Tag Archives: Resources

Pick of the Week: WEDGiTS Building Blocks and Design Cards

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We’ve been hearing rave reviews of the WEDGiTS for years but it wasn’t until we had them in hand that we realized how unbelievable these building sets are. The WEDGiTS can be nested, stacked, linked, and wedged together to create hundreds of different designs from just 15 pieces. Building with these develops dexterity, fine motor skills, sequencing and patterning abilities, as well as visual discrimination skills. You can build as far as your imagination takes you with the Starter Set or you can supplement it with the WEDGiTS Starter Set Design Cards to maximize the challenge. The cards are for users of all levels from 2-piece constructions to ones that utilize all the pieces in the set.

This week only, save 15% on the WEDGiTS Starter Set: 15 Pieces as well as the WEDGiTS Starter Set Design Cards by entering the promo code BLOGWEDG2 at checkout.

*Offer expires on November 22, 2011 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.

 

Building Language for Your Child with Autism, Part 3: Building Receptive Vocabulary

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Receptive language refers to the thought process involved in hearing, processing and comprehending spoken language. When we mentioned above that a two year old child should be able to follow simple commands, point to objects when they are named, and recognize names of familiar objects; these objectives were examples of receptive language skills.

There are a number of ways to help build your child’s receptive vocabulary. Using photo cards is one basic and concrete vocabulary building tool that you can do at home. Place pictures of common objects on the table in front of your child. Ask your child to “touch the cookies” or “give me the hat.” When your child can follow the command and consistently select the requested picture, you have added a new word to their receptive vocabulary.

It is likely that your child will need help selecting the correct card… especially the first few times you try this task. Here is a trick to help make picking the right word easier. Start with just one card on the table and increase the number of pictures slowly. For example, if you are trying to teach the word cookies:

 

    1. Start with just the picture of the cookies on the table.
    2. After your child has learned to touch the cookies picture on request, add a blank card to the table. Ask your child to touch the cookies picture several more times, rotating the position of the two cards each time.
    3. Then, add a second picture to the table, and a third, and a fourth.
    4. Once your child can select the cookies picture each time, introduce new words using the same method!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a part of a series of guest posts by Angela Nelson on building language in children with autism. As the creator of the acclaimed Language Builder Picture Noun Card Set, Angela received her BA and JD from UCLA where she studied and practiced behavior psychology under Dr. Ivar Lovaas. She has been creating autism and special needs curriculum products since 1997.

Building Language for Your Child with Autism, Part 2: Matching Objects and Pictures as a Precursor to Language

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Developmental Psychologist, Jean Piaget, observed that a child first becomes aware of a concept and then acquires the words to convey that concept. Think about this for a moment: a child has to know that an apple is a distinct and separate item, before they know they should give it a name. They have to realize that the apple is different than, say, the cup. This is where matching comes in.

To help teach this concept using pictures of objects, place two pictures on the table in front of your child, one picture of an apple, and the other of a cup (or some non-apple picture). Hand your child an identical picture of an apple. Ask your child to “match” the apples, or to “put with same.”

When your child can consistently match the two cards, regardless of the position of the cards, they likely understand that the apple is a distinct object. Now we are one step closer to giving that object a name!

 

This is a part of a series of guest posts by Angela Nelson on building language in children with autism. As the creator of the acclaimed Language Builder Picture Noun Card Set, Angela received her BA and JD from UCLA where she studied and practiced behavior psychology under Dr. Ivar Lovaas. She has been creating autism and special needs curriculum products since 1997.

Building Language for Your Child with Autism: A Guest Series by Angela Nelson

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This week, we’re pleased to introduce a series of posts by Angela Nelson on building language in children with autism. As the creator of the acclaimed Language Builder Picture Noun Card Set, Angela received her BA and JD from UCLA where she studied and practiced behavior psychology under Dr. Ivar Lovaas. She has been creating autism and special needs curriculum products since 1997.

Emerging Language and Building Vocabulary

Language development varies from child to child, and there are wide ranges of expected “normal” language development in young children. If you have specific concerns about the pace of your child’s language development, you should definitely discuss this with your health care professional. However, for reference sake, by the age of two a child is expected to be able to:

  • Follow simple commands or instructions
  • Point to an object or picture when it is named for him or her
  • Recognize names of familiar objects, body parts and familiar faces
  • Repeat words spoken by others
  • Use simple phrases and 2 – 4 word sentences by 18 – 24 months

As we all know, there is no “typical” child with autism. Children on the Autism Spectrum may meet some of these objectives, all of these objectives, or none of these objectives. The goal is to identify your child’s specific language deficits (the areas you see them falling behind) and takes steps to help them catch up.

The first stages of language development, as described above, involve listening to words, imitating words, and building a basic vocabulary. In your child’s education program you may have heard professionals use terms like Receptive Language, Echolalia, Modeling, Matching, or Expressive Language. Don’t let these terms of art intimidate you. Really, they still just mean… listening to words, imitating words, and building a basic vocabulary. 

