I want to meet you. Give me a chance! Click here to chat with me online:
http://mierft.zoomshare.com/files/chat.htm

I want to meet you. Give me a chance! Click here to chat with me online:
http://claytonub.zoomshare.com/files/chat.htm

This group is not active.  I check it periodically to make sure nobody
has tried to get information from this site.  There is a new group
called YakimaAutism.  If you would like to join it, email me at
tlcbenner@....  I will send an invite.

New tool for autism education

This is Karl Smith, creator of the DT Trainer, and this is one of my few blasts per year informing the autism community on our continued progress. 

Thanks for your support of the DT Trainer as we are now in over 800 school districts, 220 private schools and service providers, and thousands of homes.  I will continue to expand the DT Trainer to cover more topics and a wider developmental range (currently the developmental range is 2-9 years old).

However, there is another area of learning that is critical for our kids.  There is 15 to 20 years of research showing how video modeling increases acquisition rates across a wide range of topics.  Video modeling materials have been available for 10 - 15 years, and yet I was amazed that this powerful teaching method is impacting few of our kids.

Looking into this disconnect, I discovered that video modeling media has been released to be played in standard media players starting with video types, and now computer based media players.  The problem is that video modeling is not just about playing videos, but is about the management of the process.  Regular media players lack the capabilities to organize the materials to facilitate quick access to a student's specific tasks in a teaching situation. Trying to find and use up a piece of video is clumsy, cumbersome and impractical in a fluid teaching situation.  Standard media players also lack the support for task analysis (breaking down tasks), sequences, transitions from video to images, transitions from images to text, data collection, visual schedules, and many other useful features to fully exploit the power of video modeling across a wide range of students and skills.

I set out to fix this situation and created the first designed player for video modeling the Activity Trainer.  There is a short 2 minute video that introduces the Activity Trainer at www.dttrainer.com/atpromovideo.  This tool is feature rich being driven by both research and feedback from experts in video modeling. The Activity Trainer allows users to create their own activities, and we are developing a Skills Library that includes skills in the categories of academic, daily living, communicating non-verbal initiation, recreation, social and speech.  We are reaching out to video modeling creators for third party libraries which customers could add to the Activity Trainer.  We will also reach out to Universities and others for a community library.

Our goal has been to offer a robust, easy to use tool that makes video modeling practical for school and home and that is affordable for schools and parents.  We had to go way out on the limb financially to create this tool, but I felt that it is important for our kids to get access to the power of video modeling.  I hope the community will download our free trial and either provide feedback or purchase to benefit your child or students and to help support this work.  The work has been endorsed by Dr. Peter Gerhardt of the Organization for Autism Research.  (See our web site)  We have thus far released about 167 activities in the developmental range of 2 to 9 years old.  We are currently working on over 60 more and will continue to expand our skills library.

There is a short 2 minute video that introduces the Activity Trainer at www.dttrainer.com/atpromovideo.  Visit our web site (www.dttrainer.com) for more information on the Activity Trainer and to download a free 30 day trial.

This website is no longer active.  If you are looking for information
on autism in Yakima, visit the Autism Society of Washington's website.
Soon there will be a new website specific for Yakima as a MSN group.
Until then, you can get contact information for the Autism Society of
Yakima on the ASW site.  This local group is active and would love to
have you join them in promoting awareness in Yakima and bringing the
Autism community in Yakima closer togather.  Tonya

As the business war on the air is hotting up with so many low-budget
airlines dominating the sky, the passengers can now enjoy the best
deals. The webguide - http://air.myguideforlife.com - helps you find
the cheapest and even free air tickets to make your journey ore
happier and very less expensive.

