There is a new show on ABC entitled, Find My Family. This is from the producers of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.
Today, November 22, 2009 is the day I gave birth back in 1978 to a son that I gave up for adoption through Catholic Charities in Newark, NJ. When I saw the commercial for the new show I did a google search, which led me to an email address for those who are interested in being on the show to contact. I did that and have yet to get a response.
So far this is okay with me as I have yet to inform my oldest son about my first born son. I wrote a Birth Mother's Open Letter back in 2000 when I had two toddlers on the autism spectrum. They are now teens, but Matthew would not really grasp the story.
The other day the commercial was on when Nick and I were watching TV and he told me it looked good and mentioned the bit about it being from same producers of the other show that we have watched over the years - although he mostly tuned in for the autism family stories/makeovers.
I am located in Los Angeles and noticed Lisa Joyner is one of the hosts and she was in Los Angeles news at Fox for many year so I think this is the home base of the show. I mentioned in my email that I have two teens on the autism spectrum and from NJ where I gave up son. I discussed wondering if he has any kids and if autism is in my genes and should he be notified of this. I forgot to note in my email that I turn 50 in April.
I almost started to tell Nick about my first born son but not sure what he will comprehend. I had an opportunity to write a letter and put in his file before he turned 18, just in case he had access to it or contacted Catholic Charities, but at that time I had received autism diagnosis and could not spend the time or money on a search.
I keep the information I have on Catholic Charities in my earthquake kit also.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Money Management Lessons
The other morning I decided to look at my checking acct balance online and was surprised to see a negative in red with overdraft balance listed. This was 5.42 and I thought I must have forgotten to note the recent Burger King transaction of $6.87, plus the prior day I had used my paypal card as a credit card and it was going to transfer a dollar and change from my checking acct as I had gone over and this is set up to do that.
I looked at my acct and register to see these were noted, but found online a charge for LA NEWSPAPER for $25.00. I called the number which was a recording saying the number for the paper and informing callers to tell the company that this was a personal number. I imagine this was the delivery person's phone number.
I was quite irate on the phone with customer service after being told this was the third charge from my checking acct for $25. There was one in July and September. I have no idea how I missed those, but am quite distracted being a single Mom to two teens on the autism spectrum with one being homeschooled and utilizing the computer for work.
I get a bill for the Los Angeles Daily News annually and give them my debit card for the payment, which has been $35.00 annually and I never gave authorization to use my card for future use. I have no paperwork citing this and did not sign anything. The customer service rep said I authorized it in July but could not come up with any print out for me. She said their site and info was recently upgraded. I asked for a history of my acct to show me how long I was paying the $35 fee and to see this in the mail, she could not produce anything like this.
She said she would put in for a refund of the November charge and I called my Bank. My first call resulted in finding out that they would do an investigation after the refund came through and I called to notify them and if that charge was the cause of the NSF - non sufficient funds they would reimburse me. I was concerned with the dollar and change charge from paypal that did not come through and wanted to find out if that would give me another $24.00 NSF fee and he said yes and would not be reversed.
My son Nicholas is homeschooled and this went on after his brother went to school on the bus and he woke up to some colorful language on my part. I had a stack of bank statements all over the kitchen table as I tried to find the previous $25 charges.
I got out a bank statement and a credit report to show Nick what happens when a credit card company sees you have NSF and how this can spiral out of control. I also found the papers from the bank on their fee structure showing if you have so many NSF charges in a year the fee rises. This was my attempt to cover myself and do a quick lesson in money management.
The big lesson was for me and the way I do my checking acct register. I look each item I have written up online and place a check mark next to them so that I have checks up and down the register. This is how I have done it for years but it is not foolproof as anything unexpected coming through would not be in my check register and would not get noted as I am looking from my register and not the actual withdrawals.
I am now changing that way of balancing. A few weeks ago I had noticed when checking to find out why balances were not the same a calculation error on my part, or so I thought where I misread a 2 for a 5 and added the $30 back in, which might be why I had not noticed the $50 already taken out (July and Sep)
I had to get to the laundromat and called from my cell the Bank again to put a dispute on the charge and I found out you have 60 days so the customer service rep was kind enough to place one on the Sep charge as well.
I wrote a review on some workbooks awhile ago. The very large Life Skills Activities book has a great section in it, Practical Living Skills with Money Management one of the chapters.
There are pages on Writing a Check that shows a blank check and the steps plus maintaining a checking account. I think it is time for Nick to learn this. We just recently started a chore system that is going well.
I looked at my acct and register to see these were noted, but found online a charge for LA NEWSPAPER for $25.00. I called the number which was a recording saying the number for the paper and informing callers to tell the company that this was a personal number. I imagine this was the delivery person's phone number.
I was quite irate on the phone with customer service after being told this was the third charge from my checking acct for $25. There was one in July and September. I have no idea how I missed those, but am quite distracted being a single Mom to two teens on the autism spectrum with one being homeschooled and utilizing the computer for work.
