Nov 2 Meeting - Social Thinking

Meeting is tomorrow! same time same place :) 7:30 pm at the Boundary Trails Health Centre.

Our topic of Discussion: Social Thinking By Michelle Garcia Winner

What is Social Thinking?
Social Thinking® is required prior to the development of social skills. Successful social thinkers consider the points of view, emotions, thoughts, beliefs, prior knowledge and intentions of others (this is often called perspective-taking - considering the perspectives of others). This is for most of us an intuitive process. We can determine the meanings behind the messages communicated by others and how to respond to them within milliseconds to three seconds! Social thinking occurs everywhere, when we talk, share space, walk down the street, even when we read a novel and relate to our pets. It is an intelligence that integrates information across home, work and community settings - something we usually take for granted!

In neurotypical (so-called normal-thinking) people, social thinking is hard-wired at birth and learned intuitively from infancy onward. While most of us develop our communication skills as we grow up, steadily observing and acquiring social information and learning how to respond to the people around us, many have great difficulties with this process. These difficulties with learning and applying social information is often considered a social learning disability.

to learn more about social thinking, please visit Michelle Garcia Winner's website.

Please also remember to bring back any books you have borrowed from our lending library, so that we may pass them on to our other members!

see you tomorrow!

Thank you to our Volunteers & Sponsors!

The basket donated from Floral Scents in Morden was won by Isabelle C from Morden.
The stoneware bake pan & pizza server donated by Cheryl Peters for Pampered Chef was won by Agnes C from Winnipeg
The metal art donated by Linda Rempel and the 8x8 digital scrapbook donated by Michelle C was won by Robyn G of Greysville

* the $40.00 gift certificate donated by Town 'n' Country Grooming and the $30.00 gift certificate donated by Colors was won by Julie H of Darlingford.

Thank you to everyone who donated to our raffle and to those who purchased tickets. We truly appreciate your support! With the money that was raised, we will be purchasing a some more books to add to our lending library.

IEP's

This is the time of year when we, as parents, make the trip to the school or division office to formulate a plan called the IEP - Individual Educational Plans for our child/ren. People at the table to discuss this plan varies from divisions; but generally it is the principal, the resource teacher, the teacher of your child, a division representative and yourself, the parents. Sometimes the speech & language teacher, school psychologist, Occupational Therapists, your child's educational assistant, even a daycare provider [if your child goes to daycare], and your child care worker can participate.

According to the IEP handbook, there are 3 teams to help in the making and implementing of an IEP.
1- Core Team: the Student, Parents, & the Classroom Teacher
2- In-School Team: Principal, Special Education Teacher, School Counsellor, Resource Teacher
3- School Support Team: Mental Health Professionals, Community Resources Personnel, Child and/or Adult Support Services, Personnel Health Professionals, Clinicians, Therapists & Consultants

So when you sit down the next time to do your child's IEP, look around the table; is everyone there that should be there? If not, ask where they are, or if you feel someone should be there, contact your Resource teacher or division office ahead of time and let them know of that person who you feel should be there. Because it doesn't hurt to ask? And remember, everyone at the table is there to help your child, so be honest, because you are the one who knows your child best! You are their best advocate!

NOVEMBER 30th @ 6:30, *weather pending* Anne Kresta from Community Living will be joining us once again, to discuss IEP's. Please remember IEP's are not just for Autisic children, it is for any child who needs modifications to his/her educational plan! So please feel free to join us at the Boundary Trails Health Centre

Winkler Wal Mart

We will be there for an information session from 10-2 on Oct 16 2010. There will be raffle tickets for sale. prizes?

Prize #1
* $100.00 gift basket from Floral Scents
Prize #2
* $40.00 gift basket from Cheryl Peters for Pampered Chef
Prize #3
* $40.00 gift certificate to Town 'n' Country Grooming
* $30.00 gift certificate to Colors
Prize #4
* $80.00 20 page custom 8" x 8" digital scrapbook
* Metal Art from Linda Rempel

Thank you to everyone who donated! and thank you to Winkler Wal Mart for allowing us to share our information with the Pembina Valley.