Visit the website now to find out how to get the cheap and free air
tickets: http://air.myguideforlife.com

Just checking this out today.  It has been awhile.  I will try to be
better at checking.
tonya
--- In ASY-PACS@yahoogroups.com, Lana Bennett <lbennett2361@...>
wrote:
>
> Hello,
> I do but it has been awhile since I have been on. I am a student
also so I have been very busy! Thanks for the e-mail but my other e-
mail is lana_bennett@... this e-mail is my most current and I visit
it more often.
> I hope to hear from you soon.
> LB
>
> tlcbenner <tlcbenner@...> wrote:
Just wondering if anybody else ever visits this site?
>  Let me know.
>  Tonya
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------
> We won't tell. Get more on shows you hate to love
> (and love to hate): Yahoo! TV's Guilty Pleasures list.
>

Hi Linda,
I don't come to this site as often as I would like but I am happy to
find your message.  My son is starting wilson next year.  He has Autism
and is pretty low functioning.  I know several families that have
children with aspergers.  You might want to check out the activities at
Children's village.  The autism support group and the autism society of
yakima are a great place to start.  Have you been?  I will try to check
this out a more often.
tonya
--- In ASY-PACS@yahoogroups.com, "Linda" <lin_pdx@...> wrote:
>
> My 15 year old son has Asperger's. We moved up here to Yakima last
> summer, and he is doing great in school at Wilson Middle School. They
> have a wonderful way with him. I am interested in meeting other
> parents of kids with Asperger's for tips, information, just hanging
out.
>

My 15 year old son has Asperger's. We moved up here to Yakima last
summer, and he is doing great in school at Wilson Middle School. They
have a wonderful way with him. I am interested in meeting other
parents of kids with Asperger's for tips, information, just hanging out.

Just wondering if anybody else ever visits this site?
Let me know.
Tonya

Just wondering if anybody else ever visits this site?
Let me know.
Tonya

Announcing Video Social Stories

From: Carol Gray, Mark Shelley, & the Special Minds Foundation

View video from Carol Gray & Mark Shelley: www.dttrainer.com/smovvid.php 

Hi,

This email is one of my few posts per year and is about a new tool to help teach our kids with autism and Aspergers.  I get frequent requests for tools to help our kids with social skills so here is a gem.

Imagine combining Carol Gray's social stories with the power of video for our visual learners.  That is what has happened with the collaboration between Carol Gray, Mark Shelley, and the Special Minds Foundation.  Volume 1 is the first in the planned series and covers basic social concepts & skills at school.  Future volumes will address a broad range of topics and target young children to adults.  The foundation has raised donations to help produce these materials so that the cost to the user can be much lower than otherwise possible for the product.   

The Social Concepts & Skills volume will not only be valuable for teachers, but also for parents helping prepare their children for school situations.  Additionally, some of the situations are issues for both home and school.  The product was designed for children with Aspergers and others on the autism spectrum, however it will also benefit any child with limited social skills.

Storymovies, Volume 1, targets students developmentally 8-12 years old and includes 25 stories based on 9 movies.  There are 2 versions: Standard Edition & Professional Edition.  Both versions include the main color version DVD of the 25 stories and a user's guide.  The Professional version includes a black & white DVD version that is used for children distracted by color; a raw footage DVD that is useful for additional teaching and testing purposes; and a CD with printable pictures and related activities for generalization, practice, & review.

Mark Shelley is a parent of a child with Aspergers, which is the reason for his efforts toward helping children learn social skills.  Mark and I started talking about digital video based social stories about 4 years ago.  Through much of his effort and sacrifice he now has this first important volume with more on the way.  The collaboration with Carol, getting donors to help fund the development, and him taking significant personal risk have all been critical in getting to this point.  I want to help get this in the hands of as many teachers and parents as possible by substantially cutting our margins and offering this tool at a 33% discount off of list.  The sales of the current volume will help fund the continued expansion of the series.   Please spread the word about this important work!

For more information visit: www.dttrainer.com/storymovies.html.

Karl Smith

- father of a son with autism

- founder of Accelerations Educational Software (making a difference for our kids)

Here is the link to a new film about what families experience raising children with ASD's.  The film is 13 minutes long and very powerful. 

