Playful Planet: Storyland Yoga

When I was searching for yoga tools on the web, I found this new (award-winning) yoga DVD.

Storyland Yoga, from the Playful Planet, is eco-conscious and the yoga is done through a storytelling format. I've had a couple students that have struggled with just "doing the poses" for self-regulation purposes, so this might be a tool/strategy to use to engage them more in the process. The target audience is students from 3-8.

There are two separate programs, both about twenty minutes a piece. Let me know if you try this DVD! I'd love to hear if it is worth all the hype! (It is available for purchase through Amazon.)

Blog Love: November

I can hardly believe that December is almost here! Hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving holiday. I am especially thankful for lots of great ideas being available to us all out on the grand Internet. Here are my favorites from the past month.

The Assistive Technology Blog

• Have any students that are interested in space travel or being an astronaut? This post highlighted a new resource from NASA for teaching all learners about space science.

• This feature shares one of the best sites out there for anyone interested in AAC (alternative and augmentative communication), AAC Intervention. This was a nice reminder to put Caroline Musselwhite's blog, AAC Girls, on my must-read list!
  

Differentiation Daily

• Using comics in the classroom: So many of our learners, not even just those on the spectrum, benefit from visual supports - and I have tons of students who love, love, love comics. Try clicking through to the Graphic Classroom for more general ideas and the one that Paula liked the best, their use in informal assessments.

• Differentiating graphic organizers: Ms. Montalbano at Charmed in Third Grade posted AMAZING graphic organizers for persuasive essays. I am printing these off to use with my older students. Really useful tool!

• Apps in the upper grades: Struggling to figure out the best apps for your secondary level students? Bookmark the OTs with Apps site for great ideas, especially in this area. I printed off this list that they link to for the 100 iPad apps to try with middle schoolers.

• Different days, different trays: Having just painted a section of our basement in chalkboard paint, I can attest to how fantastic it is! These trays from blogger, Miss Kindergarten, would be great for our learners who benefit from structured work systems and have the potential to be incredibly versatile. This is one I might use at home and at school - a definite dollar store delight!

• Apps for learners with autism: This post highlights the 60 Minutes piece that focused on this topic, however I think this blog is worthy of a read on a regular basis.
  

• After looking around, I am adding Free Technology for Teachers to my blog roll.

• Drama, "speed dating books", and 16 more ideas for reaching them all: Great ideas for engaging students around the subjects of science and social studies. This is also a new blog that I am now following after reading Paula's feature.

First Grader ... at Last!

• This teacher always has super fun and crafty ideas for units and how to engage her first graders. In this post, I really loved her use of visuals for the Daily Five. Kids love being the visual models for these kinds of charts!
  

Teaching Learners with Multiple Disabilities

• Who doesn't have a tupperware container or Ziploc bag full of rogue picture symbols? If you're afraid to give up the beautifully laminated and velcroed items you made centuries ago, consider these ideas for putting them back to good use! My favorite was the MadLibs creation idea!

• Mock Facebook! Need I say more?!? This is my favorite idea in A LONG TIME! This is so age appropriate, motivating, and engaging for our older students. Especially for those places where you are blocked from using Facebook or similar sites at school, this is a great way to create a parallel learning experience. Can't wait to use it with a student/team!
  

Camp AweSum 2012

It may only be November, but it's never too soon to plan ahead!

If you're looking for a great camp experience for your children or students with HFA or Asperger's Syndrome (AS), consider signing them up to attend Camp AweSum. I have had several students and families rave about their experiences there over the past few years.

Camp AweSum is a residential summer camp in the Northwoods of Wisconsin for students with HFA or AS between the ages of 9 and 15.

The Camp AweSum Youth Camp 2012 will run from June 17-June 22.

The Camp AweSum Family Camps are being held June 10-16 and August 12-18.

Registration begins January 1, 2012 for this summer's camp. Mark your calendars! These camps typically fill within 4-5 days after registration.

If you have any questions, inquiries can be made at CampAweSum@yahoo.com.

the brain; from another perspective

You may have seen this, but at a conference recently, it was used as part of a presentation related to brain differences in individuals with ASD. If you have a few minutes to watch it; it is both entertaining and kind of mind-blowing in the way they present the brain.

It is created by: The Symphony of Science, which is a musical project of John D Boswell, designed to deliver scientific knowledge and philosophy in musical form.

