December Newsletter: Technology Interventions and Christmas Resources

Great Video! Robots Help Teach Children with Autism - http://positively-autism.blogspot.com/2012/12/great-video-robots-teach-children-with.html

How Tablets Helped Unlock One Girl's Voice - http://positively-autism.blogspot.com/2012/12/how-tablets-helped-unlock-one-girls.html

Technology Research: Using an iPad to Teach Numbers - http://positively-autism.blogspot.com/2012/12/technology-research-using-ipad-to-teach.html

Technology Research: iPod-Based Speech Generating Device - http://positively-autism.blogspot.com/2012/12/technology-research-ipod-based-speech.html

Train-Themed App to Teach Emotion Recognition to Students with Autism - http://positively-autism.blogspot.com/2012/12/train-themed-app-to-teach-emotion.html

iPads Can Inspire Changes in Teaching, Learning - http://positively-autism.blogspot.com/2012/12/ipads-can-inspire-changes-in-teaching.html

Technology Research: Video Modeling Training Via iPad - http://positively-autism.blogspot.com/2012/12/technology-research-video-modeling.html

Reminder: Free Christmas Social Stories! - http://positively-autism.blogspot.com/2012/12/reminder-free-christmas-social-stories.html

December Positive Autism News - http://positively-autism.blogspot.com/2012/12/december-positive-autism-news.html

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December Positive Autism News

On the Job: Autistic Excel at Detail, Repetition
December 16, 2010
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/columnist/bruzzese/2012/12/16/on-the-job-autistic-workers/1764827/

Developing Talents: Careers for Individuals with Asperger Syndrome and High-Functioning Autism

Autistic Success: Winning Contests, Making Art, Graduating from College, and Finding Work
December 15, 2012
http://thautcast.com/drupal5/content/autistic-success-winning-contests-making-art-graduating-college-and-finding-work

Autism Couldn't Stop Student's Pursuit of MTSU Degree
December 14, 2012
http://www.dnj.com/article/20121215/NEWS/312150026

Cary-Grove Freshman Has Autism — and a Gift for Music
December 13, 2012
http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20121213/entlife/712139960/

Boy with Autism Funds Research with Hand-Drawn Holiday Cards
December 12, 2012
http://www.news.wisc.edu/21349

The Autism Advantage
December 2, 2012
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2012/12/02/magazine/the-autism-advantage.xml

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Reminder: Free Christmas Social Stories!

Check out Positively Autism's collection of free Christmas Social Skill Stories and activities:

• "Visiting Family at Christmas" Social Skill Article (for older children)
• "Visiting Family at Christmas" Social Skill Story (for younger children)
• Christmas Tree Token Economy
• "Going to Visit Santa" Social Skill Story
• "Getting Presents at Christmas" Social Skill Story
• "What to Expect at Christmas" Social Skill Story
• Christmas Opposites: Tall/Short
• Christmas Opposites: Big/Little

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Technology Research: Video Modeling Training Via iPad

Title of Study: Teaching Caregivers to Implement Video Modeling Imitation Training Via iPad for their Children with Autism

Author: Teresa A. Cardon

Who Participated? Four children with autism from ages 2 to 4 years (2 boys and 2 girls)

What Technology Used? Video modeling on an iPad

What Skills Taught? Imitation skills

Results: All children showed either no imitation or minimal levels of imitation skills prior to training using the iPad video modeling program. After the training began, all children showed an increased level of imitation. Testing also indicated that all children made some gains on expressive communication and three of the four showed some gains in auditory comprehension.

Where Published: Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, Volume 6 (2012), pages 1389–1400.

 

Please read the complete study to evaluate the results for yourself.

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iPads Can Inspire Changes in Teaching, Learning

An article about using iPads to increase student learning and engagement in the classroom. http://www.edutopia.org/blog/ipad-strategies-struggling-learners-ben-johnson

Buying an iPad or tablet? Purchase from Amazon.com and they will donate a percentage of your purchase to Positively Autism if you use our link below. Thanks for your support!

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Train-Themed App to Teach Emotion Recognition to Students with Autism

This app sounds awesome!

