Christmas Activity

What a great way to work on your child's motor skills and also decorate for the holidays. This activity could be used for all ages. http://playathomemom3.blogspot.com/search/label/Sensory%20Activities

Is there any thing your family does to get into the holiday season?

Apps for Autism

This was worth passing on as is. I would not do this article justice if I tried to edit it and put it in my words. Enjoy!

As Discussed on CBS’s 60 Minutes New Book for You Apps for Autism An Essential Guide to Over 200 Effective Apps for Improving Communication, Behavior, Social Skills, and More!

Autism? There’s an app for that!

Actually, there are more than 200 apps for autism, and this book will guide you through them so you can confidently utilize today’s technology to maximize your child or student’s success!

Speech Language Pathologist Lois Jean Brady wrote this book in order to educate parents, teachers, and other professionals about the breakthrough method she calls “iTherapy”—which is the use of Apple products (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch) and various apps (computer applications) in meeting students’ individual educational goals.

Lois believes that all persons on the spectrum can learn how to use technology in a way that is relevant to them. She shares important tips on how to use apps responsibly and effectively by maintaining a child-centered, team approach to teaching and learning, taking into account the individual’s interests, strengths/challenges, vision, motor planning, attention, sensory processing, memory, cognitive ability, environment, and access to tools. Lois also coaches adults on how they can use prompting and reinforcement techniques to help establish and generalize skills learned, until students are able to consistently demonstrate the skills in various environments (home, school, etc.).

For those who are new to the wonderful world of apps, worry not! Lois provides helpful sections on how to get started, including: Choosing an iDevice, Basic iDevice Operations, Opening an Account, How to Download an App from iTunes, and more!

You will be astonished and excited by the number of apps available, and the vast variety of issues they can address:

• Voice Output
• Sign Language
• One-Touch Switch
• Text-to-Speech
• Articulation
• Encouragement
• Listening and Auditory Processing
• Language Comprehension
• Vocabulary
• Concept Development
• Video Modeling
• Social Skills Group Activities
• Eye Contact and Body Language
• Hygiene & Pre-Vocational
• Graphic Organizers & Visual Supports
• Visual Timers
• Sound Masking
• Handwriting
• Bilateral Coordination
• Motor Planning
• Activities of Daily Living
• Reading
• Spelling
• Math
• Preschool
• Dysphagia
• Aphasia, Apraxia & Dysarthria
• Stuttering
• Music, Songs & Creativity
• Information about Autism
• Eating Gluten Free
• And more!

Meet the Author: Lois Brady, M.A., CCC-SLP, is passionate about working with the special needs community. She found her calling while in high school, when she spent her summer breaks volunteering in camp programs for children with special needs. Lois has over two decades of experience working as a Speech Language Pathologist specializing in Autism Spectrum Disorder. She has earned a Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology, Certificate in Assistive Technology, Certificate in Computer Based Intervention, and has completed an Animal Assisted Therapy Program. Lois coauthored the book Speech in Action, featuring approaches that combine occupational therapy, adaptive physical education, and speech-language pathology, and is currently conducting research in communication disorders and developing products (apps) to enhance communication and language.

Meet the Author:
"Lois has taken an important leap in writing this book, providing a much-needed primer for considering the newest, mobile, educational technologies … For parents, teachers, and therapists, it is important to understand what the individual apps can and cannot do, and to be able to carefully consider features relevant to individual needs. From communication to literacy, recreation, and accessories, Apps for Autism provides a wealth of useful information to read and reference." —Samuel Sennott, a Ph.D. Student in Special Education and Augmentative and Alternative Communication at the Pennsylvania State University

Week 10 Social Skills Playhouse; Making and Maintaining Friends

Friendship is like a garden of flowers, fine and rare. It cannot reach perfection except through loving care. Then new and lovely blossoms with each day appear...for friendship like a garden, grows in beauty year by year. – Anonymous

F.R.I.E.N.D.S

F.riend Files

R.easonable Expectations

I.nterests and Invitations

E.xceptional Behavior

N.on verbal Communication

D.o it- Spiral of Social Success

S.et Realistic Goals

This week\we will be focusing class on assisting you and your children in transitioning their classmates into "friends" via our friend file exercise and contact information exchange. 

