Special Interactive Program for Kids Encourages Social Skills

[vc_row][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]“You’re having twins!” Can you imagine the excitement?

In 2001, Jared and Jason Zimmerman, were born to my amazing wife Tina and me.  Our first thoughts were we would need two of everything, that our families were going to be completely surprised, and of course, this could get expensive!  Needless to say, no matter how much you plan for two babies, there are going to be some challenges, and some curveballs, that will come your way…

We just had no idea the information we would receive two years later.

In 2003, Tina and I were well on our way regarding parenting, play dates, bottles, diapers, etc.  It was the normal process of raising a family.  Sure, there were the sleepless nights, and the challenge of trying to get Jared and Jason to sleep and eat at the same times.  Everything we did was multiplied by two—and while we thoroughly loved it, costs were creeping up, and we realized that planning for the kids’ future needed to start now.  One of our closest friends suggested we contact a Hollywood Talent Agent to represent the kids for TV or Print advertising work.  This would be a great way to start putting some money away for college and other expenses as the kids got older.  You see, Jared and Jason are not only identical, but they have the “California Surfer” blonde hair with flowing locks, beautiful smiles, and just all around cuteness.  We could barely go anywhere without being stopped by people gushing over our kids—they were Rock Stars!  Figuring there was no harm in investigating this avenue, we went and met with a high profile casting agent.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”345″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The meeting with the casting agent was intense for Tina and me.  Would they like our kids?  Could the boys “pass the test?”  The answer to these questions came sooner rather than later, and some additional insight would change our lives forever.  The agent loved the boys, and would sign them to a contract tomorrow, but she was concerned that they had trouble communicating.  When she tried typical prompts that the kids would be met with in a professional setting, there was nothing, just a blank look on their faces—no pointing, no looking, no ability at all to follow directions. “I am sorry, but there is no way I could put your boys on a set,” she told us…

Truth be told, this wasn’t the first time someone had mentioned to us that our boys may have some delay in their development, but who wants to hear that?  Perhaps, because they were identical twins, this was somehow normal and they would “grow out of it.”  Even when our own pediatrician told us the boys were not developing at a normal rate, we really didn’t want to hear it; we told ourselves to just keep moving forward and everything would be fine.  But our meeting with the casting agent was our tipping point, and we realized that we needed to address the situation.

After understanding what autism was (we had no prior experience with this whatsoever), it quickly hit me that my twins were not going to be like Tina and me.  We are both highly social and have no problems talking to anyone; however, this wouldn’t be the case for our Jared and Jason.

It then became my mission to try and help the twins with social skills first and academics second.  After making several attempts to use the current tools and not seeing any change, I was beginning to accept that there may not be anything to help them.  Then one day, during a therapy session at our home, I saw the twins working on a computer doing some drills.  They were smiling and engaging like I had never seen before. Prior to this, it was all flash cards—nothing “high tech.”[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”346″ alignment=”center” css=”.vc_custom_1552595833303{padding-top: 20px !important;}”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]That moment changed my life forever.  I thought if I could come up with a way to engage Jared and Jason by using the computer, focusing the content on social skills, perhaps they would, at a minimum, be engaged and hopefully generalize what they saw and apply it to everyday life.

After dropping Jared and Jason off at school, I had the idea of making a software program that “looks and feels” like an animated Pixar movie – something all kids love! Additionally, the program would have the ability for the kids to touch the screen and directly interact and engage with it.  All I had to do now was convince my wife Tina, because this would require going into our nest egg.  It didn’t take much convincing, after all; if it worked, it would not only benefit Jared and Jason, it could go on to help countless others. It was a no-brainer, and The Social Express was born.  Committed to this newfound goal, we brought together an advisory board of top therapeutic and educational professionals who were certified in helping kids with special needs.  Then, we sought out animators and other tech experts who would help bring this dream to life.

From preschoolers to high schoolers, The Social Express software provides research-based, animated, interactive lessons and encourages users to practice real-life social interactions. The Social Express® targets core deficit areas that stand in the way of school, social interactions, and life success for children and young adults with social learning challenges. The software addresses these areas of need by providing a highly interactive and visual presentation, utilizing an additional component that allows for the generalization of skills outside of the teaching environment.

Most recently, The Social Express has been included in the latest version of the National Education Technology Plan 2016 – Future Ready Learning: Reimagining the Role of Technology in Education.  Updated every five years, the National Education Technology Plan (NETP) is the key educational technology policy document for the United States.  The Social Express is cited in the report’s chapter on “Engaging and Empowering Learning Through Technology” as an example of a digital solution to help build non-cognitive competencies.

