Sensory Eating is not Picky Eating

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Published by: Speaking of Autism

I want you to imagine that you are a kid once again, maybe ten or eleven years old. You are sitting down in the evening with your family for dinner. The table is set, and your parents bring out what will be tonight’s entree: a cut of cold, raw chicken breast. It’s slimy pink mass slides onto the plate in front of you, and soon after your whole family is chowing down on the raw cuts of meat. You can’t stand to even watch anyone else eat the raw chicken, let alone fathom yourself choking it down. Yet, despite the very real disgust and aversion you feel towards the raw chicken breast, somehow it’s you who are strange for not wanting to eat it. Maybe you’re called “picky” or told that you simply need to and just learn to enjoy raw chicken like everyone else. Maybe you go hungry every night at dinner because the only thing being served are items as aversive as the cuts of raw chicken. Click here to read the rest of the story.

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Fine Motor-Flag Day Activities

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June 14th is the designated day to celebrate the American flag. The purpose of Flag Day is to reflect on the foundations of the Nation’s freedom. The following activities can be used to improve fine motor skills for both children and adults with disabilities. From cutting to coloring , the activities also use a multi-sensory approach to learning.

Arts and Crafts

DLTK Flag Day– Flag day crafts including coloring pages and tracing.

Education World– Flag day lesson plan activities

Enchanted Learning– Allows you to click on any of the crafts to get to the instructions.

Flag Day Crafts– Includes creating a togetherness flag, star cookie cutter and a craft stick American Flag

No Time for Flash Cards- Create an American flag sticky window collage

Flag Day Inspired Recipes

Food Network– 6 Star spangled red, white, and blue recipes made for flag day.

Saralee Bread- Flag day food art recipe

Taste of Home- Top 12 flag-shaped recipes

Tasty Kitchen– Recipe for cakes and cupcakes in the shape of the American flag.

Flag Day Coloring

Color me good

Crayola

DLTK

Doodle Art Alley

Get Coloring Pages

Supercoloring

The color.com

Thoughtco

USA Printables

Woojr.

How Autism And Visual Perception Affect Train Travel

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Train operator GWR is now working for their second year in providing bespoke autism awareness raising sessions for their front line staff, allowing them to be better prepared to help people living with the condition use public transport.

Looking to provide the best possible experience for all passengers, GWR is working in collaboration for a second year with UK Autism charity Anna Kennedy Online increasing autism awareness to help its staff improve in meeting the needs of those travelling with autism.

For many with an Autism spectrum condition, some of the more commonly experienced issues is increased anxiety and sometimes overwhelming sensory processing information as well as the need for structure and reassurance. Click here to read the rest of the story.

Free Printable Money WorkSheets

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Summer will be here before you know it. If you want your student/ child or individual to continue practicing math skills, I have provided below 4 money sheets that you can printout and make several copies. The money sheets allows the child to work on both IEP and ISP goals including:

  1. Identifying coins
  2. Matching coins
  3. Visual discrimination
  4. Counting
  5. Transition skills
  6. Visual learners

 

Burger King.Worksheet. This is a fun activity especially for children, students and adults that enjoy going to Burger King. The individual will choose the picture and subject the cost of the item from $10.00.  This activity people with dysgraphia, increase money skills, attention skills, task initiation skills and works well as a pre-trip to Burger King. focusing on transition skills.

Matching Dimes Worksheet– The matching dime activity is great for goals on counting and identifying a time. it is useful for children adults that are visual learners and provides hands on materials. The students learning ability will increase with the use of actual dimes.

Circle Nickle Worksheet – This worksheet give the individual an opportunity to work on counting, identify various coins as well as explaining the value of the coin. The worksheet also provides additional support and increases visual discrimination skills.

Dime Counting – helps the child, student or adult with special needs practice counting skills and visual memory.

My plan for the rest of the year is to provide you with more resources that are more functional and allows you to download information.

 

Why Autism Goes Unseen in Girls – And How You Can Spot It

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When you look at Beth, autism is not the first thing that you would think of. She is bright, open, smiley, makes great eye contact and comes alive when you start talking about Harry Potter.

Before long, you start to realise that your entire lesson could be hijacked by her in depth characterisation of Hermione.

She knows the likes and dislikes of all of the characters in the book, what house they belong to at Hogwarts, their family histories and their motivations, yet in the playground, she is completely at sea. Click here to read the rest of the story.

