A Message to Parents

Dear Parents, I am finally back after a long silence for almost two years. It is very hard to disengage myself from thinking and writing about...

Posts Tagged ‘placement’

Before You Go To An IEP Meeting

Before You Go To An IEP Meeting

By Nadia Shanab | autism, general advice, parenting, tips

You think you know your child well. Absolutely you know her/him well in certain settings. School is a highly structured setting compared to any other setting. School setting puts some pressure on the child because there are a minimum requirements of discipline expected from each student. Ask for an in-class observation as well as play

How To Create A Flexible Schedule

By Nadia Shanab | autism, general advice, parenting, tips

In a previous entry I explained the importance of a daily schedule. Now I will show you how to build your own magnetic schedule, which will look like this: Before I explain how to make a physical magnetic schedule (the most effective I’ve ever used), here are some rules that I would like to talk

Parents & Educators, Get Ready For A New School Year Now

By Nadia Shanab | autism, general advice, parenting, tips

A new school year is around the corner and about to start! Parents and educators are you ready? Here are some tips to help you get off on the right foot. Bear in mind, there are three main goals in raising and educating children with autism that we are working on: Independence Improve Social Skills Improve Communication

How To Respond To The Question: Am I A Special Ed Student?

How To Respond To The Question: Am I A Special Ed Student?

By Nadia Shanab | autism, general advice, parenting, tips

Anecdote I was shadowing a student with autism from a Special Day Class (SDC) in a mainstream class for Math subject. The student looked around scanning the faces of all the students surrounding her. With confused and lost eyes the student looked at me and asked: “Am I a special ed student?” She was loud enough

Guidelines To Diagnose Autism

Guidelines To Diagnose Autism

By Nadia Shanab | autism, general advice, parenting, tips

To diagnose autism no lab work, devices, nor equipment are needed. The only thing that is requested from parents and licensed professionals to do is to fill out some questionnaires. Filling out papers is based on observing the child’s behavior in different settings, like interacting with family members, strangers, at home, new places, with toys

Premature Babies Are At Higher Risk For Autism

Premature Babies Are At Higher Risk For Autism

By Nadia Shanab | autism, general advice, parenting, tips

A recent research showed that premature babies have a different developmental behavior in their infancy than babies who reached their full term. Premature babies are at higher risk for autism, because their diagnosis comes at an older age. Explanation “The researchers were surprised to find that many of the babies who had averted their gazes

Guidelines To Plan For Your Child’s Future

By Nadia Shanab | autism, general advice, parenting, tips

In the previous post “A Parent Of A Child Recently Diagnosed With Autism?” we came to the conclusion that  the most powerful thing to do to help your child right after the diagnosis is to keep her mind and body busy, to engage her brain in a mental processing mode. We also agreed that the

Positive Education

By Nadia Shanab | general advice, Uncategorized

Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions. Dalai Lama Research shows that people are becoming less happy, less fulfilled and less satisfied over the last two generations. Fifty years ago depression was known to affect people over thirty; now even children in elementary schools and adolescents are suffering from depression.

A Message of Hope from Temple Grandin

By Nadia Shanab | Uncategorized

Watch an interview with Temple Grandin that inspires “hope”. She briefly touches on most aspects of autism. templegrandin.com/ nadia shanab

Tips for Behavioral Troubleshooting

By Nadia Shanab | Uncategorized

The following tips can be applied in classrooms as well as at home. Be positive in scanning the environment for possible behavioral precipitants. Reduce or eleminate stressors, to the extent possible. Read the student’s cue and signals and react before inapporopriate behavior occurs. “Plug in” activities designed to reduce stress and anxiety before behavioral disruptions