Pick of the Week: Funny Faces

Posted on by

This week’s Pick of the Week features the interactive game Funny Faces, which promotes children’s recognition and awareness of emotions and expressions. Teaching student son the autism spectrum to recognize facial expressions is a key step in ultimately reducing their stress and anxiety by teaching them how to express their needs and wants and how to best interpret the actions of the people around them.

DRG 383 Funny Faces

This week only, SAVE 15% on your order of the Funny Faces game by entering in the promotional code BLOGFNNY5 at checkout!

Funny Faces requires players to take turns mimicking a face from a game card, while the other players try to guess the expression and match it to one on the board.

 

Kids will have fun while being asked to recreate and identify the game’s silly faces. The game includes 60 face cards, 30 face tiles, and a mirror so players may practice their funny faces!

DRG 383 Funny Faces_Opened

Take 15% off your order of Funny Faces by entering in the promo code BLOGFNNY5 at checkout!*

*Offer expires on July 15th, 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!

Tickets for the Autism-Friendly Performance of The Lion King Go On Sale 7/9/13!

Posted on by

Don’t miss this opportunity to purchase your tickets to the 3rd Autism-friendly performance of the acclaimed musical The Lion King! The Theatre Development Fund (TDF), the largest non-profit organization for the performing arts, has been offering special performances to the autism community through its Autism Theater Initiative which aims to make theater accessible to individuals on the autism spectrum and their families. Tickets for the 1:00 PM performance on Sunday, September 29, 2013, will go on sale TOMORROW, July 9, 2013!

For this fall’s special performance, accommodations will be made including a supportive audience environment, designated quiet and activity areas, adjustments to lights and sound, and supplemental online resource materials.

Tickets are being offered through TDF at the following prices:

  • Orchestra (all seats): $80.00
  • Front Mezzanine (Rows A-F): $69.50
  • Mid Mezzanine (Rows G-H): $59.50
  • Rear Mezzanine (Rows J-L): $40.00

There is a limit of 6 tickets per order. For larger groups and further information, please contact Heidi Skirbe, Coordinator of the Autism Theatre Initiative at heidis@tdf.org or call (212) 912-9770 x383.

Tickets for the special performance are only available for purchase at www.tdf.org/thelionking.

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

Posted on by

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

Posted on by

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.

New Yorkers: Urge Governor Cuomo to Approve ABA Licensure Bills Today

Posted on by

As of Tuesday night,  the bill to license Behavior Analysts was passed by both the New York State Senate & Assembly. This bill requires insurers to cover Applied Behavior Anaylsis (ABA) for people with autism. We need your help NOW! We urge you all to call New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo and urge him to sign Bills A6963 and S4862. To contact Governor Andrew Cuomo, please call (518) 474-8390 and ask him to join us in supporting New York families raising kids with autism.

Many advocacy groups, including our friends at Elija and NYSABA, have been working to get the State of New York to recognize the Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) credential. This legislation will enable BCBAs to engage in professional behavior analytic activities independent of other licenses or certifications. Legislative members of NYSABA have met with numerous legislators and drafted recommendations to include a plan for the appropriate oversight and training in behavior analysis as part of the exemption of behavioral intervention practices from the psychology practice act. Currently, the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) has certified more than 12,000 behavior analysts in over 40 countries, 747 of which practice in New York. The BCBA credential requires a related academic degree, behavior-analytic coursework, supervised experience, passage of a psychometrically sound examination, compliance with disciplinary standards, continuing education, and ongoing supervision.

ABA professionals and supporters just need your continued support and efforts to push for the signing of the bill by Governor Cuomo and make it into a law! Please call Governor Cuomo at (518) 474-8390 and urge him to sign this important legislation.

ABA has been a validated evidence-based therapy for developmentally disabled and delayed children since the 1970s and continues to be the leading form of therapy for children with autism and other developmental disabilities today.

Pick of the Week: “Community Helpers” Series

Posted on by

Children are introduced early on to the workers in their community who make an important impact everyday in their daily lives. As they associate police officers, fire fighters, doctors, librarians, school bus drivers, postal workers, and other workers in our community with familiar objects in their surroundings, it is important to teach them the various occupations our community helpers engage in.

Our Pick of the Week this week features the “Community Helpers” series, which includes the Community Helpers Puzzle, Occupations Early Learning Skill Cards, People in My Neighborhood Cards, Occupations Cards from Stages, Community Workers Miniatures, and Community Helpers Listening Lotto. This series is designed to help build vocabulary and language development in young children and to promote understanding of the people they encounter in their communities.

This week only, save 15% on any item of our “Community Helpers” series in your online order by entering in the promotional code BLOGCHS2 at check out!

The Community Helpers Puzzle contains 20 different two-piece puzzles that are a great introduction to teaching occupations. Children will match the community helpers, which include a dentist, librarian, nurse, police officer, school bus driver, and more, with their tools of trade.