I get a bill for the Los Angeles Daily News annually and give them my debit card for the payment, which has been $35.00 annually and I never gave authorization to use my card for future use. I have no paperwork citing this and did not sign anything. The customer service rep said I authorized it in July but could not come up with any print out for me. She said their site and info was recently upgraded. I asked for a history of my acct to show me how long I was paying the $35 fee and to see this in the mail, she could not produce anything like this.
She said she would put in for a refund of the November charge and I called my Bank. My first call resulted in finding out that they would do an investigation after the refund came through and I called to notify them and if that charge was the cause of the NSF - non sufficient funds they would reimburse me. I was concerned with the dollar and change charge from paypal that did not come through and wanted to find out if that would give me another $24.00 NSF fee and he said yes and would not be reversed.
My son Nicholas is homeschooled and this went on after his brother went to school on the bus and he woke up to some colorful language on my part. I had a stack of bank statements all over the kitchen table as I tried to find the previous $25 charges.
I got out a bank statement and a credit report to show Nick what happens when a credit card company sees you have NSF and how this can spiral out of control. I also found the papers from the bank on their fee structure showing if you have so many NSF charges in a year the fee rises. This was my attempt to cover myself and do a quick lesson in money management.
The big lesson was for me and the way I do my checking acct register. I look each item I have written up online and place a check mark next to them so that I have checks up and down the register. This is how I have done it for years but it is not foolproof as anything unexpected coming through would not be in my check register and would not get noted as I am looking from my register and not the actual withdrawals.
I am now changing that way of balancing. A few weeks ago I had noticed when checking to find out why balances were not the same a calculation error on my part, or so I thought where I misread a 2 for a 5 and added the $30 back in, which might be why I had not noticed the $50 already taken out (July and Sep)
I had to get to the laundromat and called from my cell the Bank again to put a dispute on the charge and I found out you have 60 days so the customer service rep was kind enough to place one on the Sep charge as well.
I wrote a review on some workbooks awhile ago. The very large Life Skills Activities book has a great section in it, Practical Living Skills with Money Management one of the chapters.
There are pages on Writing a Check that shows a blank check and the steps plus maintaining a checking account. I think it is time for Nick to learn this. We just recently started a chore system that is going well.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Screwed Over By Professionals
I have been thinking lately of how we as a family of two autistic teens have been treated by those professionals serving the disabled community. For nine years my son Nick attended the autism summer camp with Matthew being eight years. I start planning for camp early each year and due to this we do not sign up for Extended School Year , but that backfired this past summer.
A few years ago I read about a New Jersey Mom where the school her special needs child attended read and utilized her blog against her at the IEP. Because of this I have been lax in posting my true feelings about the camp issue this past year along with what happened with the behavior parent training a few years back through one agency and the clinic where Matt received Feeding and Floortime therapy.
But parents need to stick together and share both positive and negative experiences for others to glean from and determine what is the best resource for their kids. Quality control exists for a reason.
Camp abruptly was cancelled before the start of summer, but way after the deadline to sign up for ESY so Matthew had nothing for two months to keep his progress going and his decline was evident to his teacher at the start of this school year. Things he once was able to do had to be taught over. There were obvious deficits due to not having any services over the summer.
The camp ended their association with the State of California Regional Centers and proceeded to send the written exchanges they had to the families. I felt this was poor judgement to air their dirty laundry to the very people they serve. They basically left us hanging with nothing - there was not even a planned day for families to get together so the kids can see one another. After nine years this is how my son was treated and I felt it was unacceptable.
Over the course of the summer the Regional Center cut camps as a vendored option, leaving families scouring to find funding opportunities. Several weeks ago we started going to Kids Enjoy Exercise Now (KEEN LA) where we ran into a fellow camper that was in Nick's class for the previous two years.
For years I had been telling other parents and promoting online about the summer camp and now we are in the dark about what will happen next year. In talking to the other parent at the KEEN sessions she also did not get her daughter into ESY because of camp, but in spite of that her child still wants to go to camp next summer as does mine. It is a conflicting feeling and I wonder how they will contact parents in the coming year.
The Behavior parent training few years back was for a few months but the services were hardly professional. Since that experience the Regional Center has ceased doing business with that company, but after my calls to complain the so called therapist trashed me in the final report. This is why I hate assessments and reports.
The girl got the job from an ad on craigslist and tried to use her version of PECS with my nonverbal son Matthew. I explained to her that she was no speech therapist and to stick to the assessment plan. One session she brought a new therapist who had a low cut tank top on. I called the office to complain about their attire and the way the therapist conducted herself in my home.
The feeding therapy started years ago and went well for a long time until I requested the sessions to be at my kitchen where we needed the help. Matthew had no problems eating in their kitchens but the issues were here. There was never any organization to the sessions as the therapist would bring a piece of paper and never follow a plan or give me written directions. I asked many times to use foods that required a fork and spoon, but it was always foods that could be eaten by hand.