The whole site link is here, feel free to check out all of the videos, the "Ode to the Brain!" is the fourth one down of the videos

Here is the Symphony of Science website:

http://symphonyofscience.com/

Working to change people’s attitude toward children with mental health needs and their families

Family stories, great music, connection to a local resource agency, working together to shift society's stigmatization of mental health issues...Read/listen more:

"We believe children with mental health needs are often judged harshly and not given the chance to highlight the unique talents and gifts they possess. We believe families are too often blamed for their children’s mental health issues, when what they really need is understanding and support. That’s what this project is about."

http://isanyonelistening.org/

The Figureheads is an award-winning musical act turned non-profit organization using original positive hip-hop music to engage youth and educators, from pre-kindergarten through high-school, in order to develop critical thinking and collaborative skills that result in a greater desire to learn and relate.

Using Visual Supports in Yoga Groups for Kids & Teens – being inclusive of learning styles

Looking for ways to include kids & teens with different learning styles in your yoga groups? Want to use positive ways to support participation and reduce problematic behaviors? Then you might want to consider using “visual supports”. Here is a great website with many ideas:

http://omazingkidsyoga.wordpress.com/2011/10/11/using-visual-supports-in-yoga-groups-for-kids-teens-being-inclusive-of-learning-styles/

Autism and Music

“Listening to music while writing makes the flow better between my brain and my body….the different parts of my whole body frankly behave like they are separate, and the different parts seem to need to listen to the same beat to be able to move together like other people’s bodies do.”-Jeremy Sicile-Kira

Jeremy is a writer and advocate for the autism community. He is the first non-verbal  person with autism to have his own column in his high school newspaper, and to be a staff writer on his college newspaper.  Passionate about creating more understanding about people who are differently-abled, Jeremy writes articles, gives presentations and has co-authored his first  book, A Full Life With Autism:  From Learning to Relationships to Achieving Independence to be published by Macmillan in April 2012.

To learn more about the importance of music in Jeremy's life, click here.

Autism Brain Biology

According to Dr. Eric Couchesne's (UCSD) newest publication in JAMA, male children with autism had larger brain weights and 67% more prefrontal brain neurons than children without autism.  Interested in learning more?  Watch the Autism Science Foundation interview with Dr. Courschesne on the brain biology of autism.

Accommodations in Action

This is a great example of how to provide supports and accommodations.  An autistic man was singing the National Anthem at a baseball game, ran into some trouble; click here and see what happens! 

Nobody Nowhere - Donna Williams

The Autism Book Group will be reading and discussing Donna Williams's first autobiography "Nobody Nowhere" next semester. Donna is an amazing woman with autism who has written many books about her experiences. Check out this video of Donna reading excerpts from "Nobody Nowhere". It's one of a 10 part video series you can find on You Tube. Donna also has other You Tube videos where she shares information about her unique insights.

Watch one or more of Donna's videos, peak your interest, and then join Dana and Tamar next semester in the Autism Book Group. 

The Autism Enigma

Autism spectrum disorder has attracted intense interest from the public and scientists over recent years. "Nature" sorts fact from fiction in this hot, but sometimes contentious, field: from the debate about soaring diagnoses, to the idea that scientists and engineers are at high risk of having a child with autism. This special issue includes news and comment from Nature, and articles from Nature Medicine, Nature Neuroscience and Nature Reviews Neuroscience.

Data is your friend

This week I found myself in a very emotionally-charged meeting. Several team members were advocating what I perceived to be drastic changes in a student's program based on concerns they had. A closer look at the data indicated that overall, things were looking pretty good for the student. The concerns that team members had were based on a couple difficult situations but did not represent a consistent pattern of behavior.

When students are having difficult moments, it's important to remain calm and focused and intervene as necessary to keep everyone involved safe. Programming decisions should be made based on patterns of behavior and not isolated incidences. To this end, teams need to take data and utilize this objective information, not emotionally-charged reflections, to guide programming decisions.

Need a good review of data collection methods, including some handy printable data sheets? Check out this useful and informative website on the topic.

Rethinking Autism

Anne Donnellan, David Hill, and Martha Leary have lead the field in our thinking and understanding of autism as a movement disorder.  This article is an interesting and valuable summary of their work and will be the basis of our December workshop, "Autism - Movement Difference and Diversity" [December 8th 4:00 - 6:30 at LaFollette High School].  School staff can register for the workshop here, parents and other community members can register for the workshop here.