iPads and Autism – A 60 Minutes Documentary





This CBS 60 minutes documentary provides fascinating insights into the use of the iPad as a communication tool for individuals with autism. A must see!!!

 Building a Community of Learners 

  The Whole Child Newsletter October 24, 2011 is the source for this article.


"A successful learner is a child who enters school emotionally and physically healthy; feels safe and is ready to learn; is connected to the school and the community; and has access to challenging and engaging academic programs. A successful learner is prepared for further education, work, and civic life. When schools implement this whole child approach to education, they make healthy development, student learning, and academic achievement cornerstones of comprehensive, systematic, and collaborative school improvement ," quoted from the website newsletter. 


Read full article at "The Whole Child" website and see 'From the newsletter' on the right
 http://www.wholechildeducation.org/?topicId=16816&lk=9387021-9387021-0-49179-O584FSIKBp831qevhnCGUaeU7QNDLdOR


This website has many resources including informative articles, podcasts, newsletters and a blog to name a few.
To go to the home page: http://www.wholechildeducation.org/  
To receive the newsletter: http://whatworks.wholechildeducation.org/newsletter/
To check out the Blog: http://whatworks.wholechildeducation.org/about-blog/

              25 Great Math Games !!           
                                                                             




Math Baseball           Counting on a Cloud        Estimation Contraption

Multiplication Matho            Crack Hacker's Safe                   Fresh Baked Fractions

Concentration Memory Game        Number Cracker               Maze & Marbles

Math Mystery Word            Dr. Brain's Robot                        Addition Attack

Chess                              Virtual Coin Toss                         Shape Surveyor 
                             
Build It!                                 Martian Math                             Tangrams


                

Math Machine Games has more than 50 online math games for students from Early Elementary to Grade 12 !!

Building Sandcastles
Math Skills: shape recognition (Grades Pre-K-K)

Perfectly Symmetrical
Math Skills: plotting points with x and y axes; symmetry (Grades 4-8)
Mission: Magnetite
Math Skills: understanding relationships between percents, fractions, and pictures (Grades 3-5)


Time Travelin' Math Skills: telling time (Grades 2-4)

Power Football
Math Skills: addition; subtraction; multiplication; division; computation with decimals (Grades 4-8)
Traffic Jam
Math Skills: problem solving; logic (Grades K-12)
Jumping Math Cats
Math Skills: problem solving (Grades 4-12)
Counting Money
Math Skills: counting with money (Grades 1-2)
Disguise Combos
Math Skills: data analysis; probability; problem solving (Grades 2-5)
Measure It!
Math Skills: using rulers to measure centimeters and inches (Grades 1-6)
Penguin Waiter
Math skills: calculation with percentages and money (Grades 4-12)

Mathteroids
Math Skills: multiples (Grades 3-6)
Multiplication Mystery
Math Skills: identifying factors; multiplication (Grades 3-5)
Guess a Number!
Math Skills: number sense; problem solving (Grades K-12)
Logic Zoo
Math Skills: sorting; finding attributes; using Venn diagrams; problem solving; logic (Grades 2-5)

Da' Numba
Math Skills: addition (Grades 1-12)
Reversi
Math Skills: strategy; logic; problem solving (Grades 1-12)
Cookie Dough
Math Skills: spelling number words; converting number words to digits; place value (Grades K-5)
Tangram Game
Math Skills: recognizing and manipulating shapes; problem solving (Grades K-6)
Star Gazing
Math Skills: angle measurement (Grades 2-6)

The Crazy Pattern Machine
Math Skills: completing patterns (Grades K-3)
Buggin' Out
Math Skills: problem solving (Grades 1-4)
Math Frozen Bubble
Math Skills: matching patterns; addition; odd and even; multiples (Grades K-12)
Operation Order
Math Skills: order of operations; addition; subtraction; multiplication; division (Grades 6-10)
Multiplication Mystery
Math Skills: identifying factors; multiplication (Grades 3-5)

Send in the Trolls
Math Skills: data analysis; probability (Grades 2-6)
Long Line o' Math Cats
Math Skills: addition; subtraction; multiplication; division; problem solving (Grades 5-12)
Math Splat
Math Skills: addition and subtraction with fractions and mixed numerals (Grades 4-6)
Disaster Math
Math Skills: interpreting and solving word problems (Grades 5-8)
Reaction Math
Math Skills: addition; subtraction; multiplication (Grades 1-12)

       
This site is a purpose built library of visual, dynamic, and interactive resources. All of these resources are free!
These resources are designed for the whiteboard  but can be used on individual computers.



  http://christmas.iboard.co.uk/curriculummobile.htm?launch=3588#maths-year1numstrategy_yearreception


  http://christmas.iboard.co.uk/curriculummobile.htm?launch=3588#newliteracy-topic1


  http://christmas.iboard.co.uk/phonics.htm#2__Words_using_sets_1_and_2_GPCs


   http://christmas.iboard.co.uk/curriculum.htm#science-year1sci_yearyear1


  http://christmas.iboard.co.uk/curriculum.htm#ict-year1ict_yearyear1


 http://christmas.iboard.co.uk/curriculum.htm#geography-year1geog_yearyear1


  http://christmas.iboard.co.uk/curriculum.htm#history-year1history_yearyear1


   http://christmas.iboard.co.uk/curriculum.htm#re-year1re_yearyear1


                                                                                                       

          Anxious Kids: Are You Dealing with an Insecure Teen?

