Class Notes

Date: WEEK OF MAY 26 to 29

WELCOME

• This information is provided to you from the structured classroom.

• What can we do to help you?

• Please ask any questions you have about any topic.

• Know we are very supportive of all the new strategies you have learned and implemented in the past 9 weeks.

• This will be our last week to contact you.

As you know I have been using quotes each week to inspire. Here are few more ….

DATE: Monday June 1st

LOCATION: Colvill Family Center Parking lot

TIME:1:45 PM (Mary & Melissa will be there all day if you attend a time slot in place of this time)

RESTRICTIONS: BECAUSE WE NEED TO OBSERVE SOCIAL DISTANCING, ALL PARENTS AND CHILDREN MUST STAY IN YOUR VEHICLE! THE PLAYGROUND REMAINS CLOSED.

SPECIAL: We will be there to say hi. We also have a photographer to take an end of the year picture with your child and us. Photo will be delivered by email.

WEEK # 8 TOPIC: Autism organizations and ways to connect with the ASD community. “If I could snap my fingers and be nonautistic, I would not. Autism is part of what I am.” Temple Grandin

Eileen Shaklee is hilarious. She cracks us up with her extremely engaging blogs on being a mom of a child with autism. She uses humor to get through her day and her blogs.

Alicia Trautwein from Missouri is a parenting coach and the creator of The Mom Kind website. They cater to the parenting issues of neurodiverse families. She has also featured in the “Amazing Moms” coffee table book by Hogan Hilling & Dr. Elise Ho. She shares her expertise along with her experience in parenting children, both with and without autism.

Class Notes

Date: WEEK OF MAY 11 to 15

WELCOME

• This information is provided to you from the structured classroom

• Try these activities for several weeks and you will see progress

WEEK #7 TOPIC: Movement and play.

“Intelligence and skill can only function at the peak of their capacity when the body is healthy and strong.” John F. Kennedy

Activities that have a clear goal or ending are best.

Draw a line of chalk at two ends of your sidewalk. Have Dad at one end and mom at the other. “Ready, set, Go” and let your child run. Reward your child either with a hug, tickle, or a toss in the air when he/she runs to and STOPS at the line. Next add bike riding between the lines. Clear start and stop lines will keep everyone safe.

HOW TO adapt some childhood games to work for you...

Hopscotch is a surprisingly complex game that supports children’s physical coordination, balance, and cognitive development. From working on midline development , body control, muscle strength, hand eye coordination and fine motor control, this seemingly simple game can have a lot of benefits! However, these very skills can be challenging. Adapting the game can help the frustration level and provide opportunities for social interactions and turn taking with peers.

Adaptations for Hopscotch:

• Instead of just numbering the spaces on the board, use colors to differentiate them as well. This can act as another visual cue for discriminating between the different squares on the board and helping children know where to place their feet.

• Focus on one skill at a time. For example, a child might practice tossing the marker in a square and picking it up again, walking to the appropriate square rather than hopping. Or if the child is practicing hopping, perhaps they don’t need to worry about hopping over the marker or staying in the lines; rather they just hop down and back. Still other children may simply be working on taking turns and will focus on waiting until their peers are done before they begin to play on the board.

• The board can be used to reinforce other skills, such as number, color, or letter recognition by asking children to jump to the appropriate box as called out by a teacher or parent.

This game can work well for children with ASD because there aren’t a lot of social interactions. However, the idea of being “it” can be a little abstract and children need to understand the objective and rules of the game, such as how to tag someone else, and staying within a certain area, in order to keep everyone safe. To make sure tag is enjoyable for all students, the following adaptations can be made:

Adaptations for Tag:

• Playing tag inside an enclosed space may be wise for children with autism who are known to run away.

• If playing outside, preview the physical area in which the game will be played with the child ahead of time so they understand where the boundaries are.

• Create a social story or visual aid to teach the rules of tag, including the idea of being “it”, and how the person who is “it” can change (for example, “There is one person who is "it," that is the tagger”; “The person who is "it" wants to tag, or lightly touch, another player to make them 'it'”; “If someone else tags you, you are it”).

• Have the person who is “it” wear a special hat or some other visual marker so that everyone is clear on who is “it” at any given time as this can change often and quickly.

This game needs a little preparation before you begin. Come up with your own treasure ideas to find. You could look for your child’s favorite candy, balloons, small toys or a box of crayons.

Adaptations Scavenger Hunt:

• Take a picture on your phone before you hide the items.

• Scatter these objects around your basement or backyard.

• Show your child the picture of all the objects you have hidden in the area. Ask them to search around and find all the objects pictured.

• Once found, they are to bring them to a designated area and sort them according to the types of objects. This will help them understand how to sort and categorize objects, giving them a sense of arrangement and order which they can sometimes lack.

• Reward completion of the entire hunt with a treat!

Children on the autism spectrum have difficulties learning tasks that require prediction and anticipation. So break ball play down into 2 goals.

Adaptations:

• Start with one goal. If throwing is your goal, use something small and easy to hold like a little bean bag and throw it at a laundry basket. Pair action with “THROW.”