Altogether Strong 2010 -Asperger Manitoba Inc

Brochure
Poster

Thursday, November 4th

9:00 am to 4:30 pm
Centro Caboto
1055 Wilkes Avenue

with Keynote Presenters:

Dr. Jonathan A. Weiss

“Supporting Youth with Asperger Syndrome or Autism Spectrum Disorder who are being Bullied: Student, Family, and School Strategies”

Lewena Bayer

“That’s Just Plain Rude! Modern Guidelines for Civility at Work Dealing with Bullying in the Workplace”

Next Year: Tony Attwood October 5, 2011

Meeting! this tuesday!! Oct 5th

Are you back to your routine now that the kids are in school? We sure are! Some days are good and some days ...not so good! Transitions can be so much fun! Come and join us this Tuesday at the Boundary Trails Health Centre @ 7:30 pm in the meeting room..share your stories from the summer and the back to shccol process. Share the good and the bad, and maybe one of us can help you out! or vice versa, maybe YOU can help us. That's what we are all about, helping each other. See you Tuesday!

ps. I will bring the books that we purchased with the donation from Monarch Industries.

Mason Alert

The Mason Alert is a petition to be created, like the "Amber Alert", but for autistic children.

from their website:
We want the Mason Alert to immediately provide authorities with the following:
-A current picture of the child.
-Child's address and Contact information.
-Their facinations: i.e. railroads, small spaces, water
-Locations of all nearby hazards such as tracks, pools, ponds, abandoned houses, busy intersections.
-Notify if the child is verbal or nonverbal. This is very important, because when we search for someone, we tend to stand in one place and shout the person's name. A nonverbal child won't respond to this AT ALL. When I arrived home, the police were shouting Mason's name. I could have been standing right beside him, shouting his name and not gotten a response.
-How the child reacts under stress. i.e. do they hide, do they run, do they fight, do they shut down and just stand still.
-And finally, how to approach the child and who needs to approach the child. In some instances, authorities will just have to immediately react if the child is in immediate danger, but in other instances, it might be better to wait for a parent or caregiver, and taking this step might help eliminate danger.

Mindfulness Based Sress Reduction

click on image to see larger

meeting starting soon!

will keep you posted!

Getting Ready for School by Paula Kluth

For many learners with autism, transitions are the toughest part of schooling. Moving from classroom to classroom or teacher to teacher can be stressful enough, but moving from building to building is almost always a process filled with anxiety and trepidation. These strategies are designed to prepare the learner with autism for a new school or a new schooling experience (e.g., an inclusive classroom) and can be used days or months before the student arrives in the inclusive school or classroom. These strategies can also be used throughout the school year.

School Preview
Many students with autism will profit from seeing, experiencing, and learning about the school before they show up on the first day. This is an effective strategy for students who are changing schools or for those who will be going to a certain classroom for the first time. A student can pre-view the school using many different tools. Some learners might appreciate a videotape of the school and its rooms, complete with short interviews with his new teachers (e.g., “Hi, I'm Ms. Thiel and I'm going to be your fifth-grade teacher. This year you will study the fifty states, long division, and biology.). Other students like to tour the school themselves and meet teachers face to face before school officially starts. Still others may want to hear siblings, parents, or friends tell them about the school. Students may also be interested in reviewing brochures of the school, school newsletters from the previous year, and/or the school's website (if one exists).

Surveys
Before the year begins or during the first few days of school, many teachers ask students and their families to complete a survey. The purpose of this tool is to help the teacher become more personally acquainted with students and to make an immediate connection with families. Some teachers may choose to administer different surveys to students and parents while other teachers may design a survey that families and students complete together. While a survey would undoubtedly help a teacher learn more about his student with autism, many teachers choose to use surveys with every student in the class.

When considering using a survey, teachers will want to focus on learning styles, interests, needs, strengths or even on student ideas for the classroom. Although questions will vary by age group, possible questions include:

• How do you learn best?

• What hobbies do you have?

• What scares or upsets you?

• What kind of expertise do you have (e.g., skateboarding, karate, collecting bugs, drawing)?

• What do you need to be comfortable in my classroom?

• What do you want to learn this year?

• What is your least favorite part of the school day?

• What is your favorite part of the school day?

If one or more students cannot write, the teacher, parent or support person can allow learners to submit visual surveys. Students might draw pictures, create a collage, or submit photographs, a videotape or audiotape in response to the survey questions.

Routines and Schedules
Some students will profit from the development and implementation of written schedules, picture calendars, or the use of a daily planner. As one of my former students explained to me: “School is very stimulating and a lot of noises and disorganization for me. So I need to get used to new places and have a schedule”. Teachers should talk often to students about how time will be used in the classroom. They should also try to give students with autism as much warning as possible when they are going to alter the class schedule or when a substitute will be teaching the class.

All students in a given classroom may benefit from knowing more about the schedule. Having information about what content will be taught and what activities will take place in any given day or week can help any student become a better planner and time manager. Teachers can make going over the daily schedule a regular part of the daily routine in any classroom; even taking a few seconds to review this information can make a difference in the learning of some students.