7 People With Less Visible Disabilities Talk Misconceptions and Stigma

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Source: Teen Vogue
Written By: Paula Akpan

Some disabilities are more immediately apparent than others, particularly if the person uses an aid such as a wheelchair. Others, however, aren’t as obvious. The Invisible Disabilities Association defines invisible disability as “a physical, mental, or neurological condition that limits a person’s movements, sense, or activities that is invisible to the onlooker.” As a result, not only do people with invisible or less visible disabilities have to make day-to-day adjustments to exist in the world around them, but they must also navigate misconceptions about their condition —including the idea that they aren’t disabled “enough.” Click here to read the rest of the story.

Memorial Day Sensory Activities

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Memorial Day is an American holiday observed to honor the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. Military. It originated following the Civil War and became an official holiday in 1971.

Memorial Day is also an opportunity to work on fun Memorial Day activities. Children and adults with special needs lean best when using a multi-sensory approach. This helps to stimulate learning and engage individuals on various levels of learning.

The activities and lessons that I have chosen focus on visual and tactile stimulation and includes both math and reading activities. The craft activities work to improve fine motor skills.

 

American flag on a pencil craft- Printable templates

Craft stick flag– U.S. flag made from craft sticks

Free Memorial Day packs- packets includes clip cards, word problems, fill in and missing numbers

Patriotic Pinwheel– Craft easy to make pinwheel

USA Wreath– Simple red, white and blue wreath made out of construction paper.

 

 

Nowhere to go: Young people with severe autism languish weeks or longer in hospitals

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Source: Washington Post
Written By: Christina Jewett | Kaiser Health News

Teenagers and young adults with severe autism are spending weeks or even months in emergency rooms and acute-care hospitals because of a lack of community treatment programs able to deal with their outbursts, according to interviews with parents, advocates and physicians from Maine to California as well as federal and state data.

These young people — who may shout for hours, bang their heads on walls or lash out violently at home — are taken to the hospital after community social services and programs fall short and families call 911 for help. Once there, they sometimes are sedated or restrained for long periods as they wait for beds in specialized facilities or return home once families recover from the crisis or find additional support. Click here to read the rest of the story.

Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month

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According to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, cystic fibrosis is a progressive, genetic disease that causes persistent lung infections and limits the ability to breathe overtime. It is a life-threatening disorder that damages the lungs and digestive system. A thick mucus can block the lungs and the pancreas.

In the United States, about 30,000 people are affected by the disease. It is estimated that more than 70,000 people worldwide are living with cystic fibrosis. 1 in every 20 Americans is an unaffected carrier of an abnormal CE gene.

Wikipedia

Common symptoms of cystic fibrosis include:

  • Salty-tasting skin
  • Persistent coughing
  • Shortness of breath
  • Wheezing
  • Poor weight gain in spite of excessive appetite
  • Greasy, bulky stools
  • Repeated lung infections
  • Muscle and joint pain
  • Sinus infections.

Cystic Fibrosis does not affect any cognitive or learning abilities. However, the student may need modifications and supports due to the disease. Teachers with students with cystic fibrosis should be knowledgeable about the disease.

15 Facts About Cri Du Chat Syndrome

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Cri-Du Chat (cat’s cry) is a rare genetic disorder that results when a piece of the 5p chromosome is deleted. The name is French for “cry of the cat,” referring to the high-pitched cat-life cry. Other characteristics include intellectual disability, hyperactivity, and delay development. below are some more facts on this rare disease.

  • Cri du Chat is French for cat’s cry or crying cat
  • The syndrome gets its name from the infant cry which is similar to a meowing kitten
  • The cry is due to issues with the larynx and nervous system
  • About one third of children lose the cry by the age of 2 years.
  • It is also known as 5p- (5p minus)
  • The size of the deletion varies among affected individuals
  • Cri du chat syndrome is not inherited.
  • About 10 percent of people with cri du chat syndrome inherit it from an unaffected parent.
  • Is a chromosomal condition that results when a piece of chromosome 5 is missing
  • People diagnosed with cri du chat tend to have distinctive facial features
  • Occurs in an estimated 1 in 20,000 to 50,000 newborns
  • Cri du chat is found in  people of all ethnic backgrounds
  • It was first described by Jerome Lejeune in 1963
  • It is more common in females by a 4.3 ratio
  • It is a rare genetic disorder
  • In some cases, cri du chat syndrome may go undiagnosed
  • Children born with cri du chat syndrome are more likely to have developmental delays
  • The symptoms of cri du chat vary from person to person
  • Both children and adults with cri du chat are often seen as cheerful and friendly.

 

References

Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center

National Organizations of Rare Diseases