Light It Up Blue Help Autism Speaks Awareness

Owen Saunders and ten of his classmates recorded a song for Autism Speaks urging the world to Light It Up Blue for World Autism Awareness Day.

Visit http://www.lightitupblue.org to get involved.

For a family's perspective on dealing with autism on a daily basis visit this great blog written by Debi, a mom who not only has one child with autism but 8, yes that's right, 8 other children!

Sometimes it's critical to network with other parents who face similar challenges and who will face transition planning the same way you will. Head over to Debi's blog for an up close and personal look at day to day life with her great family.

Evaluating Your Child's Classroom

What is full inclusion? Some states see it as simply putting all the 'disabled' bodies and minds in the same physical space as the other students. Unfortunately, this type of inclusion does not enable an intellectually challenged individual or provide them with the support they need in a classroom.

Look for a classroom where special needs students are engaged in similar activities as the other children in the classroom BUT not necessarily doing the exact same assignment. Modifying a lesson plan may be time consuming initially for the teacher but will benefit the intellectually challenged student as they move through their classroom. 

Not every classroom is equipped to work with a student with intellectual disabilities and may need some tweaking in order to make it 'disability friendly.'  I still remember when my daughter, now an adult, was in a Child Development Class in high school.  The students were assigned oral presentations on color blindness.  Unfortunately the teacher wasn't supervising things too well, and my daughter's assignment? The genetics of color blindness! This for a student who had never had a class in genetics or high school biology and who had no idea what genetics entailed.  What it was was a major challenge!

Also when we had made the decision to put her in this classroom (she had never been in an inclusion classroom) we did not take into consideration that she had never had to speak in public or write even short papers. We just thought it would be useful information for her to have when she graduated from high school and moved into the adult world. This was a learning experience for my daughter, for me, and for the local school system. Fortunately that was over ten years ago and schools have evolved.  Work with your child's special education group to design an IEP program for them that will provide them with a learning experience that is tailored to their own special needs as well as provide positive inclusion experiences.

iPads and Children with Autism

Fox News recently reported that families have had great success in using the Apple iPad with their children with autism. 

Stephen Shore, who wrote 'Autism for Dummies' and who suffered from autism as a child himself, said "the iPad might be the difference between communicating with the outside world and being locked into a closed state. Interestingly, he says it might be the first of several gadgets that actually free a child from some effects of autism -- and that additional devices, including those that augment speech, will also help." (FoxNews.com, March 9, 2011)

"Mark Coppin, the AssistiveTechnology Director at the Anne Carlsen Center in Jamestown, North Dakota--which uses the iPad as part of their special education programs--said the iPad lets autistic kids have direct control over the interface, unlike a laptop that uses a keyboard and a mouse."

"Apps like Proloquo2go by Proloquo2go by AssistiveWare provide a way for kids with autism to communicate desires and feelings in a way that would not be possible otherwise.  Coppin said There are at least three dozen apps designs for autistic kids including one for music and reading. And the device itself supports spoken text and other aids for those with special needs."

For more info go to read the rest of the Fox News story to see if you think the iPad might help your child or young adult out.

Accessible Sudoku or Sudo-San by AudioGames.net

 

Photo courtesy of AudioGames.net

Finally an audio version of sudoku, the popular numbers game that has become the addiction of gamers worldwide.  The audio version is blind friendly and doesn't use Braille or some types of pegs or wires.  Yes it's an accessible computer game version of Sudoku called Sudo-San.  Sudo-San is based on Sudoku, a puzzle said to have been originated by a blind Swiss mathematician in the 18th century.  Sudo-San is free and the commands are easy.  There are plenty of sounds to please any game user. Find out more at AudioGames.net.  Perfect for both those with sight and without.  Grandparents can enjoy this as much as the kids.  

 

Sudoku became popular worldwide in 2005 and is frequently referred to as the "Rubik's cube of the 21st century."  Sudo-San is the accessible version and better yet, it's FREE! Just enter numbers 1-9 in each cell of a 9x9 grid, the trick? each row, column and region can contain just one instance of each numeral.  Can you say 'brain strain?'  It's said the trick to completing the puzzle is patience and logical ability. 

