1. Educate Family Members
If you will be visiting family members who are not familiar with autism, it is helpful to give them some information about your child. Here is a link to a letter many families have used to explain their child’s condition to family members: http://autismharrisburg.org/docs/Holiday_Letter_for_families_with_Autism.pdf
This letter is a good place to start, and you can easily make any adjustments that pertain to your child. Educating family members prior to the holidays will allow them to make any necessary accommodations for your child, and will allow you to enjoy the party without feeling like you need to explain your child’s actions to everybody.

2. Find a Quiet Place
If you are visiting family members, ask your host if there is a quiet room where your child can go if s/he becomes overwhelmed. Parties can be noisy, and holiday decorations can be bright and visually overwhelming. If you notice that your child is becoming agitated, guide him to the quiet place and allow him some time for calming.

3. Limit Sugary/Fatty Foods
The holidays are filled with delicious sweet treats, but these can be hard on our children. If your child is on a special diet, bring treats they can enjoy to the party. Here is a website with some delicious gluten-free recipe ideas:

http://glutenfreecooking.about.com/od/seasonalandholiday/ss/holidaybaking.htm

4. Prepare your Child
We all know that children with autism don’t like changes in routine, or surprises. Prepare them for the party using social stories, charts, or whatever method works for you. AutismBuddy.com offers many helpful printable resources that could be helpful with this. If possible, bring your child to the home where the part will be, and show him where his quiet area is. Allow him to bring quiet activities, such as drawing or building with blocks, that he can do alone to calm down, if necessary.

5. Don’t Pressure Your Child
Social interaction is difficult for most, if not all, individuals on the autism spectrum. Don’t try to force your child to interact at length with unfamiliar relatives. There is a time and a place to work on social skills, a loud, overwhelming party is not one of them. If you educate your relatives prior to the party, they will understand.

6. Have Fun
The holidays are a time to enjoy, for all of us! The perfect, Hallmark-card Christmases we see on television are fictional – no family is perfect. Let go of expectations, and enjoy yourself and your time with your family.

I am a mother of two boys, both of whom are on the spectrum. I was a Certified RDI® Program Consultant for six years, and currently I’m teaching preschool and working with my boys every day. I am so thrilled to have this opportunity to connect with other families all around the world, and I want to make this a fun, helpful place for all of us.

I will be posting information here that will be of interest to families raising children with autism. My goal is to create a place where everybody feels welcome, where we can share and support one another on this journey. I know there is a lot of diversity within the autism community, and many approaches different families have tried in the hopes of improving the future for their children. I’d like to offer a place where we can talk about the different things our members have tried, so we can share our experiences with other families, and help every family find the approach that works for them. I also hope to spread the word about this helpful website with so many free resources to offer.

If there are any topics you would like to see covered here, please let me know. I will do my best to cover as much as I possibly can. I hope you enjoy our website!

Special Toys For Special Children

Not everyone enjoys the same toys and indeed unique tastes require unique activities.  Toys can also be educational and beneficial as well as fun, and when it comes to children with special needs, play time can be particularly important.

The requirements of special needs toys vary massively dependent on disability types, level of disability, age, sex, and of course personal taste and preference.  Generally toys fall into categories relating to the senses; touch, sound, and sight, and a combination of such aspects can create vast benefits to children.

In addition to sensory toys, there are also many special needs toys which focus on interaction, communication and distraction.  These can not only be learning resources, but also vital toys in assisting you and your child to remain stress free and relaxed as much as possible. 

Types of Special Needs Toys

As mentioned above, there are a variety of focuses, both sensory and aspirational, and toy makers hare developing increasingly sophisticated toys for specific needs and disabilities.

Distraction
Distraction toys are essential to take and maintain a child’s attention, and to remove them from a stressful situation.  This can be particularly important for children who are prone to episodes of panic or distress.  There are a number of methods, which parents can adopt to distract their child during such episodes, but increasingly toys play an important role.

Light
Light toys offer stimulation and interaction to both able sighted and visually impaired children.  Light toys can offer a good way to provide visual feedback to children, and are often combined with touch help children to understand the concept of cause and effect.

