Helping Children with Autism Deal with Transitions

Autism is a term that describes a group of complex developmental brain disorders known as Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD). “The other pervasive developmental disorders are PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Not Otherwise Specified), Asperger Syndrome, Rett Syndrome and Childhood Disintegrative Disorder. Many parents and professionals refer to this group as Autism Spectrum Disorders” (Autism Speaks Website).

It is estimated that one child in every 110 will be diagnosed with Autism, with the diagnosis being 3 to 4 times more common in boys than girls. A large number of Autistic students are referred for school occupational therapy services. I have discovered a number of techniques that are quite effective when working with these students and I'm going to be sharing some of them with you.

One area that can be particularly challenging for Autistic students is dealing with transitions, especially unexpected transitions. One way to help an Autistic child work through a transition is to use cards like these: 

I made these cards out of construction paper, then laminated them. The red one says "Stop", the yellow says "1 minute", and the green says "Go". When the student begins an activity, I give the student the "Go" card, signaling that there is plenty of time to work on the activity. When it's almost time for a transition, I remove the green card, then hand over the yellow card. This means that there is "One Minute" left until the activity must end. After one minute, I remove the yellow card and hand the child the red card and say it's time to "Stop". This is a great way to help a child deal with transitions because it provides a visual as well as a tangible item that can be held and manipulated. If you work with a child that has a difficult time with transitions, you may want to give this strategy a try!   

Dear Readers, If you have found my blog to be helpful, please click here and "like" my facebook page...I'm trying to get my book published and this would be a great help! Thanks :)

Also, For more great strategies for teaching kids with autism, click here to go to Amazon and order this book...it is a wonderful resource! 

Social Stories for Children with Autism and Asperger Syndrome

The concept of social stories was developed and trademarked by Carol Gray, an author and Autism specialist. Social stories are a tool for teaching social skills to children diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome and Autism as well as other disabilities. For more information on social stories, click on the following link:   Social Stories Article

Have you heard of Pinterest?

To all pediatric therapists! I have some great news that I want to share! It’s about a new resource called Pinterest and the great Pinterest page for therapists offered by PediaStaff. 

-Pinterest is a virtual pinboard that allows you to organize and share great stuff that you find on the Internet. You can browse pinboards created by others to find new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests.

-Pinterest offers a great platform to share all the wonderful therapy ideas you find online, the blogs posts you love, and resources that you might want to use in therapy.

-The PediaStaff Pinterest Page has over 50 different pin boards on topics ranging from language and articulation to fine and gross motor skills, sensory, handwriting and many more.  There are also boards with holiday therapy ideas! How awesome!

-How do I join? You have to be “invited” to join Pinterest, so if you are interested, click on this link: PediaStaff Pinterest Page, and request an invite.  Then have fun browsing and getting tons of great therapy ideas!

Prevent W-Sitting

I work as an occupational therapist in the school system, and I cringe every time I see a student “w-sitting”. Are you familiar with the term “w-sitting”? This is when a child sits on the floor with his knees bent, his bottom on the floor, and his lower legs splayed out on either side of his bottom. Just imagine if the child were in a tall kneeling position, spread his ankles apart, and plopped down on his bottom. If you look at a child sitting in this position from the top down, the legs form the letter “w”. (As you can see, I've worked with a student who found a way to "w-sit" on a therapy ball...Yikes! Of course, I got him out of this position right after I took the photo!)

During normal development, babies sometimes briefly move in and out of “w-sitting” when transitioning from one position to another, and this is nothing to worry about. The problem occurs when the little one remains in that position for an extended period of time, for example during floor play or while watching television. Staying in this awkward position for too long puts excessive pressure on the knee, hip, and ankle joints. Constant exposure to this position can lead to future orthopedic problems, such as poor posture, tight hamstrings, or even hip dislocation.

Why do children w-sit? Many children sit like this because it feels more stable than other sitting positions. Because the “w” position of the legs widens the child’s base of support, the trunk or core muscles don’t have to work as hard to keep the child upright. Children with hypotonia, or low muscle tone tend to prefer the stability of “w-sitting”. This is not good, because when in this position children tend to avoid shifting their weight and rotating the trunk while playing. Weight shifting and trunk rotation play an important role in balancing, crossing midline and using both hands together, skills that provide the foundation for hand preference and the development of fine motor skills.

Here are several suggestions that you may find helpful in reducing “w-sitting” in youngsters:

• With babies, alter their position to kneeling, side sitting, or sitting cross-legged.

