Congratulations to Liane Holliday Willey (pictured left) and Jennifer Cook O’Toole who have both been honoured by GRASP (the Global and Regional Asperger Syndrome Partnership)…
In this article, Dr. Peter Ladd, co-author of the new book, Person-Centered Diagnosis and Treatment in Mental Health: A Model for Empowering Clients, asks some…
“I wanted to communicate that there is hope for all learners, that everyone can find a way to learn that is personal and successful. I wanted to share how to translate what a student is saying not just by listening to their words, but by listening to the essence of who they are as a learner. This is not something that can be communicated simply, and it is not a way of being that comes naturally to all teachers… Teaching is generally considered an activity that one does ‘to’ another. I think of teaching as something that I do ‘for’ that other person. The learning is theirs, the experience of change is theirs, and for me the main thrill is when that student starts finding his or her ‘voice’.”
By Jennifer Cook O’Toole, social worker, teacher, “Aspie Mommy” and author of Asperkids. Long before my first baby could read, she knew her logos. Mommy…
Here, Jennifer Cook O’Toole – “Aspie Mommy” to three young Aspie children and author of the forthcoming book, Asperkids – shares some thoughts about World Autism Day, celebrated every…
“Getting a child with ASD into a garden has so many benefits, not least that they are given some autonomy outside. The most immediate benefit will be a sense of relief and welcome break from the classroom environment. Whilst gardening, we’re practicing social interaction and life skills, and working with soil and plants helps to reduce tactile defensiveness. Learning basic horticultural skills educates in context, and along the way you will also see an increase in language and communication skills.”
“When I assign this book to parents, they unanimously say: ‘That’s it! That’s my child!’ It is so exhilarating to understand the core issue and apply strategies that work.”
“One orthopedist operated on a boy without my knowledge on a Friday afternoon. Fortunately, the mother and grandmother knew I had insisted that physical therapy should be started immediately. The child’s school physical therapist was a friend and made house calls over the weekend, so the boy would not stay in bed. He was able walk for several more years because of this. Thus, parents and grandparents must be very aggressive in order to be sure that appropriate orthopedic surgery is being done and physical therapy received, as needed.”
“Underachieving children typically don’t feel connected. The process of training children to reframe their visual connectedness with the world is not only about vision. It is about utilizing vision to reframe the relationship between children’s inner reality and their external reality. Vision is merely the vehicle, the classroom, the training ground. The true benefits accrue when a child, perhaps your son or daughter, takes what he or she has achieved in the safe and nurturing environment of therapy and applies it to the outside world. It is then that a child’s entire sense of who they are and what they are capable of, has been modified for the better.”
“The activities in the book capitalize on AD/HD traits because I use the traits as the vehicles to complete the task. AD/HD students like to move, so activities include jumping answers, and singing facts, and activities that are interesting enough to promote focus. The child is empowered to make tents, read on the floor, discuss emotions, and pop bubble paper.”