"Please remember we truly wanted to be there..."

http://themighty.com/2015/11/to-the-loved-ones-who-d0nt-get-why-we-leave-holiday-dinners-early/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=themighty&utm_campaign=Email_Share&utm_content=sharebar

Lessons this week will focus on our important November holidays and related vocabulary. Thank you veterans past and present and those currently serving.

http://www.prweb.com/releases/PAL/Playonwords/prweb13056143.htm#.Vj6R4FLEOTc.email =

Playonwords LLC Announces Top 10 PAL (Play Advances Language) Award Picks 2015, Holiday Gift Guide: Best Toys, Games and Books That Spark Fun and Encourage Language

Below is an easy to read article.....it focuses on vocabulary for those using an AAC device, however, the techniques and ideas are what we use for children w/ & w/o AAC devices.....


Tips to Teach Core Vocaculary to AAC Users Through Movement Activities
http://blog.asha.org/2015/11/03/tips-to-mix-aac-into-movement-activities/

What Is An Insect?

Used this today to help students when using a category game to help build vocabulary.

ARE YOU STARTING TO THINK ABOUT HOLIDAY SHOPPING? IF YOU ARE,  DON'T FORGET TO THINK ABOUT THE MATERIALS AND NOISE LEVEL OF THE TOYS YOU PURCHASE. 

NOISY TOYS

Parents may think that noise is a problem they need not worry about until their child reaches the teenage years. Not so. Some toys are so loud that they can cause hearing damage in children. Some toy sirens and squeaky rubber toys can emit sounds of 90 dB, as loud as a lawn mower. Workers would have to wear ear protection for similarly noisy sounds on the job.

The danger with noisy toys is greater than the 90-dB level implies. When held directly to the ear, as children often do, a noisy toy actually exposes the ear to as much as 120 dB of sound, the equivalent of a jet plane taking off. Noise at this level is painful and can result in permanent hearing loss.

Toys that pose a noise danger include cap guns, talking dolls, vehicles with horns and sirens, walkie-talkies, musical instruments, and toys with cranks. Parents who have normal hearing need to inspect toys for noise danger.

Before purchasing a new toy, listen to it. If the toy sounds loud, don’t buy it.

Examine toys you already have at home. Remove the batteries or discard the toys if they are too noisy and pose a potential danger to hearing. Some parents place heavy duct tape over the speakers on noisy toys.

The Sight and Hearing Association publishes a list of the noisiest toys each November, just in time for the holidays.

http://www.asha.org/public/hearing/Noisy-Toys/

PREVENTION

How can I protect my own or my child’s hearing from loud noise?

The key words are education and prevention!

Dealing with noise and its effects on your hearing is a personal responsibility. The obvious first rule is to avoid loud noise whenever possible. A good rule of thumb is to remember that if you must shout to be heard, then you should avoid the situation.

In typical day-to-day activities, you and your children can be exposed to damaging noise from many sources, such as:

• Lawn mowers and leaf blowers
• Hairdryers
• Power tools
• Kitchen appliances (like food processors, garbage disposals, and dishwashers)
• Prolonged exposure to heavy traffic or subway noise
• Long flights in an airplane
• Farm tractor noise

In addition, recreational activities can be sources of damaging noise:

• Hunting and target shooting
• Riding personal water craft
• Snowmobiling
• Motorcycle riding
• Attending rock concerts
• Listening to music on personal devices (such as MP3 players)

Here are some things you can do:

Wear hearing protection. Cotton in the ears will not work. Hearing protection, such as earmuffs or earplugs, can be purchased at drugstores, hardware stores, or sports stores. Custom earmolds can be made to fit your ears by an audiologist. Learn how to correctly insert the earplugs and earmolds for the best noise reduction.

Earplugs are placed into the ear canal so that they totally block the canal. They come in different shapes and sizes, or they can be custom-made by taking an impression of the ear. Earplugs can reduce noise by 15 to 30 decibels (dB) depending on how they are made and fit.

Earmuffs fit completely over both ears. They must fit tightly so that sound is blocked from entering the ears. Like earplugs, muffs can reduce noise 15 to 30 dB depending on how they are made and fit.

Earplugs and earmuffs can be used together to achieve even greater sound reduction. Use of earplugs and earmuffs is recommended when noise exposure is particularly high.

Do not listen to loud sounds for too long. If you don’t have hearing protection, move away from the loud sound. Give your ears a break from the sound. Plug your ears with your fingers as emergency vehicles pass on the road.

Lower the loudness of the sound. Keep personal listening devices set to no more than half volume. Don’t be afraid to ask others to turn down the sounds from speakers. Speak to the movie theater projectionist if the movie sound track is too loud.

