Temple Grandin – Conversations from Penn State
Temple
The Autism News Temple Grandin, one of the most internationally recognized autistics and a renowned expert in animal science talks about her life | www.TheAutismNews.com
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AUTISM wins at the Emmys
- Temple at the Emmy’s
Autism has its night! Thank you Temple Grandin and the lights of Hollywood/HBO for giving autism a face, a name, a night to shine. “Temple Grandin” won eight Emmy Awards - Oh what a night it was!
Temple Grandin stood and waved from the audience as actors from the movie of her life won awards, then took the stage herself as the biopic Temple Grandin won the Emmy for best TV movie at the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony on Sunday night.
Autism and Drums – rum-pum-pum-pum
Cherie Willoughby of Repercussions and Willoughcraft Drums requested that I write a testimony as to how drumming helps people on the autism spectrum. I certainly can do that because my son, Doug, who has autism, was a drummer for many years. He started taking lessons in sixth grade and continued through two years of college at the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) where he was member of the Star of Nevada Marching Band.
Individual lessons are important at the beginning for people with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The individual attention assists with focus to task, socialization, following directions, and of course, one of the most important aspects for any child, building a positive self-esteem. For our family, these individual lessons soon bridged into lessons with another drummer and then into the junior high band as a whole.
The reasons I, as a mother and speech-language pathologist choose drums as the instrument of choice for therapy, communication, social interaction, and personal development are listed below. They are numerous. They are simple to complex. They are about life.
Drumming helps develop: turn taking skills, attending/focus, choices, listening, planning, sequencing, coordination, judgment, problem solving, eye contact, reading body language,
Drumming brings in the right hemisphere of the brain where rhythm is lateralized. This assists with total body coordination for walking, running, and hand-eye coordination. This will assist with reading, writing, and academic skills.
Drumming assists with pragmatic language skills (social language) Being a part of a group that specializes in music is significant for socialization and self-esteem. The responsibility of one person to a group of people does not come easily for a person with ASD ~ but with more practice the better it gets.
Drumming assists with learning how to drive – that might seem far out but from a speech therapy point of view it is not at all. All of the above skills are necessary with learning how to drive a car. In people with ASD, it takes many different aspects of bringing all of these skills together, over time, to accomplish this complicated driving task. Yes, people with ASD can drive. My son, Doug, has driven since he was seventeen.
Drumming assists with happiness and fulfillment in life. Perhaps this is the most important aspect of all. Give your child with ASD something to be happy about. Too many people point out children’s weaknesses and drumming, be it loud or soft, good or bad, within the beat or not, will make them and you HAPPY!
Thank you, Cherie Willoughby, for prompting me to write this testimony to DRUMMING. It sounds to me like YOU do a fantastic job for families with autism and without. Keep the beat alive!
Cookies for God
Doug and Katie gave Cookies to God
Cookies for God
is a special short story that I wrote for and about a personal experience with my children, Doug and Katie, when they were young. It is an inspirational account of what we can give to God and how. All parents will want to share this experience with their own child. What a great idea for a Sunday School class as well. Read it and enjoy at Divine Caroline.
Guiding Eyes for the Blind’s Heeling Autism – vote now
Guide Autism
This month, Guiding Eyes for the Blind’s Heeling Autism program is in the running for a $250,000 grant from Pepsi’s Refresh Project. We are currently ranked 7th out of 415 – we need to be in first or second place to receive funding.
Heeling Autism dogs change the lives of children in almost miraculous ways. The dogs elicit social skills and emotions that other therapies may not. They keep children safe so that trips with their families become more enjoyable, and less stressful. Our dogs are provided absolutely free of charge and provide infinite hope in their new homes. Unfortunately, there is a two year waiting list for a Heeling Autism dog.
Can you help us encourage more votes? You can post this link – http://www.refresheverything.com/autismdogsforchildren – to your blog / FB page / etc. Your supporters have the potential to make a huge difference.
Thank you for your consideration; please let me know if you have any questions or if you’d like more information.
Warmest wishes,
Michelle
Michelle Brier
Events and Marketing Manager
Guiding Eyes for the Blind
611 Granite Springs Road
Yorktown Heights, NY 10598
Kathie’s new oral motor program for children from AliMed
by Kathie from AliMed
My new oral motor speech program, TONGUE TRACKS, published by AliMed, will be in their May 2011 catalog. This program is designed for children with mild speech delays to children on the autism spectrum. TONGUE TRACKS is a fun, motivating way to get children to practice tongue, lip, mouth exercises that enhance speech sounds, chewing, and swallowing. The beauty of TONGUE TRACKS is that it can be implimented by speech/language pathologists, teachers, and parents.
Bringing up Twins with Autism
The twins
Bringing up one child with autism was a journey in many ways ~ but two. Read more about this family and admire their love, faith, perseverance, and knowledge. Thank you Sue Hiller for sharing your story about Kara and Jenna. The twins are special and so are YOU.
Speech Pathologist climbs every mountain
Jackie Knechtel, M.A., CCC-SLP
Fellow SLP, Jackie Knechtel of New York, is doing something I certainly have never attempted – in July, Jackie climbed Mr. Kilimanjaro (the tallest mountain in Africa – 19,340 ft.) She says: “My goal is to raise $10,000 for Autism Speaks. I chose Autism Speaks as the beneficiary because it is the nation’s largest science and advocacy group related to autism spectrum disorders. It is a trusted organization.
Jackie specializes in working with children with autism in her practice, Self Expressions.
I salute you, Jackie, and hope it is easy coming down the mountain.
To date, $7221.00 has been donated.
Why not you?
Humpty Dumpty is plaid and wears hats!
- One Humpty head for many hats
You can check Humpty out on Kathie’s World and also On the Road with Humpty Dumpty
Hey, family fans, I want to show you some of the many hats that I wear. I’m a Santa, to an Indian Chief, to a Happy Birthday present, to a Dickey’s Barbeque fan. I love it all.
Kathie says she can’t wait until the Halloween costumes are on the shelves. Oh boy ~ I’m in for many, many more.
As a speech therapist just think of all the possiblities you can do with a page like this ~ of ME ~ with my hats. IT’S ENDLESS!
If you need a larger copy of my hat sheet for therapy just send me your E mail address and Kathie will make sure you receive it. You can “categorize, verbalize, functionalize, prepositionalize, sillyize, whateverize.” You’ll have fun and the kids will learn and remember ~ ME!