The web-site is Autism Speaks.

 http://www.autismspeaks.org/sponsoredevents/autism_every_day.php

Patricia

BLAIRSVILLE - With four autistic children in her life, one
Blairsville woman's life couldn't get any more hectic ... or
rewarding.
But Heather Pearce's busy lifestyle - which also includes working on
her master's degree in special education and producing a learning
game she developed for autistic children - is well worth it. Her
dedication to the children and to autism itself is evident in the
pictures of her children on her coffee table, the look in her eyes
when she talks about them and the voicemails on her cell phone of
the children singing to her.
And also in the fact that none of the four are her biological or
adoptive children.
Pearce, 30, is a member of Family Behavioral Resources' therapeutic
staff support, out of the North Huntington office, and works with
children with autism, a neurological disorder that affects normal
brain development in the areas of social interaction and
communication skills. She splits her time daily at the homes of four
children and provides one-on-one play therapy, including speech and
occupational therapy.

Advertisement


Over the 4½ years she's worked with autistic children, Pearce has
developed a strong bond with the four children she sees daily, so
much so that she often refers to them as "her kids."

"I don't think I could function without some of my kids. You cannot
not love my kids," said. "My little guys, they're just amazing
little kids."

Her dedication to and emotional bond with one child in particular
prompted Pearce to develop the game Emotions Go Fish, an emotions-
reading game to help autistic children understand emotions.

"One of my guys couldn't understand emotions," said Pearce, an
Indiana University of Pennsylvania psychology graduate.

Autistic children "don't perceive emotions. ... To get it to click
is difficult. ... You can't teach them emotions in a fun way."

So Pearce decided find a way to do it. She got the idea while
playing Go Fish with one of the children. She then created cards,
which are faces that all look identical except for the facial
expression.

The game, which Pearce has had patented, can be played seven
different ways, including receptive ways, such as asking the child
to hand over the card with a certain expression; and expressive
ways, such as holding up a card and asking the child what expression
that card is trying to convey.

But the important thing is that, no matter what way it's played, the
game must be fun, Pearce said.

"That's the biggest thing," said Pearce, who noted the game can also
be used for children with other disabilities or brain injuries. "I
want to make it fun for the kids. ... If they're not laughing,
you're not playing it right."

Pearce said she has seen good success rates with the game. One child
she played the game with would cry because something was wrong, but
he couldn't express what it was or how he felt.

"If they can't express that, how can they tell you what they need?"
she said.

Now the child can verbally tell her how he feels and physically show
the emotions.

"If you see any of the kids ... the progress they made is amazing,"
said Pearce, who is willing to train people how to use the
game. "It's so much fun just to see them do well. ... I love it."

Because children with autism learn differently, repetition is key. A
therapist could work with a child on a certain subject 50 times
without the child understanding, which can be frustrating. When one
way of teaching doesn't work, therapists and parents try another and
another until one works and, say, on the 51st time, the child will
understand.

"You have your days when it's bad," said Pearce, who will complete
her master's degree from Seton Hill University in the spring.
But "when it clicks, they don't believe it. It's like the fog lifts.
You live for those days."

Pearce's next project is a therapeutic preschool for children with
autism she hopes to open after graduation. The goal is to get the
children independent enough to be able to handle a classroom setting
and to make friends.

"I don't want them to have tougher lives just because they have a
disability," she said. "I want them to be happy.

For more information or to purchase a game, contact Pearce at (724)
422-5944 or hpearce@...

Hello everyone,
    Just to let you know that our meeting for the month of December is
going to be cancelled due to holidays/vacations and people's schedules.
We will see everyone on January 12th! Thanks and have a happy holiday!
Cindy Carroll

Hi All!
    I just wanted to post a reminder that we will be meeting the first
Thursday November 3rd at 5:00. We have a conference room reserved at
Children's VIllage. I just found out that Monica Meyers will not be
coming, instead it will be Dianna Stadden (executive director) of ASW

Sharon has scheduled for 8 kids. Please e-mail her if you are planning
on bringing kids on Thursday. Sharon.Loudon@...
Thanks and see you then!
Cindy Carroll

We are proud to host Monica Meyer the president of ASW.  She will be
answering questions about running a local chapter.  She will be at
Children's Village Nov. 3 at 5:00pm.
Jamie

Thanks for setting this up Jamie!!
Patricia