Sound
Sound toys similarly can be beneficial to both able hearers and hearing impaired children.  In the same way as light toys they provide clear recognition for performing tasks, and can also help to develop a number of other important skills, such as; special awareness, motor functions, and linguistics.

Texture
Texture toys allow children to explore touch, and to learn about the different varieties of feel and how they can be described.  They are particularly beneficial for blind children, and can help them to develop their touch sensitivity, which later can assist them in learning braille.   Texture toys are also reported to have benefits for Autism sufferers, with parents and teachers stating that they often work well to calm children down, and prevent stress episodes.

Communication
Communication is a vital skill to learn for any child, and in particular a focus on communication can be important for a number of special needs.  Communication toys help children to develop emotionally and learn to express themselves.  This too can build a child’s confidence and lead them to becoming increasingly communicative.  Some toys can also help with developing the muscle groups associated with talking and eating too, and thus further enhance the benefits.

On top of such focusses, there are also a number of toys that combine many of the aspects together into multi-purpose toys.  Sound and light, for example, is incredibly popular and can further enhance a child’s understanding of cause and effect.  Such toys can also vibrate and move in different ways, in order to provide sensory stimulation and feedback.

Special Needs Children Don’t Necessarily Require Special Needs Toys

One important thing to understand is that special needs children don’t necessarily require special needs toys, but rather parents need to be advised and guided expertly about which toys will provide the most benefit to their children.

Children’s toys generally are designed to educate and improve basic skills, and thus they can be equally if not more beneficial to special needs children.  With the number of special needs children growing, the market too is evolving, and thus toy manufacturers should have an understanding over specialist requirements.

Although some specialist companies are producing a fantastic range of toys, equally as important is learning how to use what is available in the mainstream toy market.  If you have more than one child, this can ensure that any special needs children are not made to feel different, and can learn without necessarily understanding that is what they are doing.

Fundamentally the importance is to make learning fun, and to ensure that play time is a relaxing, calm and educational experience, and indeed can be used as respite from any stresses or potential episodes.  By receiving good advice on specific toys, you can ensure that play time is both fun and beneficial.

• 40 Cereal Brand Flash Cards
• PDF file
• Available instantly for members

Using these flashcards can prove to be fantastic tool in teaching and improving speech, language and communication.

These flashcards are a great visual tool for teaching Special Needs pupils. And can be used in a vast amount of activities.

These flash cards are available in different sizes and styles, please e-mail us with your requirements at info@autismbuddy.com and we will be happy to make these for you.

Available instantly for members to download, click here to join AutismBuddy.

For children diagnosed with autism, communicating with the world can be a great challenge to them. Apple iPad Apps are is a revolutionising the way we teach children with autism and solving many problems.

I’ve found some really great resources for iPads, iPods and iPhones for use in special education and want to share some of these with you in this article.

ABA – My first words

The ABA My First Words App allows kids to view flash cards of some common first words as well as a matching game for pictures and words. The flash cards now have audio.

Find out more here

Behaviour Tracker Pro

Behaviour Tracker Pro is iPhone/iPod Touch application that allows BCBAs, behavioural therapists, aids, teachers or parents to track behaviours and graph them. The application was specifically designed to support the behavioural treatment plans for children with Autism.

Find out more here

ABA Therapy Images

The ABA Therapy Images app has photos in 3 categories meant to help autistic children learn by visual stimulation. A great tool for BCBA and ABA therapists.
itunes.apple.com

Find out more here

ChoiceBoard Maker

ChoiceBoard Maker is the perfect app for creating customizable choice boards for the unique needs of individuals with communication challenges. It reinforces correct choice by expanding the selected image as well as playing the customized auditory rewards.

It is an excellent tool to train and prepare users for more sophisticated communication device via this easy, simple-to-use choice-making platform. The possibilities are as much as your creativity can go.

Find out more here

Communicating Basic Needs App

Special Learning’s new app “Communicating Basic Needs” has been created using the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) to allow children with autism or any other language deficit to easily and effectively communicate their basics needs and wants in five main categories: food, drink, clothing, toys and emotions using actual photographs and real voices. The app can easily be turned into an AAC device by simply installing it onto a device, providing savings of thousands of dollars.

Find out more here

Data Collecting

Designed to meet the paperwork intensive needs of Autism support staff including Teachers, Counselors, Administration Staff, and more. Use your Smartphone or Tablet to collect key information for your students or your school.