What started as an idea to help our boys has now grown to help so many more and continues to grow and evolve. To make a difference is truly an awe-inspiring feeling for both Tina and me.

Marc Zimmerman has been working with his twin autistic sons in all aspects of therapy and education planning, successfully helping them to transition from the special education classroom to the mainstream classroom. Previously, Marc was founder and President of Critical Digital Data, Inc. (CDIX, OTC:BB), an online data storage company; CEO of 1st Financial Home Loan Services, a high-end boutique mortgage brokerage that was sold in 2005; and CEO-Founder of Pineapple Hut Real Estate, a multimillion dollar-producing real estate brokerage. Marc attended the Berkeley School of Music in Boston. He is a highly accomplished keyboardist, pianist, and composer with worldwide recording and touring credentials.

Visit  www.thesocialexpress.com to learn more about the software.

This article was featured in Issue 53 – Working Toward The Future[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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How employees with autism are helping one business thrive.

In this installment of Stories to Inspire, the focus is on the D’Eri family, who are currently challenging the stigma regarding autistic employees. Their inspiring story appeared on upstanders.starbucks.com, a blog created by Howard Schultz and Rajiv Chandrasekran. The site profiles groups positively impacting their communities, and the D’Eri family is no exception. With an autistic son named Andrew, the D’Eris have struggled to find a future for him outside of the family environment. After Andrew was diagnosed at two years old, the family went through the usual stages of denial and eventual acceptance regarding his condition. But as the years went on, Andrew’s father, John, began to worry about his future.

According to the article, John has always felt that Andrew was capable of becoming more independent and could contribute to society without the stigma of autism holding him back; however, the question was how. After a visit to a local car wash, John realized that it could be a suitable work environment not only for Andrew, but for other adults with autism. To test this theory, John did more research. He eventually found a vocational school in Florida, named CarWash College, that specialized in training employees for car washes. John explained his idea to Paul Fazio, the head of Sonny’s Enterprises Inc. (an equipment company that owned the college), and the two decided to run an experiment to see if the idea was feasible. For five weeks, the two men trained 15 autistic individuals through a highly structured, step by step process. The training was broken down into short, simple lessons to ensure that the recruits would be able to fully develop the necessary skills. Soon, it was finally time to properly test John’s experiment.

The 15 trainees were employed at Fazio’s car wash, and John surveyed each customer’s experience with the service. After a short while, John noticed that the employees were working productively within the structured environment of the car wash and were even engaging well the customers. By the end of the experiment, their findings were nothing but positive: 95% of the customers reported having a good experience and would recommend the service to others. With this positive backing, John not only wanted to prove that autistic employees could function in a work environment, but that such a business could also be profitable. With this in mind, the D’Eris moved to Florida and purchased a local car wash in order to employ locals with autism, including Andrew.

All of the employees went through a similar training process, and soon their car wash (appropriately named Rising Tide) opened its doors to the public. John decided not to promote the fact that their employees were autistic at first to show that they could blend in with normal workers. After a couple of weeks, the results began to surprise the D’Eri’s. All of the autistic employees were diligent, focused workers that truly cared about what they were doing. They interacted well with customers, came into work on their off days, and they even began to form friendships with each other. Tom D’Eri, Andrew’s brother, also began to work for Rising Tide in order to bring the whole family together.

After a few months the car wash became profitable, spurring John to open up more Rising Tides and divulged their real mission to the public: helping to provide more employment for autistic adults. The D’Eris, with their vision and dedication, have managed to create a better future for Andrew, who loves his new job and the friends he has made in the process. As their work continues, the stigma regarding autistic employees will continue to improve as more people recognize that autism is not a limitation, but instead just a different approach.

How do you think we can continue this amazing effort and help employ more people with disabilities?

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Boy With Autism Helps Rescue Dogs Get Socialized By Reading To Them

Recently, a story appeared on The Huffington Post about a six-year old boy with autism that has formed a love for dogs. Jacob Tumalan, a resident of Gardena, California, visits a nearby animal shelter and reads to dogs that have been abandoned.

According to the article, Jacob believes that by reading to these dogs, and by showing them a little bit of extra love, that they will have better chances of getting adopted and finding a new home. Jacob’s routine includes stopping by the shelter every Thursday after school ends, and he even brings along a set of books specifically tailored to certain dogs.For example, Jacob discovered that one dog in particular has an aversion to cats. In order to fix this issue Jacob reads books that involve lots of cats in order to condition him to be friendlier to cats.

This is so cool to see Jacob’s selfless perspective, as he dedicates time to help socialize the lonely dogs, and his efforts have actually managed to help a few of the dogs grow friendlier towards people. Not only that, but by reading to the dogs on a regular basis, Jacob has managed to improve his own reading ability to that of a third grade level.

The loud sounds that come from the animals in the shelter also help Jacob deal with the stress that comes with loud environments, as he focuses on reading the books to work through it. This type of progress had been avoiding Jacob for a while, but it appears that he has finally found a new activity that allows him to learn and help others simultaneously. Jacob appears to have formed a connection with these dogs, as he is set on helping the loneliest of canine hearts find a better place to call home.

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San Diego Walk Now for Autism Speaks Was a Great Event!

 

San Diego Walk Now for Autism Speaks

Our family had an awesome time at the San Diego Walk Now for Autism Speaks on Saturday, October 6. The twins were overjoyed that the organizers had arranged for a jumpy! They had a great time because jumpys are a big favorite with our boys. It was not easy to get them to get off of the jumpy…

So, the twins’ second favorite activity (after the jumpy) of the day was drawing…

San Diego Walk Now for Autism Speaks

Maybe drawing was so cool that day, because they’d just walked 2 miles. And they were tuckered out. They could sit down. Which was fine with their mom and me!

The San Diego Walk Now for Autism Speaks turnout was really big. Safe to say, a great time was had by all. There were tons of families.

Walk Now for Autism Speaks San Diego

You can click to the Facebook page for Autism Speaks San Diego for lots more pictures. Click here for their Facebook page.

I enjoyed talking to the other parents and all the exhibitors. San Diego has such great people and kids!

The Walk was held at the beautiful, historic Liberty Station Park. It’s located near San Diego Harbor and was originally the site for the United States Naval Training Center for new recruits.  Like a lot of historic buildings in San Diego, Liberty Park has many restored buildings that are in the Spanish style of architecture.

According to the history on Liberty Station’s website, from 1923 until the 1990’s, thousands of US Navy recruits were trained here. It also says that San Diego is home to one-sixth of the US Navy’s entire fleet!

The boys were disappointed that they missed out on the face painting at the Walk. It was over by the time we arrived. Oops. Better planning next time.

If you’d like to check out where the next Autism Speaks Walk is happening near your home, click over here. They keep a handy list of upcoming walks.

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Stephen Volan Diagnosed with Aspergers at 37 Years Old Uses His Theatre Skills To Help With Social Skills

I woke up this morning with this great video clip in my inbox.  This is a great, here is a guy who was diagnosed with Aspergers at 37 years old! He had gone through his entire childhood, teens and early adulthood with probably thinking why am I different then everyone else?

What he has accomplished is nothing more than amazing, a city council member, a professor at Indiana University, a radio show host and a successful businessman. He describes his personal battle with Aspergers with incredible clarity. He explains to his audience that he is more comfortable speaking to a large  crowd then one on one.  Stage fright is a common feeling for anyone who is not used to being on stage. Public speaking is actually extremely scary for most everyone with or with out autism.  He says every day social situations make him feel that “stage fright” feeling.” He talks about several occasions where he would rather stay home all day then risk meeting someone new which would require social interaction.

The way he has overcome this is absolutely the best part of this clip.  He embraced the arts, actually comedy improvisation is what worked best for him. He learned all the nuances of improv and how you work with a partner.  He learned that you stay on topic when improvising, something all kids with autism have difficulty with.  Comedy is so social and this is what he used to help him navigate our very complicated social world.

I am definitely going to look for more theater activities for my kids with autism to participate in.

How do you think your kids with autism would do in a theater class?

Enjoy the clip

 

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Is There Autism In All Of Us? Thoughts About The Traits of Kids With Autism

Once upon a time an umbrella was something that provided shelter from a storm.  Now, having just learned our two year old identical twin boys had PDD-NOS (Persuasive Development Disorder Not Otherwise Specified) we learned that ‘umbrella’ was a term used to describe the range of diagnosis (PDD-NOS, Autism, Asperger) and all the traits that fall under it. The list of traits seemingly longer than Jack’s Bean Stalk.

I talked to my sister about it, explaining the boys had BOTH just received a strange alphabet soup diagnosis, PDD-NOS (both later diagnosed with autism).  I nervously read through a list of traits common to kids under the autism umbrella, wishfully hoping I wouldn’t see my boys.  As we went through the list, there were certainly many traits that I had never seen in the boys, such as wanting to wear tight clothing, or repetitive spinning. Then, a funny thing happened on my way to despair.  We started recognizing ourselves and immediate family on the list of traits for kids with autism.

For example, if you lived with me you’d know one of my autism traits is I HATE TAGS.  They give me the shivers.  My sister would get mad at me when I would borrow her clothes, because I would inevitably reach behind my back & tear out the tag, leaving a hole in the neck of the shirt. There is not a single tag on any wash cloth, dish, bath or beach towel in my house.  I love my spray bottle of goo-gone, it removes every sticky tag I annoyingly come in contact with.

Inevitably, the boys had more yeses on the list of traits seen in kids with autism, than the rest of our family members combined, but recognizing ourselves on the list made it an easier pill to swallow. That was the day I put on my autism colored glasses, seeing the world in a whole new rainbow.  Encountering the obsessions, idiosyncrasies, and the like, of anyone in my path was seeing their autism.

One of the traits the boys do exhibit on the list is perseverating, repeating themselves relentlessly.  Isn’t repeating yourself a basic requirement of being a parent?  How many times have I heard myself saying the same thing I just said, the last three times I spoke? Ah, it takes a little autism to be a parent.

If you review the list of traits of kids with autism, think of yourself, your boss, or anyone you know.  I’m sure you’ll see autism all around you from then on.

What is your autism trait? Own it!

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60 Minutes Meets Jake the Math Wizard with Autism

Did any one catch this interview on 60 minutes about Jake the prodigy math wizard? I had a feeling when I saw the preview that he was a kid with autism. What’s kind of weird to me, is that they didn’t mention his autism until the segment started. It would have been nice if they had brought this up in the headline of the story as in my opinion 60 minutes always features doom and gloom. Almost to the point where I told my wife that every time we watched the show I felt depressed.  But not this time….

The story features a really spunky boy with autism but also with this incredible memory for numbers. He was one of those children that appeared to be hitting all his milestones as a child and then began regressing rapidly.

His incredible parents decided to focus in on his strengths and boy did they make the right decision. Not only did his regression stop but he turned out to be a mathematics genius! He is actually in college and seems to be making friends there and is well respected. This story made my day!

Great segment to watch if you have a kid with autism! Never give up.

Do your children with autism display any incredible talents? Let us know…

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How to get your kids with autism to ask you for help

One thing our twin boys have in common with apparently most people in the world is their love of computers.  Our early riser especially likes to play with it before the rest of us are even awake!  The last few days the computer he uses hasn’t been working. Surely he MUST want to use it. He LOVES it. But, will our child with autism simply ask us for help to get back to one of his favorite activities?

This is a question that goes back eight years.  As toddlers they would stand at the gate by the stairs screaming  even though they knew the words, and/or signs, for up, down, open, and help. At least we knew what was troubling them, which was not always the case.  Their adamant avoidance of language left them alternating between screaming and being mute.

I remember when one of the boys ate five waffles in one sitting.  I didn’t even know he was hungry. I felt so sad. The psychology and sociology classes I took in college made me think indicating needs such as hunger and pain is what made us human.  They never mentioned autism.

Here are some of the things we did to get our kids with autism to ask for help:

Modeling: “Say, I need help zipping my jacket.” And have them repeat it.

PECS (picture exchange system): Have them point to, or bring you, the picture of what they need. You can take your own photos of their favorite food or toys.

Hiding: Put their backpack, or other necessary item, out of sight to try to engage them.

Prompting: “If you need help getting the computer to work, you need to ask Dad for help.”

One of the issues we had with their early success was just trying to recognize the success. They both had a problem of projecting their voices, which may be a problem for your child with autism.  They would say ‘help’ for example, but even the people standing very close by couldn’t hear them.

Another issue is time.  This all may sound simple, but for kids with autism, practicing how to ask for help is a goal for the long haul.  In the beginning, if we hid their favorite stuffed animal that they slept with every night, they would simply go to bed without it.  Out of sight, out of mind.  Eventually, they asked for their animals.

This morning one twin prompted the other to ask Dad for help.  We’ve waited a long time for today.

What have you done to get your child with autism to ask for help?

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How To Navigate The Public School for Your Autistic Child’s Education Part 2

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]As we shared in our last post we learned a ton as we started our autistic twins education inside the public school district.

Having taken a ‘deer in the headlights’ approach to our first IEP (Individual Education Program) meeting, it was more of a survival technique than a strategy. The twins were just two, and we had no advanced knowledge of what an IEP was prior to being immersed in one. Here are some thoughts we learned along the way that we wanted to share with you on your journey to educate your child with autism in the public school system.

