Woodrow Wilson Middle School in New Jersey has set up a coffee shop that their special class for children with autism or multiple learning disabilities is charged with running every Friday morning. The program aims to instill social skills as well as business and life skills to prepare these young students for life outside of the classroom. In addition to providing a service to staff and imparting concrete skills in the children, the program has raised money for field trips and and special activities that have been affected by budget cuts. We’re so impressed with the teachers who put these creative and effective programs together! Read the full article on their program here in the NY Times.
Tag Archives: special education
Discoveries Program at the NY Metropolitan Museum of Art
We just found out about this program and think it’s fantastic! Discoveries is a Sunday program offered at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for adults and children with learning and/or developmental disabilities and their friends and family members. Each Discoveries workshop focuses on a theme and includes a gallery tour followed by a related art activity. The program is free of charge but advance reservations are necessary. Here’s the upcoming schedule:
Guitar Heroes: Legendary Craftsmen from Italy to New York
March 20
11 am – Ages 6-17
2 pm – Ages 18 and above
April 10
11 am – Ages 18 and above
2 pm – Ages 6-17
Rooms with a View: The Open Window in the 19th Century
May 1
11 am – Ages 18 and above
2 pm – Ages 6-17
May 15
11 am – Ages 6-17
2 pm – Ages 18 and above
Group Residences and Organizations:
The Museum offers customized programs for adult group residences and other agencies that serve adults with developmental disabilities. For scheduling and fee information, call (212) 650-2010 or email access@metmuseum.org.
For anyone living in or visiting New York, the museum is an absolute gem and a lovely place to spend a day roaming about. We’re thrilled about the Discoveries Program!
Special Education Funding in the 2012 U.S. Budget
Education is a hot button topic as the U.S. government begins negotiations on the 2012 budget. President Obama’s budget calls for a moderate increase in funding for teacher training, research and early childhood education for an education budget total of $77.4 billion. House Republicans are simultaneously promoting a budget that slashes $5 billion from the current budget and specifically cuts special education, including $1.1 billion from Head Start that would eliminate services for 200,000 children and cut more than 50,000 jobs.
Here are two articles from the NY Times and Education Week that further explain and break down the proposed budgets:
Obama’s Budget Proposes a Significant Increase for Schools
Obama Seeks to Shelter Education in 2012 Budget
Where do you stand on the proposed budget for education services?
Free Downloads
I’ve never been busier during the start of a new year than I have been in 2011. It seems like many of my students were off to an ambitious start this month as well. Some students made such significant progress that the revisions seem to never end. Other students have required a lot of creativity and extra effort in finding ways to reach them and facilitate learning. I found myself re-evaluating many program books, behavior plans and strategies. I won’t further bore you with my lengthy “To Do” list but I will share some of the rewards of my work. The end result is that there are new and improved versions of the free DRL data sheets and graphs along with brief descriptions for each. I hope you find them as useful as I have. You can find them under the “DRL Downloads” tab underneath the Different Roads to Learning banner. Now off to work!
New Social Skills Book from Autism Partnership!
Crafting Connections: Contemporary Applied Behavior Analysis for Enriching the Social Lives of Persons with Autism Spectrum Disorder is here! This new book – out today – is one of the most comprehensive and easy-to-use guides available for teaching social skills to children and youth with ASD. The book teaches critically important skills in social awareness, communication, interaction, learning and relatedness.
The sub-skills, prerequisites, and methods of instruction are outlined for each area, making it clear and easy for teachers, clinicians and families to use and implement. The book addresses real world, relevant issues such as bullying, conversational development and social comprehension.
In case you’re not familiar with Autism Partnership, they have been teaching the technique of contemporary Applied Behavior Analysis for more than 20 years. They have also edited the bestselling book A Work In Progress as well as It’s Time for School: Building Quality ABA Educational Programs for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Sense and Nonsense in the Behavioral Treatment of Autism: It Has to Be Said.
More than 13 well-known and respected authors contributed to making Crafting Connections a major work that teaches authentic, appropriate social skills to students with autism as they navigate the social world.
Congress To Consider National Special Needs Parent Day
A resolution calling for the establishment of a national day to recognize the parents of children with special needs is expected to be considered as early as Tuesday in the House of Representatives. Parents, you deserve this and so much more for all that you do.
There is some criticism of this resolution claiming that a day of recognition isn’t what’s needed as much as research, financial support and better services. What do you think?
Fire Safety Resources
There is no one piece of advice that I offer more than “Prepare your child.” We all know that children with autism tend to be inflexible in their adherence to routine. Any unexpected change in their daily schedule can present emotional and behavioral difficulties for all involved. That is why it is important to prepare your child for any potential disruptions. This includes fire safety and it just so happens that the National Fire Protection Association has created some great resources to help you. Check out the social story that can be customized to include your child’s personal information below!
In-school convenience store proposed for students with special needs
would house a convenience store inside the school. The goal would be to teach students in special education vocational skills to enhance their future opportunities for employment. Interesting idea! Do you know of any other schools or organizations that offer vocational training such as this?
Thinking About All the Parents Out There…
With the holidays approaching we all know that gift giving will soon be in full swing. This undoubtedly means that your families will be generously bestowed with electronic cause and effect toys. These types of toys help to stimulate development as your child discovers the function of the toy and how to elicit certain responses from the object. Children with special needs tend to have a longer relationship with these types of toys as they often serve as powerful reinforcers, meet ongoing sensory needs and continue to provide opportunities to address language and motor development. Additionally, it may take a special needs child longer to master this type of play before moving onto more imaginative and creative play. What I’m getting at is that these toys are going to be in your house longer and some of them are LOUD. So when I came across the following post on Apartment Therapy the other day it jumped out at me as a piece vital information for all of you special needs parents out there. We are always thinking about adaptations for toys and games for the kids but what about the parents? A former sound engineer for children’s sound books shares a secret on how to turn down the volume on these toys.
Check it out and Happy Holidays!
Preparing for Thanksgiving at School
This is an interesting article about students with special needs at Dexter Middle school “practicing” a Thanksgiving meal. We thought this was a fantastic idea! By preparing children for what to expect at a holiday gathering and meal, either in school or at home, perhaps some anxiety and behavioral issues can be avoided. Do any of you “practice” the holidays to avoid stress and make the event easier for your children?