This article written by Janet Lehman is quite informative. 

Preteens and teens emotions can be all over the place from anxiety, insecurity and over sensitive. 

Read the article at:

http://www.empoweringparents.com/anxious-kids-dealing-with-an-insecure-teen.php 

Also here website I found the article at:      

http://www.empoweringparents.com/ 

Since the signs differ a little for kids versus adults, here’s a list of seven signs that tell you if your child needs further assessment:

      1. Delayed development

      2. Feeling fatigued or lacking interest

      3. Poor Grades 

      4. Falling back

      5. Excessive complaints about aches and pains

      6. Feeling over the top anger

      7. Feeling excessive fear

Read more about each of the 7 signs here: 

http://blogs.psychcentral.com/anxiety/2011/09/seven-signs-your-kid-needs-professional-help/

   

More Lists of Apps for Autism!

Click here to read Jeremy Brown's Android App List.


Click here to read a list of the Favorite iTunes Apps from the AACchicks!


Click here to read The iTaalk Top 30: Educational Apps to Get You Started, and All for Under $30!


Click here to visit autismepicenter.net for a list of Autism Apps That Will Help You!


Click here to view iPad Apps for Autism: A Spreadsheet of Reviews and Recommendations from Squidalicious.


Click here to visit Apps for Children with Special Needs.


Click here for a list of Apps for Special Education from Cognitech Cafe.

Communication Apps

Picture Planner
Picture Planner is a day/event planner that uses images with prompts and reminders to help individuals stay on track. Totally customizable and mobile, Picture Planner is viewable on iPad and iPod touch. Create schedules on a desktop and sync to the mobile devices so Picture Planner goes where you go.
www.cognitopia.com


School Skills
School Skills is an iPod/iPad app that addresses social skills using expected and unexpected behavior. The expected and unexpected behaviors gives the student a concrete understanding of the specific social skill. Target areas in school includes Conversations, Classroom, Cafeteria, PE, Recess, Playing Games with friends and the feelings Anger, disappointment waiting, and responsibility. The app also explains in a social story type fashion about the social skills needed.
itunes.com


Visual Prompts Board
Visual Prompts Board offers to enhance communication abilities for individuals with limited speech communication skills. The application empowers the individuals with Autism, Down syndrome, Fragile X syndrome, Apraxia of speech, communication delays or learning differences with opportunity to become independent and able to express their own specific needs and wants.
itunes.apple.com

    Autism Apps

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.itunes.apple.com

iCommunicate
Create pictures, flashcards, storyboards, routines, and visual schedules. Record custom audio in any language. Converts any words with Text to Speech that do not have custom audio recorded. We include 100+ pictures(first 5 have audio) to get you started. Add pictures with your camera, or from your camera roll, or use online image search. Utilize as audio visual prompting tool or AAC device.itunes.apple.com

iPrompts
iPrompts is a mobile, visual support aid for the iPhone and iPod Touch. This app provides several picture-based prompting tools (no voice output) for caregivers to help individuals transition from one activity to the next, understand upcoming events, make choices, and focus on the task at hand.www.handholdadaptive.com

Learn to Talk
Learn to Talk is an innovative flash card application for toddlers on the iPhone and iPod Touch. It uses both sight and sound to teach your toddler basic vocabulary words and boost their language skills. Highly interactive, colorful flash cards engage and motivate children to learn by themselves.ilearn2talk.com

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.itunes.apple.com

Proloquo2Go: AAC In Your Pocket
Proloquo2Go is a new product from AssistiveWare that provides a full-featured communication solution for people who have difficulty speaking. It brings natural sounding text-to-speech voices, up-to-date symbols, powerful automatic conjugations, a default vocabulary of over 7000 items, full expandability and extreme ease of use to the iPhone and iPod touch.www.proloquo2go.com

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.itunes.apple.com

School Skills
School Skills is an iPod/iPad app that addresses social skills using expected and unexpected behavior. The expected and unexpected behaviors gives the student a concrete understanding of the specific social skill. Target areas in school includes Conversations, Classroom, Cafeteria, PE, Recess, Playing Games with friends and the feelings Anger, disappointment waiting, and responsibility. The app also explains in a social story type fashion about the social skills needed.itunes.com