Be a good consumer. Look for noise ratings on appliances, sporting equipment, power tools, and hair dryers. Purchase quieter products. This is especially important when purchasing toys for children.

Be a local advocate. Some movie theaters, health clubs, dance clubs, bars, and amusement centers are very noisy. Speak to managers and those in charge about the loud noise and the potential damages to hearing. Ask to have the noise source lowered.

Can my ears get used to noise?

Don't be fooled by thinking your ears are "tough" or that you have the ability to "tune it out"! Noise-induced hearing loss is usually gradual and painless but, unfortunately, permanent. Once destroyed, the hearing nerve and itssensory nerve cells do not repair.

If you think you have "gotten used to" the noise you routinely encounter, you may already have some hearing damage.

We have autism all wrong: The radical new approach we need to understand and treat it

We have autism all wrong: The radical new approach we need to understand and treat it

Toys

MakieLab -the world's first retailer of 3-D printed, create your own dolls now has a wide range of accessories ( hearing aids, cochlear implants, glasses, etc...). They are meeting the special needs that other toy companies have been unable to meet. So exciting !

I Can Have Conversations With You!™ iPad autism app video tour

Blog: Smart Apps For Special Needs
Post: Toy Like Me: Amazing new company for special needs toys!
Link: http://www.smartappsforspecialneeds.com/2015/05/toy-like-me-amazing-new-company-for.html

http://www.asha.org/uploadedFiles/BHSM-Poster.pdf

Click, Clack Just Like That Magic Coats Help Kids Dress Themselves

Necessity was the mother of invention for Maura Horton when she came up with the idea for her parent company MagnaReady. Maura was inspired when the effects of Parkinson’s disease prevented her husband from buttoning his shirt. Determined to help him remain independent, Maura came up with the idea of a magnetically infused shirt he could easily dress in without needing finger dexterity. MagnaReady is the first fashionable, magnetic closure dress shirt for men and women with limited mobility. Using her background in children’s fashion and her experience as a mom, Maura has expanded and created MagnaMini, the first magnetized coat for kids.

Maura Horton immediately knew that she would like to implement this technology into outerwear for kids. The new MagnaMini coats and vests are simple for children to wear whether they prefer putting them on one sleeve at a time or laying them on the floor and flipping them above their heads. The first magnetic coats and vests for children, MagnaMini eliminates the need for difficult to navigate buttons and zippers replacing them with simple to use magnets.

Not only does MagnaMini help build children’s confidence as they conquer a new skill, it makes getting ready to leave the house faster and simpler for parents. Instead of meltdowns over the inability to zip or button, parents will be able to watch their children proudly press their coat closed with ease. Recess time at school becomes simpler for teachers with MagnaMiniTM as well. Instead of the teacher zipping and snapping 30 coats closed before the class heads outside, MagnaMini enables kids to ready themselves for outdoor play.

http://www.magnamini.com/aboutus.html-retrieved 5/3/015

Visit www.busybugkits.com.au to find lists of books that provide many opportunities to assist with speech/language development for toddlers and late talkers . Thank you to
http://www.busybugkits.com.au/. Retrieved 2/15/2015.

Noise Control: 11 Tips for Helping a Child With Autism

shutterstock_182842871

Editor’s note: This is an excerpt of a blog post written by Karen Wang for Friendship Circle. Her full post can be read here.

When my son was a toddler, he had a panic attack every time our washing machine clicked loudly to change cycles. He developed a phobia of all types of bells. He covered his ears and cried in crowds. But he became calm, even joyful, every single time we went for a walk in the woods, visited the library or entered any kind of religious environment: his stiff, tight muscles would relax instantly in my arms.

Creating a Plan to Deal With Sounds
All of these observations gave me food for thought as I developed a plan to help him cope with his sensitivity to sound. Over the years his ability to tolerate noise has steadily increased, and barking dogs are his only remaining noise-related phobia.

Here are eleven ways to help a highly sensitive person learn how to cope with and enjoy everyday noisy situations.

1. Know the types of sensitivity
There are several different types of noise sensitivity, and there are different treatments for each type. Consult with an audiologist to pinpoint which type of sensitivity is affecting your quality of life. There are five common types of sensitivities, but keep in mind that a person may be affected by more than one issue. For example, my son has hyperacusis in addition to phobias of specific sounds.

2. Provide relief
Headphones and earplugs offer instant comfort and relief. Noise-canceling headphones are the most effective, because they replace irritating environmental noise by producing calming white noise. However, most audiologists, physicians, therapists and educators recommend against frequent use of headphones and earplugs, because a person can quickly become dependent on them.

3. Identify safe environments
One of the first steps that I took for my son was to make a list of his “safe” places and increase his participation there.

