In Eurhythmics for Autism and Other Neurophysiologic Diagnoses, Dorita S. Berger reveals how Eurhythmics, a method of teaching the musical concepts of rhythm, structure and expression kinaesthetically through movement, can help develop sensorimotor skills in children and adults with autism and other special needs. Covering both theory and practice, she explains this innovative, music-based approach and how it can also address cognitive and sensory issues in adults with debilitating conditions, such as dementia or post-traumatic stress disorder. With a particular emphasis on autism, she provides clear and adaptable session plans, suitable for working with children and adults of all ages.

Teaching essential skills for life, school, work, and independent living, this comprehensive and practical toolkit supports educators and clinicians in their work with adolescents and young adults with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or Learning Difference (LD) diagnosis. It presents tried-and-true strategies that address difficulties with social skills and Executive Function, cognitive rigidity, self-esteem issues, and more. It includes: - Focused chapters on skills for life, school, work, and independent living - Photocopiable teaching materials and tips for classroom management - Sections on peer-mentoring, mediation, and inclusion - Assessment strategies, including student self-assessment materials and feedback forms - Contributions from experts in the field, including Dr. Stephen Shore, Liane Holliday Willey, Dr. Brenda Smith Myles, Barbara Bissonnette and Jennifer Cook O'Toole. Drawing on over 30 years' teaching experience at the College Internship Program (CIP), Dr. Michael P. McManmon's toolkit is a complete curriculum for educators, clinicians, and professionals who teach or advise young adults on the ASD or LD Spectrum. It can also be used effectively by parents and individuals for self-study.

The BASICS College Curriculum presents a hands-on approach to learning essential independence and life skills for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The second book helps young adults to explore their identity and self-perception and encourages them to consider their personal characteristics and strengths, to help navigate college life more easily and to provide a starting point for thinking about future careers. Ideal as a textbook for ASD college programs and suitable for students to use for self-study, it focuses on reframing the student's perception of ASD by looking at personal experiences, the language of diagnosis, and ASD in the media and it encourages students to identify their strengths in social, group or work settings. Each chapter has a lesson-based progressive structure, providing valuable information and advice for the student, useful diagrams, practical exercises and workbook components that can be filled in at home or in class. Self-assessment tools ensure the skills from each chapter can be reviewed and adjusted as necessary. The book can be used on its own or in conjunction with the other BASICS curriculum books to further develop essential life skills.

Equipping you with the knowledge and tools to become an effective case manager for your child, this book provides straightforward, practical instructions to create a comprehensive guide to your child's unique ASD profile. The individualized guide will: - Provide information about your child's unique profile for anyone who needs it - Serve as a toolbox and teaching template for your child's teachers and support team, with effective strategies to use with him or her - Be an instruction booklet for your child, helping him or her to thrive at home, school and in the community - Act as a case management road map to help you support your child and collaborate with teachers and service providers. The book includes checklists and worksheets, which can also be accessed online, so that you can easily create a personalized guide for your child with autism aged 5-14.

"We each have Skype accounts and use them to discuss [Moby-Dick] face to face. Once a week, we spread the worded whale out in front of us; we dissect its head, eyes, and bones, careful not to hurt or kill it. The Professor and I are not whale hunters. We are not letting the whale die. We are shaping it, letting it swim through the Web with a new and polished look."-Tito Mukhopadhyay Since the 1940s researchers have been repeating claims about autistic people's limited ability to understand language, to partake in imaginative play, and to generate the complex theory of mind necessary to appreciate literature. In See It Feelingly Ralph James Savarese, an English professor whose son is one of the first nonspeaking autistics to graduate from college, challenges this view. Discussing fictional works over a period of years with readers from across the autism spectrum, Savarese was stunned by the readers' ability to expand his understanding of texts he knew intimately. Their startling insights emerged not only from the way their different bodies and brains lined up with a story but also from their experiences of stigma and exclusion. For Mukhopadhyay Moby-Dick is an allegory of revenge against autism, the frantic quest for a cure. The white whale represents the autist's baffling, because wordless, immersion in the sensory. Computer programmer and cyberpunk author Dora Raymaker skewers the empathetic failings of the bounty hunters in Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Autistics, some studies suggest, offer instruction in embracing the nonhuman. Encountering a short story about a lonely marine biologist in Antarctica, Temple Grandin remembers her past with an uncharacteristic emotional intensity, and she reminds the reader of the myriad ways in which people can relate to fiction. Why must there be a norm? Mixing memoir with current research in autism and cognitive literary studies, Savarese celebrates how literature springs to life through the contrasting responses of unique individuals, while helping people both on and off the spectrum to engage more richly with the world.

