Resources for Teaching/Training Children with Autism at Home and School
If your child has been diagnosed with a developmental delay of any sort and you have attempted to find teaching materials for your child, then you have more than likely experienced "sticker shock" - which is something once reserved only for automobiles. For some reason the makers of toys and learning materials for children with developmental delays have to make more money than the rest of us for their labors. True, they provide a great service but . . . DO THE TOYS HAVE TO COST THAT MUCH! Fortunately, there are some wonderful folks who have put their hearts ahead of their bank accounts and provided some free stuff for parents and teachers of children with autism and developmental delays. The following links will take you to some wonderful web sites (many run by parents of children with autism) that provide free downloads, pictures, ideas, and more. If you know of any other web sites that have helped you, please email me at: gjheffne@dhr.state.ga.us . Enjoy!
Reviewed Links
Hiyah.net - "My name is Sara. I have 2 boys who both showed an interest in the computer, but didn't know how to use the mouse or keyboard. Since there was nothing on the market to meet their needs, I developed a series of educational computer software programs that they could operate on their own by simply pressing the spacebar. I am making these programs available at no charge to any parent or teacher who thinks they may be able to use them." (Parent recommended)
JAMBAV - "Jambav uses its expertise in software to make a difference in the lives of children of all ages and all abilites. Check out our innovative tools for parents, teachers and others who play a significant role in educating children!" (Parent recommended)
- You are gonna love this site and so will your child! Start with the A-B-C's and move to reading simple stories, like Zac the Rat. The graphics and sounds will keep most kids attention for a long time!
Prewriting Activities - Free, printable practice pages for tracing, copying letters, and more. Don't stop at this page, though. Go to the main page for some excellent suggestions for teaching children many fine-motor skills. Here's the main page link: http://www.childrenwithchallenges.net/index.html
Accentuate the Positive - Not a toy or an activity but just plain simple ideas to make sure the teacher is the most reinforcing "object" in the classroom!
Thomas the Tank Engine and Autism - "Thomas often serves as a 'gateway to learning' for children with ASD. The interest in Thomas provides children with the motivation and interest to try new things." This web site has some great ideas for using Thomas to help kids with autism learn. It has many great pictures of Thomas' facial expressions that can be used to teach emotions. If your kid loves Thomas, he or she will love this site.
Funbrain.com - At least 50 on-line learning and fun games for kids of all ages and grades. A lot of other stuff too!
Facial Expressions Game - A very cool "game" from DoToLearn. A little creepy at times but a good teaching tool.
Beyond Autism Pecs Pictures/Icons Pages - The best collection of PECS pictures, links to all kinds of pictures, and sage advice from a parent who's "been there, done that." You're gonna love this page!
Softpics With Fantastic Pics - From the Innovative Communication Programming group (Australia). Some pictures are online and others you order. Some pictures are specific to Australia.
Kids Fonts - Download three fonts to create dot-to-dot letters so your child can print, begin cursive writing, or color his/her own name. Follow the directions. You will also need do download Stuffit (to "Unzip" the files). Very nice.
Superkids - Educational Software Review - Plus: create your own math and vocabulary worksheets, play on-line games, and so much more!
Riley and Drew's Thomas The Tank Engine Site - Thomas the Tank Engine visits America! Check out the schedule to see when and where Thomas will be visiting near you. Your child can see, board, and ride Thomas (for a fee)!
Blues Clues Coloring Pages - 12 (and more to come) Blues Clues coloring pages to print out and color. To read all about Blues Clues, visit the Unofficial Blues Clues Web Site by clicking here.
Facial Expressions of Emotion - An interactive figure allows your child to make a face, guess the emotion, and then click to see if he is correct. Directions: Single click on a set of eyes and a mouth. Then single click on the Done! button to check your emotion. If you have not selected a matching set of eyes and mouth, you will be encouraged to "try again." Very cool for kids who are struggling with recognizing facial expressions.
BillyBear4Kids.com - Print & Play Worksheet Games - Three skill levels. Print out practice sheets for alphabet, numbers, (dot-to-dot), writing, math, social studies, fun, and much more. I've been looking for something like this for a long time! This is a must visit site!
DoToLearn - Free picture cards, schedules, and tips for visual learners. Also includes products you can purchase. A great resource!
Thomas the Tank Engine - Get the latest news on Thomas and the Magic Railroad and much more. Includes brief movies, many wonderful learning and fun games, simple activities, and great animations (requires free Flash download). Thomas rules!
Build and Run a Train Set Train Set for the Jet Set by Paul Flavin. A pretty cool toy train set that you can build, run, and control with your mouse. Make it run fast or slow. Other fun links (if they work).
KinderArt - KinderArt Coloring Pages are free, printable coloring sheets for children. You can also make puzzles with the coloring sheets and find many great ideas and products for your child. Cool!
BrainCandy - Get Connected - A puzzle game in which you rearrange the wires to get everyone connected to the Internet. A challenging game. Requires great puzzle-solving ability, patience, and good mouse skills. Neat!
OZMO - Fun Toys and Interesting Stuff - Created by parents of an adult with autism and OCD to encourage easy, safe, wonderful fun with toys, posters, books, novelties, puzzles, jokes and other interesting stuff.
DISCLAIMER: This site is intended to provide basic information resources on Autistic Disorder. It is not intended to, nor does it, constitute medical or other advice. The author of the web site is not a medical doctor. Readers are warned not to take any action with regard to medical treatment or otherwise based on the information on this web site or links without first consulting a physician. This web site does not necessarily endorse any of the information obtained from any of the links on this page or links that other pages may lead you to. Neither does this web site promote or recommend any treatment, therapy, institution or health care plan. The information contained in this site is intended to be for your general education and information only and not for use in pursuing any treatment or course of action. Ultimately, the course of action in treating a given patient must be individualized after a thorough discussion with the patient's physician(s) and family.