Tuesday, June 28, 2011

My NEW Websites!

I thought it might help if I organized my niches a little bit better so I have started a few websites to do that.  My current projects are...

Sidther's Free Printables     for free printable stuff that parents of kids with autism may find useful (still customizable)

and then...

sidther to welcome parents of kids who recently received the diagnosis with separate pages for each of the most pressing social issues faced by families with autism.

When those are complete, I will build one dedicated to the medical and genetic aspects of autism...yeah baby, I get to dig around in CDH8 and NSD1!!!!!

Anyhooo,

I thought it might help it I was better organized, maybe the ads will pay a bit too to help keep my custom designed services free. (ummm, right now, I'm paying to do it.......)

Sunday, June 26, 2011

The "R" Word

I wish that I did not have to write about this. My new article on Squidoo is about the use of The "R" word.
I felt that I had to write it, I am so sick of hearing the children call my child a retard and it is obviously becoming worse as the issue has made national news multiple times- lawmakers have even been discussing options to eliminates it's usage as an insult or joke.

The problem with eliminating the word however, is that it is a legitimate word with legitimate uses in science and medicine as well as the rest of the english language in general.  If we officially removed the word from our language, what would happen in those areas where the word is commonly used in it's proper form? In medicine for example, removing the word may have dire consequences as  "Mental retardation" is an actual diagnosis- much like how the term "aspergers" marks the severity of  an individual's symptoms on the autism spectrum, the term "retardation" does depict the severity of an individual's intellectual impairment.  Removing the word may cause more than inconvenience- if a doctor or nurse does not keep up with the change and say for example that  they are one of the very few lazy providers who will not look things up- or the one with an attitude who insists that the patient's family is lying or has made up the new diagnosis because they had not heard of it- what happens to the patient when the provider is confused about the terminology?

Anyway, thinking about the r-word is upsetting on many levels. I get furious when people call Cutie the "R" word- in part because he is autistic and I do not want him to feel that retardation is part of his diagnosis. On a side note- Cutie's IQ after being tested repeatedly came out ridiculously high, I do take some guilty pleasure in knowing that he is probably smarter than the children calling him the "R" word!  I know that doesn't really matter, but I have to find something to think about to avoid screaming at the kids- this helps me tell them nicely that it is wrong to use the word....

I am also infuriated by the causal way that young people have been throwing the word around as a way to indicate that their "friend" has been irritating or done something clumsy or stupid- it is an insult to people with the official diagnosis everywhere. Aside from showing compassion for people who have mental retardation, I think people should consider how brave these individuals and their families are- as brutal and cruel as our society is, they continue to enjoy life and make the best of it.  On some level, I wonder if some people are envious of people with mental retardation- their ability to appreciate the simple things and see beauty in the world where others can't is an amazing gift that very few other people have.


Friday, June 24, 2011

Another glorious trip to Sea World

Today my Cutie  is relaxed and calm because we spent yesterday at Sea World AGAIN!  It was great!

Yesterday, we actually started at Dolphin Cove where Cutie fed the Dolphins and named one Mr Piggy.  He got lots of special animal connection and interaction time as well as some sensory input from splashing around and petting the dolphins.  He was super brave though when he had to touch the icky fish! The dolphins have a new enrichment toy and they were swimming around it all excited and a little confused.


We then made our way over to the aquarium and watched the sharks and fish for a while while cutie actually asked questions....  Not just any questions though.  He acutally asked "why do sharks have those bumpy things on the ends of their tails?"   If you have a child with autism- you know what a big deal a why question like that is, especially when it is actually being asked (as opposed to parroted) and the child really expects an answer!  So, in our visit with the sharks Cutie actually met 2 of his speech goals that he has been struggling with for years!!!



Then we visited the Sea lions- there were a few adorable babies there but we had to leave rather quickly as a stranger took it upon herself to try teaching my son about God and the Birds and bees- neither the time nor the place to introduce these subjects to him.


We did some wandering around, Rio Loco had an insanely long line so we skipped it. We got a few snacks and checked out the penguins although since this is their winter time and the lights must stay off, we did not stick around for too long.


Then we headed to the NEW Shamu show!  We have been to the Shamu show "Believe" for years, it was great, but it got a bit old seeing the same show every week.  Now there is a sparkly new show- yes it really is sparkly!  They added a backdrop with twinkly blue lights!  The new show "One Ocean" was good.  There did seem to be more waiting around in between tricks BUT the tricks were more impressive than before- so it balanced out quite well!  I LOVE the baby Shamu!!!!