The visits to school were inconsistent and the same questions were asked each week. For months no one ever showed up and there was a huge gap in services offered. We were basically just left hanging and Matthew is back to eating limited foods.
I have run into the Occupational Therapist and Dietitian twice in the last year - once at a funeral and just last month they were presenters at a feeding seminar I attended. It is my belief that some professionals speak well on their topics and are good on paper, but fail in achieving success with the client.
I requested many times to get the copies of the videos they took of me and Matt, yet to this day nothing ever arrived in the mail. I wanted to see the progress and learn from these tapes, but they were too busy using them at their seminars to help other professionals instead of following through with their own clients. My son has suffered because of this.
The Floortime therapy was through the same clinic since we had a relationship with them, or so I thought. After a year at my home they stopped suddenly due to the therapist being allergic to cats and we had one from outside come inside. No one ever came again after that and just left my son in the midst of the progress with no help whatsoever.
It sure would be nice if the therapy remained consistent and the families received some guidance before it all ended. Thanks for nothing..
A few years ago I read about a New Jersey Mom where the school her special needs child attended read and utilized her blog against her at the IEP. Because of this I have been lax in posting my true feelings about the camp issue this past year along with what happened with the behavior parent training a few years back through one agency and the clinic where Matt received Feeding and Floortime therapy.
But parents need to stick together and share both positive and negative experiences for others to glean from and determine what is the best resource for their kids. Quality control exists for a reason.
Camp abruptly was cancelled before the start of summer, but way after the deadline to sign up for ESY so Matthew had nothing for two months to keep his progress going and his decline was evident to his teacher at the start of this school year. Things he once was able to do had to be taught over. There were obvious deficits due to not having any services over the summer.
The camp ended their association with the State of California Regional Centers and proceeded to send the written exchanges they had to the families. I felt this was poor judgement to air their dirty laundry to the very people they serve. They basically left us hanging with nothing - there was not even a planned day for families to get together so the kids can see one another. After nine years this is how my son was treated and I felt it was unacceptable.
Over the course of the summer the Regional Center cut camps as a vendored option, leaving families scouring to find funding opportunities. Several weeks ago we started going to Kids Enjoy Exercise Now (KEEN LA) where we ran into a fellow camper that was in Nick's class for the previous two years.
For years I had been telling other parents and promoting online about the summer camp and now we are in the dark about what will happen next year. In talking to the other parent at the KEEN sessions she also did not get her daughter into ESY because of camp, but in spite of that her child still wants to go to camp next summer as does mine. It is a conflicting feeling and I wonder how they will contact parents in the coming year.
The Behavior parent training few years back was for a few months but the services were hardly professional. Since that experience the Regional Center has ceased doing business with that company, but after my calls to complain the so called therapist trashed me in the final report. This is why I hate assessments and reports.
The girl got the job from an ad on craigslist and tried to use her version of PECS with my nonverbal son Matthew. I explained to her that she was no speech therapist and to stick to the assessment plan. One session she brought a new therapist who had a low cut tank top on. I called the office to complain about their attire and the way the therapist conducted herself in my home.
The feeding therapy started years ago and went well for a long time until I requested the sessions to be at my kitchen where we needed the help. Matthew had no problems eating in their kitchens but the issues were here. There was never any organization to the sessions as the therapist would bring a piece of paper and never follow a plan or give me written directions. I asked many times to use foods that required a fork and spoon, but it was always foods that could be eaten by hand.
The visits to school were inconsistent and the same questions were asked each week. For months no one ever showed up and there was a huge gap in services offered. We were basically just left hanging and Matthew is back to eating limited foods.
I have run into the Occupational Therapist and Dietitian twice in the last year - once at a funeral and just last month they were presenters at a feeding seminar I attended. It is my belief that some professionals speak well on their topics and are good on paper, but fail in achieving success with the client.
I requested many times to get the copies of the videos they took of me and Matt, yet to this day nothing ever arrived in the mail. I wanted to see the progress and learn from these tapes, but they were too busy using them at their seminars to help other professionals instead of following through with their own clients. My son has suffered because of this.
The Floortime therapy was through the same clinic since we had a relationship with them, or so I thought. After a year at my home they stopped suddenly due to the therapist being allergic to cats and we had one from outside come inside. No one ever came again after that and just left my son in the midst of the progress with no help whatsoever.
It sure would be nice if the therapy remained consistent and the families received some guidance before it all ended. Thanks for nothing..
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Blog Tour for Gather.com
For the past several years I have been joining online communities to connect with other parents who have kids with autism. I started with epinions.com in 2000 before finding Gather.com in August of 2006 CafeMom.com was the following summer along with Wish Upon A Hero.com also known as WUAH, with Twitter.com June of 2008, as well as this blog last summer.
The summer months are when I come across these online communities and expand my relationships and do my part to promote autism awareness. There are many rewards to finding another community to become part of, plus you find some of the same friends from other sites. Each site has their own style so you get to gain new insights from those previous relationships while delving into new opportunities at each site.