4. Allow control over some types of noise
At its heart, anxiety is a fear of being unable to control reactions and situations. When my son had a phobia of bells, I gave him several different types of bells to handle and experiment with at home. When we saw bells at customer service desks or in other public places, I allowed him to ring the bell. He gradually became comfortable with the sounds, and he even began identifying speaker systems, alarm systems and other sources of sounds everywhere we went.

5. Allow distractions
When my husband and I took a Lamaze childbirth class many years ago, we learned about the power of distraction in pain management. By giving a person something like an iPad to focus on or an unusual privilege such as bringing along a favorite toy from home, it becomes possible to direct attention away from the offending noise.

6. Gradually increase exposure and proximity
The cure for a fear of snakes does not involve throwing a person into a snake pit. Similarly, relief from noise sensitivity requires a gradual desensitization and not a sudden exposure. Start by observing something from afar and take a step closer with each opportunity.

7. Alternate noisy and quiet
I discovered that my son’s tolerance for noise increased the most when I scheduled frequent quiet breaks. After a morning out doing errands, we enjoyed a quiet lunch at home. After a playgroup with 7 other children, we made time to snuggle on the sofa. When we felt brave enough to visit a large theme park, we booked a hotel inside the park so that we could retreat as often as necessary. We always take a break before the noise upsets him, so that he will want to return for more fun after resting.

8. Hyperacusis Retraining Therapy (Tinnitus Retraining Therapy)
Auditory Integration Therapy (AIT) is sometimes suggested to people with noise sensitivity, but there is very little peer-reviewed research published on the topic of AIT, and the existing research has generally not been favorable. However, there is plenty of medical research on Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT), which involves listening to broadband pink noise to habituate a person to ringing in the ears. Pink noise contains all audible frequencies, but with more power in the lower frequencies than in the higher frequencies. Most people report that pink noise sounds “flat.” Because of this, it helps to rebuild tolerance to sound.

9. Cognitive-behavioral therapy
Physicians widely recommend cognitive-behavioral therapy for phobias and anxiety because it teaches a person to self-manage emotions and coping skills. The goal of the therapy is to reframe a person’s thought processes about the cause for anxiety in order to increase quality of life.

10.Consider supplements
Many people with tinnitus or hyperacusis are deficient in magnesium or other minerals. Consult with a physician to determine if nutritional supplements may be able to help.

11. Avoid food additives
Certain food additives, especially those in the salicylate family, are associated with noise sensitivity. In fact, medical literature refers to salicylate as a “tinnitus inducer.” Special diets, such as the Feingold Diet or a diverse whole foods diet, eliminate those additives and may help reduce sensitivity. Consult with a physician or dietitian before making any major dietary changes.

Karen Wang is a regular blogger for Friendship Circle, a nonprofit organization that supports people with special needs and their families. Karen is also a contributing author to the anthology “My Baby Rides the Short Bus: The Unabashedly Human Experience of Raising Kids With Disabilities”


-Retrieved 2/10/2015

Increase self-awareness and carry-over by SLPCARRIE on 11/17/2014 retrieved 1/23/2015

SLK_025_self-awareness.output.mp3
http://directory.libsyn.com/episode/index/id/3154643#vrqYddKOcrU3xium.03

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kurtam@middletownk12.org shared this using Po.st

The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr

Many years ago my aunt and uncle decided it was time to find a group home for my cousin. The search took 10 years to find the ideal group home. It was, and still is, a perfect fit. The decision was difficult but they knew it was needed so all family members would know he would be happy and well cared for if they were ever unable to care for him. Below is a link that might be helpful to you or others who might need to make these decisions.

http://www.friendshipcircle.org/blog/2012/06/12/10-must-have-documents-for-parents-of-children-with-special-needs/#.VLPT0mBjzOQ.email

Blog: Smart Apps For Special Needs
Post: Updated: 2014 Edition of our Top 100 Best Apps of the Year -- Part 1
Link: http://www.smartappsforspecialneeds.com/2015/01/updated-2014-edition-of-our-top-100.html


Blog: Smart Apps For Special Needs
Post: Top 100 Apps of 2014, Part 2 (Apps for Autism community, Emotions and Creative Play)
Link: http://www.smartappsforspecialneeds.com/2015/01/top-100-apps-of-2014-part-2-apps-for.html


Blog: Smart Apps For Special Needs
Post: Top 100 Apps for 2014, Part 3 (Early Education, Math, and Science Apps)
Link: http://www.smartappsforspecialneeds.com/2015/01/top-100-apps-for-2014-part-3-early.html


Blog: Smart Apps For Special Needs
Post: Top 100 Apps of 2014, Part 4 (Reading, Writing, eBook, Exercise, and Relaxations apps)
Link: http://www.smartappsforspecialneeds.com/2015/01/top-100-apps-of-2014-part-4-reading.html