The foundation of Sudoku was established by an 18th century blind mathematician, Leonhard Euler, who lost his sight in early middle age. It was only after Euler lost his sight that he developed his famous Latin or 'magic' squares (and Latin square puzzles for that matter) that Sudoku is based on.

So head over to AudioGames.net and try it out. 

Planning for Spare Time

Vacation to Denver Hiking in the Mountains

An important part of transition planning is being sure your son or daughter has friends and a support network within the community.  This includes not only their friends and family but people from their church, neighborhood and workplace.  Unfortunately after they leave school at twenty-one many of the disabled who live at home lose touch with friends they had in school and don't have the social skills necessary to make new friends.  As they become more and more dependent on their families they lose what independence they had developed when they were in high school or vocational school. 

It is important to help them plan activities they enjoy as well as activities that are held where it is easy for them to get to by mass transit or paratransit systems.  As family you will not always be able to drive them places they'd like to go.  Fostering independence in choosing and getting to social activities is critical for your son or daughter to maintain a happy and healthy social life on their own. 

Contact groups in your community that have get togethers like churches or Best Buddies.  Often the Mental Health Office in your community can refer you to places or groups.  Taking adult classes or being part of Special Olympics or other sports is critical.  Not only does this get exercise for minds and bodies but it brings them into contact with more people with whom they can be friendly.  Vacation planning is also an important part of their leisure time.  There are many groups that have camps or that sponsor vacation trips for the disabled with varying amounts of supervision.  Hiking and riding are great options.  Check your local state parks or communities for hiking groups in your area.  Cooking classes are helpful and will help them learn new skills that they can practice on their own.  The options are endless, it just takes some time to find the ones that appeal to your son or daughter the most. 

Becoming active at their church or synagogue can fill many voids both religious and social. 

Section Eight Housing -- Sign Up Before Your Son or Daughter is Ready to Move

Due to the scant resources currently available for Section 8 housing it is critical for your son or daughter to get on the list for these resources as soon as possible.  This means that when housing opens up they will already be in the system.  Talk to one of the professionals at Residential Living Options about navigating the maze of the Housing Authority.  They can offer you ideas for future planning.  You can apply for a voucher online or by requesting an application.  Delaware County offers you help navigating your way through the government legalese.  Work with the Arc of Delaware County, the MHMR (Mental Health Mental Retardation) office and your son or daughter's transition planner at their high school. 

Getting a voucher is only half the battle.  Then it's time to find an apartment.  Take the time to network before your son or daughter gets a voucher with local landlords.  We were very fortunate in finding a landlord on our own who had never worked with the Housing Authority but who was more than willing to make the effort.  Letting landlords get to know you before you actually need housing can be critical to finding an apartment that will be a good long term fit for your son or daughter. 

Planning For The Future: When to Start Thinking About Transition Planning

It may sound funny to admit this but one of the first things we thought about when we found out about our daughters' intellectual disabilities were how to make them as independent as possible so they would be able to live on their own as adults.  You might think we were jumping the gun but in a funny way it was always part of our plan for their futures.  When our oldest daughter was three we didn't know what her future would hold but we did know we wanted her and her sister to be as independent as possible.  So we started by looking for a great school district, not just one with a great special education department but one with a good regular education department too.  We knew they would have to become part of the overall educational system as children and teens if they were going to become an integrated part of society after graduation.  This meant they were part of regular sports teams and part of regular scout troops as well as part of activities designed for the differently able.  I can't say it was easy along the way, sometimes it was, sometimes it was hellacious (hmm is that a word? well anyway, you get the idea) but no matter what it was rewarding in the end.  Today most school districts have special ed students in regular classes, but when they started school there were still the traditional classrooms for just special ed students.  Later I'll tell you some of our stories about the work to get them into regular classrooms with regular ed students! But that's a tale for another day.

So if you have a child with disabilities start thinking about what their abilities are.  What CAN they do, not what can't they do.  Plan for the future today because tomorrow comes faster than you think.  Small things like teaching them to plan their time and how to do simple household chores will pay off in the longterm.  Is what I write here the answer for every family? No, because each of our children are different and no one size fits all.  So take the advice that 'fits' your family and find what works for you.