I wrote about my impressions of Gather.com back in October of 2006. I was so enthusiastic with the site that I created almost twenty groups for members to belong to where they could post articles, videos, photos and comment on other posts. Every idea I had would mean a new group.
The site has grown and expanded with options over the years to include bookmarks and sharing of posts, pings on profile pages, spotlighting of our own articles for our profile page and having more information on members to help determine if you want to become friends. You can delete a comment on any of your posts, you can remove the option of ratings for anything you post also. Groups can be private for only family members if you choose. Your friends can be categorized by friends, family and colleagues. There are many options on gather.com to read and interact with others plus the fun in earning points for gift cards. The holidays are five months away - time to prepare is now.
Meet people and make new friends is the gather motto. Once you become a member you can search by your location, interest or age group to find conversations and groups to join. At your home page the links to utilize include:
my posts, my photos, my videos, my comments, my friends and my groups. Also the option for guarded viewing is on this page, plus email preferences, your account settings, friend updates are here and comments from your friends on posts around the site.
Your gather points are posted next to your photo or avatar. This is a clickable link so you can find the gift cards available for your point total. The minimum to redeem is 315 points. There are options to get paid through paypal as well. I received a Borders card in the mail today. I redeemed last month. The gather home office is in Boston, Founder and CEO is Tom Gerace. I still get notified when Tom writes a new post. The letter with the gift card thanks you for making gather such a special place. "We love sharing our success with you."
Just last month was an opportunity for the first 500 Gather Moms to fill out the 2009 summer survey and receive 50 gather points. There are competitions, author chats, review opportunities and contests to take part in on gather.com.
My teenage son has enjoyed over the years looking at photos of cats on gather.com. He will tell me what the rating should be and help with the comment. There are options to rate and comment posts, pictures and videos. You can set which groups are your favorite and change your settings to not receive emails from every group. If you join many groups there is the section at the bottom of your posts where you need t choose which group your photo, post or video gets linked up to.
Some groups are very strict in what they will accept, there are tags that are helpful to find posts as well. My groups are moderated so I need to go into my home page and click on group tasks to find the new content and approve it on a weekly basis. Gather.com also takes copyright infringement very seriously. There are groups on this topic as well.
You will meet many new people who share similar interests, post poetry, short stories, reviews of books and other products, share family experiences and post coupon codes to get deals at each week. Now for summer the reading is about vacations, picnics, movies, favorite television shows and recipes.
There was a children's health product that had been recalled. I wrote a post complaining about this and wanting to know what other parents were using. This article continued to get comments as it was found in online searches. Through these comments I learned of two new products that were just as good that I started purchasing and still use to this day.
At your home page you will see what your friends are posting, what activity is happening in groups, recent comments and photos. There are many groups to discuss and learn about the site as well. This past week there was an offer to win a free book
The first year I joined gather.com I stock piled 7 or 8 B+N gift cards for holiday shopping for my kids. Although B+N is no longer an option, Borders, Macy's and CVS have been my gift cards of choice since my first year. I have always received my gift cards within three weeks. You earn points for everything you do on the site. To join gather there are links for you to place on your blog or site, plus you can send invitations. There was a referral program with points earned for new members. I have had a banner on my blog since I started it.
I highly recommend other bloggers join gather.com to form new bonds with those who have similar tastes. There have been cruises for members to attend and meet in person. Members share about their writings and new books, family ventures and find out about other places around the world from the diverse mix of members from all over.
Some of the groups I created include:
autism families
associated content writers
Beauty 101
This is the first blog tour I have signed up with Mom Central since my blog was accepted into their program. Due to the fact that I have personal experience this is a perfect fit for me.
I wrote this review while participating in a blog and giveaway campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Gather. Mom Central sent me a gift cad to thank me for taking the time to participate.
The summer months are when I come across these online communities and expand my relationships and do my part to promote autism awareness. There are many rewards to finding another community to become part of, plus you find some of the same friends from other sites. Each site has their own style so you get to gain new insights from those previous relationships while delving into new opportunities at each site.
I wrote about my impressions of Gather.com back in October of 2006. I was so enthusiastic with the site that I created almost twenty groups for members to belong to where they could post articles, videos, photos and comment on other posts. Every idea I had would mean a new group.
The site has grown and expanded with options over the years to include bookmarks and sharing of posts, pings on profile pages, spotlighting of our own articles for our profile page and having more information on members to help determine if you want to become friends. You can delete a comment on any of your posts, you can remove the option of ratings for anything you post also. Groups can be private for only family members if you choose. Your friends can be categorized by friends, family and colleagues. There are many options on gather.com to read and interact with others plus the fun in earning points for gift cards. The holidays are five months away - time to prepare is now.
Meet people and make new friends is the gather motto. Once you become a member you can search by your location, interest or age group to find conversations and groups to join. At your home page the links to utilize include:
my posts, my photos, my videos, my comments, my friends and my groups. Also the option for guarded viewing is on this page, plus email preferences, your account settings, friend updates are here and comments from your friends on posts around the site.