• With toddlers and preschoolers, have them to sit in an appropriately sized chair that is pulled up to a small table for fine-motor activities such as playing with blocks or coloring.

• Give the child an alternative by saying “would you rather sit like this or this?” and demonstrate appropriate seating positions.

• Use a low tray as the work surface and have the child position her legs straight out in front of her under the tray.

• Use a verbal or gestural cue to remind the child by saying “sit nicely”, or “legs in front”. This keeps it positive, rather than saying, “don’t sit like that”.

 

Dear Readers, If you have found my blog to be helpful, please click here and "like" my facebook page...I'm trying to get my book published and this would be a great help! Thanks :)

 

Accommodations for Students with ADHD

Classroom accomodations can make a huge difference for students diagnosed with ADHD. With effective planning and a patient teacher, students with ADHD can flourish in the classroom. Parents can work with their child's IEP team to be sure that appropriate accommodations are in place for their child. Here is a list of classroom accommodations and suggestions that can may make the learning environment more manageable for students diagnosed with ADHD.

-- Seat the student near the teacher's desk avoiding distractions such as windows and doors
--Simplify complex directions and avoid multiple commands
--Have the student utilize a daily assignment notebook. It may be a good idea for the teacher to initial this notebook at the end of the day, and have the parents initial it at home
--Reduce assignments to the chid's attentional abilitiy (consider a 30-50% reduction)
--Allow additional time to complete assignments
--Allow sensory or movement breaks
--Provide a "fidget" at the student's desk such as putty or a squeeze-ball
--Break long term assignments into shorter assignments
--Give the student immediate feedback and immediate consequences
--Provide the student with an extra set of books at home
--Have extra materials/supplies available for the student in the classroom
--Provide the student with a copy of the class notes to highlight as he goes along
--Allow homework and assignments to be typed if handwriting is an issue.

These are just some suggestions. Be sure that the accommodations are appropriate and individualized to the child's specific needs. For more ideas and suggestions, check out this website. Good luck!

A Checklist for ADHD Symptoms in Children

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a treatable disorder which affects approximately 8% of the population. There are three types of ADHD:
1) Predominantly Inattentive Type- these children have problems with inattention and are easily distracted
2) Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Type- these children fidget, can't sit still, run, jump, are restless, hyper-verbal, interrupt others, and are possibly accident prone
3) Combined Type- these children present with a combination of the inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive symptoms

Boys with ADHD tend to out number girls by 3 to 1, although it is believed that ADHD in girls is under-diagnosed. What follows is a checklist for ADHD symptoms in children. If a child demonstrates 5 or more of these behaviors, you may want to speak to your pediatrician:

__Excessively fidgets or squirms
__Difficulty remaining seated
__Difficulty awaiting turn in games or activities
__Easily Distracted
__Work is messy
__Blurts out answers to questions
__Difficulty following instructions
__Difficulty sustaining attention
__Daydreams or gets lost in thoughts
__Shifts quickly from one activity to another
__Difficulty playing quietly
__Often talks excessively
__Often interrupts
__Frequently doesn't listen to what is said
__Constantly loses things necessary for tasks
__Often engages in dangerous activities
__Fails to finish what he/she starts

It is important to remember that one doesn't have to be hyperactive to have ADHD. A large number of children with this disorder are not hyperactive or impulsive at all, but they still have a great deal of trouble with focusing and paying attention.

Reference: Parker et al. (1991). Medical Management of Children with ADD Commonly Asked Questions. Chadder.

Assistive Technology for Special Needs Students

 
    Alphasmart offers a family of portable word processing devices that can be useful for upper elementary, middle, and high school students, such as the Neo, Neo 2, and Dana. The machines are fairly inexpensive, lightweight, and easy to carry.  If a child has difficulty with basic fine motor skills, such as writing or note taking, an Alphsmart device can make a daunting task less stressful. Rather than focusing on the motor planning aspect of the writing process, a student can focus on content and composition when using an Alphasmart device. For students with learning disabilities, the devices also have spell-check and word prediction technology available. These tools assist students in constructing complete and grammatically correct sentences. There is also a typing tutorial available. 
     There is also another word processing device called a Fusion. These devices are more fragile, but offer text-to-speech and speech augmentation capabilities. There are many different types of technology available for special needs student, and these are just a couple of suggestions that parents, therapists, and teachers might want to consider. If parents feel that their child might need one of these devices in order to meet his or her IEP goals and objectives, they should discuss this with the IEP team.