Based on the findings of a five year longitudinal study into the experiences of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), this book provides tertiary educators and support staff with practical support for addressing the challenges associated with ASD as they manifest in college and university environments. It explores issues such as: * Interpreting assignment tasks * Unwritten expectations and codes of conduct * Rigidity of thinking * Project planning * Self-monitoring * Multi-tasking and central coherence The authors suggest practical strategies for better accommodating students with ASD in the inclusive classroom. Chapters include case studies of individual students, which provide real world examples of possible issues and successful interventions, making this an essential resource for all those involved in supporting students with ASD in tertiary education settings.

The QUEST Program I was developed to address the needs of elementary students with social skills and pragmatic language weaknesses. Because these children benefit from regular instruction and practice, the program uses an intensive proactive approach to teach social skills by combining written instruction with games, experiential stories, and role play, which results in discussion, friendly feedback from peers, and realworld experience. Even when provided with an inclusive education in a general education setting, these students do not typically interpret social cues, nuances and rules of interaction in the same way as their peers, which is the reason the program maximizes generalization of skills both in and outside the classroom. The goals of the program are to help students gain a better understanding of human behavior and interaction and to provide opportunities to become familiar and comfortable with the social skills and pragmatic language necessary to be successful at school and in the community.

This is a practical educational resource to help teach the social rules of touch and personal space to children and teens with Autism Spectrum Disorder with the aim of keeping them safe and helping them to understand what are appropriate interactions in family, educational and community situations. The lessons in the book look at different groups of people that the child is likely to encounter such as close family members, teachers, peers, strangers and medical professionals. Through photocopiable worksheets and activities children are taught about different types of touch and in what settings, where on the body, and for how long touch is appropriate with each group. The book also includes discussion on how best to teach the child to recognise if someone touches them inappropriately and what is appropriate when it comes to self-touch.

Ensuring classrooms are inclusive to all students, particularly those with disabilities such as autism spectrum disorder, is crucial in today's educational landscape. It is vital that educators are prepared and knowledgeable on the current best practices and policies in order to provide these students with the most thorough education possible. Rethinking Perception and Centering the Voices of Unique Individuals: Reframing Autism Inclusion in Praxis introduces a new model of reframing autism spectrum disorder inclusion for professors of preliminary teacher candidates and provides meaningful understanding and support for professors who prepare preliminary teacher candidates. Covering key topics such as equity, mental disorders, inclusive education, and educational reform, this reference work is ideal for administrators, stakeholders, policymakers, teacher educators, counselors, researchers, academicians, scholars, practitioners, instructors, and students.

Picture stories can play a vital role in helping parents negotiate challenging scenarios with kids with ASD. Yet no matter how many books and flashcards you have, they can't cover every eventuality. So, suppose you could draw the stories yourself... Brian Attwood took up pen and paper when his son John's meltdowns became harder to deal with. The effect was immediate and time and time again picture stories have bailed the family out of trouble and saved John from unhappiness and confusion. In this book, Brian describes step-by-step how to create simple yet effective picture stories using basic drawings and short lines of text, and provides examples based on real-life situations for you to adapt for your child. This book will give parents and carers the tools and confidence they need to create individualised picture stories to help their child with ASD cope with social situations, difficult emotions, transitions and other challenging situations.

