What I haven’t missed about having Alex at sleepaway camp for a week:

The Elmo. Elmo looks at exercise. Elmo looks at hair (“Show us how you cut your hair, Mr. Noodle...”). Elmo looks at teeth and farming and chickens and whatever else he can dream up to spellbind a boy who if it weren’t for autism would’ve moved on from this kind of television a long time ago. The little red monster (I liked it when they were “Muppets”) has been off our screen for a week.

Listening for the slamming front door while I’m in the kitchen...

at jeffslife.tripod.com/alextheboy

We are still running a contest to give away a set of customized visual tools to three lucky winners. You can enter to win by going to our website at http://www.indivisualconsultingllc.com and clicking on the contest link at the top of our Home Page. Please act now, the contest will end September 15, 2010.

Also, you can view product samples and a demo of how the process works. If you have additional questions or are interested in scheduling your Free Initial Consultation, please contact us by using the Contact Us Form page. Thank you and good luck!

Dear Autism-Blogger Community,

I am one of the founders of Big Heart Baby, the baby clothing company that donates 50% of profits to children’s charities.  I want to let you know about a product that we have introduced to raise money for Autism.  50% of all profits from sales of our Blue Onesie will be donated to help raise public awareness about Autism, fund research into the causes, prevention, and treatments for Autism, and to assist those who deal with the hardships of Autism.  Currently we sell onesies in four sizes up to 18 months and we will soon be expanding to toddler size clothing as well.  Please help us spread the word!

Big Heart Baby is a socially conscious baby clothing company started with the goal of combining effective business practices with charitable giving to raise funds and awareness for children’s causes all over the world.  We are a new type of company that incorporates ‘embedded philanthropy’ as an integral part of the business model.  For us, giving back is not a limited time promotion but the very core of our business. Our bottom line is not only measured financially, but also in terms of the positive impact we are able to have on the world.  The business world is changing, and to be truly successful in the future companies will have to be more accountable and be held to a higher standard of social responsibility.  By donating 50% of all profits to children’s charities, Big Heart Baby is leading by example.

Our mission is simple: with every sale we make, we’ll donate to a cause helping kids.

You can view our Blue Onesie and learn more about our company at www.BigHeartBaby.com.  As always, any feedback is welcome and appreciated!

Sincerely,

Shane Farkas
Co-Founder, Big Heart Baby
Mobile: (310) 651-1799
shane@bigheartbaby.com  read more »

Hi my name is Kellie, I am high functioning autistic. I thaught since this is my first blog i would introduce myself abit. I love Cats! They are so adorable. I have two cats named Angel and Pita. I also have a dog named Sadie. I am a huge fan of Harry Potter.  I love to be on the internet. I like to make videos. I like to make graphics.  I am hoping i can make some friends on here.

*Tink*

My son, Tucker, is 5 years old, when he was 3 he was diagnosed with a speech delay which then in turn he was diagnosed at 5 with Autism on the mild to moderate level.  He went to a more at 4 class last year and did really well however, when kindergarten came up, his teacher felt that he would do better in a transistion class for kindergarten.  SO here we are, the first day of school, and Im a mess, when I took him into his classroom, I found out it was a blended class of students from kindergarten up to 3rd grade all with developmental delays, some much more severe than others, and I felt like Tucker was getting cheated.  I dont know if Im just being sensitive or im in some type of denial, I dont know what to do, my gut tells me I should take him out and home school him for the year and put him in kindergarten next year, even though I know that wouldnt be good for him, Help, really needing some input-

Suddenly it is a decade ago when Alex’s Early Intervention therapist noted my son’s then-passion for shape sorters. “Someday that will become an affinity for letters and the alphabet,” said the therapist.

Today that therapist is the head teacher at Alex’s middle school, but that’s beside of the point of Alex and I having to pound 10 blocks on yet another hundred-degree afternoon to the only 99-cent store in New York City that sells the stick-on letters that Alex likes these days. They’re from a Lodi, N.J. company called Flomo, which sells packages of 420 gold foil letter labels perfect for the workbench, the crafts drawer, the hardwood floor, or for sticking on the wall above every frigging framed painting or picture in your parents’ tiny Manhattan apartment.

“Letters, letters!”

 read more »

   Good day to you all ...

  My name is Robert and I am making this blog on behalf of my 5yo son, Alex. If you're reading this, Im sure you're well aware of the emotional/mental roller-coaster that is part of an ordinary day for those of us affected by, and caring for those with Autism. On September 12, 2010 I will embark on a solo 25-mile bike ride to raise awareness and funding for Autism. (I will bike 50 miles if you help me raise $500 or more!) More specifically, for a local non-profit Autism Center which was a tremendous help to my wife and I, providing us with answers, literature and genuine care & understanding that 'specialists' were unable to provide.

  Please take a moment and visit my site at www.firstgiving.com/robertgurley. It will give you a better idea of who Alex is and what my Ride is about.    Feel free to leave any comments, or ask any questions you might have.     Thank you for your time & generosity.     Sincerely, Rob

NEW BOOK ABOUT LESSONS AND ACTIVITIES FOR CHILDREN WITH AUTISM

AutismClassroom.com's new book Lesson Ideas and Activities for Young Children with Autism and Related Special Needs is in electronic form and will be available in paperback in September! This book is gives starting points and beginning places for creating meaningful activities for pre-school and elementary-aged students with autism and related special needs. The themes addressed in the book are Colors, Numbers & Shapes, Fall (Subtheme: All About Me), Winter (Subtheme: Winter Holidays), Spring, and Summer (Subtheme: Camping & Going to the Zoo). Each chapter has a list of activities that address some of the skills that are sometimes the most challenging for some individuals with autism.  Each theme's unit provides 5 activity ideas specific to the following areas: Joint Attention, Imitation Skills, Communication, Self-Help Skills, Independent Skills, Pre-Vocational Skills, Social Skills, Play Skills, Sensory Involvement, Basic Concept Mastery, Vocabulary/Literacy, Fine Motor, and Gross Motor.  Also included at the end of each chapter is an "Implementation Tip" related to one of the suggested activities. 

Below is a small sample of the activites:  read more »

Challenging Behaviors are a reality for some families of children with autism.  Here are a Few Behavior Supports you can try at home...

• eliminate extra language when giving directions
• eliminate sarcasm and figures of speech
• use visual cues and visual prompts for your child to help them understand and remember
• provide your child with a predictable schedule of evening and weekend events
• be consistent with expectations
• "show" your child what you want them to do
• provide your child with a sensory diet of appropriate sensory input on a regular basis
• create a place in your home with blank space where your child can go to when overstimulated
• talk with an Occupational Therapist about addressing possible sensory needs of your child which may be affecting his/her behavior
• clearly indicate to your child when an activity is about to end and when a new activity will begin (try giving him/her a 2-minute warning " ___is almost done.")
• use a visual or picture schedule or a hand written schedule (if the child is reading) to show your child what will occur that evening and in what order--USE IT WITH HIM/HER!
• provide reinforcement for positive behaviors only, try not to verbally address inappropriate behaviors as verbally addressing them may result in the behavior occuring more and more
• help your child organize him/herself with a variety of bins, boxes and storage organizers which are labeled with pictures or words
• inform your child about changes in his/her environment or schedule before the changes occur
• learn all you can about functional behavior assessment, planned ignoring, reinforcement, blocking and implementing an effective behavior plan

Teachers,

 School will be in session soon.  Here are some tips to think about before your students enter the classroom.  It is on page 7 of the link under "Constulation Station."

http://autismchatboard.com/i/u/1449722/i/AutismClassroomMagazineAugust2010pdf.pdf