 

The Occupations Early Learning Skill Cards is a set of 64 full-color cards that focus on 16 occupations and the equipment that the workers use to do their jobs. The cards depict cheerful images that promote sorting, classifying, and an understanding of the people children meet in their communities. The cards also feature reproducible illustrations and labels in English and Spanish on the reverse side. A teacher’s guide with suggested activities is also included.

 

The Occupation Cards from Stages include 61 different occupations in a set of 115 photographic cards. These cards depict community workers in the natural setting with contextual clues, and also serve as a great tool for teaching gender labels, pronouns, and storytelling.

 

The People in My Neighborhood Cards is a wonderful set of 24 large-face flashcards for young learners. The cards depict community helpers that children commonly see in their daily lives, as well as a variety of their tools-of-trade. This set includes a businesswoman, dentist, baker, and more!

The Community Helpers Listening Lotto presents a creative and interactive way to teach young learners about the workers they encounter in their communities. The lotto contains 12 photographic game boards, 120 paper game tokens, and a CD-ROM with instructions in English, Spanish, and French.

 

The Community Workers miniatures present easily recognizable occupations to young learners. These figures can also be paired with flashcards for a full learning experience. This set includes a policeman, fire fighter, postal workers, construction worker, pilot, veterinarian, and chef.

This week only, take 15% off any one of these items in your online order by entering in the promotional code BLOGCHS2 at check out!*

*Offer expires on June 13, 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!

Posted in ABA

2013 GRASP Benefit: “A Time for Change”

Posted on by

We were delighted to attend the 2013 Global Regional Asperger’s Syndrome Partnership (GRASP) Benefit last Tuesday, May 14, 2013 at the Downtown Community Television Center in New York to congratulate founder and former executive director Michael John Carley for his ten years of cultivating GRASP into the influential network of support groups it is today. Since its launch in 2003, GRASP has become a nation-wide organization that provides community outreach, support groups, advocacy, and education to adolescents and adults on the autism spectrum. The 2013 Benefit: “A Time for Change” also presented GRASP’s Friend and Benefactor Award, Distinguished Spectrumite Medal, and Divine Neurotypical Award to three prominent individuals for the work that they have done in the autism and mental health communities.

GRASP2013Benefit_Photo1 This year, GRASP awarded author Andrew Solomon the Friend and Benefactor Award for his book “Far From the Tree,” which describes the travails of families impacted by numerous diagnoses of deafness, dwarfism, Down syndrome, autism, schizophrenia, and more. His book “Far From the Tree” is considered one of the greatest tributes GRASP now has to pluralism itself. A native New Yorker, Andrew studied at Yale and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in psychology at the University of Cambridge. He has also written several other novels, including “The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression” and “A Stone Boat,” as well as pieces for the New York Times Magazine and The New Yorker.

GRASP2013Benefit_Photo2
The Distinguished Spectrumite Medal was awarded to Bob Hedin, who has contributed to GRASP’s national status by forming and leading the first GRASP network outside the tri-state area. As an individual with Asperger’s Syndrome (AS), Bob recognized the need for support groups for adults with AS and launched a membership drive in 2004 for adults with AS in Philadelphia. Since then, his group has grown to over 250 members and boasts a lending library of over 125 books on autism.

 

The Divine Neurotypical Award was awarded to scholar and researcher Dr. Barry Prizant, who has been a longtime friend to GRASP. Dr. Prizant has had forty years of experience as a clinical scholar, researcher, and program consultant to children and adults with autism and related developmental disabilities. His most recent work involved developing the SCERTS® Model for children who have or are at-risk for social-communicative difficulties, and their families. Barry also co-facilitates an annual weekend retreat for parents of autistic children each year, and has organized the ASD Symposium for parents, educators, SLPs, OTs, and therapists to address the importance of understanding interests, strengths, and talents of people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

We want to congratulate Michael John Carley on the incredible work he has done with GRASP and as a spectacular human being. We know he will continue to do amazing things.

For more information about the history and mission of GRASP, visit their website at www.grasp.org.

Pick of the Week: ConversaCards

Posted on by

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.

POTW_BLOGCNV3_Worm

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. 

Hope Springs Farm

Posted on by

We relish the opportunity to share creative, inspired programs that support individuals with developmental disabilities with you. Today, we want to tell you about Hope Springs Farm, a scenic 17-acre farm located in the quiet countryside of Hershey, Pennsylvania. Started by Neil and Nina Rovner to support their daughter, they now run a day program for adults with developmental disabilities and autism.The farm features a large activity center and program building surrounded by quaint flower beds, a 6,000 square-foot fruit, vegetable and herb garden, a barn, a large chicken house, fenced grazing pastures, wheel-chair accessible paths and plenty of swings and benches to take in the incredible views. The mission of Hope Springs Farm is to provide adults with developmental disabilities meaningful work on a farm and joyful group activities that lead to satisfying friendships in a licensed adult day program. Hope Springs Farm has a new motto, too – Real Farm. Real People.

Take a tour of Hope Springs and meet the Rovners and their program partcipants by watching this wonderful video. We think you’ll be as moved and inspired as we were.

 

Pick of the Week: The VB-MAPP Set

Posted on by

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 →