Tag Archives: Autism Spectrum Disorder

2 Amazing “Must Have” Books for Teaching Kids Self-Regulation Skills

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I absolutely LOVE both of these books! Great for teaching kids self-regulation skills. I love the illustrations, kid-friendly language and analogies used to make the concepts easy to understand and to implement. The concepts are therapeutically sound. I highly recommend both books as “must haves” in the library of anyone working with kids with special needs.

I bought my copies on Amazon. Check out the reviews for yourself…. 100% 5-star rave reviews:

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* The Kids’ Guide to Staying Awesome and In Control: Simple Stuff to Help Children Regulate their Emotions and Senses

Hardcover – July 22, 2014
http://www.amazon.com/Kids-Guide-Staying-Awesome-Control/dp/1849059977

About the book:
Packed with simple ideas to regulate the emotions and senses, this book will help children tackle difficult feelings head-on and feel awesome and in control!
From breathing exercises, pressure holds and finger pulls, to fidgets, noise-reducing headphones and gum, the book is brimming with fun stuff to help kids feel cool, calm and collected. They will learn how to label difficult feelings, choose the perfect strategies and tools to tackle them, and use these correctly whether at home or at school. The strategies and tools are accompanied by cartoon-style illustrations, and the author includes useful tips for parents and teachers as well as handy visual charts and checklists to track learning and progress.

Armed with this book, kids will be well on their way to managing difficult emotions and feeling just right in whatever situation life throws at them! Suitable for children with emotional and sensory processing difficulties aged approximately 7 to 14 years. (Note: With modifications I’ve used the strategies with kids as young as 4 1/2 years old)

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Free printables from the book:
https://bit.ly/3OMG9BI

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* How to Be a Superhero Called Self-Control!: Super Powers to Help Younger Children to Regulate their Emotions and Senses

Hardcover – November 21, 2015
http://www.amazon.com/How-Be-Superhero-Called-Self-Control/dp/1849057176

About the book:
Meet Self-Control, a superhero who wants to teach young children his super powers of self-control! Anxiety, frustration, anger, and other difficult feelings won’t stand a chance against their new-found powers.

Self-Control teaches children with emotional and sensory regulation difficulties aged approximately 4-7 how to calm themselves using self-massage, deep pressure, breathing exercises, and activities such as making an imaginary list and finding their own peaceful place. This illustrated book also features an appendix with photocopiable super power charts, reinforcers, and reminder tools to ensure that parents, teachers, and other professionals can support children in upholding superhero strategies even after the book has been read.

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Free printables from the book:
https://bit.ly/3yGeQU0
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The author, Lauren Brukner, is a pediatric OT: https://twitter.com/brukner_lauren?s=21&t=JN4N-ms77XgvaxEmobXCEQ

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Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
Founder of OMazing Kids, LLC – inclusive wellness & educational activities for kids of all abilities
Facebook Messaging for OMazing Kids: https://www.facebook.com/messages/17426452595789
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga
AppPeeps Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/OMazingKidsAppPeeps/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/amoorad
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/amoorad1
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/OMazingKids/
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/110305433538768736741
Boardmaker Share: http://www.boardmakershare.com/Community/FriendsProfile/10916/Angela-Moorad
Blog: http://omazingkidsllc.com
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Angela Moorad is the founder of OMazing Kids, LLC and is an ASHA certified & licensed pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist and Kids Yoga Teacher with over 25 years experience working in a variety of settings (early intervention, schools, teletherapy & a nonprofit pediatric rehab hospital for children with developmental disabilities). She is a kids book reviewer with a focus on great picture books, a kids toy / product reviewer with a focus on those that are helpful for kids with special needs & an iOS app beta tester for educational and therapeutic app developers. She loves sharing info about great things to use with kids of all abilities.

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{Note: please ignore any ads that may appear below. This is a free blog and I have no control over the ads nor do I make any profit from them}

{Social Skills App Giveaway & Review}: The Social Bunch: Perspectives iPad app

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I am loving this new The Social Bunch: Perspectives app by First Words (https://appsto.re/us/JL9H9.i; $8.99 -> will be on sale for $4.99 from November 12-14, 2015; iPad only)!

Fabulous illustrations & voiceovers. Love that each scene has several different questions from the various perspectives and that the app uses errorless teaching strategies with no aversive/negative feedback for wrong answers, has a pause button to allow discussion about the scene, a repeat button to allow the voiceover to be replayed and has built in “wait” visual feedback if kids start rapidly tapping on the screen. Very well thought out app designed by a SLP with a specialty in working with kids with Autism Spectrum Disorders. This app is very unique and will be quite helpful in my work with kids with ASD. I provided the following feedback to the app developer: It would be great to have a brief tutorial video within the app itself. I loved the idea of being able to draw on the scenes of the app to draw attention to the face, arrow towards what that child is thinking about and adding thought bubbles. Doing this via screenshots in the Paper 53 app is a cool idea but it would be way cooler to be able to do this within the app itself by having a drawing tools area pop up when the app is paused. Thinking of future app updates, it would also be awesome to be able to set up multiple users, track data within the app and e-mail results (many SLPs love those features).