Sosh: Improving Social Skills with Children and Adolescents
SoshTM is an approach to social skills based on a decade of work with children, adolescents, and young adults who struggle with social difficulties. The Sosh framework divides social functioning into five areas essential to social skills development and success: Relate (Connect with Others), Relax (Reduce Stress), Regulate (Manage Behaviors), Reason (Think it Through) and Recognize (Understand Feelings). These "5R's" serve as a road map for individuals who want to be social, but may have faced obstacles in the past, and also serve as a guide for parents, teachers, and therapists hoping to encourage and assist individuals with their social goals.www.mysosh.com

Communicating Basic Needs App
Special Learning, Inc.'s Communicating Basic Needs App for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad is a clever tool which makes it easy for non-verbal children to let parents, teachers and caregivers what they want quickly and easily. At the same time it helps the child learn what words mean and what they sound like in an entertaining way, holding the child's interest and keeping him or her busy for long periods of time. Communicating Basic Needs App makes use of colorful and attractive real images and customizable real voices for easy application to everyday life settings.itunes.apple.com

Dance Party Zoo by FizzBrain
Many children need practice is balance, coordination and rhythm. Dance Party Zoo is a fun way to do it! This fun dancing game helps children practice basic motor and balance skills.
itunes.apple.com

All About Me All About Me is an application offering picture and text support to individuals learning their personal information. Twelve icons representing the child's name, address, birthday, home address, telephone number, family members names, pets, school, friends, favorite items, things I like, places I go and computer favorites are all included. These icons can be individualized with written text, audio and personal photos for added visual support
igetitapps.com

     Listening Games for Kids


           Top 5 To Try

• Active Listening Games
• Listening Games for First Grade & Kindergarten Classes
• Games to Develop Listening Skills
• Easy English Games for Kids
• Picnic Games for Kids & Teens

"A student's listening skills have an impact on most aspects of school life. When learning to read he will use listening skills and auditory memory to blend sounds, at sentence level he needs his memory of what has gone before to help decipher the next word. Listening skills also affect a student's ability to understand language."  By Alison Williams, eHow Contributor

Read on...  http://www.ehow.com/info_8637839_listening-games-kids.html 

      

Dr. Ann Corwin: Getting Your Child to Listen

 

Dr. Ann Corwin has 25 years experience in parenting consulting and child development education. With a Ph.D. in Marriage, Family and Child Therapy and a Masters Degree in Education, Corwin has made it her life's work to design and develop programs to ensure the health of families.

Take a look at some of her other videos at "Better Life Coaches"

http://www.youtube.com/user/BetterLifeCoaches#p/c/13327E66B1742C87

           

Books

"The Way to A" written by Hunter Manasco, Kari Dunn Buron and Katharine Manasco is a great book to read with elementary students to teach social skills.  It clearly explains behaviors that are acceptable and unacceptable at school or at home. "A" choices are safe, fun and everyone has agreed on how to work out a problem. Everyone is happy!  "B" choices are unsafe or unfair situations that hurt one or more people. Using the book as a resource helps young children identify their feelings, feelings of others and solve conflicts.
                              

Promoting Relationships and Eliminating Violence


This is a very comprehensive site ... there is something here for everyone about bullying. See below description as quoted from the PREVNet site.

"PREVNet is a national network of Canadian researchers, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and governments committed to stop bullying. Bullying is wrong and hurtful. Every child and youth has the right to be safe and free from involvement in bullying. It affects children and youth who are bullied, those who bully others, and those who know it is going on."  (Quoted from the PREVnet site)                                                
              
          
      A must see website: 
       http://prevnet.ca/Home/tabid/36/Default.aspx
                                         
 

PREVnet is listed as "Top Ten Trusted Resource for Parents" 
           as part of RBC's Childrens Mental Health Project!

       Auditory Processing Disorder  (APD)

An APD also known as Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD) is a physical hearing impairment, but one which does not show up as a hearing loss on routine screenings or an audiogram. Instead, it affects the hearing system beyond the ear, whose job it is to separate a meaningful message from non-essential background sound and deliver that information with good clarity to the intellectual centers of the brain (the central nervous system). When we receive distorted or incomplete auditory messages we lose one of our most vital links with the world and other people; in other words one cannot process the information heard the same way others do.

Read more: 
    http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/ears/central_auditory.html
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auditory_processing_disorder 
    http://www.asha.org/public/hearing/disorders/understand-apd-child.htm 

My son was diagnosed with APD by an audiologist. First we thought possibly a hearing problem since he spoke very loud but his hearing results identified he hears at -10 decibels indicating his hearing is better than most. Since he hears so well he has the need to talk loud to match the way he hears. APD was identified in his left ear so when the sound messages travel from the left side of the brain to the right and then back to the left his decoding of what he hears is scrambled beyond understanding. For this reason he is best seated at the left of a classroom from where his teacher does the lesson so to process the information in his right ear.