Week 9 Social Skills Playhouse; Perspective Taking

Here we are on our second to last session of the Fall semsester and have evolved to the highest level of our PEOPLE rubric, Perspective taking, the ability to take other's thoughts, ideas and personality into account. The concept of "theory of the mind"

Homework this week...

Observe your child's perspective taking, how has it changed? Do you see them understanding where others are coming from?  How do you "get" other people?

"How do we understand each other? Although we are rarely explicitly aware of it, we utilize notions of invisible, intangible, and yet pragmatically very useful entities such as intentions, desires, beliefs, and knowledge to make human and animal behavior comprehensible and predictable. So automatic are these processes of inferences and attributions that it is not until something goes wrong that their extraordinary characteristics become salient and present themselves to our awareness" Francis F. Steen, Communication Studies, University of California, Los Angeles.

Social Skills Playhouse Lead Social Coach Scott Nipper to present at the ADDA-SR NW Houston Chapter Meeting

Topic:        Smart but Scattered

This presentation will offer a practical and parent friendly approach to teaching executive skills. Scott will share from a personal and professional perspective the vital importance of learning executive functioning skills.

Speaker:   Scott Nipper

Scott has almost 2 decades of professional experience in special needs as a teacher and behavior analyst.  He studied autism intervention in graduate school and specialized in Aspergers Syndrome.  His knowledge of dyslexia and ADHD is much more personal as a learner.    

Time:          November 8, 2011, 7:00-8:30 pm (2^nd Tuesday)

Place:        Foundry United Methodist Church

                        8350 Jones Road, room to be announced, look for signs

Week 8 Social Skills Playhouse, Executive Function: A new lens for viewing your child

By Kristin Stanberry

www.greatschools.org

As each of us goes about daily life, numerous mental processes and skills help us plan for — and respond to — the tasks, challenges, and opportunities we face. Researchers and psychologists have coined the term executive function to describe this constellation of cognitive controls. The dynamics of executive function affect every one of us — young and old, as well as those with and without disabilities. It influences our performance at school, on the job, our emotional responses, personal relationships, and social skills. Yet executive function plays itself out a little differently in each of us; each individual is uniquely strong or competent in some cognitive control areas and weaker in others.

Executive function is a theory developed over the past 20 years. Interest in the theory — and discussion of it — is on the upswing among professionals who treat people with cognitive disabilities, including those with learning disabilities (LD), and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD).

The theory of executive function is not an exact science, nor is it a standard diagnostic category. Even so, it can provide a framework in which parents and professionals can understand a child's level of cognitive ability. When a child struggles with learning, attention, or behavior problems, the concept of executive function can help us sort through and pinpoint where the breakdowns occur in the context of her overall functioning. It may also help highlight a child's areas of strength and talent. Finally, it may help us determine how to support the child's growth and development in areas of struggle.

How do experts define executive function?

While definitions of executive function vary slightly, and the concept is still evolving, there is some consensus among researchers, psychologists, and other experts. Sheldon H. Horowitz, Ed.D, director of professional services at the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD), offers a description that reflects the views of many experts: "Executive functioning involves activating, orchestrating, monitoring, evaluating, and adapting different strategies to accomplish different tasks.... It requires the ability to analyze situations, plan and take action, focus and maintain attention, and adjust actions as needed to get the job done." Executive function is often compared to the conductor of a symphony orchestra, coordinating and managing many cognitive functions. For kids with LD and/or AD/HD, the interaction of cognitive functions may not always produce a harmonious result.

What abilities are involved in executive function?

Thomas Brown, Ph.D., assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at the Yale University School of Medicine and associate director of the Yale Clinic for Attention and Related Disorders, has proposed a model that includes six clusters of cognitive functions involved in executive function. The following table illustrates Dr. Brown's model (terms used by other experts are shown in italics).
 

