Pick of the Week: Math and Money!

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This week only, save 20% on our favorite tools to teach young learners about math and money! Use code NUMBERS17 at checkout!

*Promotion is valid until August 25th, 2017 at 11:59pm ET. Offer cannot be applied to previous purchases, combined with any other offers, transferred, refunded, or redeemed and/or exchanged for cash or credit. Different Roads to Learning reserves the right to change or cancel this promotion at any time. To redeem offer at difflearn.com, enter promo code NUMBERS17 at checkout.

Pick of the Week: Coin-U-Lator + Worksheets!

Learn about money with this fun and interactive coin-counting calculator. With reinforcing voice acknowledgements such as “Good Job!” or “Way to Go!” kids will enjoy learning how to count money and how to determine how much is needed to make a purchase with the Coin-U-Lator.

The Coin-U-Lator also comes with accompanying worksheets that offer lessons and further practice for learning how to count money. The workbook comes with 100 reproducible worksheets that are arranged in progressive levels of difficulty.

This week, save 15%* on your order of both the Coin-U-Lator and Coin-U-Lator Worksheets and get a head-start on teaching your young learner how to count money in a fun and engaging way! Use promo code COIN15 when you check out online.

*Offer expires on December 29, 2015 at 11:59pm EST. Offer is not valid on past purchases. Be sure there are no spaces or dashes in your code COIN15 at check-out! Call our friendly customer service team at (800) 853-1057 with any inquiries.

Tip of the Week: Teaching Money Skills to Students with Autism in Natural Social Situations

Recently I took a thirteen-year-old boy with autism grocery shopping for the first time. We had practiced all of the steps for paying: looking at the total on the register, taking out the necessary bills or coins, waiting for change, making sure we had correct change, returning the money to the wallet, etc. While I thought he was ready to do this in a natural environment, I did not expect what actually happened.

Standing at the counter with a line of people impatiently waiting behind us, my student dumped all the change from his wallet on the counter and slowly began counting out the exact amount. I could hear other store patrons grumbling behind us when my student finally finished paying, then dropped coins all over the floor, and swept his remaining money back into his wallet.

The concern here is that some of the behaviors associated with autism can place an individual in danger if misunderstood by a cashier or store patron. My student appeared to be oblivious to the frustration of the people around him, offering no apology or explanation. There are many resources out there for teaching children with autism about identifying coins, counting out exact change, etc. But it’s essential that we think beyond the fundamentals of managing money to the more complex skills of managing the social situations that arise during money transactions on a daily basis.

Here are some social skills related to money to practice with your students:

  • Keep your wallet in your hand, do not lay it on the counter.
  • Look for the total on the register. If there is not a place to see the total, ask for it after all the items have been rung up.
  • Put the money in the cashier’s hand.
  • Put your hand out to receive change.
  • Once you have completed payment, make sure your wallet is securely back in your pocket or bag.
  • Understand how to respond if a cashier asks “Do you have exact change?” or “Do you have a smaller bill?” or any variation of those questions.
  • Pay with speed.
  • Understand how to ask to put an item back if you do not have enough money.
  • Know basic scripts for what to say in challenging situations, such as if you accidentally bump into someone with your shopping basket or you are taking a long time and another patron says something rude about it.

My takeaway from this experience was that I needed to provide practice in the natural environment much sooner than I had thought. I must consider the fact that we simply can’t contrive the broad range of possible interactions with strangers in a home or classroom setting. My students require dozens, if not hundreds, of opportunities to practice a skill before mastering it, and generalization is frequently challenging, so presenting them with a variety of natural environment experiences is important. I also must recognize that a student’s behavior will often vary from one environment to another, so the sooner I know what he or she is doing in the natural environment, the sooner I can implement meaningful instruction and intervention to address any problems. Finally, because ABA providers and teachers have more limited access to the natural environment than parents and caregivers, we should provide specific goals and teaching strategies to help them practice with the learner when we’re not present.

Pick of the Week: Coin-U-Lator & Worksheets – Teach Money Skills in a Fun and Interactive Way

Learn about money with this fun and interactive coin-counting calculator! Use the Coin-U-Lator to count money, teach the value of different coins, determine how much money is needed to make a purchase, and more! This week only, save 15%* when you order the Coin-U-Lator and/or the Coin-U-Lator Worksheets when you apply our promo code COINU7 at checkout!

Each realistic coin and dollar button on the Coin-U-Lator makes a sound when pressed. These sounds are inherently reinforcing and make learning about money and counting all the more fun for students! Use the simple +/- switch on the Coin-U-Lator to change the math activity from addition to subtraction, as well as amute button to turn on or off the variety of fun, realistic sounds. There are also two fun learning games, and when the correct answer is entered, players are rewarded with a “Good Job!” or “Way to Go!”. There’s also an Oops button to go back and fix mistakes. Batteries and instructions come included.

The Coin-U-Lator Worksheets comprise a hands-on program of 100 reproducible worksheets that teach the value of coins and money. These worksheets come compiled in a binder notebook and can be used with or without the Coin-U-Lator. The worksheets are arranged in progressive levels of difficulty for students with varying knowledge of math and money.

The Coin-U-Lator and Coin-U-Lator Worksheets are  available only in US Dollars. 

Don’t forget — this week only, you can  take 15% off* your order of the Coin-U-Lator and/or the Coin-U-Lator Worksheets by applying COINU7 at check out online!

*Offer is valid until 11:59pm ET on May 27, 2014.  Not compatible with any other offer. Code is case-sensitive—be sure there are no spaces or dashes in your code at checkout!