Tag Archive for: The Social Express

Top Tech Blogger,Robert Scoble, Interviews The Social Express CEO Marc Zimmerman & President Jon Cornick

When I first heard that Robert Scoble had a child with Autism, I immediately reached out to him for an interview. One problem, we didn’t have the program finished yet, in fact, if my memory serves me correctly we didn’t even have our demo done.

However, Robert took my call and heard my pitch. He was very kind and told me he would be happy to help support our product when we finished and in the market. As soon as we launched he was notified and kept good on his word.

Robert was very generous with his time and allowed us to discuss every detail about The Social Express. Thanks again Rob for giving parents who may have a kid with autism or any other social-emotional learning challenge a way of hearing about new products like ours!

What bloggers do you like to follow for your kids with autism?

Here is the video

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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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How To Purchase The Social Express Using Apple’s Volume Purchase Plan For Schools & Organizations

Hi Everyone, We just received our first volume purchase from a school! Get The Social Express for 50% buying 20 or more! To Do this (FOR NOW) Go to itunes, search for The Social Express, then click on the drop down arrow and select copy link, then paste that link in the Volume Purchase Portal or www.volume.itunes.apple.com/us/store Have a great weekend and thank you for all the work you do to help our kids!

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Our first review all the way from Spain! Thank you Francesc Sistach from iautism.info

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]If someone had asked me a list of the most important apps for people with special needs appeared in 2011, The Social Express would certainly have been part of it.

The Social Express raises the bar of educational apps for social skills available for the iPad. Where other apps use videos of social scenes or sequences of images of social situations that the user has to sort –both very valid and useful options, of course–, people from Brighten Learning, Inc. surprise us. The Social Express includes animations (similar to video modeling) but allowing the student to practice in a interactive way various social skills. It employs rich graphics and audio and offers a high degree of quality in every aspect of the app.

Everything has a price, and the price of The Social Express is not exactly low, but for me it is clear that the elaborate animations and several other advanced features of the app are not cheap to develop. The Social Express is also available for PC and Mac, having the same cost ($89.99) in the three platforms.

In short, The Social Express offers 16 lessons with a total of 30 scenes based on animations and selections of possible endings. Globally, it allows you to work on aspects like paying attention to what our partner is watching and saying, looking into the eyes of our party when he speaks, turning your body to focus the rest of the group, watching the emotions of others, managing anger situations with various coping strategies or talking about what others are interested in. The lessons show both positive and negative results for a given situation.

With explanations for the students mostly oral and in some cases in written language, The Social Express is targeted at children and youth with autism, Asperger, ADHD or other learning difficulties in social aspects that do have a good knowledge of language (English).

First, the user and the guide
The Social Express is itself a bus. The app starts with the driver explaining what it’s all about and introducing the three main characters: Zack, Emma and their dog Sunny. The three will take the bus to the city, where they will experience many social situations.

The first thing to do once you have seen the initial presentation is to create a user profile, which in itself is a combination of a first name and a last name.

Later, from one of the main menu options, you can add other users, and edit, delete or select them.

Also in the main menu, you have access to the The Social Express Guide. One of its sections outlines how the application should be used in the sense that it is intended as a support for sessions in which the student is accompanied by an adult who can help, ask questions or propose alternatives to the ends of each scene proposed by the app. The website of the company, which again has a great graphic quality and content, includes more information on the app, its educational approach, …

The longest portion of the guide shows a tab for each of the 16 lessons that The Social Express includes. In each tab is a summary of the lesson, its objective, the key hidden social and a proposal for additional activities. These activities include dialogues on the subject, looking at books or videos to look for similar situations, working with the printable material including application, etc.

Finally, there is a credits section of the app, which shows the team of more than 25 people involved in the project.

Lessons
And then comes the most important part of the app. The Social Express has 16 lessons on topics grouped in two skill levels. The first time, it shows some short messages that explain how to interact with the lessons menu, which is really easy to use. After that, an icon with a question mark allows you to repeat those explanations as many times as you want.

Starting at level 1 and the first lesson, you will see an animation of the three main characters. They want to go to the city and are aware that they have to take care of their social modes.

So they take the bus. And you see a screen that displays the title of the first lesson and the hidden social key. You can also see a message with tips for the teacher / adult (that can be disabled if you want).

