Tag Archives: autistic spectrum disorder

Walks for Autism

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With Autism Awareness Month just around the corner, there are loads of walks to raise awareness and money. Here are just a few across the country. We encourage everyone to participate! Let us know about any others going on near you.

Organization for Autism Research (OAR)

Whether you are a runner, walker, donor or volunteer, your contribution makes you part of OAR’s Run for Autism team and helps create awareness for the cause.  When you raise money for OAR’s autism research, more than $.87 of every dollar you raise will directly fund research studies that help answer some of autism’s most pressing questions.

Run for Autism 2011 Events Schedule:

March 20, 2011- New York City Half Marathon 

April 16, 2011- Blue Ridge Marathon and Half Marathon 

May 14, 2011- Rite Aid Cleveland 5K presented by OAR  

May 15, 2011- Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon, Half Marathon & Marathon Relay 

May 15, 2011- Chloe K 5K Run Rock Ride  

May 15, 2011- Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon, Half Marathon and 10K 

* If the race you are interested in isn’t on this list, you can still run and raise money for autism research through OAR’s iRun For Autism program.  You can sign up for one of OAR’s charity partner events or any other event of your choice through their Run America and Tri for Autism programs.

For more information about these events, please visit: https://www.firstgiving.com/OAR

 

Easter Seals Disability Services’ Walk With Me

April 2. 2011 (7:30am)- Grapevine Mills Mall, TX

The indoor walk will unite hundreds of Dallas/ Fort Worth area participants at Grapevine Mills Mall to raise funds for Easter Seals services, drive awareness of issues affecting the disability community, and change the lives of individuals and families living with disabilities.

For more information about this event, please visit: www.ntx.easterseals.com

 

Variety the Children’s Charity 5th Annual Autism Walk for Awareness, Resources, and Education

April 3, 2011- Plymouth Meeting, PA

Variety will hold its 5th annual Autism Walk in the Plymouth Meeting Mall on April 3rd to benefit Variety’s Autism Resource Center. Families, schools, companies, and individuals will join together to raise money for this resource center that provides immediate support to children and youth with autism in our community. This event also has the support of the Autism Society of America, who is proud to support Variety’s fifth annual walk for Autism.

For more information or to register for this event, please visit:

https://variety.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=465730

 

Caldwell College’s 2nd Annual 5K Run/Walk for Autism

April 16, 2011- Caldwell, NJ

Calwell College hosts this annual event to help raise public awareness of autism.  In addition, this race will help raise funds for Caldwell College’s on-campus Center for Autism and Applied Behavior Analysis.  This state-of-the-art facility allows Caldwell College to serve the needs of hundreds of individuals with autism and help them and their families to lead more satisfying and productive lives.

For more information or to register for this event, please visit:

https://www.caldwellcollege5krun.com/home.php

 

Northwestern Pennsylvania Autism Society’s 10th Walk

April 30, 2011- Presque Isle State Park, PA

ASA-NWPA is organizing this two-mile walk to increase awareness of autism, to support national research, and to fund projects and activities for individuals with autism in our community.  Everyone is invited to participate, including the children.  You may rollerblade and bring strollers or wagons.  They’ll have the jumping inflatables (weather permitting), face painting, theme basket auction and autism merchandise booth.  Snacks and drinks will be available.  Lunch (hot dog and chips) will be provided to 1,000 participants.

 

For more information or to register for this event, please visit: https://www.nwpa-asa.org/WalkInformation.asp

 

Walk Now for Autism Speaks

Walk Now for Autism Speaks is a fun-filled, family friendly event and is Autism Speaks’ single most powerful force to fund vital research that will lead them to the answers we need. Thousands will be united by a single cause by joining Walk Now for Autism Speaks. Participants will not only raise funds, but become a part of a fun and supportive family focused community. Participants are also welcome to join their new “Grand Club” (walkers that raise $1,000 or more).