We spent most of the remainder of the visit at the Lost Lagoon playing in the water and having LOTS of Sensory input!  We stayed until the Lost Lagoon closed, but then we had to go... Cutie did not have a tantrum or attitude when we told him it was time to go this time!  He finally understands that because we live right down the street and we have season passes, it is OK to leave because we will be back in a few days!

Currently, he is writing a few pages in his journal about his fantastic adventures at Sea World and is practicing his speech!  He will soon have a few more visual cues on his ring that I am making from our visit yesterday!

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I am so surprised at the ratings that this lens has achieved!  I threw FREE Printable Behavior Charts, Reward Charts and Visual Cues together, partly for myself as I do use them very often.  I get very upset when I think I find a site and it causes pop ups or is not actually free so I gathered the best together and categorized them- then I also uploaded some of my own printables to it.  I am absolutely amazed by the response I have gotten!  This is officially the highest ranking lens I have ever created!

I want to keep it going strong so if anyone has any suggestions for designs or visual cues ( I will custom make some if you need them- no charge) I would really appreciate it!
As always, if you wish to print any of my work out, go for it! If you would like to use it online please link back- attribution is appreciated but not required.

If you would like to see more of my available FREE Printables,
please click for PECS,Behavior and reward charts


click here for fine motor practice printables


click here for free printable chore charts


click here for free printable preschool level coloring pages

click here for free printable worksheets 



I am trying to make FREE printable Social stories- I am finding this to be the most challenging venture as I do not have a template yet.  Once I create my template (I usually play with a few, then build my own) I hope it will be easier.

Free printable preschool level coloring pages



Free printable preschool level coloring pages a new freebie article! I put together a list of free printable coloring pages. I screened these pages for simplicity and pop ups, registration etc. My goal is to provide links to the sites that offer skill appropriate coloring pages so that parents of kids with autism could locate them more quickly- if the child can not yet put a mark on the paper, then a coloring page containing cartoon characters and complex scenery is not appropriate.

I have created a few simple coloring pages for you to print- some are basic shapes and there is a collection of fruits- I recommend starting with the banana, then the orange, then apple, then grapes, then strawberry  as they get more complex in that order.













I will be creating another article with more complex coloring pages soon- I am still learning how to draw with my mouse....

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Free printable fine motor practice to help kids with special needs

Here is my shiny new freebies article! Free printable fine motor practice to help kids with special needs

Kids with autism often have poor proprioception and sometimes lax muscles in their forearms, both of which significantly effect the child's ability to write legibly. It is important to have them continue to practice, and free printable practice sheets can make a huge difference! I try to make my designs fun so that the child will be engaged, to save money on ink, I do recommend printing only one or two in color and using black and white copies (simply set the printer to grayscale) more frequently. I save the full color copies for rewards!

Some of the designs such as "Trace the falling stars" were designed so that the color would be so light, it should use fairly little ink- I know I can print a few hundred copies of that one with no problem- I have the HP Deskjet F4280, I used to have an Epson, the Epson ran through ink VERY quickly and was expensive to replace so please.... try one or two out and see if your child even likes them before you go too crazy!

Cutie was having fun helping me with a few of the designs, the "girl's writing practice" was tough- neither of us understand this princessy obsession that has taken over the US, the page is so girly, I nearly threw up on my keyboard!



Tuesday, June 21, 2011

http://www.squidoo.com/autisms-gifts

Here is an older article that I wrote as I was learning how to use Squidoo! http://www.squidoo.com/autisms-gifts


Please note, I am not suggesting that having autism is the best thing ever, I am merely reminding people that the diagnosis does not need to define the individual and that there are a few little perks that come along with it. My personal favorite perk- a renewed appreciation for my child every single day as he perseveres to accomplish what doctors said would never be possible for him, and doing so with a smile on his face and great pride in his progress!



Choosing your battles in Autism therapies and education

So very many challenges that all need attention. What do you target first? When the choices are as simple as "running out in to traffic" vs "napkin on the lap" it is pretty easy to know that the traffic issue needs addressing immediately while the napkin, although frustrating, can wait. What do you do though when there are multiple safety related behaviors and ALL need addressing at the same time? Sometimes, each behavior must be addressed individually, however, there is often a common underlying theme....

If you figure out the common theme, you can address that and see improvements (maybe not absolute fixes immediately, but improvement is still good!) across all of the behaviors in question.

For example: Cutie used to A) run into traffic, B) get out of his seatbelt, C) touch the stove, D) leave the house without an adult (until I put chains on the doors).

