Meet Larry- Our new RCC
(Resident Canine Companion)
-with his friend Donovan Ash
Larry stays with Therapist Allison Arons when he is not at "work."
She takes him to special training classes.
Then he comes to school to practice.
He is very successful at bringing out the Calmness and the Love. What's better than that? |
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Sharing Professional Development:
Social Stories and Visual Schedules
During February we devoted two of our Thursday staff meetings to training led by Oak Hill colleagues, focusing on Social Stories and Visual Schedules. Do you know about Social Stories™? Teachers shared their class Social Stories and Matt Poynter led an active discussion.
 Social Stories, developed by Carol Gray, is one of the many strategies we use at Oak Hill to help students understand and connect with the world. Social Stories are short stories written by a teacher, therapist, or parent about an aspect of a child's world that needs deeper understanding. Each one is unique to a specific set of circumstances, most involve pictures or drawings that support comprehension, and many include strategies for addressing challenges that may arise. A Social Story's title tells what it's about, and the following are titles of recent stories at oak Hill:
- My First Day at Giant Steps
- We're Going to the Farmer's market
- Washing Hands is Important
- We Have a New Student
- The Talented Mr. Choy
Using stories to help students understand things is a common strategy, but Social Stories, as Carol Gray designed them, follow a very specific recipe. On a recent Thursday afternoon the Oak Hill staff revisited the ingredients of a Social Story. A few key components include:
- Social Stories should be meaningful, patient, and reassuring.
- Social Stories should applaud achievements at least as often as they address challenges.
- Social Stories should answer who, what, where, and (most importantly) why.
- Most sentences in a Social Story should be descriptive, rather than directive.
There are a number of apps available for writing Social Stories on an iPad. My Story enables you to use pictures and/or illustrations, record your voice so the story is read out loud, and share it with other iPads or computers; unfortunately, it does not have a good printing option. If you can think of a topic that could be illuminated by a Social Story, talk to your child's teacher.
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Oak Hill Speech Pathologists Cathy Ainsworth and Jenny Ripley Lead Discussion on Visual Schedules.
For children with ASD, consistency and predictability in life routines are essential, as they are a foundation for emotional regulation. Routines support students' development. Pair that with the fact that
research studies indicate that 75% of children with ASD are visual learners (California Department of Education). Reinforcing the predictability and consistency of what to expect eases anxiety, helps students feel comfortable and helps them learn.
We talked about various ways we support predictability and routines visually. Here are some examples from around the school.
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Manzanita Coffee Shop Schedule |
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Redwoods' March overview (below) and Let's Stay Safe visual lesson |
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Buckeyes Schedule. Green column activities aren't completed. When they are, students move the activity icon to the red column. |
Visual Schedules can be used for many subjects, from a simple First/Then pictorial, to days of the month and week.
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First/Then |
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The Oak Hill Prep Visual Schedule just prompts with words, but it is still supportive to students transitioning through their day. We all use visuals to help us plan, yet they are particularly helpful for students who thrive with predictability and consistency. |
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And We Have Events Coming Up!
YES!!!!! Now that you know the date so well, it's time to decide how you will get involved! There are many options, and you can choose all or some. They are:
- Sponsor the event: help underwrite our event expenses so that all income derived from the actual event will go to our program.
- Donate wine: Stand Up! is well known for its fine wine bar, our wine cabinet raffle, our silent auction, PLUS the wine served to our guests - like you.
- Sell Raffle Tickets:
we will have two ticket options. One will be for a wine cabinet
filled with excellent bottles @ $100 per ticket; the other offers chances to win prizes such as a trip on Jet Blue, a bike, or a Dough Boy jar filled with cash for $20 per ticket or 6 for $100.
 The Marin Human Race is the largest collaborative fundraising event in Marin County. Participants support nonprofit agencies and schools across Marin County through donating and collecting donations. Join us on Saturday, May 11, 2013 for the 31st Annual Marin Human Race! Click here for more details
Race day features a fun and energizing run/walk/roll around a 5K course, that winds its way through the historic and scenic Marin County Civic Center lagoon and fairgrounds, kids races and activities, a dog walk, the Community Village fair and a pancake breakfast.
WE'RE GOING TO MAKE THIS AN OAK HILL FUN DAY WITH TEACHERS AND PARENTS AND KIDS AND DOGS AND BABIES IN STROLLERS AND OAK HILL T-SHIRTS SHOWING OUR STRENGTH!
After Stand Up! we're hitting the trail and JOINING THE RACE!
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Scenes From Oak Hill
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Katie prepares for kick |
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Hannah kicking soccer ball |
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Braden watering garden |
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The Buckeyes celebrated Ethan's Birthday at House of Air |
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Relationship Based Learning in Cancun, Mexico: Carl and a friend. |
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Bridge Club members join hands |
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Oak Hill School...
Where relationships are the gateway to social, emotional, and intellectual growth in children with autism and other developmental differences.
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Oak Hill School
300 Sunny Hills Drive
Building #6
San Anselmo, CA 94960
Front office: 415-457-7601
Fax: 415-457-7620
Any photographs of Oak Hill students included in this newsletter are used with the permission of parents or guardians. |
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