Different Roads to Learning Celebrates National Teacher Appreciation Week

This week is National Teacher Appreciation Week! Are you doing something special to honor the hard work a teacher has done for you or your child? The second week of May is set aside to pay tribute to those who help educate our children in the classroom, build leadership skills, and are passionate about molding future generations into successful individuals. We encourage you all to take the time this week to reach out to a teacher who has impacted you or your child and say “thank you.” Let the teachers in your community know that you appreciate the patience, dedication, and positivity they bring to their job and classroom.

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We at Different Roads to Learning would like to show our own appreciation for the commitment that educators all around the world give to ensure that each child is brought to the highest level of potential in his learning and development.

Today, May 9, 2013 through May 16, 2013, we will be accepting stories from you about a special teacher and how he or she has impacted yours or another student’s life. Take the opportunity this and next week to show your continual thanks to a teacher by nominating him or her in our Teacher Appreciation Giveaway. The lucky winner of the giveaway will receive a $100 gift certificate to the Different Roads to Learning store for purchase of any of our products. Stories from entries will be streamed and posted to our Facebook page throughout the week. The winner of the giveaway will be randomly chosen by us and announced on Facebook on Friday, May 17, 2013.

Submit your entries now on our Contest page through May 16, 2013 to give thanks to your teachers!

Posted in ABA

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

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.

“Ability vs. Disability” by Gary Shulman

It is important to remind ourselves as parents and providers of children with special needs of the little joys and pride we take in the skills and passions our children display. We recently received a moving anecdote from Special Needs Consultant and Trainer Gary Shulman about Matthew, whose six years of life has touched so many around him despite his label of being a disabled child. Please take a moment to read his story, for we do believe that “behind every child with a label of disability is a child with ability to be cherished, praised, and supported.”

Ability vs. Disability

Gary Shulman, MS. Ed.
shulman.gary@yahoo.com
Special Needs Consultant and Trainer

April, 2013

During my more than 24 years as Program Director of Social Services and Training Coordinator for Resources for Children with Special Needs and now as a private consultant and trainer, I have had the great pleasure of asking thousands of parents of children with disabilities to tell me about their children’s talents, skills, abilities and passions. Very often that question has been met with astonishment, “Someone is actually asking me to accentuate the positive as the old song says!” What a concept! My heart has always been warmed and my soul and spirit uplifted by the myriad responses that gleefully utter from the lips of these proud parents: “Susan is a gifted musician-she hears a song once then sits down and figures it out on the piano”, “My son swims like a fish!” “Thomas has memorized the entire subway system-he is passionate about trains.”, “Hector always greets me with a hug and seems to know when I am feeling down-he brightens up my life.” …and on and on. My response is to have everyone in the room praise and applaud these positive stories of hope, joy and delight. We of course also move on to discussing the needs, wants, wishes and dreams.

I often tell the story of an “angel” who blessed this world by the name of Matthew. When Matthew was born, the doctor who had obviously not been through any sensitivity training, felt compelled to tell the new parents the bad news that after conducting genetic testing, Matthew was determined to have a very rare condition called I-Cell Disease. “So what does that mean?-when can we bring Matthew home to enjoy and love him?” The doctor proceeded to elucidate that Matthew should not be brought home but rather institutionalized! He then felt compelled to share that Matthew’s immunological system would over the course of 5 or 6 years, destroy all organs in Matthews tiny body. “Why put yourself through such misery-he will never grow or develop. Needless to say these spiritual, caring, loving dedicated parents took Matthew home and received Medicaid under the Medicaid Waiver program to meet many of his complex medical needs. He was enrolled in Early Intervention where his miraculous and talented Occupational Therapist Ilaine, only saw the potential skills, talents and strengths. Matthew learned to happily feed himself, walk with a walker, sing, dance and love……..oh how this child gave and received love. He was pure love. This beautiful child positively affected ever human being who was fortunate enough to have the joy of knowing this angel on earth. I made him pancakes during one visit and he stopped eating for a moment, turned his steroid filled, barely moving body, to face me so he could tell me, “Hey Gary! These are delicious!” Matthew by the way had a photographic memory and could tell you every player in the Yankee dugout, give you directions to Grandma’s house and direct you to all food items in the supermarket.