Be sure to watch the overview video. It has great info about the app & ideas for using it: http://youtu.be/UHZt9bMX5KQ

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Idea to import screenshots into the Paper 53 app so you can draw attention to details:

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GIVEAWAY

Want to win a copy of this app? I have 9 iOS promo codes to give away over on my OMazing Kids Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga/photos/a.562317480485928.1073741841.174264525957894/1032221810162157/?type=3&theater

Entry Deadline: Friday, 11/13/15, at 9:00pm CST. Depending on the number of entries received, it may take a day or so to verify them and to announce the winners/distribute the codes via Facebook Messaging.

About the app: The Social Bunch: Perspectives helps teach perspective taking and inferencing to students with social language challenges. These skills can be especially challenging for individuals with Autism and other related conditions.

Professionally drawn illustrations are used to teach the idea that different characters can be thinking (and saying) different things at the same time. Five characters are featured within 5 different backgrounds (beach, cafeteria, classroom, bus stop, & playground). Users are asked who might be thinking or saying a particular thought. Sixty scenes containing almost 180 questions (with more planned for the future) are included in this app! Ten different reward animations can be set to appear at different intervals.

All that is required to respond is a touch on the correct character. This app is ideally used with the guidance of an adult (ideally trained in working with social skills).

The Social Bunch: Perspectives was created by speech-language pathologist Jeff Stepen, MS/CCC-SLP. He is a speech-language pathologist with over 17 years of experience in the field of communication disorders. His experience spans infancy to geriatrics. Autism is an area of particular interest for Jeff.

Website: http://www.thesocialbunch.co
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thesocialbunchapps/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SocialBunchApp

#ASHA15 #SLPeeps #SpecialNeeds #Autism #SLPblogger #ASHAblogger

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Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
Founder of OMazing Kids, LLC – inclusive wellness & educational activities for kids of all abilities
Home E-Mail: amoorad1@juno.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga
AppPeeps Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/OMazingKidsAppPeeps/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/amoorad
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/amoorad1
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/OMazingKids/
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/110305433538768736741
Boardmaker Share: http://www.boardmakershare.com/Community/FriendsProfile/10916/Angela-Moorad
Blog: http://omazingkidsllc.com
Angela Moorad is the founder of OMazing Kids, LLC and is an ASHA certified & licensed pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist and Kids Yoga Teacher with over 25 years experience working in a variety of settings (early intervention, schools, teletherapy & a nonprofit pediatric rehab hospital for children with developmental disabilities). She is an app beta tester for educational & therapeutic app developers and loves sharing info about great apps and tech products to use with kids of all abilities.

NOTE: Please ignore any ads that appear below this note. This is a free blog site & I have no control over ads appearing here.

Amazing new FREE app: Sesame Street and Autism

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Wow! I’m very impressed with this! Get amazing resources for kids & parents in this new FREE app: Sesame Street and Autism
https://appsto.re/us/MCg48.i

Also available online at: http://autism.sesamestreet.org. I didn’t see an Android version of the app yet but my guess is that it will be released soon.

I love that they have presented a well-balanced view of Autism…. both the positives & the challenges. Also love seeing several real life examples of AAC use. Excited to see AAC use out in the mainstream media 🙂

Love, love, love this new song:

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MP3:

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More about the project: http://www.people.com/article/sesame-street-introduces-autistic-muppet

The story behind why this new Sesame Street​ Autism initiative is so awesome… they took the time to include Autism self-advocates in the process of developing it!

The Autistic Self Advocacy Network​, ASAN, is proud to be a partner in Sesame Workshop’s “Sesame Street and Autism: See Amazing in All Children” initiative. Over the past year, ASAN has worked closely with Sesame Workshop to ensure that the initiative and its materials are positive, respectful, and promote real understanding and acceptance of autistic people. The See Amazing initiative represents an important step forward in public conversations aimed at autism, one focused on celebrating all kinds of minds.”

http://autisticadvocacy.org/2015/10/asan-statement-on-sesame-workshops-see-amazing-initiative/

https://www.facebook.com/AutisticAdvocacy

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More cool behind the scenes info: http://autism-daddy.blogspot.com/2015/10/sesame-street-autism-my-2-worlds.html

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Why is the new Sesame Street character is a girl? How did they choose the traits she would have?

“Children with autism vary in their traits significantly: some can talk, while others can’t. Many of them are sensitive to noise. Some have trouble keeping eye contact, and many of them experience the world differently, so they’ll touch different objects to explore the sensation of texture. Perhaps because of this range, autism is also extremely controversial. While some organizations, such as Autism Speaks, consider autism a syndrome that calls for research to help mitigate its effects, others, such as the Autism Self-Advocacy Network, simply view autism as an alternative way of expressing oneself….”