Your gather points are posted next to your photo or avatar. This is a clickable link so you can find the gift cards available for your point total. The minimum to redeem is 315 points. There are options to get paid through paypal as well. I received a Borders card in the mail today. I redeemed last month. The gather home office is in Boston, Founder and CEO is Tom Gerace. I still get notified when Tom writes a new post. The letter with the gift card thanks you for making gather such a special place. "We love sharing our success with you."
Just last month was an opportunity for the first 500 Gather Moms to fill out the 2009 summer survey and receive 50 gather points. There are competitions, author chats, review opportunities and contests to take part in on gather.com.
My teenage son has enjoyed over the years looking at photos of cats on gather.com. He will tell me what the rating should be and help with the comment. There are options to rate and comment posts, pictures and videos. You can set which groups are your favorite and change your settings to not receive emails from every group. If you join many groups there is the section at the bottom of your posts where you need t choose which group your photo, post or video gets linked up to.
Some groups are very strict in what they will accept, there are tags that are helpful to find posts as well. My groups are moderated so I need to go into my home page and click on group tasks to find the new content and approve it on a weekly basis. Gather.com also takes copyright infringement very seriously. There are groups on this topic as well.
You will meet many new people who share similar interests, post poetry, short stories, reviews of books and other products, share family experiences and post coupon codes to get deals at each week. Now for summer the reading is about vacations, picnics, movies, favorite television shows and recipes.
There was a children's health product that had been recalled. I wrote a post complaining about this and wanting to know what other parents were using. This article continued to get comments as it was found in online searches. Through these comments I learned of two new products that were just as good that I started purchasing and still use to this day.
At your home page you will see what your friends are posting, what activity is happening in groups, recent comments and photos. There are many groups to discuss and learn about the site as well. This past week there was an offer to win a free book
The first year I joined gather.com I stock piled 7 or 8 B+N gift cards for holiday shopping for my kids. Although B+N is no longer an option, Borders, Macy's and CVS have been my gift cards of choice since my first year. I have always received my gift cards within three weeks. You earn points for everything you do on the site. To join gather there are links for you to place on your blog or site, plus you can send invitations. There was a referral program with points earned for new members. I have had a banner on my blog since I started it.
I highly recommend other bloggers join gather.com to form new bonds with those who have similar tastes. There have been cruises for members to attend and meet in person. Members share about their writings and new books, family ventures and find out about other places around the world from the diverse mix of members from all over.
Some of the groups I created include:
autism families
associated content writers
Beauty 101
This is the first blog tour I have signed up with Mom Central since my blog was accepted into their program. Due to the fact that I have personal experience this is a perfect fit for me.
I wrote this review while participating in a blog and giveaway campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Gather. Mom Central sent me a gift cad to thank me for taking the time to participate.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
VizZle - Visual Learning Software Giveaway
VizZle - Visual Learning Software for Children with Autism is web-based from Monarch Teaching Technologies. This is the answer for teachers, therapists and parents for quick, easy and effective visual supports.
Back in March my high functioning son Nick and I went to the free exhibitor day at the CSUN Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference. This is where I first saw and heard of VizZle. Awhile after the conference I noticed VizZle on twitter.
VizZle has a searchable library of lessons that range from state-standard academics to personal hygiene, matching boards, game-boards, interactive books and a visual language lab. Lesson tracking will be available by August. Currently there are token boards that can be customized, timers plus first-then boards.
You can match coins to their value, match coin images to written names, play the matching spider game, pick clothing appropriate for each season, learn about gardening, practice grouping animals in a table-top activity and for the next six weeks VizZle is giving away a $25 amazon card to the user with the most new lesson plans each week. There is a new winner every week. The site also has a free trial and there is a quick start guide to VizZle in pdf format.
There is also the option to take a one-hour VizZle training session. You can inquire about special group discounts for the school year 2009-10. The VizZle help section.
VizZle received a Best Education Software Award 2009 from Comput Ed Gazette. They are one of four finalists for the Technology Innovations Golden Lamp Award from AEP (the Association of Educational Publishers), which will be awarded in June. In mid April VizZle sent out their 1000th username and password.
I am thrilled to announce that Monarch Teaching Technologies, Inc. is giving away two 3-month subscriptions to VizZle to readers of Autism Family Adventures blog. This starts today and will run for one-week. This is a great giveaway for parents, teachers or therapists and gives you the summer to work on lesson plans and/or have your child practice learning while on summer break.
RULES FOR GIVEAWAY
Please make sure I have a way to contact you should you be the winner. You can include your email address with your comment. Please do one comment for each entry.
For the main entry please post in comments whether you would use the three month free subscription to VizZle as a parent, student, teacher or therapist. What age group are the students or your child?