Cognitive cluster	Executive functions
Activation	Organizing, prioritizing, and activating to workInitiating, planning, strategizing, and sequencing
Focus	Focusing, sustaining, and shifting attention to tasks
Effort	Regulating alertness, sustaining, and processing speedPacing, managing time, and resisting distraction
Emotion	Managing frustration and regulating emotions
Memory	Utilizing working memory and accessing recallUsing feedback
Action	Monitoring and self-regulating actionInhibiting

"Each cluster operates in rapidly shifting interactive dynamics to do a wide variety of daily tasks that require self-regulation by using attention and memory to guide one's action rather than being micro-managed by someone else," explains Dr. Brown.

How does executive functioning work (or not work) in kids with learning or attention problems?

To better understand how various executive functions play out in a child's daily life, let's examine some common childhood tasks and situations. The tables below list some of the executive functions required in specific situations* — and what difficulties result when the necessary executive functions are dysfunctional.

Reading comprehension
Executive function used	Signs of executive dysfunction
Working memory and accessing recall	When she reaches the end of a chapter, she's forgotten key points she picked up (and understood) while reading.
Regulating alertness	When reading a long passage, she can't stay alert and attentive; she has low stamina when it comes to reading.
Regulating processing speed	She reads in fits and starts; she can't find a rhythm in her reading pattern.

Writing
Executive function used	Signs of executive dysfunction
Activating (starting)	She doesn't know how to begin a writing project.
Organizing	She has no idea how to outline an essay or report.
Prioritizing	She writes too much about things that are of minor importance to the story.
Sequencing	She presents facts/ideas in a disorganized, illogical order.

Taking tests
Executive function used	Signs of executive dysfunction
Focusing	She is easily distracted and can't stay focused on the instructions or the test questions.
Strategizing	She can't develop an appropriate plan of attack by skimming the test and instructions before taking the test..
Working memory/ accessing recall	When trying to answer test questions, she has trouble remembering information she's previously learned. She struggles to hold onto and mentally manipulate related facts/concepts to answer test questions.
Pacing	She spends too much time on some questions and rushes through others. She may not efficiently budget the time that's allocated.

Long-term projects
Executive function used	Signs of executive dysfunction
Organizing	She can't determine the steps for the project (or their sequence). She has trouble collecting resources and often misplaces what she does find. She struggles to put the pieces of the project together in an orderly or logical way.
Managing time	She doesn't set realistic task milestones to work through the project from start to finish.
Self-regulation	She fails to monitor her progress.

Shifting between tasks
Executive function used	Signs of executive dysfunction
Shifting attention	She can't "let go" of a task to attend to another project when instructed to. She gets "stuck" on a task or favorite pastime and can't move her focus elsewhere when required.
Managing frustration	She becomes angry or frustrated when she feels forced to switch gears.

Playing a game with a group of her peers
Executive function used	Signs of executive dysfunction
Self-regulation	She has a hard time waiting her turn and working cooperatively.
Managing frustration	When frustrated with her peers, she may act out before trying to understand and manage the perceived conflict internally and/or through calm communication.

* Note: The scenarios described above are examples but do not represent a complete list.

Are there tests that measure a child's strength and weakness in executive function?

There is some debate about this, but Dr. Brown states: "A person's ability to perform the complex, self-managed tasks of everyday life provides a much better measure of his or her executive functioning than can neuropsychological tests."

There is also a debate about whether or not an individual's executive function profile can be used, in and of itself, to help identify LD or diagnose AD/HD. It is not standard practice at this time.

How can you use the executive function framework to understand your child's strengths and struggles?

As a parent, you may find the framework of executive function helpful for identifying not only your child's area(s) of difficulty but also her strengths and talents. By organizing and teasing apart that information, her unique "executive function profile" may emerge. This will help you determine where she needs extra help, and where her strengths might help compensate for her areas of struggle.

This perspective may also help you communicate your concerns and observations to teachers and other professionals. This may, in turn, help educators determine what accommodations or interventions might target her areas of difficulty, perhaps by playing to some of her strengths. (Note: Many teachers are not familiar with the concept of executive function. However, your school psychologists may be familiar with the theory because neuropsychological testing is used to assess executive function.)

Whether or not your child meets the criteria for LD or AD/HD, understanding her executive function profile — where she struggles, where she succeeds, and how those abilities interact — may be a powerful tool for understanding who she is, and how she learns and functions best. Depending on the age of your child, it may also provide a lens through which she can view herself — a view that will change and develop as she matures.