And the lesson starts. Zack asks Emma what is she thinking about, and Emma tells him to try to guess, while she looks at the bell. The graphics are nice, with characters well designed, especially the expressions on their faces, which clearly show the emotions of the characters. The images are visually rich, but with relatively soft colors hat give a feeling of cleanliness and simplicity.

If the user points to the fire truck, for example, the background voice that narrates the scene will explain that it was not a correct answer. Emma is really thinking on the bell, and she and Zack will show a sad expression and gesture. By selecting the bell, the voice will explain that you are right and give some additional social explanations. The bell will ring at the time a dotted line is drawn from Emma to the bell.

The lesson does not end there. The main characters follow visiting the town. Two friends will appear in up to four other scenes where a character looks at a specific point in the scene and the student should touch that point, while the background voice remembers the student that they always has to look at their partner to guess what they think.

And so, the student has to continue with the other lessons. The second lesson is about facing other people when they are talking to us. It shows a scene where Emma is distracted and stops looking to the others, causing their displeasure until Emma makes the decision (of two possible that are presented graphically) to rejoin the group.

This lesson is short. The third, which features characters in situations that provoke different emotions, has again multiple scenes.

I will not explain all the lessons one by one, but comment some additional aspects. The fourth lesson shows a situation where Zack gets mad. The solution here consists on using a virtual iPhone, which has an app called DPS or Digital Problem Solver. This app does not really exist, so do not look for it in iTunes (I’ve done it myself, believe me), but it is expected to appear in a month at a price of about $5. DPS has two possible coping strategies when you are mad: to use kind words, and to take five deep breathes to calm down. For each emotion, DPS has a small repertoire of coping strategies. Since DPS is used in several lessons, it is logical that some students want to have it in real life, so I expect to see DPS soon in iTunes.

Other lessons show a situation to immediately overlay it with a sequence of two small images and two possible endings for that short sequence. The student has to touch which of those images is the right end.

Always on the screen you will see two buttons: a pause button to stop the lesson and another to access a menu that allows you to turn on or off the hints for the teacher, to start the lesson again or to go back to the main menu of The Social Express.

Levels
At the end of the eight lessons of Level 1, the bus driver makes a short summary of what has you learned and makes you to do a test review. In that test the student will see bits of previous scenes and will have to choose which one of each pair shows the right social behavior.

As the student gives right answers, the key that appears below becomes gold. When finish the test, the student gets a certificate for completing it that they can print later.

Once you finish the level, it is unlocked, so you can select from the menu which lesson you want to practice. You can also repeat all the level or start the lessons from the Level 2.

Level 2 and printing

The eight lessons of level 1 allow you to practice the considered most basic social scenes. At level 2, it some knowledge of social rules is assumed and the student has to work on how to apply them in more real-life situations.

The second group of lessons is also a bit different in its operation. In the first lesson, Zack plays drums and the student must imitate the movements he does. The rest lessons show similar but more difficult social situations. So, for example, when using the DPS, the student now has to find the emotion and not just select a coping strategy. Another lesson is devoted about the interpretation of idioms.

The Printables option of the main menu of The Social Express is another nice feature of this app. By using the AirPrint system that Apple incorporates in its iOS operating system, you can send different material to a printer with WiFi and support for AirPrint or to another printer attached to an Apple computer with WiFi.

So, for example, you can print the certificate of having finished each level.

You can also print two sheets with the characters and their emotions, three with the coping strategies to follow in certain situations (from the DPS), one with social cues and five with the profiles of each of the characters. For each type of document there is also a blank template that you can print as a basis for creating new exercises.

Assessment
The Social Express is a very carefully designed app. The screens, buttons and messages, the background jazz music or the animations make me to think the company has devoted many resources. For the users, it is excellent news that apps like this appear.

From an educational point of view, the curriculum of The Social Express allows you to work with some social skills with the advantage that you can see the effects of wrong choices (based on seeing clearly displayed characters angry or sad) and not only happy faces when you select the right solution. With 16 lessons and 30 scenes, and two or more possible endings for each scene and the final exercises of each level, the app provides many hours of educational work. The tabs of each lesson provide clues for complementary activities that can be performed after each lesson, which in some cases involve printing sheets that already includes the application itself.