Encouraging Emerging Language Skills

A most basic step in typical language development is imitation. Many parents are surprised to learn that the parent imitating the child is almost as important as the child imitating the parent! When a 12 month old child looks at his or her mother and says “mamamama,” the mother almost instinctively replies back, “that’s right ‘mama.’” This feedback reinforces the child’s vocalization and encourages them to keep on chatting. Although children with autism may have delayed onset of this type of behavior, or may have some setbacks along the way; it is important to remember to continue to imitate vocalizations with your child to encourage verbal behavior.

Imitation will also provide the first steps in the formation of words for your child. This time I mean your child imitating you! While you are hoping to hear your child imitating full words, remember, this starts with imitating vowels, consonants and syllables. If you say “aaaaa” and your child responds back with “aaaaa,” this is a cause for celebration. You are one step closer to your child saying “apple” than you were before they could (or would) imitate your vocalization. Eventually, modeling words will become the way you build your child’s expressive vocabulary!

Check back this week for from Angela on Matching Objects andPictures as a Precursor to Language.

Pick of the Week: Scents Sort Match-Up Kit

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The Scents Sort Match-Up Kit presents little jars filled with familiar scents – can you guess which one? 30 little cups contain the smell of spices, fruits, flowers and more. Students match the smell to a picture card with the image. This is a fantastic game for both the classroom and at home that will lead players to wonder and laughter.

Save 15% this week only on the Scents Sort Match-Up Kit by entering the Promo Code BLOGSSMK at checkout.

*Offer expires on November 8, 2011 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: Seasons Flashcards

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As Summer has turned into Fall, it’s important for children to understand the changes that come along with the shifting of the seasons. This deck of Seasons Flashcards shows the activities of each season and what clothes we wear so that children understand how the things we do both inside and outdoors are affected by the time of year. The included cards depict how we snuggle under the covers in the winter cold or splash in the pool in the summer heat. With Autumn in full swing, this is the perfect time to introduce this concept.

To save 15% this week only on the Seasons cards, enter the Promo Code BLOGSF11 at checkout.

*Offer expires on October 25, 2011 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: Small Steps, Big Skills Video Modeling Game

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This week’s pick at a 15% discount is Small Steps, Big Skills which is an evidence-based video modeling game that teaches 22 skills for independence. The software combines Applied Behavior Analysis methods of video modeling and least-to-most prompting by having players watch the skill being completed and then practicing it in a game format. The interactive program rewards players with 8 fun games and shows a wide variety of materials to promote generalization skills. The skill areas covered in the program are: Helping in the Kitchen, Getting Ready for the Day, Helping at Home, Cafeteria Time, My Clean Room, and Time to Relax.

To save 15% on Small Steps, Big Skills this week only, enter the Promo Code BLOGSSBS at checkout.

*Offer expires on October 18, 2011 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: Winomino

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This week’s pick at a 15% discount is Winomino, a colorful geometrical puzzle game that develops fine motor, visual spatial, and problem solving skills. The challenge is to find as many patterns as you can from the puzzle pieces shown on the card. This can be a 2-player game or adapted for one player. There are various levels of difficulty so you can adjust the game to over 900 possible puzzle combinations.

Save 15% on Winomino this week only by entering the Promo Code BLOGWOM at checkout.

*Offer expires on October 11, 2011 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.

Special Needs Talk Radio has debuted!

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Coffee Klatch, a corporation dedicated to providing resources and educational programs for families with special needs children, has a new sister company called Special Needs Talk Radio which features interviews with leading experts, advocates and more in the field of Special Needs. Special Needs Talk Radio debuted on September 6 and will present six new shows hosted by twelve different moderators. This new network is aimed at providing parents with the most current news and information covering a wide range of special education topics.

The network will present six shows that will be broadcasted weekly and are currently scheduled to run through mid-October. They cover topics from Parenting Issues, Raising children with ASD, Special Education and the Law, Inclusion and more. The website also offers interactive features that allow users to be actively engaged in the content by suggesting topics, making comments, and asking questions that can be answered during the live shows.

To find the show schedule and to learn more about each program and upcoming guests, visit:

Special Needs Talk Radio

Pick of the Week: Music in my Mouth – Songs for Speech & Language Skills

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This CD with 26 original songs and the accompanying manual are designed to be used by SLPs, early educators and families to teach and practice a variety of skills related to the development of communication skills. Competence in communication is essential to a child’s personal, social, and academic success. Each song equips children with the concepts, behaviors, and self-talk skills that support the development of speech, language and social interaction. The manual provides detailed tips on how to integrate the songs with other activities.

Save 15% on Music In My Mouth this week only by entering the Promo Code BLOGMMM at checkout.

*Offer expires on October 4, 2011 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.