Workshops.  Our Regional Center provides meetings twice a year for parents to learn about the special education process.  This includes explaining what an IEP is, tips for preparing for the meeting, and your rights.

Standards. Your school can provide you with a pamphlet each year that outlines the standards for all subjects for your child’s grade.  This will help you see where they are headed and where your child will need a goal.

IEP. IEP’s are prepared by the school team to assess the child’s current status and prepare for the future year.  They are held annually.  Every three years they include an expanded assessment prepared by the school psychologist, and additional questionnaires prepared by the parents.

Meetings generally begin with a review of the goals from the prior IEP. The new IEP starts with an overview of Present Levels, a review of the new Goals, then Accommodations, Modifications and Services that will be provided. You are welcome to invite other team members you are working with outside of school if you have any.

Present Levels. It can be difficult for you to read about your child’s behavior, or level of functioning, seeing it on paper, while other people are around you, even though you live with it. It’s difficult. You may feel defensive or taken back, or in denial. A lot of emotion can come up.

Maybe being around them at home you get used to their behavior. Maybe you don’t see it because life forces you to ’just keep swimming’. Maybe they’re getting away with behaviors at school that they don’t even try at home or  maybe the school is exaggerating.

This is a piece of the having a child with autism in the public school system puzzle you will have to get used to on your own.  Just be aware that this could be upsetting and that everyone is there to help.  Keep in mind that you can’t get to the solutions until you examine the problem.

Goals.  Our approach has been to ask each team member in advance of the meeting for a copy of the new goal.  There’s a lot of information to go over in an IEP meeting (especially when you have 2 kids on the autism spectrum).

Having a little of that information in advance has been very helpful to us. When goals are presented to us at the meeting for the first time we often don’t have feedback, because we are just trying to take it all in.  When we have a chance to review them in advance we feel empowered to roll up our sleeves and be a part of the team.

Accommodations, Modifications and Services. The latter part of the IEP will specify what is needed in terms of personnel and provisions to accomplish the goals. Staff may assist your child in the classroom, or in small groups, or even one-to-one.

Standardized testing may be taken in a smaller setting and with more time.  Even seating in the classroom may be discussed.  Does your child do better being closer to the teacher, or closer to the board, or in the back of the classroom where no noise is behind them?

Anything that can advance the education of your child is welcome for discussion.  Please let us know if you have questions in the comments section below.  We’d also love to hear things that worked for you as you worked with the public school system for your autistic child’s education. Good Luck.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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How to Choose an App for Kids With Autism

You’re so excited! You just discovered the app store on your computer or your mobile device, however, your head is spinning with the amount of apps available for kids with autism. From social skills to math and everything in between, no worries, I know how you feel. I remember my first time checking out apps and thinking ‘how in the world I am going to know what is a gimmick versus what will actually hold my twins attention?’

There are tons of free apps out there and just as many for less than $5.00. My first advice for you is to download an app based on a target area which you are currently working on. I found the non educational apps such as Angry Birds, Bubble Popper, Can Knockdown and Ant Smasher (just to name a few) to be good for my twins to play just for fun. Some of these actually seem to have helped with hand and eye coordination as well.

Be careful though not to let them play some of these apps for too long. Angry Birds in particular seems to make one of my boys extremely anxious. I understand as I have clocked several hours playing this addicting game myself.  Here are just a few apps which I have found to be very useful for my kids with autism.

TT Clock- A great app for learning how to tell time

Kids Math Fun- Another great one for addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. They have it broken out for different grades which is nice

Vocabulary Builder- Learn a new word every day

Sentence Builder– One of my favorites!

Question Builder- A great way to learn who, where, what and why questions

Story Builder- Helps to teach what will happen next.

Shell Lagoon- Works on Homonyms, Synonyms and Antonyms

Piano Plus– A fun way to learn how to play the piano

A Checklist for Choosing an App for Kids with Autism

Making a checklist before jumping into the app store makes a lot of sense to help you decide which app to buy.

1. Write down your target areas.
2. Read reviews before downloading.
3. Ask you therapist or teacher which apps they are using and you can download the same to supplement at home.
4. Make sure to open up the preferences or setting in each new app (if part of the app) and customize to your child’s ability.
5. Pick up a few fun non-educational apps which can be used for downtime fun.

Can you tell us which apps you like to use for your kid(s) with autism?

Image:iStockphoto.com

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