I can hardly criticize aspects of The Social Express. Well, I wish I could turn off the background music, although it is very nice –and can be bought as a music CD for $9.99– and I wonder if the characters should speak a bit slower. But the truth is that what I really want to see is the DPS app and a second part of The Social Express with 16 lessons more (and, of course, the option of working in other languages).

And I am thinking on the second part because The Social Express takes 1.79 GB. It is by far the largest app I have installed on my iPad, and its size approaches dangerously the 2 GB limit imposed by Apple, so there is not much space to grow. Its size is also what made Apple to categorize the content for people with more than 17 years, but the app does not include any sexual content or anything that is not suitable for children.

As always, the reader has the last word. The authors of The Social Express have made it easy, since they offer a Lite version with only two lessons (also available for PC and Mac). I recommend downloading it, so at least you can see how apps for the iPad are evolving and what you can expect in the exciting future of tablet apps. Or you can also watch a demo video in the company’s website. It is worthwhile, I assure you.

-Francesc Sistach[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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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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Austintistic- January 17th, 2012 Blog Post -Kudos, Deserved

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Thank you to Scott for such kind words in his latest blog titled Kudos, Deserved

Kudos, Deserved
After some much needed time away from the keyboard I try tonight to knock off the rust and get back to sharing the backlog of stories I have for my follow-up effort. Over the last two months I have focused my efforts on finishing my book proposal and all the other things that go into making a book so you one day can get the actual product in your local bookstore or on your Kindle, Nook or iPad. Little did I know as I spent time sharing these stories what would happen as I pounded out these moments residing in my heart and on my brain…

Writing a book is easy. I jest a bit, but truth be told, it is. Well, it was at least the actual writing part. Over the last several months I have been putting together the package- proposal (kind of like a business plan), the appropriate documents and letters. All to secure representation and ultimately put it all together to be sold to a major publishing label in New York. This has all taken what seems like almost as much time as the writing, but for sure it has been the much more frustrating and challenging part.

Of course the writing, putting the stories together and choosing what I want to blog about and share is not easy. But it was challenging and invigorating. I found out something I knew nothing of- that I really enjoy writing and why I continue to blog and write the second part of Austintistic.

The name has changed. Many people want to know how it is going. What’s the status and when can I buy it. And now I know something… it takes a long time to get from A to Z when you sit down to write a book. All I can tell you right now is that I hope we can see it in stores this year sometime and hopefully sooner than later. And a lot of that depends on how able and strong a package I have put together for the folks who want the privilege of taking my “baby” and bringing it to market. And I do believe that. I see my stories as ones that people want and maybe even need to read, therefore, I want the best person and publishing house that will take it and run with it and help me make it a winner. And for me the definition of success will be the number of people I can touch, advocate for and even educate. The better my book does, the more I can advocate.

I had no true idea what I was getting into four years ago as I started to jot down little snippets of incidents and events our family had been through over the years. I suppose I was starting a diary in my mind that would possibly be therapeutic for me. The stress, frustration and challenges we faced had been in our face from day one and what better a way to deal with them than write them down and relive them. Tough times and good times.

So I did.

And a slow burn ensued. I wrote the notes down and added them to a spiral I kept in my bag. But nothing earth-shattering or enlightening happened until the day Austin broke his leg the same day he has just gotten a cast off of his right arm. The day my brother Kevin asked me if I ever thought our luck was something real or were we being repaid for something. He asked me if I had ever thought of putting more into it and telling people about it. You know… truth being often-times stranger than fiction. But I didn’t really get rolling. I put more notes in the book. But more than anything I was really just cataloging my thoughts. For what, I was not sure. And then I read a random blog. I don’t even recall what it was about. But it got me thinking. So I learned about blogs. Once that happened it all came crashing together and has led me to where we are today.

What I was not prepared for was the effect it, the whole journey, has and continues to have on me. Over the past two years I haven’t given much time or thought as to what this path has done for my mind let alone soul. Only now am I really starting to comprehend and understand how this process has touched me. Just as it has done that something else has happened… people have touched me. I have new friends and relationships. I have learned. I have grown. I have stumbled and I have persevered. Something has happened and it is profound.

In the end and today as I sit here tapping away in my hotel room what I am thinking about are all the people whom have touched my life over the last few years. To date all but a couple of posts have been about specific moments in time. They were stories of me, Austin Logan, Teresa…our family. But before I get my next story (I have about 15-20) ready to go I wanted to share with you some of the people who have stepped into my life. Some have come crashing in as you will see and others have kind of slipped in the side door. But these are all people I am sure you would all love to know.

My blog is not about products, services or offers, and it will continue to be just that. However, over the past six months I have gotten countless offers to review a book, screen a documentary or movie, check out some diet-specific products or even join in a political cause for special needs. And I have hesitated and rejected them all. But I can’t deny and ignore them any longer so I want to share some of them and as you will see they are not about selling anything. They may have a book a movie or a product, but what is important is what they have done to me and what impact I see them having on the world, however small the way.
I share with you some fine human beings who have touched my life:

Virginia Hall and Elizabeth Bonker – Virginia (Ginnie) Hall was a venture-capitalist and deal make for years on Wall Street. She lives in New Jersey and now has a wonderful family with three children; two are profoundly affected by autism. One fateful day after some routine immunizations her daughter Elizabeth lost all ability to communicate. At least verbally. Their book I Am In Here is a wonderful story the two of them wrote. The book is written with Ginny’s words and Elizabeth’s poetry.

The makeup of the words and poetry make for a story that is delightful and at times remarkable. She replays some of the stories of dealing with school systems and politics which has touched me too as we currently navigate those waters.

Ginnie has shown me through reading the story and talking with her that we can all learn. I have not really taken a stance and for sure tried to not get controversial on my blog but I learned something from Ginnie. While immunizations may not be the devil or root cause of autism…some kids like Elizabeth I feel may be hyper-sensitive to these types of vaccines which truly look like the causative factor in the change in her daughter.

One part of her book hit me right between the eyes. I will paraphrase, “There are two types of teachers. The first being ones who will generally see special needs children as problems to be endured. The other will see them as treasures waiting to be unearthed.” Amen.

Marc Zimmerman – Marc is a friend and confidante. Marc is the father of twin autistic boys living in Southern California. He was frustrated with the lack of quality tools which met his boy’s needs… so he created his own. The Social Express is an interactive app for autistic youths which is now available on iTunes. Austin has had a great deal of fun navigating the tool.

What has surprised me the most was as a parent it showed me how regardless of the type of autism, social skills are still the hallmark and stumbling block for all affected children. The app is designed to help autistic children navigate all types of social situations in order to better prepare them for life as a contributing member of society. It will help them with the skills needed to create, build and maintain meaningful relationships. It may seem really basic but something as simple as looking someone in the eyes when they talk to you is a skill many autistics struggle with. The app shows you how to work on this and what it means.

The fact that politics and legislation, not to mention ignorance can have a chilling effect on progress and it is people like Marc who are taking charge and making a difference. With a condition like autism being one that often leaves me feeling like I am being dragged behind a car, Marc has turned things upside down and inside out and is in front of that car a leading the way.

Marc has shown me that it is people like him and other parents just like him who will make the difference and progress we so desperately need in the special needs community. He is a difference-maker and I thank him.
Find Marc and The Social Express at: www.thesocialexpress.com

Angie LoSchiavo/FlyPropeller and William Dear/Director – I have never reviewed a movie before. I have had several requests to look at documentaries and books and other things, but this was the first one that caught my eye and made me think. I was asked to pre-screen A Mile In His Shoes… which is a true story about an autistic boy played by Luke Schroder and starring Dean Cain of Superman fame.

The story of Mickey Tusler is about an eighteen year-old boy who is stuck on his farm with an enabling mother and gate-keeping father. All while Mickey has a special gift- he has a rocket for an arm but has yet to touch a baseball. He throws apples into an old bucket as his pet pig looks on and eats up the smashed curve balls out of the troth at the ground.

This is a touching story which subtly shows a couple of very significant things- it showed me something I know all too well: A father who is in full-blown denial and will not release his son to the world for the thought of him being hurt, humiliated or worse and the mother who enabled it all to continue. It shows the young man who learns to stick up to his father, face his fears and learn to be a part of something outside of his farm. All the while it shows the inner struggle Mickey has with making these decisions and the fact that so many unknowns and people just don’t know. They don’t know what autism is and he struggles with this. And Dean Cain plays the part of the small minor-league manager who takes a chance on an unknown only because he is at his wits end and a breath away from being fired. In the process he is enlightened.

Mickey made me think about some of the things I have encountered, endured and grown from. I think all people will like this movie. There is no violence, no sex and no bad language. What a concept. This is a wonderful movie which I hope makes one think.

A Mile In His Shoes premieres on GMT tomorrow. Here is a trailer if you want to take a peak.

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ev2T0BFetH4 You may be asked to hit control/click.

Elaine Hall – Vista Del Mar, Vista Inspire Program – I had the privilege of speaking with Elaine a few months ago. She is a double-Emmy award-winning creator of the HBO documentary, Autism: The Musical. She is located in southern Cailifornia with her autistic son who was also featured in the documentary.
Elaine is a person who too is making a difference through her speaking, advocacy and education all over the country.

At the Vista Del Mar School she is part of the VIP- The Vista Inspire Program. This is a school which serves autistic children using music as the vehicle. Included in the VIP are also specific schools catering to Bar/Bat Mitzvah adaptions. They are in the process of adding another religious part of the program as well as a post-Bnai-Mitzvah program.

The school has helped thousands of special children throughout the state of California. To me it looks like a model for communities all over the land and they are blessed to have the interest, funds and hands to make this all possible.
It takes people like Elaine to do what she is doing to make the difference we need in the special needs world.

Barry Switzer – It has been a pleasure getting to know Coach Switzer. Beyond the obvious, football, many people don’t know what makes Barry Switzer who he is. I suppose I don’t know either but I do know something about him- He Gets It. Coach has been a part of the special needs community through the Special Olympics for almost forty years. This is something I am sure he doesn’t make much noise about and also something most people don’t know.

This came as no surprise to me. In all I know of the Coach one thing I have learned is that he has always, always been for the little guy. The struggling student or the needy young athlete trying to get out and off the streets. He has always been a giver.

I will never forget how he responded when I asked him why he did it. And I will paraphrase, “All special kids have the passion and potential. We need to get them out of the house, off the couch and involved. Most of the special kids I know have as much competitive drive and character as the greatest of athletes. We need to get them out of the house and unlock their hidden potential.”

I could write volumes about Coach Switzer but I will leave you with what I know… The Coach Gets It.

Ricky Robinson – She is the co-director of Descanso Medical Center for Development and Learning in La Canada, California. She is a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the Keck School Medicine of USC and Senior Attending Physician at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. She has been in private practice for over thirty years and working with special needs for more than twenty of those years.

Dr. Robinson is a founding board member of Cure Autism Now (now known as AutismSpeaks) and has devoted much of her life to helping children with autism.
I have had the pleasure of getting to know Dr. Robinson and I knew I liked her in the first five minutes as we chatted…she was born an Iowa girl, just up the road in Sioux City.

What I took away and impacted me in our first conversation was something very simple. It was something my friend Angie and I have spoken about at length. It was refreshing to hear her say the same thoughts. They were that she felt all kids should have an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) in our schools. Why shouldn’t we be creating and educating all of our children based on the needs they present? Creating a plan for each and every student to tap into their utmost available potential because every child IS different. Wow.

She enlightened me on her feelings of children and where we are going in the future in terms of education, advocacy and awareness. As connected and influential she may be with the media, the entertainment world and AutismSpeaks she admitted the number one thing we can do is at the community level- educating children, adults, teachers, educators and mentors alike. Getting a grand stage is obviously an important thing but to make meaningful changes it must take grass roots. These were the things we talked of and I couldn’t agree more.

It all begins at home. And again, Amen.

Kerry Magro – Seton Hall Graduate Student (completed undergraduate at Seton Hall- Deans List). 2011 United Nations Youth Representative and USA Today All-College Team. The list is too long to continue, but Kerry is an impressive young man… and he is autistic.

Kerry reached out to me a few months ago after he had become a fan of my blog. He is currently writing his own book about what it takes as an autistic student to survive in the world of college academics.

While finishing his graduate work he also writes a weekly blog for AutismSpeaks and was recently a consultant on the just released, sure-to-be hit movie Joyful Noise starring Dolly Parton and Queen Latifah.

He is active in New Jersey with autism legislation where he routinely speaks to political and academic groups alike.

What Kerry has shown me are the intricate details and often arduous path growing up in a school system which does not “get it” exists. He and his parents were at the forefront of advocating for their son as they broke ground, stepped on toes and took on “the man” in order to make change happen. I am sure I could talk to Kerry for hours about this alone.