• When learning to throw to another person, model how you push the ball away from your body. You will have success at catching if your child learns to aim forward when throwing the ball.

• If catching is your goal, sit down and roll the ball back and forth paying most attention by saying “catch” as the ball lands in your child’s lap. Your single focus from one day to the next can build up to being about to…..

• play traditional catch that requires both skills that he/she needed to learn separately.

Class Notes

Date: WEEK OF MAY 4 to 8

WELCOME

• This information is provided to you from the structured classroom

• As we call you we will be addressing a new topic, but be sure to ask questions you might have about previous topics.

TECHNIQUES YOU KNOW HOW TO USE TO TEACH SAFETY

There is a wide variety of behavioral interventions we have already covered to teach your child how to be safe and act appropriately. These interventions include:

• social stories

• activity schedules

• visual rules

• signs/charts

• peer and adult modeling

• reinforcement for safe and appropriate behavior

• consistent consequences for unsafe or inappropriate behavior

Feel free to brainstorm ideas with Mary & Melissa to use any of these to address staying safe.

Six Tips to Help Prevent Wandering and Wandering-Related Tragedies

From: Autismspeaks.org

1. Secure Your Home

2. Consider a Locating Device

3. Consider an ID Bracelet

4. Teach Your Child to Swim

5. Alert Your Neighbors

6. Alert First Responders

Providing first responders with key information before an incident occurs may improve response. In Red Wing call dispatch at 385-3155 and ask about PROJECT LIFESAVER to get your child and family registered.

Help keep your loved with autism safe by considering these action items for safety in the home and out in the community.

www.autismspeaks.org/worksheet/safety-wandering-prevention-checklist

Fill out this form with person-specific information for first responders so they are prepared to search for your child in the event that he or she wanders from safety.

www.autismspeaks.org/worksheet/autism-elopement-alert-form

Share this with your local first responders so they can effectively respond to a wandering situation.

www.autismspeaks.org/worksheet/wandering-tips-first-responders

Class Notes

Date: WEEK OF APRIL 27 to MAY 1

WELCOME to WEEK 5

• This information is provided to you from the structured classroom

• Please don’t hesitate to ask about past week’s topics. Mary & Melissa are happy to talk about any of the topics!

• Enjoy books together so you can reinforce language throughout the day

• SCHEDULE CHANGE: no phone calls this Friday. All have been reschedule to earlier in the week.

WEEK #5 TOPIC: Social Stories & other online books to share.

“If you don’t like to read, you haven’t found the right book.”

“I think it’s the books that you read when you're young that live with you forever.” J.K. Rowling

WHAT IS A SOCIAL STORY?

Social Stories are used to teach everyday skills. Written in patient and supportive language, it should answer six questions: where, when, who, what, how and why? Give it a try if you are working on…….

Try these online resources for classic books:

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See by Bill Martin, Jr.

Class Notes

Date: WEEK OF APRIL 20 to 24

WEEK #4 TOPIC: Understanding

and encouraging play.

“It is a happy talent to know how to play “ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Exploratory play This is when children explore objects and toys, rather than playing with them . You can help your child by modeling this type of play and by encouraging her to explore objects around her. For example, you could encourage her to splash water in the bath and rub soap between her fingers.

Cause-and-effect play This is when children play with toys that need an action to produce the desired result – for example, pressing a button to play music, or winding up a jack-in-the-box. Your child might learn to operate toys on his own, through exploratory play, or you might need to show him. Praising your child when he does the right action will encourage him to keep doing it. It will also encourage him to interact with other toys in a cause-and-effect way as well.

This is also a good opportunity to teach your child how to ask you for help, and to play by taking turns. For example, you could take turns pressing a button to make something pop up and take turns pushing it back down again.

Functional toy play This is learning how to play with and use toys in the way they were designed

• Sit in front of your child so she can look at you, communicate with you, and see what you’re doing. This also makes it easier to engage her in play.

• Offer two or three toys your child enjoys. This gives your child a choice without overwhelming him.

• Join in with what your child is doing, rather than trying to guide her play. You can start by copying what your child is doing, then add to the activity. For example, if your child is spinning the wheels of a car, you could spin them too. Then turn the car the right way up and run it along the floor saying, ‘Brrm, brrm’. Or if your child likes opening and closing doors on toys, start with this and then add toy figures walking in the doors.

• Encourage your child to play if he doesn’t copy you. You could do this by saying, ‘Your turn to drive the car’, taking your child’s hand and placing it on the car, then moving it across the floor together.

• Reward your child. Use praise and positive feedback like ‘You’ve built a big tower. Good job!’. You could also add other rewards, like a couple of turns of blowing bubbles.

• Knowing when to stop or change is also important, so look out for signs of boredom or lack of interest.

• Show your child short videos of people playing. This can give her ideas of what she could do with those toys.

• Look out for signs that your child is losing interest – know when to stop or change.