Providing all students, particularly those with learning disabilities, with the skills necessary to succeed in school and, by extension, the real world is vital in today's educational landscape. Due to this need, innovative language and literacy tools have been developed to support these students in their learning endeavors and ensure they are receiving the best education possible. Cutting-Edge Language and Literacy Tools for Students on the Autism Spectrum covers the root causes of the language and learning challenges in autism, their consequences for language acquisition and literacy, and a variety of tools and strategies for addressing them, from teaching technologies to assistive technologies. Drawing on what the most current evidence shows about the nature of autism and which therapies and technologies are most successful, the book reviews the efficacy of existing language therapies, literacy strategies, and assistive technologies. Covering topics such as speech deficits, language learning, comprehension, and assistive communication tools, this reference work is ideal for clinicians, behavioral specialists, speech-language pathologists, special educators, researchers, academicians, practitioners, scholars, educators, and students.

This hands-on workbook demystifies the world of work in order to help teenagers with Asperger syndrome (Autism Spectrum Disorder) feel confident in their ability to be successful at their studies and get a job. Each chapter talks the teen through a different element of employment, including the benefits of having a job, why education is important, how to write a resume and succeed at job interviews, and the advantages and disadvantages of autism in the workplace. A variety of different industries and jobs are explored to encourage teens to begin to think about careers that might appeal to them and suit their skills and interests. Full of practical information, engaging activities, funny illustrations and inspiring personal stories, this book gives Asperteens a positive image of what people on the autism spectrum can achieve and is an essential career guidance aid for parents and teachers working with young adults.

The BASICS College Curriculum presents a hands-on approach to learning essential life and study skills for college students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This book focuses on the transition to college, developing key academic skills, navigating campus social life, and living away from home for the first time. Ideal as a textbook for ASD college programs run by disability support services and suitable for students to use for self-study, it teaches independence skills, self-advocacy, organization, stress management, and social skills. Each lesson provides valuable information and advice for the student, useful diagrams, practical exercises and workbook components that can be filled in at home or in class, and self-assessment tools.

When it comes to academic work, students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often have the required knowledge but struggle to get their thoughts down in writing. This is a practical guide to teaching and improving writing skills in students with ASD to meet academic writing standards and prepare for the increased expectations of higher education. The book covers key considerations for all educators teaching writing skills to high school and college students with ASD including how to address difficulties with comprehension, executive functioning, and motor skills, how to structure ideas into a coherent argument, and how to develop creativity and expression in writing, as well as how to successfully adapt these skills to meet university expectations. Each chapter includes teaching tips, insightful student perspectives, and ready-to-use writing exercises.

Identifying Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as early as possible can have a significant, positive impact on the child's journey to adaptation and independence. Yet too few diagnoses take place at an early, developmentally crucial stage. This unique visual guide aims to equip readers with the skills to recognise ASD in children as young as 15-18 months old. The book provides a systematic framework for understanding the complex nature of ASD. From social interaction to communication to restricted and repetitive behaviors, each chapter focuses on key symptoms and uses photographs to illustrate and enhance understanding of presenting or absent behaviors. It is written in an accessible style and covers all of the core aspects of ASD, giving readers everything they need to be able to successfully identify the behavioral indicators of autism. A final chapter provides an overview of assessment options for young children being evaluated for possible ASD. Taking a visual approach to identifying ASD in very young children, this book will be a valuable resource for early intervention professionals and students, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, psychologists, paediatricians, teachers as well as parents of children pre- and post-diagnosis.

Children with autism often have an intense natural musicality. This book explains how music and language 'work' as systems of communication, and why music holds such a fascination for many young people on the autism spectrum. There are strategies for showing how music can be used to support language development and even substitute for verbal communication. Exploring the progression from a young child's intuitive engagement with music, to using it as a scaffold for communication, socialisation and understanding, the book illustrates, through the use of detailed case studies, how music nurtures a sense of self and provides a positive outlet to express inner thoughts and feelings without resorting to challenging or even destructive behaviours. Presenting an innovative approach to the use of music with people on the autism spectrum, this book will be a fascinating resource for speech and language therapists, music therapists, occupational therapists, teachers, teaching assistants, educational psychologists, carers and parents of people with autism.

