It’s that time of the year again! Grading, finals and Holidays. It’s so easy to get swept up into the frenzy of: I HAVE SO MUCH TO DO! But then stop take a breath. It’s the words we use to label how we are feeling that in a second can change our mood. This has been a wonderful few months and I am so grateful to all of those who have supported me and inspired me. As the end of the year approaches we tend to reflect on where we have been and where we would like to be but …
Autism, gender and culture.
Autism crosses all boundaries: social, religious, cultural and linguistic. The treatments that we offer children and families must however address the differences in culture and language. When I was in Saudi Arabia conducting workshops, I gave an example of sorting laundry to help children match and categorize. This is an activity parents I have worked with in Egypt have reported to do with their young children with success. However when I was in Saudi I was reminded by the mothers in the audience that their boys would never sort laundry, it would be culturally inappropriate.…
I am spending Thanksgiving with my dear friend Susanna, her husband, children and family. This is my first American holiday. It’s postcard perfect. The house with the wooden front porch, children playing with autumn leaves in the back yard (garden), the aroma of turkey and pumpkin pie. Family traveling from afar. This is all very new for me, it’s not quite Christmas in London. My little friend Nikolas, aged 6 is my guide. We each take turns to say what we are grateful for. My little mentor, Nikolas says, “It’s when we celebrate about everything we are grateful for. I …
These are some useful resources if you are considering the the use of hand held device as alternative augmentative communication system for an individual with ASD. Supporting the communication of individuals with ASD leads to greater community accessibility and self-advocacy. If you want to be inspired I would suggest watching: Wretches and Jabberers this is an inspiring and informative documentary.
A Comparison of Communication Using the Apple iPad and a Picture-based System, Margaret Flores*, Kate Musgrove,Scott Renner, Vanessa Hinton, Shaunita Strozier, Susan Franklin,
Doris Hil June 2012
http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.3109/07434618.2011.644579
A further comparison of manual signing, picture
exchange, and speech-generating devices as…
I am excited to be attending a film screening on December 5th 2012 of the documentary film INCLUSION — at 6: 30 pm at Japan Society, in NYC. This will followed by a Q&A with executive producer and former First Lady Kayoko Hosokawa and a reception.
This invitation has been kindly extended to my graduate students at Hunter College. Promoting inclusion and raising awareness in the field of special needs is a continued effort. If we are going to promote acceptance and tolerance as a society we must understand and acknowledge the challenges.
More details can be found at the …
Happy New Year my dear readers. 2012 has been a whirlwind of a year with so much going on in the autism and special ed community. Professionally and personally 2012 was a very special year for me as it was also my 40th. Professionally I was excited to have an article on bilingual children with ASD published in YEC and a book chapter published in the Autism Handbook which I co-authored with Dr. Rhea Paul. I got an award for my blog and survived Sandy. I am so proud of the non-profit Autism Friendly Spaces of which I am co-founder …
Review by: Angela Wai: Special Educator and Hunter College Graduate Student
As someone that works with young children and their families, I believe First Signs, www.firstsigns.org, is an invaluable website. First Signs is a website that is used for parents and professionals to find out more information about autism. The website promotes early detection of autism and provides information on how to navigate the system in regards to services and insurance plans. The videos are extremely useful in showing the subtle behaviors that are red flags. There are side by side videos of typical and red flag behaviors. Viewers …
A review by Norma Majano: Special Educator and Hunter College Graduate Student
Autismo Diario informs the community and the people who go to this website. Many countries benefit from this informational website that is about autism. This website is also protected by a license that indicates regulations and conditions of how to become part of the site. The people who use this website cannot utilize the site to promote any type of product or any type of commercial. Autismo Diario is designed for the general public audience, especially parents, teachers and professionals. Any information provided is supported with statistics, researchers …
Review by Jennifer Ortiz: Special Educator and Hunter College Graduate Student
Teleton.org.mx/programas/autismo/
The search for a Spanish based Autism information site geared toward parents proved much more grueling than expected. The typical main translated pages popped up—autismspeaks and autismsociety—but I wanted more! I pretended I was a blank slate with no knowledge of DSM-V this or Autism that and all of these sites were using language that would prove difficult to grasp in English so a mere “translation” without elaboration or further examples would not help me as a parent of a newly diagnosed child with autism. I was …
Review by Lisa Lauria Review: Special Educator and Hunter College Graduate Student
This website, Manitas Por Autismo, or Little Hands for Autism, was developed by a number of parent groups. It is an alliance, developed by families affected by Autism, for families affected by autism. The goal of the website and organization is to provide support to parents and families of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. The website provides an excellent starting point for Spanish-Speaking families of children who have recently been diagnosed with autism, or if they suspect that their child has autism. They will find definitions, warning …