Kristin Stanberry is a writer and editor specializing in parenting, education, and consumer health/wellness issues. Her areas of expertise include learning disabilities and AD/HD, which she wrote about extensively for Schwab Learning and GreatSchools.

Week 5 Social Skills Playhouse; Linguistic Management

This week's lesson focuses on linguistic, or conversation, management.  For those of you on our parent mailing list, you recently received a series of resources to assist with generalization of this week's conversation management skills. 

For homework this week, we recommend learning and using Michelle Garcia Winner's vocabulary found in the Conversation Rules word document during family meals, in the car and when you witness your child using "the carpool lane" (shares the conversation with others) or "interruption junction" (interrupts during inappropriate times) to shape their linguistic skills.

Declarative vs Imperative Communication is excellent for parents to use as a resource to develop in depth conversations with their children and work on generalizing these skills during parent-child dialogue.

Upcoming Social Skills Playhouse Events....

On Thursday, October 13th we are running a SibShop at Graveview Baptist Church, JOY Ministry in Tomball from 6:30-8pm.  This event run by Celeste Osborne M.A., SibShop trained facilitator, is a wonderful opportunity for the siblings of SSP students to get together, share, and learn from each other. The cost is $15.00 and can be paid this Thursday to Celeste.  

Also,  on Saturday, October 15th SSP will be hosting a private workshop at the Games Workshop located at 22503 State Highway 249, Houston, TX 77070  for student's age 7+ years. You can learn more about Games Workshop at http://www.games-workshop.com/.  We are hoping that this outing is the first of many SSP is able to host throughout the year.  For these outings we will find a fun and safe place for students to expand their social horizons for a nominal or free cost.

October 22nd SSP, in conjunction with Trails Less Traveled, is offering, “Equines Assisting in Social Skills”  There are 2 time slots (9:00-10:30am and 10:45am-12:15pm) with each group being limited to 10 children/families.  Cost for this voluntary program is $45 per child/family. Payment can be made online at  http://www.trails-less-traveled.com/ under resources or mail check to: 15 Ranch Creek Way Magnolia TX  77354.  For more information please contact Janet Nicholas @ 713-882-4268 or janet@janetnicholas.com

Week 4 Social Skills Playhouse; Observation Skills

This week we are focusing on teaching and understanding how to accurately read non-verbal communication and monitor what our body language communicates to others. Over developed or under developed social radar can either lead to social anxiety or people missing subtle social cues, particularly in regards to micro facial expressions. This latter group is often the target of bullying because they are unable to get their proverbial "foot out of their mouths" and will often "dig their holes deeper".

HOMEWORK:

We recommend having student's watch their favorite Disney drama or cartoon, without the audio, and analyze the non verbals of a particular character and attempt to predict and or create practical hypothesis about their intentions. Using a mirror with younger children to have them practice emotions and family charades are also encouraged.

Social Skills Playhouse Announces New Expanded Fall Schedule...

Due to popular demand, SSP has added two new classes taught by Lead Social Coach Ms Kelly at our CyFair location.  Robin Rettie of Lighthouse Learning and Resource has been kind enough to allow us expanded use of her facility so we are now able to offer this new 6 week class.

Classes begin on Wednesday, October 12th and run through Wednesday November 16th.

                       Wednesday 4:15-5:15 pm (Younger mixed group)
                       Wednesday 5:30-6:30 pm (Older boys group)


These classes are already filling up quickly, so please contact us at info@socialskillsplayhouse.com if you are interested in enrolling your child.

Cy Fair - Kelly Martinez, Lead Social Coach- Lighthouse Learning and Resource
10928 Grant Rd. Houston, TX 77070

Curriculum: Check out our new P.E.O.P.L.E. rubric created by SSP!