This is the first book I have read where a wise, highly experienced doctor has discussed his use of medications on many different types of individuals on the autism spectrum. This book is essential reading for every parent who has a child who is either taking medication or thinking about the use of medication. ""- from the Foreword by Dr Temple Grandin When families are faced with a diagnosis of autism, they find themselves swimming in a vast sea of new terms and treatment options. It can be hard to know what to try or how to proceed. In this book, Dr Aull identifies the best and safest treatment strategies for your child's particular diagnosis. Dr Aull explains how he assigns an autism diagnosis and presents the medical treatments available to children and young adults on the spectrum. He offers invaluable information on the results you can expect with all types of medications and what can be done to create a successful treatment regimen.

Keep people with dementia fully engaged in daily life and help them maximise remaining functional skills by tapping into their innate abilities and interests. Engaging and Communicating with People Who Have Dementia is a trove of advice on how to identify people's strengths and preferences and then use this knowledge to improve activity programming, communication, and functional independence. Individualising activities, interactions, or interventions at any moment of the day is made easy with the many helpful suggestions offered throughout the pages of this innovative guide. Here are keys to successfully choosing leisure activities for individuals that emphasise their previous interests and talents as well as current capabilities. Based on the principles of multiple intelligences, this resource provides handy assessment forms and instructive explanations and examples to help uncover and then build on each person's unique abilities. Abundant activity ideas are showcased for each type of intelligence - linguistic, logical, visual, tactile, auditory, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic - plus strategies for adapting them as a person's abilities decline. Features that make this resource especially useful for enriching person-centered programming, include: * Advice on available technologies that enhance communication, promote independence, and stimulate cognition. * Guidelines for matching activities to early, middle and late stages of dementia. * Valuable assessment tools for use by staff, family, and the individual. * Downloadable, reusable forms. Activity professionals, nursing staff, speech-language pathologists, and even family caregivers can help maintain meaningful and enjoyable interactions with an adult diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease using this strength-based approach. 2014 National Mature Media Award (Bronze Award Winner)

When parents and educators fight, our kids lose. So why are good, reasonable parents and skilled, compassionate educators locked in battle?
After listening to hundreds of parents, teachers and school administrators, Cassie Zupke found the answer. Although the demands of educating a child with autism forces parents and educators to work closely together, their ability to function as a team is often hampered by their lack of understanding of each other's motivations and limitations. This creates an environment of mistrust, frustration and fear that can turn a classroom into a war zone.
"We Said, They Said: 50 Things Parents and Teachers of Children with Autism Want Each Other to Know" voices what parents and educators want to say to each other, but don't. It explains why they do what they do. It helps fill the chasms of misunderstanding that breed assumptions like "They don't care about my child," and "They're just in denial." It gives educators and parents the necessary tools to build the relationships they need to help their children.

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is recognized as one of the most effective ways to teach children with autism and studies have shown that the earlier the interventions take place the more likely they are to have a profound, positive impact on a child's later development. Using the latest research into best practice for children with autism, this curriculum gives a clear outline on what to teach and how to teach it utilizing the principles of ABA. The book is divided up into three sections, each with built-in data collection, and features a CD with all the material in the book so you can print off the section you are working on. The Assessment section allows you to initially measure the child's level of learning and then track their progress over time. The Curriculum section covers nearly ninety crucial steps in a child's development spread over twelve chapters that each focus on a different pivotal area, such as 'Motor', 'Expressive' and 'Academic' Programs. These are broken down into simple tasks that can be taught and monitored easily. The final Mastered section guarantees that progress can be maintained by checking that learnt skills continue to be retained. Generalization assessment is included throughout to make sure the child has adapted to using the skills in a variety of settings. This book will equip teachers, therapists and parents with a thorough and comprehensive program to help ensure the young learners in their care are achieving developmental goals and are able to reach their full potential as they grow.