Find out more here

IAssist Communicator

The iAssist Communicator was designed for individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities. Unlike other iPhone – iPod Touch applications, the iAssist Communicator is specifically focused on the needs of young learners and individuals on the autism spectrum and others who are more cognitively challenged. With the unique needs of these individuals in mind, the application incorporates photos rather than more abstract drawings, larger images and functional language. Additionally, since the program was designed by a parent, every effort was made to create a program that is easy to use and customize. And 10% of adjusted gross income will be donated to non-profit autism organizations!

Find out more here

iPrompts

The original picture-based prompting app for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad.

Thousands of caregivers use iPrompts® to provide visual support for those with language and behavioral challenges, including autism and ADD/ADHD. Acclaimed in news stories around the world, iPrompts® also works great with typical kids!

Find out more here

www.AutismBuddy.com

For children diagnosed with autism, communicating with the world can be a great challenge to them.  Apple iPad Apps are is a revolutionising the way we teach children with autism and solving many problems.

I’ve found some really great resources for iPads, iPods and iPhones for use in special education and want to share some of these with you in this article.

ABA – My first words

The ABA My First Words App allows kids to view flash cards of some common first words as well as a matching game for pictures and words. The flash cards now have audio.

Find out more here

Behaviour Tracker Pro

Behaviour Tracker Pro is iPhone/iPod Touch application that allows BCBAs, behavioural therapists, aids, teachers or parents to track behaviours and graph them.  The application was specifically designed to support the behavioural treatment plans for children with Autism.

Find out more here

ABA Therapy Images

The ABA Therapy Images app has photos in 3 categories meant to help autistic children learn by visual stimulation. A great tool for BCBA and ABA therapists.
itunes.apple.com

Find out more here

ChoiceBoard Maker

ChoiceBoard Maker is the perfect app for creating customizable choice boards for the unique needs of individuals with communication challenges. It reinforces correct choice by expanding the selected image as well as playing the customized auditory rewards.

It is an excellent tool to train and prepare users for more sophisticated communication device via this easy, simple-to-use choice-making platform. The possibilities are as much as your creativity can go.

Find out more here

Communicating Basic Needs App

Special Learning’s new app “Communicating Basic Needs” has been created using the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) to allow children with autism or any other language deficit to easily and effectively communicate their basics needs and wants in five main categories: food, drink, clothing, toys and emotions using actual photographs and real voices. The app can easily be turned into an AAC device by simply installing it onto a device, providing savings of thousands of dollars.

Find out more here

Data Collecting

Designed to meet the paperwork intensive needs of Autism support staff including Teachers, Counselors, Administration Staff, and more. Use your Smartphone or Tablet to collect key information for your students or your school.

Find out more here

IAssist Communicator

The iAssist Communicator was designed for individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities. Unlike other iPhone – iPod Touch applications, the iAssist Communicator is specifically focused on the needs of young learners and individuals on the autism spectrum and others who are more cognitively challenged. With the unique needs of these individuals in mind, the application incorporates photos rather than more abstract drawings, larger images and functional language. Additionally, since the program was designed by a parent, every effort was made to create a program that is easy to use and customize. And 10% of adjusted gross income will be donated to non-profit autism organizations!

Find out more here

iPrompts

The original picture-based prompting app for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad.

Thousands of caregivers use iPrompts® to provide visual support for those with language and behavioral challenges, including autism and ADD/ADHD. Acclaimed in news stories around the world, iPrompts® also works great with typical kids!

Find out more here

www.AutismBuddy.com

• 40 Cereal Brand Flash Cards
• PDF file
• Available instantly for members

Using these flashcards can prove to be fantastic tool in teaching and improving speech, language and communication.

These flashcards are a great visual tool for teaching Special Needs pupils. And can be used in a vast amount of activities.

These flash cards are available in different sizes and styles, please e-mail us with your requirements at info@autismbuddy.com and we will be happy to make these for you.

Available instantly for  members to download, click here to join AutismBuddy.

Flash card maker 1.0 is an easy to use online program that allows you to print, sort and label 1000s of pictures and photo cards.

Includes: