This morning, one of our adult clients, Christy, stopped in to hand me a note she had written. In large bold letters, she wrote, "NEXT YEAR! IN OCTOBER MARK ON YOUR CALENDAR! LET'S TAKE ANY ONE STUDENT AND INVITE ME FOR LASAGNA PICNIC AT YOUR HOUSE OR A LUNCH OUTING AT....." and then she lists her favorite local restaurants, of which there are many. The adults in our Adult Program always take the first Monday of each month to go out to lunch. Every year, Christy has an idea for me in October that she has usually planned since the previous October. This year was no exception and so Christy and I and another client went to Christy's lunch choice that first Monday in October. Christy knew exactly where she wanted to go, what she was going to order, and what she wanted to drink. We had a nice time and no sooner were we done, Christy started planning where to go and what to do next year. This is a very determined young lady!
At the same time, Jeff and Wanda are asking me about the date for our annual holiday luncheon which we've done every year at my home for the last 5 years. Its become a tradition for them. Like Christy, Jeff has had the menu planned since last December right after our last luncheon.
These events seem like such a small, easy thing for me to do, not a big deal and easy to dismiss as not important. But not to Christy, Wanda or Jeff. For them its a very big deal because they are reliant on others for much of their social lives. And their world is very small. It makes one realize that the little things we might take for granted - a trip to the store, a swim at the Y, a coffee run to Starbucks, - even a BBQ lunch here at our program are all special events to look forward to. As they say, variety is the spice of life!
Monday, October 15, 2012
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Social Stories with Non-verbal Students with Autism
Social Stories, developed so cleverly by Carol Gray, are useful not only for students who are verbal, but also can be helpful for non-verbal students. Obviously, they need to be adapted, perhaps as pictures but also could be with written words if the student is able to read. We should never underestimate the ability of people with autism to understand regardless of ability to speak and/or read.
As we focus on our expectations in a social situation when trying to teach the student, we must recognize the goal is to increase the social awareness of the individual. First the student must know exactly what is happening. If the student has accurate and specific social information, we can then help them process that information and hopefully influence a change in their behavior. We would do this through a visual presentation of the situation and what we expect. Of course, we very likely will have to be explicit and not make assumptions about what the student has observed (and we know that social observations by our students are VERY limited). But probably most important is that we don't make the assumption that because the student is not verbal or minimally verbal, we can't use a modified form of Social Stories.
Information is important to all of us - the who, what, why and how of our social interactions is critical to move successfully throughout our days. It works best to take the time to explain what is going on and what our expectations are of the student's behavior.
We are very fortunate to have Carol Gray as our keynote speaker at our annual conference on Saturday, September 22. She is an excellent and engaging speaker and I know will provide much needed information for teachers, speech therapists and parents. Check out our website www.morgancenter.org for more information.
As we focus on our expectations in a social situation when trying to teach the student, we must recognize the goal is to increase the social awareness of the individual. First the student must know exactly what is happening. If the student has accurate and specific social information, we can then help them process that information and hopefully influence a change in their behavior. We would do this through a visual presentation of the situation and what we expect. Of course, we very likely will have to be explicit and not make assumptions about what the student has observed (and we know that social observations by our students are VERY limited). But probably most important is that we don't make the assumption that because the student is not verbal or minimally verbal, we can't use a modified form of Social Stories.
Information is important to all of us - the who, what, why and how of our social interactions is critical to move successfully throughout our days. It works best to take the time to explain what is going on and what our expectations are of the student's behavior.
We are very fortunate to have Carol Gray as our keynote speaker at our annual conference on Saturday, September 22. She is an excellent and engaging speaker and I know will provide much needed information for teachers, speech therapists and parents. Check out our website www.morgancenter.org for more information.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Taking the IDEA for granted
We take some of our information about autism and expectations for programming for granted. But in reality, we have come a very long way in the last 35 or so years. When I first started teaching, the idea of an IEP was brand new. The IDEA had yet to be written. Before the IDEA in 1975, there was no financial support for students and the burden for education was on the family. And even once the IDEA was established, parents still struggled to get school districts to understand the unique quirks of their children. Frequently they had to fight with their school districts just to get that to which their child is lawfully entitled. And sometimes, they still have to fight.
Over the years, we have had requests for time to be spent learning about our program from many quarters - school districts, parents, educators. We are always glad to share information with others. But there are some places where our information can have a tremendous impact. We have had contingents of people from China, Uganda, Ireland, Japan, Korea who are struggling to develop effective programming for their students with autism. And most are doing it without much support from their governments, with the parents often being the driving force in their child's program development - much like parents in the United States prior to the IDEA.
We are very pleased this next year to be welcoming two interns from Viet Nam: one a school director had visited us once before and this time, will be with us for two months. The other is a teacher and will be with us for 5 months. They just got their visas approved and are elated to be coming. And also they are very excited to be able to come to the Morgan Autism Center Annual Conference on September 22, 2012, and attend some of our lecture series.
No one should have to re-invent the wheel in these days of the internet and Youtube. But there still is nothing like the real time training of being in the classroom and working directly with the students. So, we welcome our newest interns and are thrilled to be able to spread the word on how to create a successful program.
Over the years, we have had requests for time to be spent learning about our program from many quarters - school districts, parents, educators. We are always glad to share information with others. But there are some places where our information can have a tremendous impact. We have had contingents of people from China, Uganda, Ireland, Japan, Korea who are struggling to develop effective programming for their students with autism. And most are doing it without much support from their governments, with the parents often being the driving force in their child's program development - much like parents in the United States prior to the IDEA.
We are very pleased this next year to be welcoming two interns from Viet Nam: one a school director had visited us once before and this time, will be with us for two months. The other is a teacher and will be with us for 5 months. They just got their visas approved and are elated to be coming. And also they are very excited to be able to come to the Morgan Autism Center Annual Conference on September 22, 2012, and attend some of our lecture series.
No one should have to re-invent the wheel in these days of the internet and Youtube. But there still is nothing like the real time training of being in the classroom and working directly with the students. So, we welcome our newest interns and are thrilled to be able to spread the word on how to create a successful program.
Friday, July 13, 2012
Back from vacation...
How lucky are we to be able to say that our job working with some very unique people is of course challenging, but also very fun? We got back from our two week break, and the students and clients are happy, staff are cheerful, and everyone is busy, busy! Summertime is particularly fun with opportunities to go to the movies, swimming, water play, and today a terrific field day. This first week back was both enjoyable and a test with most students and clients excited to be back, and the challenges of a few new students, who are slowly catching on to their new routine. And how is it that some of these adolescents can grow so much in just two weeks???
For the field day, there was our wonderful siblings group who had prepared and manned a game with little stuffed animals as a prize; the Animal Assisted Happiness group with the very tame (and real) goats, chickens, bunnies and guinea pigs; and each classroom planned an activity so the students could rotate throughout the field day. There was face painting, the 'shaving' station, ring toss, water balloons - and often it was hard to know who was having more fun, staff or students. Then we had an opportunity to christen our new BBQ grill, made specially in memory of Elizabeth and George. The grill worked great, and Lester, Elizabeth's husband and George's dad, came to assist our own BBQ master, Doug, with the grilling of the hot dogs. Everyone had a very good time - it was just that kind of a day!
For the field day, there was our wonderful siblings group who had prepared and manned a game with little stuffed animals as a prize; the Animal Assisted Happiness group with the very tame (and real) goats, chickens, bunnies and guinea pigs; and each classroom planned an activity so the students could rotate throughout the field day. There was face painting, the 'shaving' station, ring toss, water balloons - and often it was hard to know who was having more fun, staff or students. Then we had an opportunity to christen our new BBQ grill, made specially in memory of Elizabeth and George. The grill worked great, and Lester, Elizabeth's husband and George's dad, came to assist our own BBQ master, Doug, with the grilling of the hot dogs. Everyone had a very good time - it was just that kind of a day!
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Creating Apps for Work for People With Autism
For those students with autism who have the technical abilities, but not the social skills to negotiate a work setting, there is a a very interesting model at a non-profit center in Dallas, housed at the Southern Methodist University. Called the NonPareil Institute, about 80 adults with autism are learning how to design and program apps for iPads, iPhones and Androids: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9225562/Institute_s_mobile_apps_are_built_by_hands.