Containing life-changing strategies and solutions, this book will enable everyone who knows, lives with or works with an individual with autism to achieve a positive relationship that fosters cooperation and mutual respect. The author has dedicated over 20 years to studying, observing and implementing communication strategies that help him, his wife, their three children and his clients experience positive relationships. His immediate family are all on the autism spectrum and they work together to understand one another, resolve misunderstandings, and help each other feel important, loved and respected. Sharing their inspirational personal experiences and interweaving every chapter with practical hints and tips, the book looks at how to get communication working for everyone and emphasizes the importance of laying down ground rules and building confidence. This book will be essential reading for family, friends and professionals who wish to communicate more effectively with those on the autism spectrum.

A growing number of parents are considering part time or 'flexischooling' as an option that might benefit their child with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) but face concerns such as: Is it possible? Has anyone tried it? How can it be set up? Above all, does it work? This book answers all these questions, and many more. Covering both the home and school angle, it explores ways to evaluate whether the option is right for your child, organising the arrangement effectively with the school and ensuring that curriculum and examination goals are met, and also includes case examples of successful part time schooling at both primary and secondary level. This is the first resource of its kind to bring together all of the information needed for both parents and schools to consider the merits and disadvantages of this approach, and to evaluate it as an option for individual children.

Does your child struggle with brushing their teeth? Is it difficult to get them dressed and undressed each day? Do they struggle to understand their body's relationship to the world? This book is brimming with simple ideas, activities and exercises to address these daily challenges that young children with autism face. Easy to carry out and to fit into your routines, they will help improve a child's sense of body awareness, coordination and motor skills, and address key tasks such as eating meals and healthy sleep. There are also ideas for tackling social challenges, including playing with friends, going on holiday and staying calm at school. The final chapter of the book explains the different support professionals parents of a child with autism are likely to encounter and how each can help their child. This jargon-free book shows how occupational therapy techniques can be used to help your young child with autism to live life to the full, and will be an essential tool for parents and carers.

Can you imagine not being able to recognize those you know if they wore glasses, changed their hairstyle, or perhaps put on a hat? Prosopagnosia is a severe facial recognition disorder that is thought to impact around two per cent of the population. Frequently found in children on the autism spectrum, those with the condition have difficulties distinguishing between one face and the next, meaning that they may not recognize even those who are closest to them. Nancy L. Mindick provides parents, teachers, and other professionals with an accessible explanation of the different types, causes, and characteristics of prosopagnosia. Providing an insider's perspective on the condition, she suggests ways to recognize the signs of facial recognition difficulties in children, and offers specific ideas for ensuring that they are properly supported in their learning and social development. The issues of diagnosis and disclosure are explored, and the author offers practical management strategies for helping children to cope with the condition and to navigate the many different social situations they will encounter at home, at school, and in the community. This book offers specific, practical information for parents, teachers, child psychologists, and anyone else who wishes to support the learning and development of a child with a facial recognition disorder.

Searching for the right school for a child with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) opens up a huge and complicated world, and it can be difficult to know where to begin. What should you look out for in a school? What questions should you ask? How do you choose between different educational approaches and programmes? This accessible guide cuts through all of the jargon surrounding special educational needs (SEN) and walks parents and professionals through the entire journey of securing appropriate educational provision for a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The author explains the implications of having, or not having, a diagnosis; how to obtain a Statement of SEN; how to find and secure an appropriate school; and how to work effectively with outside agencies. She provides clear explanations of all of the legal aspects of the process, including SEN law, the SEN Code of Practice and the new guidelines for SEND tribunals. Recognising that mainstream schooling is not the best option in every case, she also shows that independent schools and home-schooling can be viable options in some cases. A multitude of useful resources, websites and other sources of further information are also included. Whether you are the parent or carer of a child with ASD, or a professional working with children with autism, the ideas and information in this book will steer you through the complex maze of issues surrounding how to secure appropriate education provision for children with ASD.