What do all of those issues have in common? A physical boundary....
In the house, we used red tape and stop signs to note where he could and could not go. Out side, I got up every morning and drew a boundary line with sidewalk chalk- beyond that line, he had to hold hands. For the traffic- luckily we lived on a military base where everyone knew each other, people drove slowly and most of the neighbors drew a line on their sidewalk near the street to help him see that the road was off limits. We all practiced with him together.

Once he understood more about the physical boundaries, it was easier to work with him on the individual behaviors- all of which are now resolved.

If your child has multiple behaviors that need targeting, please visit
Choosing your battles in Autism therapies and education to see how to identify the common thread and prioritize the behaviors.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Father's Day was yesterday!

So, Cutie was his adorable self!

We went to the store the other day and he chose this special edition Jedi fighter transformer hybrid thing for "DAD's" father's day present.   He decorated the wrapping paper beautifully and wrapped the present all spiffy.


Yesterday, when Dad got up, Cutie brought him the present.  My husband was great, and very excited about this wonderful gift and VERY proud of Cutie for thinking of him on FAther's day as well as actually GIVING a gift.

Not 30 seconds after the wrapping paper fell to the floor.....
"Dad, can I just show you how to play with this toy?"
My husband of course says "that would really be nice, we could play with it together!"
Cutie got into "a zone" and disappeared with the toy.  Twice I recovered it for my husband.

This morning I found the toy tucked safely under Cutie's pillow....

"I'm just keeping it safe for Dad!"

I have been working very hard on my free printable visual cues!

I have been working on them for a few days now..... I have created a few for different occasions.  I have been using the public domain clipart from CLKR to create most of these ones because they have such a great variety!  If you like what I have made, please feel free to print it out.  If you would like to use it online, I do ask that you link each image back to my original page and credit "Sidther".
That link is   http://www.squidoo.com/free-printables-to-help-with-autism   there are more free printable visual aids and other items there as well, I just wanted to share a few here.

Technology visual cues: help your child feel more familiar with items that surround them at home- especially those that they may learn to use as a means to communicate better or use during therapy.  Hopefully you will be modeling speech when using these cards, so these would be good for your child to learn to verbalize!


Getting dressed visual cues: help your child with their daily routine and learn what each item of their clothing is called!  I included the fedora because my son LOVES to wear one with a three piece suit! 

 Christmas visual aids: help your child know what to expect around christmas time! Bells, carolers and parties can be un nerving, so can Santa claus for some kids!  I included the kiss to help kids with severe aversions to physical contact prepare for distant relatives who may not understand not to smother them!



I feel visual cues: If your child can not express their mood, they will likely resort to tantrums to get their message across.  Visual cues can help decrease the likelihood of that while reducing their level of frustration!


So, those are my four latest, I hope that you find them to be helpful in some way!  Please feel free to leave comments or contact me if there are any events or topics that you feel I should make some visual cues or other printables for!

Developmental Progress Binders

Developmental Progress Binders
New article on squidoo! How (and why) to create a developmental progress binder for your child with Autism or other developmental disbalities.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Parties for kids with special needs

Parties for kids with special needs
Simple advice and tips to ensure a fun and exciting (yet problem free) party for kids with special needs. Fun sensory activities strategically located and timed will really help the kids get the most fun out of it! Don't forget to make some visual cues for your home too!

Friday, June 17, 2011

What to do when a child with autism does not understand sports

They so desperately want to be included and it is gut wrenching to watch them try to play a game with neighborhood children.  You feel like screaming because your child is not included but at the same time you know exactly why the other kids are annoyed.  It is one of the symptoms of the disorder- your child does NOT understand teamwork- not truly any way.  Your child will be having great fun and the game is going well, then suddenly, your child takes the ball and is doing their own thing - not realizing that what they have done is not good or helpful.  When they realize that people are frustrated they often become defensive or angry because they think they were playing the game right.


Do you then forgo the games altogether?  This is really a tough decision-playing sports really is so good for them. It is terrible though, knowing that your child's behavior is the cause of the frustration for the other players.

We got very lucky.  One of our neighborhood kids LOVES to teach the games, he actually pretends to be a coach! That really does help, sure he gets frustrated and temporarily stops the game but he understands better than most of the other kids that Cutie wants to play and he honestly thinks his behaviors are helping.

So we have the physical teaching of the games covered, the big challenge though, is the team spirit and understanding about running off with the ball etc.  We have been doing social stories and yesterday we made a paper chain.