This program was started by three fathers of children with autism who were concerned about how their children might be able to be employed considering their challenges. Now these adults have already developed one app for the market and have two more in the pipeline. The parents are currently hoping to build a campus for the program. It is so gratifying to acknowledge that while different, people with autism have skills that can help them be contributing members of society and not just consumers. It is a entirely new way to view autism. Finally, we seem to be getting somewhere in letting the world know that unique capabilities are a strength. Looks very exciting and such potential!
This program was started by three fathers of children with autism who were concerned about how their children might be able to be employed considering their challenges. Now these adults have already developed one app for the market and have two more in the pipeline. The parents are currently hoping to build a campus for the program. It is so gratifying to acknowledge that while different, people with autism have skills that can help them be contributing members of society and not just consumers. It is a entirely new way to view autism. Finally, we seem to be getting somewhere in letting the world know that unique capabilities are a strength. Looks very exciting and such potential!
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Employment Options for Autism
"Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing that it is stupid." So said Albert Einstein. Unfortunately, the education system is woefully behind in recognizing the untapped potential of people with autism. They have unique abilities. They are able to sustain their attention on their preferred activities and interests for inordinate amounts of time. They appreciate and thrive on routine, rote work. They have a phenomenal ability to focus on details. These are all characteristics that can be applied to a work setting, given the social support that is also needed.
There are issues, clearly, that need to be worked on. Being organized, arriving to work on time, dressed neatly, hygiene issues - all of these are areas where the person with autism needs guidance. But is that impossible?
I recently learned of a Danish group called "Specialisterne" who are looking to create a program for people with autism here in the bay area. It sounds like a great model, with lots of potential. And also a group in San Francisco called the "Specialist Guild". So, with the tsunami of children aging out of schools and no place to go but day programs, we all should be looking at these models and exploring others. There must be a way to help our students not be 'consumers' of resources, but contributors. We should not be viewing them as a burden within a community, when that can be an unnecessary state. They have many ways that they can be more active participants in the world and they sure aren't going away. So, we need to figure this out!
There are issues, clearly, that need to be worked on. Being organized, arriving to work on time, dressed neatly, hygiene issues - all of these are areas where the person with autism needs guidance. But is that impossible?
I recently learned of a Danish group called "Specialisterne" who are looking to create a program for people with autism here in the bay area. It sounds like a great model, with lots of potential. And also a group in San Francisco called the "Specialist Guild". So, with the tsunami of children aging out of schools and no place to go but day programs, we all should be looking at these models and exploring others. There must be a way to help our students not be 'consumers' of resources, but contributors. We should not be viewing them as a burden within a community, when that can be an unnecessary state. They have many ways that they can be more active participants in the world and they sure aren't going away. So, we need to figure this out!
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Being Aware of Autism
We have certainly come a long way in raising awareness of autism from the days when I first started working with these kids 35 years ago (35??- really???). I would tell people I worked with autistic kids and they would respond with "oh, are you artistic yourself?" And then a lengthy explanation of what autism was in response to suggestions that these children were really emotionally disturbed, brats, spoiled, rude, etc. Now, most people know or have some idea of what autism is and accept that it is not caused by 'refrigerator' mothers. And usually they are aware of someone who has autism - a family member, neighbor, friend's child. But as the saying goes, if you know one person with autism, you know one person with autism. They are all so different!
The increase in awareness is very evident when speaking to young people of child bearing age. Coming from a large family (there were 10 of us and 5 in my husband's family), I have 36 nieces and nephews. Since they are all aware of what I do, I get lots of questions regarding their chances of having a child with autism and they are very concerned. I know I would be. The chances of 1 in 88 children having this disorder is downright scary. While there is likely a very strong genetic predisposition, there is something or things in the environment that is triggering the autism to manifest itself. Until we discover whatever these things may be, no one will or should rest easy. The consequences for all of us are far too great. The lifetime economic needs, not to mention the emotional strain and loss of productivity in a family can be extreme. So, while its great we have definitely increased awareness, there's still much to be done to solve this incredible enigma.
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