Autism Acceptance Month

This book offers a practical approach for staff and carers who want to develop the use of ICT for children on the autistic spectrum and for those with language and communication difficulties. It combines descriptions of current research and literature on the subject of autism and ICT with practical guidance on software and hardware. A practical approach encourages experimentation, values the skills and attributes that participants bring and minimizes the technical barrier to ICT use. It includes concise information on what autism is, and examples of a range of pupils and their typical learning behaviors. It offers advice on how ICT can relate to various aspects of autism, information on concept keyboards and touch-sensitive screens and switches, and help with buying a computer and using the internet. Teachers, carers and parents of children with autism or language and communication problems will find lots of useful suggestions and advice on how to use ICT to help access the curriculum.

How the love and labor of parents have changed our understanding of autism Autism has attracted a great deal of attention in recent years, thanks to dramatically increasing rates of diagnosis, extensive organizational mobilization, journalistic coverage, biomedical research, and clinical innovation. Understanding Autism, a social history of the expanding diagnostic category of this contested illness, takes a close look at the role of emotion--specifically, of parental love--in the intense and passionate work of biomedical communities investigating autism. Chloe Silverman tracks developments in autism theory and practice over the past half-century and shows how an understanding of autism has been constituted and stabilized through vital efforts of schools, gene banks, professional associations, government committees, parent networks, and treatment conferences. She examines the love and labor of parents, who play a role in developing--in conjunction with medical experts--new forms of treatment and therapy for their children. While biomedical knowledge is dispersed through an emotionally neutral, technical language that separates experts from laypeople, parental advocacy and activism call these distinctions into question. Silverman reveals how parental care has been a constant driver in the volatile field of autism research and treatment, and has served as an inspiration for scientific change. Recognizing the importance of parental knowledge and observations in treating autism, this book reveals that effective responses to the disorder demonstrate the mutual interdependence of love and science.

Do you want to help your child on the autism spectrum to verbally communicate with you and others? You've picked up the right book. The Autism Language Launcher gives you something totally new: a step-by-step guide that ignites language lift-off by using methods such as tapping into your child's innate intelligence, going with your child instead of against your child and providing techniques that work with adults on the spectrum. Written for parents, relatives, professionals, educators, or caregivers of a child or adult who is not yet verbal, making some sounds, using some words, speaking in single words, or using two-word phrases, this book uses the author's decades of experience with children and adults on the spectrum. Kate also demonstrates how to effectively address your child's echolalia, repetitious language, and repetitive questions in a way that your child will find supportive, bonding, and even joyful. Ultimately, this book shows you how to make language happen.

Puberty, personal hygiene and sex can be difficult topics to broach with your child, especially when they have an intellectual disability or autism. The authors of this guide provide honest answers to challenging questions and provide solutions to the dilemmas that many parents face on a daily basis. Structured around issues related to puberty and emerging sexuality in children with disabilities or autism, such as physical changes, mood swings and sexual behaviour, the book presents case studies alongside practical guidance on how to overcome problems that commonly arise. The book also explains laws relevant to disability and sexuality and suggests appropriate sex education programmes to meet the needs of differing degrees of disability.

This accessible and authoritative guide helps parents understand how autism spectrum disorder is defined and diagnosed and offers an overview of the most current behavioral and developmental therapies for children with ASD. Topics include: symptoms, accessing care, services in the community, and the role of complementary and alternative medicine. Parents will also find inspirational and relatable stories from other caretakers, helping them feel less alone.

This comprehensive and accessible guide contains everything that needs to be known in order to set up and run a Minecraft® Social Group for children with autism spectrum disorders. Minecraft®, often described as 'digital Lego', provides an ideal forum to help children with autism and related conditions to develop social and communication skills. This book offers guidance on how to use the game to support the learning of social and emotional concepts such as having a conversation, showing interest in others and understanding another person's point of view. With over 100 pages of photocopiable and downloadable session plans, visuals and handouts, this manual is essential reading for professionals working with autism who are interested in introducing Minecraft® to support social skill development in their students.

This study questions the validity of the American Psychiatric Association's definition of autism, and offers evidence that even non-verbal children have an emotional life. Drawing on data from a series of intimate interviews with the parents of children with autism from three different cultures, namely the UK, India and Taiwan, the reader is shown how children with autism have emotional competence and do experience both negative and positive emotions. Parents of children with autism have to make many sacrifices and worry about their child's ability to become independent. Good parent-teacher relationships are essential, and doctors and their teams need to be sensitive and help families find the resources that they need. In some cases, religion plays an important role as does the acceptance by society in general.The book will be of particular interest to families, teachers and professionals dealing with autism.

For those growing up with an intellectual disability or autism, comfortable, safe and independent travel will prove an invaluable life skill. The key to pursuing fulfilling work and leisure activities and developing as an individual, it also brings a liberating level of self-sufficiency and reassurance of equality within society. Arriving at this goal can be daunting. Dr Gallimore's straightforward five-step system will guide parents and professionals through successful training for children of any age and ability. Focusing on understanding each child's individual goals and challenges, it gives you the 'ingredients' needed to fully prepare for each journey in advance, and shows how to judge when to step back and let the child progress alone. Addressing specific fears and obstacles that make travel difficult for children with learning difficulties, it sets out all the precautions necessary to safeguard children and others as they learn to reach their chosen destinations. Clear-cut and far-reaching, this book is enriched by Dr Gallimore's extensive experience as a psychologist, mobility specialist and travel-trainer. It is a heartening resource and will be necessary reading for anyone working with a child to get them on their path to independent travel.