I look forward to working with Kerry going forward. We both have some similar goals and our mission is all about the same thing: education and advocacy.

THE SCARY GUY – I write this in all upper-case because that is how he writes and I don’t want to make him mad. Just kidding. Scary, it is his real name, is one of my newest friends and I am proud to introduce him to all of my friends and readers. He is an exceptional human being and is making a difference in our world, every day.
It has always amazed me how the crossroads of life has put certain people in my path over the last four years. Scary is no different. A friend felt this was someone I needed to meet…and it happened.

He talks so much about the “container” we all are. We come in different shapes, sizes and colors…and that’s the way it is supposed to be. When I recently told my good friend Matt about Scary what did he do? He googled him on his iPhone as we spoke. I had not told him anything about Scary, just that I came in touch with this gentleman and I liked very much what he was doing- I liked his mission. And then he said, “Uhmmm. Uh, Scott? What are you doing with this guy? Are you sure you want to have him be a part of what you are doing?” I love my friend Matt, but all he saw was the container.

Scary is all about ridding the world of violence, hatred, and prejudice and bullying. He is all about inclusion, embracing all our differences and a world where we are ALL different and we are killing ourselves over it (because you’re fat, gay, a geek or disabled etc).

Scary is an amazing story and very colorful, duh. Please check out Scary- www.thescaryguy.com and be prepared to look at yourself in the mirror. I love it.
These are just a few of the people who have touched me as I write my books. This post needed to be written. There will be a time and place to thank all the people who are part of my team for the book and I eagerly await that day. Look for my next story in the next week or so. I have it roughed out and just need to finish it.

Until then……… make a difference.

Do you Get It?

 

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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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With a Brush of Love Interview with Marc Zimmerman

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]On January 10th, 2012 With a Brush of Love’s interview link.

Thank you so much Lauren, I had a great time and I love your show!

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/familynetworkradio/2012/01/10/with-a-brush-of-love-presentsthe-social-express[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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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 Navigate the Public School System for Your Autistic Child’s Education

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]One of the things we learned early on the road traveled with our twins with autism is that the public school system provides education services to children beginning at age three if they are behind.  We weren’t prepared for the storm of activity that circles the tipping point of the Third Birthday, launching their voyage of receiving an education with autism.

The boys had already received a diagnosis of PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder- Not Otherwise Specificed) when they were two.  This led to many assessments, floor time, ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) therapy, speech, occupational and physical therapy, and social work services through the Regional Center.

We were barely on stable ground when we were told that everything we had done, and were doing, would change when the children turn three. Here is a list of the appointments we had around their third birthday prior to starting their education.

  1. Annual physical. Routine ‘it’s your birthday’ check-up.
  2. Regional Center Psychologist. PDD-NOS opens all doors when you are two, but you have to determine if your child has an autism diagnosis by age three, or doors will close.
  3. Social Worker.  Their case load changes for 3 year old’s, so you will meet with a new Social Worker to set goals. If they receive any services at this point, expect the providers to change as well.
  4. The school. Your child will have meetings with the special education teacher, speech and occupational therapist and physical education teacher, and you will schedule your first IEP (Individualized Education Program), the road map of education for children with autism.

All of this had to be scheduled between all of the therapy they were currently receiving, and, being just two, they were still in need of a nap every day.  And, of course having twins, this was all times TWO!  Did I mention finding time to figure out how to celebrate that birthday?  Oh ya, fit that in too.

So, back to school.  The child will need to have the above mentioned meetings so their new team, at their new preschool, will be able to prepare goals for their IEP. You will receive a stack of forms to fill out prior to the meeting asking you to compare your child to a typical child- whatever that is, thus providing your own input.

Having been whipped around so much in recent months caring for two toddlers with autism our first IEP meetings were a surge of information batted at us. We just sat there and tried to take it all in.  The comforting news was they were planning out a whole year.

No more bouncing around, introducing new people, constantly changing schedules.  School is a great set-up. They would now have a place to go, without us, with people we could trust, who had a plan and were ready to execute it. Happy birthday!

In our next post, we’ll share more behind the scenes about how we navigated the school district for our autistic children’s education.  We hope you find some helpful ideas for your own child with autism’s  education journey.  We’re happy to answer your questions.  Just enter them in the comments section below.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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