P.roblem solving, E.xecutive functioning, O.bservation skills

P.erspective taking, L.inguistic management, E.motion regulation

Tuition:

$350 6 week Fall 2011 Session

$210 for our 3 day December Holiday Camp

$500 for each 8 week Winter and Spring 2012 Semesters

Need based scholarships may be available

Week 3 Social Skills Playhouse; Accepting Responsibility

This week’s lesson focuses on accepting responsibility, conflict resolution and "I" statements.  We will be focusing on re framing, or reconstructing, statements so that they are no longer “blaming” statements.  A few examples of what we’ll be doing are:

Blaming statement: "Mom, he hit me!"

Re-constructed: I took his toy and then he got mad and hit me

Blaming statement: "She made me mad!"
Re-constructed: I was frustrated by her screaming and tattle telling

Blaming statement: You hate me!
Re-constructed: I feel sad when you tell me no/don't pay attention to me, etc.

Homework recommendations; try using your phone or a tape recorder to record a blaming statement and then play it back for your children to hear. Next tape a “taking responsibility” statement and play it back to them--hear the difference. For students who are more visual we recommend charting, writing with pictures and/or words the blaming statements and then re-constructing it into "I feel_______ when________ happens".

Week 2 Social Skills Playhouse; Emotion Regulation

This week we will be focusing on understanding our triggers and corresponding physiological responses by plotting them on our “Feel-o-meters” according to intensity.  We all naturally apply specific coping skills to regulate our responses and most of us only employ one or two.  In this week’s class, we will introduce and practice additional coping strategies. 

We often show low level cues that we are being triggered prior to a meltdown, our job as parents and professionals is to pick up on these cues and educate our children and ourselves as to how best deal with them.

We recommend students self advocate (with prompting at the beginning from an adult) to take safe breaks.  It is important that children are able to find a safe place in the home and the classroom for such breaks.  Interestingly, because it forces one to have controlled breathing, blowing bubbles (yes, the good old-fashioned soap bubbles) is an effective strategy for students young and old.  Other strategies which work are self massage and pressure points, stretching, guided short meditation, swinging, deep breathing and heavy lifting.

These techniques can be used in the traditional classroom as well.  You don’t need to have an IEP or a formal diagnosis for your child to incorporate some of these strategies into their school.  We have found that working with schools and giving ideas, thoughts and suggestions as to what will help fend off a major meltdown is often not only accepted, but embraced.

Social Skills Playhouse enjoys seeing Temple Grandin speak...

What a day!

Joe Whitehead, lead social coach at our Conroe location, and I spent the day at the Sheraton, North Houston listening to Temple Grandin, Ph.D. speak at the “A Journey Through the Autism Spectrum” conference hosted by Spectrum Training Systems Inc. It was an educational (and very entertaining) day, and we both came out of the three 90 minute lectures feeling both drained and energized.

Temple’s talks were broken into three major categories all focusing on different aspects of working with children on the Autism spectrum.  During the first session, both Joe and I were excited to hear Temple speak about so many of the tactics and strategies utilized in Social Skills Playhouse  like group play and working on eye contact as effective techniques to be used with these kids.

In addition to speaking about how Autism manifests itself in children, Temple also spent time focusing on the big picture, long term prognosis for men and women growing up with Autism (usually quite good), looking at how many successful and famous people either have been (or should have been!) diagnosed, and the role that both diet and meds play in both the treatment of Autism. 

Overall it was a fascinating day.  After the talk was over, I recalled that in introducing Temple the opening speaker said, “Grandin is listed in the 2010 Time 100 list of the 100 most influential people in the world in the category “Heroes”.  I (like many of the 400 plus attendees I’m sure) gained a whole new respect for Dr. Grandin today, the humility with which she does, and the passion she brings to, her work; she truly is a hero.

 Bar Clarke

Social Skills Playhouse Parent Support and HOMEWORK!

New this semester, we are going to be posting parent homework along with other articles and pieces we feel would be helpful. You will also find the theme for the week and homework assignment written on the Social Skills Playhouse Calendar...

So, this weeks homework..

What are your or your child's obstacles in having and maintaining Exceptional Behavior?  What has worked for generalizing behavior at home, school and in your community?

Temple Grandin at A&M University 9/14-9/15

Temple Grandin to speak at two A&M events - Open to the General Public The well-respected lecturer Temple Grandin will share her experiences as a person with autism and her cattle expertise during two events at Texas A&M University.
Grandin will talk about her autism insights at 7 p.m. Sept. 14 at Rudder Auditorium. The Rosenthal Lecture Series and Texas A&M University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences will host her presentation "Different Kinds of Minds Need to Work Together."