Read the whole post at: http://www.latimes.com/local/education/community/la-me-edu-sesame-street-autistic-muppet-girl-julia-20151022-htmlstory.html

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‪#‎SeeAmazing‬
‪#‎AACawareness‬
‪#‎Autism‬
‪#‎SpecialNeeds‬

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Looking for more app info? Come on over to my OMazing Kids Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga & my AppPeeps Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/OMazingKidsAppPeeps/
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Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
Founder of OMazing Kids, LLC – inclusive wellness & educational activities for kids of all abilities
Home E-Mail: amoorad1@juno.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga
AppPeeps Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/OMazingKidsAppPeeps/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/amoorad
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/amoorad1
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/OMazingKids/
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/110305433538768736741
Boardmaker Share: http://www.boardmakershare.com/Community/FriendsProfile/10916/Angela-Moorad
Blog: http://omazingkidsllc.com

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Angela Moorad is the founder of OMazing Kids, LLC and is an ASHA certified & licensed pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist and Kids Yoga Teacher with over 25 years experience working in a variety of settings (early intervention, schools, teletherapy & a nonprofit pediatric rehab hospital for children with developmental disabilities). She is an app beta tester for educational & therapeutic app developers and loves sharing info about great apps and tech products to use with kids of all abilities.

A peek inside my special needs acceptance & awareness library….

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One of the frequent requests I receive is for suggestions regarding resources to help kids understand & appreciate special needs. The reason why I have a variety of resources for this is that there is no “one size fits all” resource. Some of the books in my library are geared towards group or classroom settings (but can also be modified for individual use). Some are geared towards specific special needs. Some are more subtle with general themes of respect, compassion & caring. Some are new and some have been in my library since I started my career as a SLP over 25 years ago. My library is frequently expanding but here’s what it includes at the moment:

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  • A Rainbow of Friends by P.K. Hallinan
  • All Kinds of Friends by Ellen B. Senisi
  • ASD and Me: Learning About High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder by Teresa DeMars
  • Can I Tell You About Autism?: A guide for friends, family and professionals by Jude Welton
  • Do-si-Do with Autism Friendship Kit by Sarah Stup
  • How Katie Got a Voice (and a cool nickname) by Patricia L. Mervine, SLP
  • I Like Birthdays…. It’s the parties I’m not sure about! by Laurie Renke
  • Ian’s Walk: A Story About Autism by Laurie Lears
  • In Jesse’s Shoes: Appreciating Kids With Special Needs by Beverly Lewis
  • Leah’s Voice by Lori DeMonia
  • Love for Logan by Lori DeMonia
  • Meet the Beaker Kids: A book for anyone who’s ever had “enough” by Shanna Philipson
  • Show You Understand: Learning about Compassion and Caring by Regina G. Burch
  • Someone Special Just Like You by Tricia Brown
  • Sometimes My Brother: Helping Kids Understand Autism Through a Sibling’s Eyes by Angie Healy
  • Special People, Special Ways by Arlene Maguire
  • The Autism Acceptance Book: Being a Friend to Someone with Autism by Ellen Sabin
  • The One and Only Special Me by Rozanne Lanczak Williams
  • The Special Needs Acceptance Book: Being a Friend to Someone with Special Needs by Ellen Sabin
  • This is Gabriel Making Sense of School: A Book About Sensory Processing Disorder by Hartley Steiner
  • We Can Do It! by Laura Dwight

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I only have listed books that I have in my personal library. If you are an author of a book or resource geared towards helping kids understand special needs and would like me to review your work OR if you have questions about any of the resources I have listed, the best way to reach me is via Facebook Messaging on my OMazing Kids Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/messages/174264525957894.

(My e-mail is listed below but I am getting tons of spam mail due to using that account for social media and blogging…. to the point that I may not receive the e-mail or it being buried among the spam.)

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Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP, IAYT, RCYP-2

Speech-Language Pathologist

Founder of OMazing Kids, LLC – inclusive wellness activities for kids of all abilities

Radiant Child Yoga Certified – Levels 1 & 2

E-Mail: amoorad1@juno.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga

Facebook Messaging for OMazing Kids: https://www.facebook.com/messages/174264525957894

AppPeeps Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/OMazingKidsAppPeeps/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/amoorad

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/amoorad1

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/OMazingKids/

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/#omazing-kids-yoga

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/110305433538768736741

Boardmaker Share: http://www.boardmakershare.com/Community/FriendsProfile/10916/Angela-Moorad

Blog: http://omazingkidsllc.com

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OMazing Kids LLC is an organization that promotes inclusive wellness activities for kids of all abilities. The blog and social media pages share information about books, DVD’s, CD’s, games and other products specifically designed for kids wellness, mindfulness and relaxation, product reviews & giveaways, lesson plan & activity ideas, research, kids wellness in the news and a connection corner with listings of individuals doing adapted yoga and those offering trainings.

NOTE: Please ignore any ads that appear below the crayons divider bar or any ads or unusual hyperlinks that may appear above. This is a free blog site & I have no control over ads appearing here. 

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