For extra entries leave a comment for each option
1 entry - subscribe to my RSS feed or via email
1 entry - follow this blog - can be found in the sidebar
1 entry - follow me on twitter (autismfamily) leave your ID
1 entry - follow @govizzle on twitter - leave your ID
1 entry - grab my button from the sidebar - leave link to blog
1 entry - Fav Autism Family Adventures (this blog) in Technorati
1 entry - digg, stumbleupon or mixx this blog post - one comment for each
1 entry - tweet this giveaway - leave your twitter id & date of tweet
1 entry - join Autism Next Door on Facebook
1 entry - friend me on Facebook - Bonnie Sayers - leave me your name
1 entry - fan VizZle on Facebook - leave me your name
1 entry - connect with me on LinkedIn - Bonnie Sayers
2 entries - do a recommendation for me on LinkedIn
2 entries - blog about this giveaway - leave blog link
If you already do any of the above, please note that with your ID in a separate comment for each.
This VizZle giveaway will run through Sunday, May 31, 2009 at 8 PM PST. The winners will be chosen using Random.org from all valid entries and notified via email. Both winners will have 48 hours to contact me before another winner is chosen. Giveaway is open to US, Canada and International users.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Twitter Sonrise Chat Log
This is the summize log from the twitter chat with Tali Berman, founder of Meir Autism Treatment Center in Israel that was held on April 28, 2009. Five copies of her book, Play to Grow! Over 200 games designed to help your special child develop fundamental social skills were given away during the twitter chat.
Welcome Tali - please tell us how you first learned of the Son-Rise program
I began with a family in 1997 and was amazed by the honoring approach and progress- child is fully integrated now
What are the 5 stages of development in The Son-Rise Program Developmental Model?
what age range do you cover in your teaching of sonrise?
do son-rise teachers work with therapists like OT and speech? is son-rise done at clinic or in home
5 stages are organized by skill level in 4 fundamental areas:eye contact, language, interactive attention span, flexibility
we work with children of all ages, including adults
can you share some of the games from the book?
Does sonrise target any specific behaviors? Can it help redirect behaviors?
yes, if child has specific need for those therapies. Typically done at home but games can be used in clinics as well
what does the Son-rise program maximum impact cover? How long was this? Do parents learn these programs too?
for sample game ideas see inside our book at our site www.meirautism.org- too little space here for more details
do you see many children with sensory challenges? is this covered in training?
can you explain the flexibility aspect as one of the stages? sonrise
Does sonrise target any specific behaviors? Can it help redirect behaviors?
book is more about teaching skills through interactive play than redirecting- though Son-Rise does address this
what are the 5 stages that are organized by skill level in 4 fundamental areas
do you attend IEP meetings and offer input to the goals?
how is sonrise different than floortime?
yes- the Israeli equivalent to IEP
does sonrise encourage siblings to be involved in playing and initiating games, etc?
what does a sonrise assessment consist of and how long does the therapy last?
play time is in specified room, repetitive play is joined not redirected and the parents attitude has big focus
only if sibling wants to participate if so than yes!
Do you guys offer any ideas on how to capture initial involvement in play?
Identifying where your child's skills are in 4 areas. Developmental model can be downloaded at www.son-rise.org
do you work on life skills, self-advocacy and/or social skills with adults
any tips on dealing with a child who seeks deep pressure often, my son wants on his chin
yes- this is key.playroom, fun props, your child's specific motivations during presentation and through out the game
yes- social skills, conversations skills, social cues, reading body language, asking personal q's, etc
Thank you! Was wondering about any play to help relax
Are the 5 stages of development considered sort of like a "trade secret" or are you allowed to share them?
give to him on ongoing basis- this can be used as leverage in game to keep him interested /willing to be challenged
Just too extensive to share in a sentence- stages are explained in full detail at www.son-rise.org, download check out
Have you found that your strategies help any child populations in addition to those on the spectrum?
A great 'hot dog ' game-try rolling him like a hot dog in a thin blanket- give squeezes and roll out- kids love it
Thank you! My son is very "hugged" inclined, we use to soothe a lot.
yes- any child with social and language challenges- many of our children are not on the spectrum
does therapy last more than one year? How do you know when to terminate - when move thru the 5 stages?
If the play time is in a specified room, what do you do with a child who consistently refuses to stay in the room?
there are dangers to rolling up in blanket, suffocation, need to be very careful with that
start with 15 minutes, build to more time, once the children see the fun they go in and shut door themselves
Specified room? Can we incorporate fresh outdoor play? And does it offer help with classroom transition or trans into adolescence
yes- of course with child's head out!
do you use sign language, comm devices or picture cards to communicate with nonverbal kids doing sonrise?
yes, plus too much pressure in chest area can suffocate a child..sounds like a great program tho, will def check out
In stages 4/5 games can be done outdoors, in earlier stages in the room. Son- Rise does address transition to school
Yes, but some kids strongly desire to run/move in larger area, really want to leave room, do you force to stay at 1st?
If appropriate for child- yes, still with focus on verbal lang
we do recommend closed/ locked door (if necessary)for initial transition into the room- again, most kids love being there
how long has this program been around?
