Monthly Archives: August 2018

Joel Shaul’s Autism Spectrum Resources

Posted on by
Reply

autism_awareness_ribbon_20051114

Recently, I ran across a treasure trove of resources from  http://autismteachingstrategies.com/. It was designed and published by Joel Shaul.  In this blog post I will provide links to his content.

Joel Shaul specializes in mental health services for children and teens at the autism spectrum.

In his work with children on the autism spectrum in various settings, Joel has noticed a need for more engaging social skills curricula, stronger visual components and more compelling social skills learning activities.  He first created the World of Ryuu with Rebecca Klaw, another Pittsburgh-based professional working with children with Asperger’s or other autism spectrum disorders.  His  two illustrated children’s books, The Conversation Train and The Green Zone Conversation Book, are published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers.  Joel provides dozens of free social skills downloads on this website.

Through Autism Teaching Strategies, Joel provides trainings nationwide on the topics of social skills teaching and effective counseling for children with high functioning autism.

Joel provides individual and group services, in schools and clinical settings, at The Watson Institute in Sewickley, Pa.

He received a master’s degree in social work from the University of Louisville in 1986 and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Michigan in 1979.  Joel was a community organizer with the Peace Corps in Sierra Leone where he helped to build a midwife clinic and develop a health education curriculum for primary schools.

Source

Videos

Upset Feelings Video for Kids: CBT Video One

Upset Feelings Video for Kids: CBT Video Two

Upset Feelings Video for Kids: CBT Video Three

Upset Feelings Video for Kids: CBT Video Four

Upset Feelings Video for Kids: CBT Video Five

Upset Feelings Video for Kids:  CBT Video Six

Upset Feeling Video for Kids: CBT Video Seven

Upset Feelings Video for Kids: CBT Video Eight

Materials and Strategies

CBT Thought Bubbles: How to Download and Use Them

Simple CBT Worksheets: How to Download and Use Them

Brief descriptions of the free download resources on social communication

Brief descriptions of the free download resources on emotional regulation

Brief descriptions of the free download resources combining relationships/emotions/communication

Using visual word prompts and a song to teach showing interest to kids with ASD

Using picture prompts for non-verbal communication for children with ASD

Using chain and girder pictures to teach conversation skills to kids with ASD

Using a balance to teach relationship reciprocity to children with ASD

Using a balance to teach conversation reciprocity to children with ASD

Using a flip camera for social skills training for kids with ASD

How to make social-skills training game-like and fun for children with ASD

Social-skills training technique for ASD, using tokens

Hello songs to reinforce greetings for kids with ASD

Goodbye song for teaching goodbye to kids with ASD

Social-skills song to promote eye contact for kids with ASD

Social Skills

FREE SOCIAL SKILLS DOWNLOADS

Card Game

The World of Ryuu*

3-ryuu-cards

Using a fantasy world of dragons to build social skills in humans.
Ryuu products are a collection of teaching and therapy aids based on a fantasy world of dragons. Ryuu  activities teach social and emotional skills to children and teens with autism, Asperger Syndrome, and other autism spectrum disorders. These products are designed to teach social, emotional and communication skills by combining fantasy worlds, card collecting, and role play.

*Sold at www.ryuuworld.com.

Building Empathy in the Classroom

Posted on by
Reply

6_1_16_listen

 

Empathy: The Art of Listening
We generally want to respond when people speak to us. For example, someone says, “I’m so tired, I couldn’t get any work done.” Some typical responses listed below are often said with the best of intentions, but can unknowingly create distance and disconnection.
We call these empathy blockers.
• One-upping
“I’m so tired myself. I couldn’t get any work done either.”
• Advising / Fixing
“Maybe you should get more sleep.”
“Maybe you should get some vitamins.”
“Maybe you should…”
• Educating
“There’s a good book you should get on sleep and productivity.”
• Analyzing
“You know, this seems to be a pattern of yours.”
• Consoling
“That’s too bad. I’m sure things will go better tomorrow.”
• Discounting
“Okay, but shouldn’t you just be glad you have a job?”
Some things we can say to express empathy
• “I hear you.” Said with sincerity, meets a person’s need to be heard.
• “Tell me more.” Said with sincerity, shows you are really interested.
• “I don’t even know what to say right now, I’m just grateful you told me.”
When someone is in a difficult place, this may be all you have to say.
– Empathy is Being Interested Rather Than Being Interesting –

Source

Upset feelings typically are attributed to a need not being met. Here is a handy cheat sheet for Feelings Associated with Met and Unmet Needs.

happify-empathy

Activities and Worksheets

40 Kindness Activities & Empathy Worksheets for Students and Adults

Empathy in Your Classroom TRY THESE ACTIVITIES TO BUILD EMPATHY AND COMMUNITY (High School)

Emotional Intelligence Activities For Teens

A Quick-Guide To Teaching Empathy In The Classroom

A Toolkit for Promoting Empathy in Schools

Articles

Empathy in the Classroom: Why Should I Care?

Principal Connection / Building Empathy in Schools -Thomas R. Hoerr

Building Empathy in Classrooms and Schools

how to build project making caring empathy and strengthen your school community

Books

13 kids books to spark conversations about empathy Via Tinybop

10 Children’s Books That Teach Empathy  Via Self-Sufficient Kids

Hearing Loss in School

Posted on by
Reply

audiogram

The National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY) explains that hearing loss falls into four subcategories: conductive, sensorineural, mixed and central. These identify the location in the body in which the hearing impairment occurs. Hearing aids and other sound amplifying assistive technologies (AT) often work for students with conductive hearing loss, as their impairments stem from the outer or middle ear. Such does not hold true with sensorineural, mixed and central hearing losses, as these impairments stem from the inner ear, the central nervous system or a combination of the two. Typically, hearing loss is categorized as slight, mild, moderate, severe or profound, depending on how well an individual can hear the frequencies that are commonly associated with speech.