When we made the paper chain, we started with 2 rings, one on one chair, and then I asked Cutie to help me get the other to the other chair so that BOTH chairs were together.  Neither ring could reach alone.  He helped create new links until the chain reached from one chair to the other- together the links could do it!  We talked about more sport specific issues and at the end, we pretended the links were playing basketball and instead of passing the ball to the link in front of him, the middle link TOOK the ball to go and do his own thing- the whole thing came apart and Cutie GOT it!

Thursday, June 16, 2011

New freebies!

Here are three new pre-screened directories I have put together for you!  All of the sites who offer "free***" (you know, with paid registration or a 5 day trial etc) have been weeded out- the sites I list are either 100% free OR clearly marked as "free registration" or in some cases if it is an amazing deal "low cost".  Also I left out all of the sites that  trigger pop ups that say they are scanning your computer etc.

While you are welcome to print off my charts or awards etc, I ask that if you use them on a website, PLEASE link back to my original page on Squidoo- each of the following images is directly above the link for it's specified page.


Worksheets : These contain fine motor and academic all sorted for you. Kids with special needs often require extra practice as their sensory and focus problems often interfere with their ability to be completely attentive at school- these are also ideal during breaks to prevent learning loss- especially beneficial for kids who suffer from regressions.

Chore charts : can be used either to help a child with autism remember to do chores, keep track of daily activities or even used as a therapy schedule.  Chore rewards that can be saved toward a larger prize are listed under "chore bucks". Free visual cues (PECS compatible) and public domain clipart  can be found at the bottom of the page.



Behavior and reward charts and visual cues : Most parents of a child with Autism use or at least try behavior and reward charts.  Before you spend $30 on one, try out these free printables and see which type works best for your family! There are lots of variables and some are extremely creative.





Don't forget the awards!  Once your child has completed chores or worksheets or improved their behavior, consider giving them an award certificate so that they may display their pride!



Some PECS compatible visual cues


Today Cutie is learning to play Baseball!

Cutie has been desperate to learn to play baseball for a while now! Today he has his chance!


He is running around outside with some friends working on throwing, catching and hitting! His friends (neurotypical) are trying to help him understand the rules as well since next year he wants to join a team at school.


When he gets done, we will take a break, then we will play a game of Count across to help prevent    
summer learning loss. 


We have been doing lots of great activities including baking cookies, playing in the sprinkler (sensory), playing catch and playing educational games!  I will post more details once I work out exactly how I am trying to organize this blog!  I am still learning how to set it up and what features are available!


If you have any questions, I am available at Squidoo and there I have 70 articles of tips, challenges and personal experiences all relating to Autism- simply leave a comment or go to my bio to send me an email.

Free printable Behavior Charts, Reward Charts and Visual Cues to help with Autism

Free printable Behavior Charts, Reward Charts and Visual Cues to help with Autism

Free printable Behavior Charts, Reward Charts and Visual Cues to help with Autism TARGET=

Free printable Behavior Charts, Reward Charts and Visual Cues to help with Autism TARGET=

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

http://www.squidoo.com/free-printables-to-help-with-autism. Another one of my freebie lenses- this one has behavior charts, visual cues and reward charts FREE and some clearly marked low cost as well as a link to the expensive stuff if you need to look at it to make your own! I weeded out the lenses that made evil nasty pop ups so you don't have to worry about any of that! http://amplify.com/u/a15940

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

http://www.squidoo.com/free-printable-worksheets-to-help-kids-with-special-needs

Kids lose lots of info over the summer- kids with autism usually need extra practice with fine motor and academic skills anyway. Here is a collection of sites that I have screened for free printable worksheets to keep the kids thinking! The sites have been categorized by skill and I excluded all of the sites that claimed to be free, but required a paid membership when it came time to click print. Please leave other great free printable sites that you know of to help make life easier for others! http://amplify.com/u/a154zv

Saturday, June 11, 2011

My Zazzle Store

I have found that most of the Autism awareness stuff that people buy is bright and cheery, sometimes so bright and cheery and on baggy t shirts that they often are not worn which kind of defeats the purpose since you can't use it to raise awareness if you are not wearing it!  I decicded to try and create some of my own designs for autism awareness! They are being done in bold, muted, earthy and pastel colors (not all at once of course) and I am adding them to polo shirts and more form fitting clothes to increase the chances of them being worn.

Also a lot of the therapists that we know say that they wish they could wear Autism awareness stuff at work, but they are restricted to polos, scrubs, babydolls or other form fitting shirts.  I have also created some buttons for business owners to help clearly identify their establishment as non-discriminatory towards children with ASD- even during behavioral moments!

I would love some input, please visit me!!!