For more information about this event, please visit: https://www.walknowforautismspeaks.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=443494

 

Upcoming Walks for Autism Speaks:

2011 Walk Now for Autism Speaks: Greater Hartford

East Hartford, CT- Sunday, June 5, 2011 

 

2011 Walk Now for Autism Speaks: Treasure Coast
Port St. Lucie, FL – Saturday, April 2, 2011 

2011 Walk Now for Autism Speaks: West Texas
Abilene, TX – Saturday, April 2, 2011 

2011 Walk Now for Autism Speaks: Broward County
Fort Lauderdale-Davie, FL – Saturday, April 9, 2011 

2011 Walk Now for Autism Speaks: Cumberland Tri-State
Cumberland, MD – Saturday, April 9, 2011 

2011 Walk Now For Autism Speaks: Sonoma
Windsor, CA – Saturday, April 9, 2011 

To find a Walk for Autism Speaks in your neighborhood, please visit:
https://www.walknowforautismspeaks.org/site/c.igIRL6PIJrH/b.4356939/k.BF85/Home.htm

Pick of the Week: Time Timer

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You’re probably all familiar with the excellent Time Timer. These visual timers have been a staple at home and in classrooms for students with special needs for years now. This week, save 15% on all three sizes of the Timer Timer: 3-inch, 8-inch and 12-inch. The Time Timer is ideal for transitions, scheduling, getting ready and so much more.

Save 15% on the Time Timer today through April 5 by entering the promo code BLOGTTR at checkout.

*Offer expires on April 5, 2011 at 11:59 pm EST. Not compatible with any other offer.

Congress To Consider Parent Financial Burden In IDEA Cases

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Parents who challenge schools over a child’s IEP are currently responsible for the cost of expert witnesses in due process cases no matter if they win or lose, but a bill introduced in Congress would change that. Read more on the Disability Scoop.

Pick of the Week: Rainbow Sorting Crayons

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Save 15% this week on our wonderful Rainbow Sorting Crayons. This charming sorting kit contains 48 manipulatives sorted by color into 8 large crayon containers. Use the objects for patterning, counting, color identification, 2-D to 3-D matching and language development.

Save 15% on the Rainbow Sorting Crayons through March 22 by entering the promo code BLOGRCX at checkout.

*Offer expires on March 22, 2011 at 11:59 pm EST. Not compatible with any other offer.

Pick of the Week: The File Factor Emotional Empowerment System

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The File Factor Emotional Empowerment System literally came into stock this morning and we’re thrilled! This is a new tool from TD Social Skills that helps individuals regulate strong emotions and constructively resolve conflicts to advance social learning and emotional growth. The File Factor is a wall pocket filing system that provides a structure to learn self-control. By breaking down complex negative emotions into understandable concepts, users can learn to analyze situations from different perspectives and change unproductive thought patterns to resolve conflict. The idea is for children to ‘file away’ negative emotions triggered by disappointment and highlight the positive events in their day.

You can save 15% on The File Factor through March 15 by entering the promo code BLOGFF11 at checkout.

*Offer expires on March 15, 2011 at 11:59 pm EST. Not compatible with any other offer.

Special Playdate

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Specialplaydate.com helps parents connect with others to arrange play dates in their local communities. The site enables users to find a playdate for loved ones with or without special needs to create opportunities for them to build social and communication skills while making friends. Check out their site to learn more!

Apps for Children with Special Needs

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For all you technophiles who are loving using the iPad with your students and children, this website – Apps for Children with Special Needs – is going to knock your socks off. They’re completely on top of all the new educational apps coming out. They list each one, explaining their features in detail and even provide a video of the app in use so you can decide if it’s right for you before shelling out the money. This is a GREAT site that we highly recommend!

Defining ‘Essential’ Care

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With healthcare reform underway, this article in the Wall Street Journal highlights the differences between habilitative services and rehabilitative services and how those definitions will impact future insurance coverage. The article specifically looks at coverage for children with Autism and whether early intervention services will be covered or considered reimbursable expenses. More specifically, if services defined as habilitative are indeed covered, families would be entitled to behavioral therapy as well as speech and OT. Opponents claim that the costs would be too high. What are your thoughts on the issue?