Personal Portfolio
Students who have unique needs and abilities may want to introduce themselves to a teacher through the use of a portfolio. Portfolios may include photographs, artwork, writing or schoolwork samples, lists of favorite things, or even video or audiotapes.

A portfolio can be an especially helpful tool for students who do not speak or use a reliable communication system. I worked with one young man, J.D., to assemble a portfolio he would use as he transitioned from high school to the work place. This young man did not speak and those who met him for the first time often struggled to connect with him. When his teachers first accompanied him to his new school, J.D.'s peers began asking them questions about him: Did he understand them? Did he have any interests? Why did he flap his arms like that?

The teachers decided that J.D. needed a way to represent himself so that they didn't need to serve as his voice and liaison. In order to facilitate this process the teachers worked with J.D. to create a portfolio that he could use to introduce himself to new people and to interact with those he already knew. J.D.'s portfolio included:

• Four pages of photographs (J.D. with family and friends; snapshots of him playing soccer at a community park; J.D. working with peers on a biology experiment, vacation photos from the Rock and Roll Museum in Ohio)

• A short “resume” outlining some of the classes he took in middle school

• A list of his favorite movies and compact discs

• A “Learning About Autism” pamphlet J.D. got at a conference

• A glossy picture of the Green Bay Packers, J.D.'s favorite football team

Portfolios can be in paper, audio, or video form, formal or informal, a few pages or dozens of pages, include only current information and artifacts or serve as a cumulative record of the student's life. One student I know keeps his formal portfolio at home and carries a four-page paper condensed copy with him at all times.

Plan in Reverse
Planning in reverse is most useful when working with students who need the most unique supports. Planning in reverse means looking first at “what works” and building from there, instead of looking at typical school day and asking “How will he fit in to the day or schedule as it exists?” We should think of the student's strengths, preferences, and abilities and build from there. Upon beginning the process of planning backwards first ask yourself:

• In what contexts, school situations or setting is the student successful?

• When does the student perform well?

• What opportunities does the student have to present their knowledge or understanding of age appropriate curricular materials?

• When does the student successfully interact with peers in natural, meaningful ways?

I first used the planning backwards strategy with a student named Andee. Andee was in first grade and when he came to be my student, he had never before been in a general education classroom? The adjustment to a new school seemed challenging for Andee. He didn't seem to feel comfortable sitting in his desk and needed a lot of movement throughout the day. On several occasions, he bolted from his classroom, opened the outside door, ran to the swing set on the playground, and rocked himself back and forth on his favorite swing. While we attempted to gently introduce him to the other students and show him the neat learning materials his classmates were using but he was not able to remain in his classroom for more than eight or nine minutes at a time.

Instead of forcing Andee to sit in his desk and manipulate materials like the other students, we sat down with his daily schedule and considered how we could plan his day in a way that would make him feel secure and help him to learn. Instead of starting with the schedule of the first graders, we started planning with Andee's strengths and preferences in mind. We know he needed movement and, therefore, was delighted every Monday when his class went to physical education class. We also knew that he loved music and the music teacher and that he had experienced success with her. Clearly Andee also needed playground time; he seemed to depend on his swing for daily doses of “reorganizing”.

With all of this information in mind, we started planning for him while considering the activities where he experienced success. We consulted with the physical education teacher and he agreed that Andee could come to physical education with every first-grade class. Then we contacted the music teacher and she agreed that Andee could come to music with all of the first grade classes. While Andee had to miss some second-grade content in order to attend these extra classes, his team agreed that since Andee was still being included with peers, this adapatation to his schedule was acceptable. He was still receiving instruction appropriate for a second-grader and getting more opportunities to practice skills needed in music education. We also agreed that Andee should get some extended recess time, so he was allowed to leave lunch early with a few friends to join the kindergarten classes for their recess. Andee and his friends served as “play leaders” for the younger students introducing them to new games and helping students play cooperatively with each other.

While it was our goal to slowly increase the time Andee was spending participating in the traditional schedule of the first grade class as a team we realized that this would take time and our goal was to find a schedule and routine where Andee would be successful. The increased movement he experienced in P.E. as well as the extra time in music class allowed Andee to develop routine success throughout his school day. As a team we decided that over the course of the school year we would work to make sure Andee spent an increased amount of time he spent with his first-grade class but that this would be done carefully so that Andee would continue to have opportunities to experience success at school while he learned new skills and explored new environments.

Please check out Paula's website, there is a lot more that you may find valuable!