I recommend mixing it up- 15-20 minutes in room, energetic outdoor activity then room again- building to more time
That makes total sense, but doesn't it kind of go against the Son-Rise principles?
Will program work with kids with Ds who are also on the spectrum?
I mean doesn't the closed/locked door sort of go against the basic Son-Rise principles?
One of few places we go against the child- once in the room they have total control- effective environment is crucial
Is there a specific room we should use for a playroom in the house that would work to our advantage? Dont have spare room here.
Interesting! What are some of the other ways you would go against the child's wishes?
If you don;t have spare room you can use child's bedroom- just need to modify it so it can be used effectively
If child was hurting himself, others or destroying property
how do sonrise teachers address biting and hitting during therapy?
In short (obviously a bigger discussion) being preventative, give alternative (chew toy to bite), praise when gentle
also offering deep pressure squeezes (if child lets) on head and rest of body- could be a way to release pressure
Does "being preventive" include changing gears when see behaviors coming, could communicate power through aggression?
changing gears just before the aggression, also tracking if there is link to foods, time of day, over stimulation, sleep
Thank you Bonnie for this chat. You are a force of nature! I hope all you winners out there get a lot from the book
So if change gears right before aggression, might still be pre-aggression behaviors, but you honor as communication?
Looking forward to new ideas and less frustration, thank u again
Thank you for sharing your time and talents!
You can check out @playtogrow book on #sonrise program at: http://meirautism.org/principles
Welcome Tali - please tell us how you first learned of the Son-Rise program
I began with a family in 1997 and was amazed by the honoring approach and progress- child is fully integrated now
What are the 5 stages of development in The Son-Rise Program Developmental Model?
what age range do you cover in your teaching of sonrise?
do son-rise teachers work with therapists like OT and speech? is son-rise done at clinic or in home
5 stages are organized by skill level in 4 fundamental areas:eye contact, language, interactive attention span, flexibility
we work with children of all ages, including adults
can you share some of the games from the book?
Does sonrise target any specific behaviors? Can it help redirect behaviors?
yes, if child has specific need for those therapies. Typically done at home but games can be used in clinics as well
what does the Son-rise program maximum impact cover? How long was this? Do parents learn these programs too?
for sample game ideas see inside our book at our site www.meirautism.org- too little space here for more details
do you see many children with sensory challenges? is this covered in training?
can you explain the flexibility aspect as one of the stages? sonrise
Does sonrise target any specific behaviors? Can it help redirect behaviors?
book is more about teaching skills through interactive play than redirecting- though Son-Rise does address this
what are the 5 stages that are organized by skill level in 4 fundamental areas
do you attend IEP meetings and offer input to the goals?
how is sonrise different than floortime?
yes- the Israeli equivalent to IEP
does sonrise encourage siblings to be involved in playing and initiating games, etc?
what does a sonrise assessment consist of and how long does the therapy last?
play time is in specified room, repetitive play is joined not redirected and the parents attitude has big focus
only if sibling wants to participate if so than yes!
Do you guys offer any ideas on how to capture initial involvement in play?
Identifying where your child's skills are in 4 areas. Developmental model can be downloaded at www.son-rise.org
do you work on life skills, self-advocacy and/or social skills with adults
any tips on dealing with a child who seeks deep pressure often, my son wants on his chin
yes- this is key.playroom, fun props, your child's specific motivations during presentation and through out the game
yes- social skills, conversations skills, social cues, reading body language, asking personal q's, etc
Thank you! Was wondering about any play to help relax
Are the 5 stages of development considered sort of like a "trade secret" or are you allowed to share them?
give to him on ongoing basis- this can be used as leverage in game to keep him interested /willing to be challenged
Just too extensive to share in a sentence- stages are explained in full detail at www.son-rise.org, download check out
Have you found that your strategies help any child populations in addition to those on the spectrum?
A great 'hot dog ' game-try rolling him like a hot dog in a thin blanket- give squeezes and roll out- kids love it
Thank you! My son is very "hugged" inclined, we use to soothe a lot.
yes- any child with social and language challenges- many of our children are not on the spectrum
does therapy last more than one year? How do you know when to terminate - when move thru the 5 stages?
If the play time is in a specified room, what do you do with a child who consistently refuses to stay in the room?
there are dangers to rolling up in blanket, suffocation, need to be very careful with that
start with 15 minutes, build to more time, once the children see the fun they go in and shut door themselves
Specified room? Can we incorporate fresh outdoor play? And does it offer help with classroom transition or trans into adolescence
yes- of course with child's head out!
do you use sign language, comm devices or picture cards to communicate with nonverbal kids doing sonrise?
yes, plus too much pressure in chest area can suffocate a child..sounds like a great program tho, will def check out
In stages 4/5 games can be done outdoors, in earlier stages in the room. Son- Rise does address transition to school
Yes, but some kids strongly desire to run/move in larger area, really want to leave room, do you force to stay at 1st?
If appropriate for child- yes, still with focus on verbal lang
we do recommend closed/ locked door (if necessary)for initial transition into the room- again, most kids love being there
how long has this program been around?