Pick of the Week: Be A Friend – Songs for Social Skills Training CD

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This week’s pick for 15% savings is this lovely CD filled with songs specifically written to help teach invaluable social skills. Created by Dr. Jed Baker and music therapist Jeffrey Friedberg, Be A Friend motivates children to attend and learn. The catchy tunes include: Be a Friend; Hello; Personal Space; Eye Contact; Volume of Speech; Sharing; Turns; Ask to Play; Compromise; Compliment; Sensitive Topics; Teasing; Accepting No; Making Mistakes; Calm Down and Feelings. The songs on the CD are aimed towards children 2 – 10 years old generally, but mostly 4 – 8 year olds.

Today through March 8, visit our site at https://www.difflearn.com to save 15% on the Be A Friend: Songs for Social Skills Training CD by entering the Promo Code BLOGSSCD at checkout.

*Offer expires on March 8, 2011 at 11:59 pm EST. Not compatible with any other offer.

Tips for Making a Move More Successful

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I’ve recently moved from one apartment to another one only two blocks away.  The funny thing is that it has left me completely discombobulated.  I leave the house improperly dressed for the weather because I have no idea where the hats, scarves and gloves are.  I’ve fallen behind in several tasks and generally just feel a bit ‘out of it’.

This started me thinking about what families with a child on the spectrum most likely experience when moving.  Many children with autism are disrupted by change and any variations in the daily routine can dramatically impact their level of functioning.  It would be important when moving, like most predictable events, to prepare your child ahead of time.   I only have one first hand experience working with a family who moved.  It went pretty smoothly because they were relocating in the same city and had family close by where therapy could take place while the new apartment was being set up. Additionally, this particular child is pretty easy going and isn’t as bothered by change as many of my other students.  However, I have a feeling that this is the exception to the rule rather than the norm.

Clearly, all children are different and this should be taken into consideration when preparing them for the move but in general there are some things to consider for all children.  I would suggest the following ways to try and lessen the stress and help facilitate a smoother transition.

Prepare your child for the move. – This one goes without saying but I’m going to say it anyway.  Just because you think your child might not conceptually understand a discussion about moving doesn’t mean you can’t begin to prepare them for the change.  There are many great children’s books about moving and it wouldn’t be a bad idea to start reading these together several weeks before you move.  You can create social stories about what changes can be expected and even talk about some of the “what if’s” that can be encountered when moving.  If you are moving within the same city or town you can become familiar with the new neighborhood before hand by going to the new playgrounds or any other place you might frequent.  If you are not able to visit the new places you can put pictures of them in a photo book to review and discuss.  You can also count down the days until the move on a calendar so that the arrival of the actual day is predictable.

 

Keep the schedule the same as much as possible. –  This is always a safe starting place when unsure about how your child might react to change.  Whether a holiday or moving to a new apartment if you’re able to keep the schedule the same it will make everyone’s life a little easier.  It might also be helpful to reintroduce a visual schedule for a few weeks surrounding the move if you don’t have one in place already.

 

Keep favorite and comforting items accessible. – If there is a particular toy or item that plays a critical role in your child’s ability to self soothe when upset you will want to make sure you know where it is during the move.  The location will be changing but you want to make sure that it still feels like home by having familiar items available.  It is also a good idea to have the child’s room set up in a similar way in the new house so there isn’t too much of an adjustment in their personal space.  This isn’t a good time to update furniture or purge old toys as you will want to keep things as similar as possible.

Use Positive Reinforcement. – Moving is one giant transition but you can be sure that within that there will be a lot of little transitions and adjustments too.  It’s important to not lose sight of any success your child experiences with these smaller transitions up until and even after the move.  When your child transitions smoothly REINFORCE it!  Reserve a favorite toy or snack as reinforcement for transitions so that it remains powerful and meaningful to the child.  Even if these are transitions that no longer require reinforcement you can use it as an opportunity to emphasize their ability to transition and remind them up the upcoming move.

What is your personal experience with moving?  Were there things that were crucial to your child transitioning smoothly?  Are there things you tried that you would do differently if you had to move again?  What tips would you share with other families who are preparing to move? We would love to hear your story!