catalog has just arrived and there’s a lot of talk in the office about which of the 70 new products are our favorites. These three games are definitely leading in votes. Hello Sunshine!, Zingo!, and Roll & Play are fun, interactive games that teach key concepts to young learners and are a perfect fit for any EI program.

 

Hello Sunshine! is a charming game will have you and your children laughing and playing while learning prepositions. You can play hide and seek with Sunshine – a huggable plush toy – while teaching positional concepts such as In, On Top, Below, Next To, and more. Pick a card and then hide Sunshine BEHIND your back, NEXT to a chair, IN a bed…The toy comes with a storage pocket for the 18 double-sided cards (36 images). Hello Sunshine! builds vocabulary and language skills through smiles.

 


Roll & Play is an ideal first game as it gently introduces young learners to play patterns and rules of a game through interactive activities that encourage creativity, active play and gross motor skill development. Roll the big, plush cube and identify which colored side faces up. Choose a matching color card and perform the simple activity shown. Players will “Make a happy face,” “Moo like a cow,” and “Find something red.” The activity cards cover six categories that are part of early development: Emotions, Counting, Body Parts, Colors, Animal Sounds, and Actions. All of the activities are designed to let children shine, supporting their development and celebrating their success. The plush cube comes with 48 cards, 8 in each category and a parent’s guide.

 


Zingo! is a wildly popular game that’s a fast-paced, energetic variant on Bingo…with a zing! Zingo encourages pre-readers and early readers alike to match the pictures and words on their challenge cards with the tiles revealed in the Zinger device. The first player with a full card wins by yelling out “ZINGO!” Two levels of play and game variation ensure that the zaniness won’t end. In addition to delighting players of all ages, Zingo builds language and matching skills, concentration and social interaction.

 

 

 


This week only, save 15% on Hello Sunshine!, Roll & Play, and Zingo! by entering the Promo Code BLOGEIG2 at checkout.

*Offer expires on April 2, 2013 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: New Building & Patterning Puzzle Games

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We’re in absolute love with these new wooden puzzle games. How to describe all of the skills these three new games address? Each one is a beautiful wooden puzzle that comes with a booklet of patterns that  the player must recreate. They range from simple to challenging, even for the most experienced builders. Each game stretches a player’s logical thinking skills, develops spatial reasoning and problem solving skills. All of the feedback we’ve received tells us that your kids won’t notice any of that – they’ll be having too much fun playing.

For the teachers out there, if you have a student that isn’t interested in blocks but is crazy for cars or captivated by castles, these are the games for you! Each puzzle has a clear beginning, middle and end so they require less support, making them ideal for centers, activity schedules and independent play.

 

Smart Car

This is a truckload of fun that evolves with a child’s growing and expanding skill set. The four included pieces produce 48 unique shapes and patterns! Younger players will love playing with the adorable block pieces and creating their own models while older players will be stimulated by the challenge of building a car to match the puzzle design booklet. Recommended ages 3 and up.

 


Bill & Betty Bricks

Little builders will have their work cut out for them as they create constructions using these brightly colored wooden blocks and figurines. Bill and Betty need to have their feet on the building at all times to supervise the work – and provide an added challenge. For students who love to build but resist incorporating figurines into play, Bill & Betty Bricks is a great solution. By pairing construction with characters and making them an inherent part of the game, players will receive a gentle introduction to the world of imaginative play. There are more than 60 challenges in the included booklet that range from simple to “wizard-level” so players of all ages will be engaged and motivated. Recommended ages 5 and up.


Castle Logix

The challenge of this beautiful 3-D wooden puzzle is to assemble the blocks and towers into one of the castle designs in the booklet. From simple puzzles for inexperienced builders to complex puzzles that will challenge skilled architects, Castle Logix is designed to stretch a player’s logical thinking skills and develop spatial reasoning abilities. It includes seven durable wooden castle pieces and a full-color, illustrated booklet with 48 multi-level puzzle challenges. Recommended for puzzlers ages 5 and up.

 

 

This week only, save 15% on these versatile new games by entering the Promo Code BLOGBCT9 at checkout.

*Offer expires on March 26, 2013 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: New Time Timers – On Sale!

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New products from Time Timer AND a sale? What words go together better than that? We’re thrilled to introduce you to three new excellent products that raise the bar on that workhorse of a visual timer we’ve all come to love and depend on.

The brand new Time Timer PLUS comes with a portable handle, volume control for an optional alert when time is up, and a protective clear lens to protect the signature red disk. The Time Timer PLUS operates silently with no ticking and measures 7″ x 9″. The Time Timer PLUS contains all of the features you love and trust about the original timers with a fancy new makeover for only $36.95.

Another new and highly anticipated member of the Time Timer Family has arrived – The Time Timer Watch Plus for youth. In two lovely colors – light grey with white lettering or dark grey with orange – the Time Timer Watch PLUS allows you to watch your time and see it too. The watch has a sporty design and uses simple icons and a large display to ensure ease of use for all age and ability levels. Ideal for anyone who wants a discrete and portable visual timer, the Watch PLUS is customizable: there are two Time Timer modes (Original 60 minutes and Customized), vibrating and/or audible alerts and repeatable time segments for interval training. There is also a 12- or 24-hour clock with one alarm. The soft, silicon watch band measures from 4.75″ to 7″ making it perfect for children or adults with small wrists.

This week only, save 15% on the new Time Timer PLUS and the Time Timer Watch PLUS by entering the Promo Code BLOGTTN7 at checkout. Hurry! Offers like this don’t last too long.

*Offer expires on March 19, 2013 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: Earobics Interactive Software – Sound Foundations for Reading & Spelling

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For years, the interactive software program Earobics has been teaching the phonological awareness and auditory processing skills that learning experts recognize as critical for learning how to read, speak and spell. The program has finally been updated to run on the newest Windows and Macintosh platforms.

Earobics Foundations is the updated version of Earobics: Step 1 and features six interactive learning games with over 300 levels of play. The program is designed for 2 players and recommended for ages 4-7.

Earobics Connections is the updated version of Earobics: Step 2 and features five interactive games with 593 levels that teach the essential skills required for learning how to read and spell. It is also designed for 2 players and is recommended for ages 7-10.

Earobics automatically adjusts to the appropriate skill level of the user based on the correctness of their responses. Earobics uses adaptive training and acoustically modified speech and carefully controls important learning variables. You can use the automated data collection tools to monitor students’ progress, print reports and guide remediation. For each activity, the program automatically generates IEP-formatted goals. Earobics helps students struggling with speech and language while allowing teachers to effectively use collected data to monitor student progress.

Both Earobics Foundations and Earobics Connections have the following system requirements: Windows 7, XP, Vista/MAC OSX 10.2.x to 10.4.x, 10.5, 10.6.

This week only, you can save 15% on the revised Earobics Foundations and Earobics Connections by entering the Promo Code BLOGEAR3 at checkout.

*Offer expires on February 12, 2013 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.