"With Training Faces, Therese Wantuch said she wanted to create a learning tool that was fun and functional for children with autism. Focused on a passenger train traveling to destinations around the world, the game requires players to match a specified emotion with the correct picture of the passenger’s facial expression. Each session includes four rounds, and each round has a time limit. At the completion of each session, the player will get to see the train complete the route on the map."

Read About it Here:
http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20121209/BIZ/312090105/A-mom-her-app-Technology-affecting-autism

Find the App at Amazon.com here.

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Technology Research: iPod-Based Speech Generating Device

Title of Study: Teaching Advanced Operation of an iPod-Based Speech-Generating Device to Two Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Authors: Donna Achmadi, Debora M. Kagohara, Larah van der Meer, Mark F. O’Reilly, Giulio E. Lancioni, Dean Sutherland, Russell Lang, Peter B. Marschik, Vanessa A. Green, and Jeff Sigafoos

Who Participated? Two adolescents males with autism spectrum disorders, one 17 years old and one 13 years old.

What Technology Used? An iPod Touch® with Proloquo2Go^TMsoftware (called the “speech-generating device” in the study).

What Skills Taught? Requesting specific snacks or toys using the speech-generating device.

Results: Before being taught to use the device, neither participant was using the device to make any independent requests. After the intervention 1 phase of the study, both participants began to perform the multi-step requesting sequence on the device between 10 and 30 times per 5 minute session.

Where Published: Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, Volume 6 (2012), pages 1258–1264.

Please read the study for a full description of the teaching strategies used and to evaluate the results for yourself.

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Technology Research: Using an iPad to Teach Numbers

Title of Study: Using an iPad-based Video Modelling Package to Teach Numeracy Skills to a Child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder

Authors: E.L. Jowett, D.W. Moore, and A. Anderson

Who Participated? A 5-year-old boy with ASD

What Technology Used? iPad, with video clips for counting the number of favorite characters on screen. The video clip would show, for example, six birds next to the numeral, “6.” The video clips also showed a child writing each number.

What Skills Taught? Identifying numbers, writing numbers, and understanding the quantity represented by a number.  

Results: According to the authors, the intervention was successful in helping the student acquire and maintain the targeted skills. The student was said to show an immediate increase in the target skills after watching the video clips for each number.

Where Published: Developmental Neurorehabilitation, 2012

Link: http://www.researchgate.net/publication/225299632_Using_an_iPad-based_video_modelling_package_to_teach_numeracy_skills_to_a_child_with_an_autism_spectrum_disorder/file/9fcfd501aebd62ad54.pdf

Please read the study for a full description of the teaching strategies used and to evaluate the results for yourself.

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How Tablets Helped Unlock One Girl's Voice

An interesting story from CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/14/tech/mobile/carly-fleischmann-mobile-autism/index.html

Amazon.com donates a percent of your purchases to Positively Autism. Help keep our resources free!

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Great Video! Robots Teach Children with Autism

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

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Autism Speaks iPad 2 Grant

December 2012: Autism Speaks iPad 2 Grant!

Autism Speaks is thrilled to announce that through the generosity of Sevenly.org and the James W. Pickle Foundation, 625 financially disadvantaged individuals with autism and schools will receive an Apple iPad 2!

Eligible applicants are individuals who:
- Have been diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder by a licensed professional,
- Reside in the United States,
- Have limited income and cannot afford to purchase an iPad.

Note: If you already submitted an application for the iPad 2 grant in February 2012, you must re-apply to be considered for the new round.

Technology Grant Timeline

December 3: Online Application Opens
December 7: Application Closes
December 7-14: Review Committee Selects Recipients
December 17: Recipients Announced and iPads sent out!!

How to Apply

Applications must be submitted by the person with autism, an immediate family member of the person with autism, or a licensed teacher, social worker, or therapist. The Technology Grant Review Committee will review eligible applications based on established criteria and select the iPad grant recipients. Some applicants will be contacted by staff for follow up information. All applicants selected to receive an iPad 2 will be contacted on December 17. Others will receive an email informing them of their status.

Visit the AutismCares website to apply! You must create a login and select Autism Speaks iPad Grant.

Note: Please DO NOT complete the application entitled "AutismCares Application" if you are applying for an iPad. Only those applicants that complete the application entitled “Autism Speaks iPad Grant” will be considered.

Note: Only applicants in the United States will be considered. We cannot accept applications from outside the United States.

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