Constructive play This is when children build or make things. It involves working towards a goal , completing a jigsaw puzzle, making a tower out of blocks, or drawing a picture. Sometimes children excel at a skill like completing jigsaws, building Lego or drawing. If not you could try building a tower with blocks to show your child how to do it, or you could use pictures or photographs that show how to build a tower.

Physical play This is rough-and-tumble play, running around, and other physical play that provides whole-body exercise and helps your child develop gross motor skill.

Class Notes

Date: WEEK OF APRIL 13 to 17

WELCOME

• This information is provided to you from the structured classroom

• Please explore the ideas below and ask Mary & Melissa how they can help

WEEK #3 TOPIC: Using Pictures to communicate at home.

The reason why imagery works so well in conveying messages is that the brain works in images; it's the most natural way for the brain to process information. Because of this images are quickly processed, easily remembered and easily recalled.

“It's a precious thing to be communicating to children, helping them discover the gift of language and thought” Richard Scarry

Class Notes

Date: WEEK OF APRIL 6 to 10

WELCOME

• This information is provided to you from the structured classroom

• As we call each family we will be addressing a new topic each week

• Try adding sensory time activity to your daily schedule.

1. Builds Nerve Connections in the Brain

2. Supports Early Childhood Development

3. Develops and Enhances Memory

4. Sensory Play is Calming

5. Helps Children Learn Sensory Attributes

Important Rules for Sensory Bin Play

Before you get started with any sensory bin, there are a couple of things you’ll want to keep in mind….

• Choking hazards, if your child is still putting everything into their mouth, be mindful of what you are putting into the bin.

• Some textures have a shelf life, you may need to recycle or replenish some textures.

• Never, yes I am saying NEVER, force your kid’s hand into a texture. If they don’t like it or are having a hard time touching it, respect that and don’t force it. Don’t clean up shop though, encourage imitation (from you), and proceed slowly. Maybe they need to use a shovel before they can put their hand in and then maybe it is just a finger. You get the idea.

• Have towels ready for wet textures. Kids will wipe their hands off on you or the sofa, if you don’t. Also, if your child is tactile defensive, you want to have a towel on hand in case they start to freak out. By the way, letting them know the towel is there in case they need it will help them feel more comfortable touching the texture

AND DON’T FORGET ABOUT

WATER PLAY

Get Clean at the Car Wash - If you’re struggling to shoehorn your car-loving kid into the bath, then grab some plastic cars and let them come too. Give them some soap and a sponge and let them create their own car wash.

Kitchen Bath Time -Nothing is quite as much fun as playing with something that’s not actually a toy. Let your toddler have use of colanders, funnels, a wooden spoon and a whisk, and let them get busy cooking up a bubbly storm in the tub

Pompom Bath - If your little one needs a helping hand with their dexterity and fine motor skills then it’s time to run a pompom bath. Simply add a bunch of fluffy pompoms to their usual bath and watch them try to catch the sneaky balls.

Shaving Foam Painting - If your kids love painting and they love mess, but you’re not so keen on the clean-up job, then this one is for you. Use some cheap “sensitive” shaving foam to squeeze fluffy clouds into a muffin tray. Add a tiny bit of food coloring to each and then arm your toddler, in the tub, with a paintbrush. They can paint the tiles and paint themselves and the clean-up job is just a case of switching on the shower.

Bath Noodle Creations - Grab yourself some cheap swimming noodles and cut them into short sections. These homemade bath toys can create plenty of fun from balancing to sorting.

Dolly Bath Time - If it’s bath time for one then it’s bath time for the other. Let them bring along their plastic dolls to bath time and take charge of getting them clean.

HOMEMADE PLAY-DOUGH

There are many ways to make play-dough – using a stove-top or using a kettle with boiling water. Personally, At school we prefer the stove-top method. We find it’s easier to mix the ingredients in the pot. We find this recipe to last the longest and be the softest. This recipe only takes a few minutes to make and it will last for months!

Ingredients

• 1 cup flour

• 2 tsp cream of tartar

• 1/2 cup salt

• 1 tbsp cooking oil Olive oil or vegetable oil

• 1 cup water

• Food coloring (if you have none don’t let this stop you)

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine all of your dry ingredients (flour, salt, cream of tartar) and mix well.

2. Mix food coloring with your water first. Then add the vegetable oil and water with food coloring to a large pot. Mix together.

3. Add the dry ingredients to your pot and mix well.

4. Cook over low to medium heat until the dough starts to form and becomes dry.

5. Once it starts to form a ball together and looks fully cooked, take off the heat. Let the dough cool first before touching.

6. Once cool, knead the dough for 5 minutes to make the dough soft.

NOTES: If your dough is not soft, continue kneading for another 5 minutes. If you find it is still too dry add a little bit more oil and knead in.

READ FIRST - if you are interested in using visual schedules in your home.

https://www.autismspeaks.org/sites/default/files/2018-08/Visual%20Supports%20Tool%20Kit.pdf

Our local Mayo clinic has a good article of handling the stress of our current situation. .https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/is-worry-about-covid-19-disrupting-your-life/