Home-based therapy for children with autism may be most helpful for cognitive and language skills.
Preschool children with autism in this study (59 children, 3 to 5 years old) attended special intervention centers and also received additional home-based services. There were 40 home visits over 1 year. This study asked whether improvements in cognitive skills and behaviors were still present one year after intervention was stopped. Improvements in cognitive and language skills lasted, but improvements in behavior did not. The authors said that children from more highly-stressed families benefited the most.
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Responding to weighted vest
Mar 1, 2011 by AnonymousWhen my boy was in preschool we found a "cool" vest that was made out of a heavy fabric. We attached things to it to give it the heavy weight. (He needed it very heavy!) We used clips to attached a water bottle on one side and a little electronic toy he liked on the other side.
When he didn't have the weighted vest and was having a really hard time, I found that putting pressure on both shoulders was very calming for him. For example, when I picked him up from preschool, if he was "flappy", I would say hello while pressing down about 5 lbs worth of pressure on each shoulder. That's a lot of weight for little shoulders, but wow, his face lit up! It was what he needed. =)
Parents of Autistic Child create book...Look Who is Coming
Apr 27, 2010 by ddickraderA month or so ago, I noticed my 3-year old mild to moderately diagnosed autistic grandson picking up books (albeit upside down) and pretending to read - I suspect he was mirroring what he understood in his special school pre-school class. One problem with Aidan and books is that after a few seconds, he's finished with the mock reading, and may tear them up during play.
I bought some muslin, cut it into approximately 5" x 7" pieces, folded the edges over, stitched them down (to prevent fraying), then added a button hole in the top left corner of each. I gathered family pictures, and using Publisher, reversed them horizontally, added names (Aidan, Mom, Dad, Grady, Nana, etc.) also reversed, put four pictures w/names on a page, and printed to iron-on t-shirt transfers. After cutting them apart, I ironed one picture w/name on each muslin page, and attached all via a piece of tulle ribbon (strong), knotted tightly. I had originally thought of a metal key ring, but nixed that because it'd be too hard to thread and secondly, because it could accidentally hurt someone if hurled.
I had enough pages to add "action pictures" of Aidan getting a haircut, riding a horse, jumping, eating, and the very last page was one with him going "night-night".
Aidan has a limited and reluctant vocabulary, but as he flipped through the pages with me while I said each name, he repeated most of them. He can also throw, bend, and generally play with the book and it won't break and is washable.
And I've just ordered Look Who Is Coming for Aidan, and may order more for other grandchildren w/out autism. I applaud the authors.
Parents of Autistic Child create book...Look Who is Coming
Apr 27, 2010 by ddickraderA month or so ago, I noticed my 3-year old mild to moderately diagnosed autistic grandson picking up books (albeit upside down) and pretending to read - I suspect he was mirroring what he understood in his special school pre-school class. One problem with Aidan and books is that after a few seconds, he's finished with the mock reading, and may tear them up during play.
I bought some muslin, cut it into approximately 5" x 7" pieces, folded the edges over, stitched them down (to prevent fraying), then added a button hole in the top left corner of each. I gathered family pictures, and using Publisher, reversed them horizontally, added names (Aidan, Mom, Dad, Grady, Nana, etc.) also reversed, put four pictures w/names on a page, and printed to iron-on t-shirt transfers. After cutting them apart, I ironed one picture w/name on each muslin page, and attached all via a piece of tulle ribbon (strong), knotted tightly. I had originally thought of a metal key ring, but nixed that because it'd be too hard to thread and secondly, because it could accidentally hurt someone if hurled.
I had enough pages to add "action pictures" of Aidan getting a haircut, riding a horse, jumping, eating, and the very last page was one with him going "night-night".
Aidan has a limited and reluctant vocabulary, but as he flipped through the pages with me while I said each name, he repeated most of them. He can also throw, bend, and generally play with the book and it won't break and is washable.
And I've just ordered Look Who Is Coming for Aidan, and may order more for other grandchildren w/out autism. I applaud the authors.
Social Skill Builder
Feb 16, 2010 by meganSocial Skill Builder, Inc. was founded by speech pathologists and sisters Jennifer Jacobs M.S. CCC-SLP andLaurie Jacobs M.A. CCC-SLP in 1999. Social Skill Builder provides appropriate tools for teaching social skills to children affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and other language/learning difficulties.
Because social interaction between people usually happens so quickly and naturally, it is hard to teach these skills to children with social competence difficulties. Social Skill Builder software programs allow children to dissect social situations in a safe and controlled environment, with the opportunity to replay scenarios for greater understanding. Such practice provides children with greater insight into social interactions and increases their confidence as they try out new skills in their real-world environments.
Social Skill Builder has created a series of learning tools, targeting preschool through young adults, which use real life video in computer assisted programs to teach social skills. The user is able to watch the video scenarios unfold and then make choices about what should be said or done next in a safe and controlled environment. These interactive features allow the child or adolescent to step inside familiar social situations to problem solve or predict outcomes. Motivating reinforcements and games make learning the social skills fun and entertaining. This unique training software provides a reference for language, behaviors and interactions that children can carry into the natural environment.
Social Skill Builder's products are designed for speech and occupational therapists, educators, counselors and psychologists, and parents who interact with children and adolescents ages 3-18 affected by ASDs and other learning/language deficits.
You can find more information regarding our software at www.socialskillbuilder.com