Something for face book Patricia ----- Forwarded Message ----- From: Donna McWhirter To: Sent: Wednesday, November 27, 2013 2:43 PM Subject: FW: (Newsletter) Autism: How to have happy holidays FOR YOUR INFORMATION Disclaimer: The information contained in this Email is presented in the spirit of keeping you informed of and aware of developments in the field of ASD. Views expressed in this Email are those of the authors themselves and not necessarily those of Autism NI Staff From: bounce@infusionmail [mailto:bounce@infusionmail] On Behalf Of Linda Hodgdon Sent: 20 November 2013 17:28 To: info Subject: (Newsletter) Autism: How to have happy holidays Having trouble viewing this email? Click here Note from Linda Hi, My grandson, Alex, has a birthday this week. That means we’ll make our annual “birthday shopping trip.” I’ve established a special tradition with my five grandchildren. When it’s their birthday, I take them shopping so they can pick out their own present. It amazes me how important this is to them. They’ll plan for weeks, or even months, what they think they would like to acquire on that special day. Alex usually leads me to the Lego Store. I know I’m in trouble this year. He discovered a Lego Robotics Kit. I think we’re moving up to a new price range. HERE IT IS The bigger point here is that we have established a tradition that creates happy memories. That’s how holidays and special celebrations should be. But that isn’t everyone’s experience. Sometimes our children on the autism spectrum encounter difficulty at just the time everyone else is having fun. Parents and teachers experience the stress of trying to intervene to make things OK. The good news is that there are some things that we can do that will help these situations. Of course, visual strategies are the key. Read on... P.S. This is such an important topic for our students and their families that I recorded a webinar to explain the details and offer some easy solutions to avoid celebration disasters and create positive experiences. Check it out below. Autism: How to have happy holidays Mom shared how Jason gets very anxious when those special days are approaching. Family birthdays and Halloween are challenging, but the Christmas season is the worst. First, the Christmas season is long. Also, stores and media are totally filled with decorations, music and special events to highlight that special time. Jason gets overstimulated. Then he talks And he talks and talks some more. Perseveration is “uncontrollable repetition” of words or phrases or topics or actions. It’s a common behavior in our students on the autism spectrum. There can be specific situations where that perseverative behavior escalates. Anxiety increases. Holidays can be a trigger. But there are other stories Families can become separated from their friends and relatives. They just stay away from special celebrations because of a child who can’t handle the events in an acceptable way. Why are special days difficult? It’s all about change. Routines change. Activities change. And life seems to explode with lots of unexpected surprises. Another important thing. These special days or seasons happen yearly. It’s much easier for students to adjust to situations that occur daily or weekly or even monthly. A year is such a long time that they may not remember the details. In fact, their memories might actually be stronger for the unpleasant parts. . . .something that caused a problem. What’s the remedy? Visual strategies are perfect tools to help children with autism handle the difficulties related to holidays and special events. Here’s just one idea. Avoid unexpected surprises There are so many things related to any special occasion that can become a problem for students with autism. Think of ASSUMED KNOWLEDGE. Everyone else knows. Everyone else understands. But this child with autism doesn’t “get it” like everyone else. They don’t understand the conversation. They don’t remember from past experiences. And they aren’t good at asking questions to fill in the gaps. Focus on providing information A spiral notebook or 3-ring binder can become an important tool. Write everything down. Fill in what I call the “Swiss cheese holes” in that student’s understanding. Just keep writing it all down. Be sure to add lots of pictures. It doesn’t matter if a child can read This system will work whether the child can read or not. For younger children, think of story books. Write to match the age and language level of the child. Simple is better than complex. Zoe is Superman! Zoe will go to the Halloween party. Zoe will wear her Superman costume. This notebook or binder is especially helpful for older or higher skilled students who have a lot of language. Just because they talk a lot. . . doesn’t mean they understand everything. In fact, those students on the Asperger’s end of the spectrum can experience really significant “Swiss cheese holes” in assumed knowledge. Our job is to figure out where the holes are. Here’s the bonus Once the information is in printed form, it is there to look at and review over and over. You can go over that information with him regularly before an event. You can also review it after. I am going to Ethan’s birthday party. We are going to Barrymore’s to have fun. We get to climb on the rock wall. A man will help me. I will put on a belt. I will put on a helmet. The man will hook up some ropes. Then I get to climb on the rock wall. It will be OK. If I fall down, the rope will keep me safe. It will be fun to climb the rock wall. It is OK if I do not want to climb the rock wall. I can sit on the bench and watch the other kids climb. We will have pizza and cake at Ethan’s birthday party. One of the topics you may need to write about is the memories from past special events. Talk about what was good and what was a problem. Then you can do some problem solving (in writing, of course!) to develop ways to make this year’s celebration better. Save your book. It can stimulate conversation during the year. Then next year, bring it out before that special occasion. Having the opportunity to review and remember will be an important beginning for a positive experience. Information in a printed form helps students review and rehearse, review and rehearse, review and rehearse. That’s just what they need to do to prepare for happy holidays. Special Webinar just in time to prepare for the holidays Celebrating birthdays and special holidays should be fun, but these events can frequently be the source of anxiety, meltdowns and tears for our students with ASD. As a result, parents and teachers become apprehensive, trying to anticipate how students are going to handle special events. In this webinar you will: Identify exactly what makes holidays and special days so challenging for students with ASD Discover simple ways to use visual tools that can produce huge changes in the student’s ability to participate successfully in special occasion activities Recognize one really easy “magical” tool that produces very effective learning for students with ASD Use special occasions as opportunities to teach important communication and social skills Plus lots more. . . . Think of it like this... Just one idea that leads to a successful celebration make it well worth the time it takes to participate in this one hour program. Click here to register P.S. I know your schedule is pretty full right now. That’s why I pre-recorded this program so you can view it on your own time schedule. When you register you will have immediate access. Share: Follow Linda Get this from a friend? Get your own! Schedule a Visual Strategies Workshop with Linda Hodgdon More Info Revised & Updated So heres what it is! This is a Revised & Updated edition of the bestseller, Visual Strategies for Improving Communication. Its the most comprehensive book to explain the use of visual strategies to improve communication for students with Autism Spectrum Disorders and others who experience related moderate to severe communication challenges. So . . . this updated classic is a must have for your bookshelf. About Linda Linda Hodgdon, M.Ed., CCC-SLP, is a Speech Pathologist who has pioneered the development of using visual strategies for supporting communication. Her book, Visual Strategies for Improving Communication, is a best-seller in the field of autism because of its easy-to-implement strategies that create significant improvement in student participation and behavior. As a Speech Pathologist, Linda has specialized in addressing the communication needs of students with Autism, Aspergers Syndrome, PDD, Non-Verbal Learning Disabilities, and other moderate to severe communication and behavior challenges. She has become well known for her practical information and innovative programming strategies that have produced excellent results in student learning. Want to reprint this article? Click Here If you no longer wish to receive our emails, click the link below: Unsubscribe QuirkRoberts Publishing PO Box 71 Troy, Michigan 48099-0071 United States Please visit autismni.org to access resources, training, fundraising activities, factsheets and general information. Registered Charity No. XR22944. DISCLAIMER - This message contains confidential information and is intended only for the individual named. If you are not the named addressee you should not disseminate, distribute or copy this e-mail. 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Posted on: Mon, 02 Dec 2013 21:37:26 +0000
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