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 ‘visual aids’

10 Inspiring Temple Grandin Quotes

10 Inspiring Temple Grandin Quotes

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

Mary Temple Grandin (born August 29, 1947) is an American professor of animal science in Colorado State University, a best-selling author, an autistic activist, and a consultant to the livestock industry on animal behavior. She also invented the “hug box”, a device to calm those on the autism spectrum. The subject on an award-wininning, 2010

Equine Therapy

Equine Therapy

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

Here is another “natural” therapy for children with autism and Asperger’s Syndrome. Equine therapy helps them improve their social and communication skills, as well as getting over some of the anxiety and stress imposed from the sensory overload of the environment they suffer from. The rhythmic movement of a horse has a calming and relaxing

Make The Doctor's Visit A Pleasant Experience

Make The Doctor’s Visit A Pleasant Experience

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

One of the most common problems parents face on a regular basis is taking their child with autism to the doctor or dentist office. Even if the environment was friendly and the doctor/dentist and team are patient, children with autism don’t like to be closely approached, or touched, let alone having any intrusion to their

Iris Grace, A 5-Year Old Gifted Painter

Iris Grace, A 5-Year Old Gifted Painter

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

Once again, children with autism continue to surprise us every day with their incredible artistic talents! Iris Grace Halmshaw is a five year old girl from England U.K. diagnosed with autism at an early age. She has very poor speech and social skills. Her talent was discovered when her parents used painting to help her

Anecdote: Memory Problem or Sensory Issue

By Nadia Shanab | Uncategorized

I used to work with a student who was obsessively writing letters, numbers, and symbols in the air using her index. I was so puzzled about this behavior, because it didn’t look appropriate in other poeple’s eyes. My idea was to help her use another medium to write on that looked more appropriate and channel

Hyper Connectivity in The Brain Related to Autism

By Nadia Shanab | Uncategorized

In a new finding from Stanford University, research was done on individuals with high-functioning autism with IQ higher than 70, shows that the connecivity in the brain is high compared to their peers with typically developed brain. This finding is challenging previous belief that: individuals with autism have lower connectivity in brain regions. “Using one

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

Tips for Instructional Assistants

By Nadia Shanab | Uncategorized

The Instructional Assistant’s Mission Statement Know well both your students and the disabilities that they manifest. Learn to take your students’ perspectives, and realize that they have significant difficulty taking yours. Always look beyond your students’ behaviors to determine the functions that those behaviors serve. Be neither blinded by your students’ strengths, nor hold them

The Importance of Art for Autistic Kids

By Nadia Shanab | Uncategorized

Q: What does practicing art do to anybody? A: It expresses a person’s feelings, thinking, talents and wants. Children with autism are most of the time stuck inside their own mind. They have poor communication abilities, it is hard for them to initiate any conversation, therefore, they avoid talking to others. Their social skills are

TOBY Playpad: A Unique iPad App for Parents, Educators and Therapists

By Nadia Shanab | Uncategorized

TOBY playpad: TOBY Playpad is a unique, therapist-and-parent designed Early Intervention application for children with Autism. TOBY’s iPad tasks co-ordinate with off-iPad tasks to help your child learn skills in the real world. TOBY stands for Therapy Outcomes By You, because it aims to empower parents to commence early intervention to maximize your child’s development.