There is no miraculous ending here — Matthew died after 6 glorious years on earth. Six years of love and joy. Six years of enhancing the lives of everyone who was fortunate enough to have known this miraculous child. At his funeral were all the friends, neighbors, family members and admirers whose lives had been touched by this angel of humanity. The doctor who had diagnosed Matthew of course was not present. His memory lives on in every workshop I conduct. His parents graced me with a gift that I will always cherish. Knowing that Matthew would soon be leaving this world, they had him record anything that he wanted to say to those people in his life whom he cared for. Sitting on my dresser is a small photo book with Matthew’s picture in it. There is a button in that photo-book. When you press that button, Matthew’s sweet voice can be heard saying, “Hello Gary-I love you!” His spirit helps to motivate all parents of children with disabilities who have been told by “professionals” what their children would never be able to do. Just as the Bumblebee should not fly according to scientists, yet does (because nobody has ever told the bumblebee he can’t fly) so too will all children with disabilities continue to FLY as long as we continue to recognize that behind every label of disability there is a human being with abilities, talents, skills and passions…………………..and love to give and receive. We must never take the hope away!

Behind every child with a label of disability is a child with ability to be cherished, praised and supported.

 

Pick of the Week: Bullying & ASD – The Perfect Storm – NEW from Autism Partnership

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.

Remembering Dr. Nathan Azrin, Psychologist Who Developed the Token Economy

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Perusing the New York Times this morning, I ran across an obituary for Dr. Nathan Azrin.  The name rang a bell but it wasn’t until I read the article that I realized that he had taken B.F. Skinner’s work and made theory into practice.  He created the “first token economy” and was able to change and shape behaviors for many different types of patients. 

 I wonder if Dr. Azrin had any idea of the hundreds and thousands of children he supported and helped through the years.  It’s boggles my mind to think of all of those token boards, penny boards and reward boards we’ll all created and used.

As we quoted in our most recent catalog, according to Matson & Boisjoli (2009): “One of the most important technologies of behavior modifiers and applied behavior analysts over the last 40 years has been the token economy.”

While we’re working with our kids today, let’s take a moment and thank Dr. Azrin for making a difference in the lives of those on the spectrum.  Here’s the whole article:

https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/16/health/nathan-azrin-behavioral-psychologist-dies-at-82.html?ref=obituaries

 

New Low Price on Our Language App: Tell Me About It!

tell me about it iconAutism Awareness Month excitement continues…We’re thrilled to announce that for the rest of April, you can purchase our App Tell Me About It! Learning Language by Receptive Function, Feature & Category for the low price of $2.99!

Tell Me About It! teaches the label, category, function, and features of more than 235 language targets over 6 levels of incremental difficulty, with over 1000 unique testable attributes. The presentation of each language target conforms to an Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) discrete trial program, with reinforcement provided by a token economy system. Tell Me About It! provides a self-contained discrete trial program that error corrects and provides direct and immediate reinforcement while collecting and synthesizing data for up to 10 students. There is a Student Report Card that displays data for each student, with an option to email the results.

For students with speech and language delays or for those with Autism Spectrum Disorder, learning to simply label an image doesn’t necessarily translate into comprehensive understanding of that word. By breaking down each language target by its category, the function that it serves and its salient features, we offer students the opportunity to fully comprehend and then engage in language.

Level 1 

Categories

The App covers 15 categories of language targets that include: Animals, Body Parts, Clothing, Food, Household Items, Dishes, Utensils, Tools, Toys, School Supplies, Sports, Vehicles, Accessories, Furniture, and Musical Instruments.

 

 

 


Levels

The App advances from the basic building blocks of language – simple labeling – all the way through shared features across categories. The Levels presented in incremental difficulty are:

Level 1: Labels
                Level 2: Categories
                Level 3: Function
                Level 4: Feature
                Level 5: Randomized Feature, Function, Category
               Level 6: Shared Featured, Function, Category

Teacher Console

 

Teacher’s Console            

Teachers and parents can delve into the Teacher’s Console to control the settings for each student by turning the written labels for each language target ON/OFF, selecting a specific token character, selecting the default Level, and choosing a Reinforcement Schedule.