Grandin also will speak at 7 p.m. Sept. 15 at the Annenberg Presidential Conference Center at Texas A&M on the topic "Animal Welfare: A Practical Approach."

Grandin, a professor at Colorado State University, was diagnosed with autism in 1950. She became an internationally acclaimed expert on humane livestock handling facilities and a leader in the animal welfare movement. In North America, almost half of all cattle processing facilities include a center track restrainer system that she designed for meat plants.

Her story has been reported widely, including most recently in Time magazine's 2010 "The 100 Most Influential People in the World." Grandin is also the subject of the 2010 Emmy Award-winning HBO film "Temple Grandin," which was a
semi-biographical account of her life as a highly-functioning person with autism.

Both events are free, but tickets are needed for the Sept. 14 presentation. They can be obtained by contacting the Texas A&M University Box Office at 979-845-1234. The Sept. 15 event is open to the public without tickets.

Bullies 2 Buddies

Yesterday, in the car and after the first week of school one of student's excitedly told her father, "The bullies from last year are becoming buddies this year thanks to Social Skills Playhouse."  By individuals changing their thought processes and response to the bullies we are able to ignite self-reliance and bolster our spiral of social success.

Classes in Conroe, Spring Branch, College Station and Cy Fair!
10 week class schedule:  September 12th - November 17th 2011

Meet Our Team!

Cy Fair - Kelly Martinez, Lead Social Coach- Lighthouse Learning and Resource

10928 Grant Rd. Houston, TX 77070

Mondays: 4:00-5:00 pm 7-11 year olds (2 openings)       

Mondays: 5:15-6:15 pm 12-17 year olds (2 openings)

Bryan/College Station- Joe Whitehead M.Ed, Lead Social Coach-Southwood Community Center

1520 Rock Prairie Rd. College Station, TX 77840

Tuesdays: 4:45-5:45 pm 7-11 year olds (5 openings)

Tuesdays: 6:00-7:00 pm 12-17 year olds (4 openings)

Spring Branch- Scott Nipper BCBA, Lead Social Coach- Clay Road Family YMCA 

10655 Clay Rd. Houston, TX 77041

Wednesdays and Thursdays:

3:30-4:30 pm 5-11 year olds (5 openings)

4:45-5:45 pm 12-17 year olds (4 openings)

The Woodlands-  Erin Webb LMFT, Director- Cunae International School

5655 Creekside Forest Dr. The Woodlands TX 77389

Tuesdays: 4:00-5:00 pm 8-11 yrs (1 opening)

Tuesdays: 5:15-6:15pm 11-17 yrs (full)

Wednesdays: 4:00-5:00pm 4-7 yrs (1 opening)

Wednesdays: 5:15-6:15pm 7-10 yrs (1 opening)

Conroe - Joe Whitehead M.Ed, Lead Social Coach- Conroe Bible Church

4491 I 45 N Conroe, TX 77304

Thursdays: 4:45-5:45 pm 8-11 year olds (2 openings)

Thursdays: 6:00-7:00 pm 12-17 year olds (2 openings)

Tomball- Erin Webb LMFT, Director- The JOY Ministry, Graceview Baptist Church

25510 Tomball Pkwy, Tomball TX 77375

Thursday: 4:15-5:15 pm  5-7 years (full)

Thursday: 5:30-6:30 pm  7-11years (full)

Thursday: 6:45-7:45 pm  12-17 years (1 opening)

Curriculum: Check out our new P.E.O.P.L.E. rubric created by SSP!

P.roblem solving, E.xecutive functioning, O.bservation skills

P.erspective taking, L.inguistic management, E.motion regulation

Tuition:

$600 10 week Fall 2011 Session

$210 for our 3 day December Holiday Camp

$500 for each 8 week Winter and Spring 2012 Semesters

Need based scholarships maybe available

www.SocialSkillsPlayhouse.com 

erin@socialskillsplayhouse.com         

ph:  713.838.5222

fax: 832.698.2973