Tip of the Week for June 25th, 2012
This Week's Tip: "Try to find activities that target your child's talents or top interests. For example, if your child is really great at building with Legos, perhaps he would enjoy joining a Lego club. Participating in an activity that surrounds an area of strength will hopefully prove to be enjoyable and motivating, but most of all, it will allow your child to feel great about himself. Choosing a high-interest activity may also enable him to relax within a social environment and gain more confidence to try new or difficult skills. Check your local library, YMCA, recreational center, churches, school clubs, etc. If they do not currently offer the program you are seeking, they may be willing to offer it in the future."
Excerpt from Destination Friendship: Developing Social Skills for Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorders or Other Social Challenges/ Mary Benton, Carol Hollis, Kelly Mahler & Alice Womer
Book of the Week:
"Just Give Him the Whale!" : 20 Ways to Use Fascinations, Areas of Expertise, and Strengths to Support Students With Autism/ by Paula Kluth and Patrick Schwarz. Paul H. Brookes, 2008. "When learners with autism have deep, consuming fascinations-trains, triangles, basketballs, whales-teachers often wonder what to do. This concise, highly practical guidebook gives educators across grade levels a powerful new way to think about students' "obsessions": as positive teaching tools that calm, motivate, and improve learning. ... this guide is brimming with easy tips and strategies for folding students' special interests, strengths, and areas of expertise into classroom lessons and routines. Teachers will discover how making the most of fascinations can help their students: learn standards-based academic content, boost literacy learning and mathematics skills, develop social connections, expand communication skills, minimize anxiety ..."--Publisher's website. This book is in the SESA Library in both Anchorage and Fairbanks; you may search the library catalog via the SESA website or contact Anne directly by email at afreitag@sesa.org, or by phone at 907-334-1301. |