There is even a motion that administrators can use while a game is in progress to access the Teacher’s Menu to adjust the settings or view reports. To access the Teacher’s Bar, simply swipe 2 fingers in an upward motion from the bottom of the screen up:

 TeacherGesture

Reinforcement Schedule

The Reinforcement Schedule determines how many targets the studentmust answer correctly in order to complete a trial session and obtain a 5-10 second animation reward.  There is an option for 3, 5, or 10 tokens and you can even select the character you want or keep the default setting of Random.

 End of Game

Reporting & Data

Tell Me About It! tracks each student’s progress and provides a Report after every trial as well as a comprehensive Report Card accessible in the teacher’s console. You’ll see a + for every correct response and a – for incorrect ones. If a student hasn’t yet mastered a target, you’ll see the number of presentations in parentheses after the score.

Report Card

Determining Mastery of Targets

This App strives to mimic an actual one-on-one instructional session with a therapist as much as is possible in an application. For this App, we determine which targets will be defined as mastered by the program in a variety of ways depending on how many times it has been presented.  When answered correctly on the very first presentation, the student receives both a token and verbal praise and that target is considered “known” or mastered and not presented again on that level.  If the answer is not correct on that first presentation, the target will be reintroduced in subsequent trials and must then be answered correctly on two different, consecutive presentations to be considered mastered. When an incorrect response is given, error correction is provided by having the correct image flash while verbal correction is also provided. The App then shuffles the placement of the images, and re-presents the same question. If the student answers correctly on this second attempt, they receive verbal praise only (no token) and then move to another question.  Note that your Data sheets will display, in parentheses, how many times each target has been presented so that you are always aware of your student’s progression and where there might be deficits.

 

World Autism Awareness Day

In recognition of World Autism Awareness Day, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon noted that early interventions can make a tremendous impact on the lives of children with autism.

With the number of children affected with autism being reported as high as 1 in 50, there is an urgent need to ensure that children are given a proper diagnosis along with early intervention and behavioral therapy that will make a difference in their lives. Our products are geared towards educating and empowering children at every step, from early intervention to school-age programs.

In honor of World Autism Awarness Day and Autism Awareness Month, Different Roads is thrilled to offer 25% off storewide today through April 4.*  To redeem your savings, please enter the Promo Code WAA13D at www.difflearn.com or call us at 800-853-1057 to place your orders.

 

*Sale does NOT apply to the following products: VB-MAPP Assessment Kits (DRK 700, DRK 701), ABLLS-R Assessment Kits (DRK 702, DRK 703), 10- and 25-packs of VB-MAPP Protocols (DRB 682, DRB 683).*

WAA13D Sale runs from April 2, 2013 through April 4, 2013 at midnight EST.

**This promotion cannot be applied to previous orders.**

 The coupon code must be entered during checkout to receive offer. Offer only applies to selected products and not those currently on sale. Your order must be placed during the time of the World Autism Awareness Day Sale to qualify for this special offer. This promotional offer may not be combined with any other promotional or discount offers.

Our new catalog is here!

And it’s a big one for us – Volume 30! Over 18 years and 30 catalogs, our mission has always stayed the same: to educate and empower children with autism and special needs. We’re so proud of our 30th Catalog and we think you will be quite excited by the 70 new products that we’ve added. We’ll be highlighting and featuring some of our best new products in our Pick of the Week segment so be sure to keep an eye out for special offers by joining our mailing list.

The new catalog contains all of your favorite go-to’s, like the Language Builder and the Time Timer, along with spectacular new products for Early Interventionteaching social skills, developing conversation and so much more.

You can always request a paper catalog on our site, or you can click here for our fully interactive e-catalog that enables you to dowload, print and link back to the products on our site.

We’re thrilled to share this milestone with you and can’t wait to hear your thoughts on our new products.

Pick of the Week: Games for Early Intervention & Young Learners

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

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.