Educational Challenges

Educational obstacles related to hearing impairments stem around communication. A student with a hearing impairment may experience difficulty in:

  • the subjects of grammar, spelling and vocabulary
  • taking notes while listening to lectures
  • participating in classroom discussions
  • watching educational videos
  • presenting oral reports

Underscoring the difficulty that students with hearing impairments may have in presenting oral reports are the potential language development problems linked to hearing impairments. Arizona’s Department of Education’s Parent Information Network notes that, “Since children with hearing impairments are unable to receive some sounds accurately, they often cannot articulate words clearly.”

Source

Hearing Impairment Topic Categories via-

 The National Association of Special Education Teachers (NASET)

Accommodations Adults with Hearing Impairments
Advocacy Assessment
Assistive Technology Audio/Video Tapes
Books and Publications Causes
Characteristics Classifications
Classroom Management Definition
Diagnosis Frequently Asked Questions
History of the Field Medical Issues/Medication
Organizations Overview
Parent Information Prevalence
Transition Services

Resources

Accessibility Considerations Worksheet For Students with Hearing Loss

Article- The Cascading Impact of Hearing Loss on Access to School Communication Fragmented Hearing -> Effort -> Listening Comprehension -> Fatigue -> Pace of Learning It’s About Access, Not Hearing Loss

Causes of Hearing Loss in Children

Students with Hearing Impairment in the School Setting ASHA Practice Policy documents

 

Epilepsy in Schools

Posted on by
Reply

epilepsy

Epilepsy is a common disorder of the brain that causes recurring seizures.  Epilepsy affects people of all ages, but children and older adults are more likely to have epilepsy. Seizures are the main sign of epilepsy and most people can control this with treatment. Some seizures can look like staring spells while other seizures can cause a person to collapse, stiffen or shake, and become unaware of what’s going on around them. Many times the cause is unknown.

About 0.6% of children ages 0-17 years have epilepsy in the United States. 2 That is about 460,000 children in 2013.1 Picture a school with 1,000 students—that means about 6 students would have epilepsy. For many children, epilepsy is easily controlled with medication and they can do what all the other kids can do, and perform as well academically.  For others, it can be more challenging.

Compared with students with other health concerns, a CDC study shows that students aged 6–17 years with epilepsy were more likely to miss 11 or more days of school in the past year. Also, students with epilepsy were more likely to have difficulties in school, use special education services, and have activity limitations such as less participation in sports or clubs compared with students with other medical conditions. CDC also found that a larger percentage of children with epilepsy than those without the disorder lived in very low income households (below 200% of the federal poverty level). This suggests other unmet needs for families of children with epilepsy.

Source CDC

Generalized Seizures
(Produced by the entire brain)		 Symptoms
1. “Grand Mal” or Generalized tonic-clonic Unconsciousness, convulsions, muscle rigidity
2. Absence Brief loss of consciousness
3. Myoclonic Sporadic (isolated), jerking movements
4. Clonic Repetitive, jerking movements
5. Tonic Muscle stiffness, rigidity
6. Atonic Loss of muscle tone

General Resources

MANAGING CHILDREN WITH EPILEPSY SCHOOL NURSE GUIDE

Plans

SEIZURE ACTION PLAN FOR SCHOOL (Fill in PDF form)

Seizure Action Plan with Emergency Seizure Care Instructions

MODEL SECTION 504 PLAN FOR A STUDENT WITH EPILEPSY (Sample)

For professionals

Epilepsy Foundation – Managing Students with Seizures for School Nurses

Epilepsy Foundation – Seizure Training for School Personnel

Epilepsy Foundation – Seizure Training for Child Care Personnel

For Students and Families

CDC – You Are Not Alone Parent Toolkit

Epilepsy Foundation – Take Charge of the Storm for middle school students

Epilepsy Foundation – Take Charge of the Facts for high school students

Kid Books

BVSD Universal Screeners for Elementary Math

Posted on by
Reply

BVSD Universal Screeners for Elementary Math

The BVSD Universal Screeners for Elementary Mathematics are a set of number sense assessments. The series consists of fall interview assessments for kindergarten through fifth grade, and mid-year and spring assessments for grades k – 4 that combine an interview with paper and pencil tasks.
 
Follow these links to access everything that you need.
These screening measures are being made available for free.

The information that teachers, schools, and districts gathered from these Screeners is intended to provide formative assessment information and:

1.       Alert teachers to students at risk of struggling and who would benefit from additional, diagnostic assessment and intervention.

2.       Help teachers with to form a strategic grouping of struggling students

3.       Inform RtI Tiers 1 and 2.  Are there skills and concepts will need to be retaught to the whole class?  Which prerequisite skills and concepts that will need to be addressed quickly?

4.       Inform district-level professional development and planning.  How do our students perform on these assessments?  Where skills do our students show more success in?  Are there skills and concepts where they seem to struggle?  How do we intervene for students who need additional support?  Etc.

5.      Alert districts regarding concentrations of struggling students.  How can we compensate proactively to respond to those concentrations?

Online data collection tools are available from forefrontmath.com to support districts, schools, and teachers in the systematic collection of data.