of special interest to parents

This story, written by a mother of an 8 year old girl with Autism, recounts how the use of video modeling supported her daughter with social interactions. Not only were the outcomes of the video modeling strategy positive for her daughter, they were also positive for her peers.

We decided to try video modeling for our 8 year old daughter "S" who has Autism Spectrum Disorder. She is a very sociable child, but being fairly non-verbal she doesn’t know how to engage her friends. When a friend (or anyone) said "hi" to her, we would always have to prompt her to say "hi" back. Our first video would therefore be getting S to respond when someone says hi to her. We filmed a video with the following dialogue:

Many students with ASD have behavioural tendencies that are viewed by others as “oppositional”. They refuse to try new things and seem to only want to do something if it is their own idea. There are many reasons this might be occurring, including:

• Lack of belief in his own abilities or competencies.
• Fear or anxiety around his ability to do something new “perfectly”.
• A preference for doing things the same way over and over.
• A sensory sensitivity involved with the activity you want him to try.

These behaviours can be challenging for parents of typical children but can be much more difficult to manage if your child has an ASD.

Try these tips when introducing a new activity:

Haley Moss describes her school experiences as an adolescent girl living with high functioning autism. She provides tips and strategies in her “survival guide” to assist other adolescents in facing the many challenges of middle school. She provides helpful tips for getting ready for school after summer break, and preparing for the changes from an elementary school to a middle school setting. She reviews information specific to adolescents, such as new slang words and provides ground rules for using the internet and social networking. She explores the Hidden Curriculum with a particular focus on girls in or approaching middle school. Topics include girls and bullying, female bodily changes, make-up and style trends.

Who should Attend?
This is a conference for parents, child care providers, educators at all levels, special education teachers, teacher assistants and school administrators. If you work with individuals with autism, this is a conference for you.

It's never too late to try something new!

This year has proven to be very memorable and exciting for the school team of a 12 year old boy with Autism.

After being syringe fed all these years, this resilient young man has shown us it is possible to overcome sensory challenges as he works through a daily oral spoon feeding program at school.

The “5 SPOONS PROGRAM” was developed by the regional RN, the school’s OT and SLP, with input from the Teacher Assistant and family.

This program had evolved from long , loud stressful sessions for all, to the student requesting 5 SPOONS and swallowing a variety of both sweet and savory purees.

All he wants to do is watch TV or play on the computer!

Almost daily parents are bombarded with information and warnings about the negative impact of too much television, computer and video game use in typical children. The message is that our children are spending “excessive” amounts of time in these activities contributing to everything from increased rates of obesity to anti-social behaviours.

Are you a parent who has struggled in finding ways to include your child in meaningful social interactions? This book provides parents with strategies to foster inclusion and provide better social experiences in natural settings for children with autism. Practical examples of how to make social experiences successful by previewing, planning, accommodating and carrying out social activities, such as playdates, birthday parties, family/holiday gatherings, and recreation/community outings are discussed in this book. The methods outlined in this book can provide a systematic approach to enhancing social interactions for your child.

Jackie lives in a small town in the Kootenays with her son, Hayden, who's been diagnosed with high-functioning autism. She agreed to be interviewed by POPARD to help other parents prepare their children for the school system.

Jackie's experiences are unique to her family and to her son, but the strategies she uses to teach and prepare Hayden can be used by parents everywhere.

In the last of this 3-part series, Jackie describes how she helped Hayden transition through his first year at school.

This eLearning lesson is presented by POPARD Education and Behaviour Consultant, Lynn Savoie.

Jackie lives in a small town in the Kootenays with her son, Hayden, who's been diagnosed with high-functioning autism. She agreed to be interviewed by POPARD to help other parents with their own journey.

Jackie's experiences are unique to her family and to her son, but the strategies she uses can be used by parents everywhere.

In the second part of this 3-part series, Jackie describes how she prepares her son Hayden for his first year in school.

This eLearning lesson is presented by POPARD Education and Behaviour Consultant, Lynn Savoie.