I recommend mixing it up- 15-20 minutes in room, energetic outdoor activity then room again- building to more time
That makes total sense, but doesn't it kind of go against the Son-Rise principles?
Will program work with kids with Ds who are also on the spectrum?
I mean doesn't the closed/locked door sort of go against the basic Son-Rise principles?
One of few places we go against the child- once in the room they have total control- effective environment is crucial
Is there a specific room we should use for a playroom in the house that would work to our advantage? Dont have spare room here.
Interesting! What are some of the other ways you would go against the child's wishes?
If you don;t have spare room you can use child's bedroom- just need to modify it so it can be used effectively
If child was hurting himself, others or destroying property
how do sonrise teachers address biting and hitting during therapy?
In short (obviously a bigger discussion) being preventative, give alternative (chew toy to bite), praise when gentle
also offering deep pressure squeezes (if child lets) on head and rest of body- could be a way to release pressure
Does "being preventive" include changing gears when see behaviors coming, could communicate power through aggression?
changing gears just before the aggression, also tracking if there is link to foods, time of day, over stimulation, sleep
Thank you Bonnie for this chat. You are a force of nature! I hope all you winners out there get a lot from the book
So if change gears right before aggression, might still be pre-aggression behaviors, but you honor as communication?
Looking forward to new ideas and less frustration, thank u again
Thank you for sharing your time and talents!
You can check out @playtogrow book on #sonrise program at: http://meirautism.org/principles
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Joey Tote Bags Giveaway
I recently wrote a review on Joey Tote Bags at my personal blog. Chris & Kate of Joey Totes are offering two sets as a giveaway to my readers. A set consists of 1 large and 2 small sized tote bags.
RULES FOR GIVEAWAY
Please make sure I have a way to contact you should you be the winner. You can include your email address with your comment. Please do one comment for each entry.
For the main entry please post in comments what you would use Joey Tote Bags for.
For extra entries leave a comment for each option
1 entry - list one of the cons or pros I have in my review
1 entry - follow this blog - can be found in the sidebar
1 entry - follow me on twitter (autismfamily) leave your ID
1 entry - grab my button from the sidebar - leave link to blog
1 entry - Fav Autism Family Adventures (this blog) in Technorati
1 entry - tweet this giveaway - leave your twitter id & date of tweet
This Joey Totes Bag giveaway will run through Wednesday, May 6, 2009 at 9 PM PST. The winners will be chosen using Random.org from all valid entries and notified via email. The winner will have 48 hours to contact me before another winner is chosen. Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.
RULES FOR GIVEAWAY
Please make sure I have a way to contact you should you be the winner. You can include your email address with your comment. Please do one comment for each entry.
For the main entry please post in comments what you would use Joey Tote Bags for.
For extra entries leave a comment for each option
1 entry - list one of the cons or pros I have in my review
1 entry - follow this blog - can be found in the sidebar
1 entry - follow me on twitter (autismfamily) leave your ID
1 entry - grab my button from the sidebar - leave link to blog
1 entry - Fav Autism Family Adventures (this blog) in Technorati
1 entry - tweet this giveaway - leave your twitter id & date of tweet
This Joey Totes Bag giveaway will run through Wednesday, May 6, 2009 at 9 PM PST. The winners will be chosen using Random.org from all valid entries and notified via email. The winner will have 48 hours to contact me before another winner is chosen. Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.
Muvee Reveal Information Plus A Giveaway
I have never made a movie online before or put something up on YouTube. It all seems too techy for me to figure out. I finally had the opportunity to make a movie through Muvee Reveal.
Animal Pics is the name of our Muvee Reveal , which consists of pictures from the Los Angeles Zoo, Sea World and the California Wildlife Center that had animals on stage Earth Day for the first day of showing Disney's Earth Adventure.
The download took over one hour to complete, which gave me a warning before the setup phase -
Your system does not meet the recommended system requirements of 1GB RAM and 128 MB dedicated Video RAM to run Muvee Reveal optimally. Overall performance may be sluggish especially when using High Definition material or saving option.
The setup took about another half hour before I finally got into the site to make my Muvee Reveal. The first step is to add pictures. They are loaded at the top of the page. In four easy steps we had Animal Pics.
1. Add photos or videos - we use pics from flip video camera
2. Choose the Style - we went with default, found options after finished
3. Select Music - I could not figure that out so I think it was default
4. Press play - I got a message a few times telling me that I needed to add more photos - I started at 12, ended at 18 with the message indicating I needed 6 more to have the pictures rotate faster to keep up with music.
Seems the pictures are slower in my Muvee Reveal due to the limited number of photos I uploaded. I liked the way the video turned out. It did not appear sluggish as the warning indicated after the download prior to setup. It seems 24 is the number of photos recommended.
The Reviewer's Guide really helped guide me through making my Muvee. There are 8 styles to choose from and at the end you can do a voice-over, put up a title and do the credits. Our microphone is not working but I did add a title and my name in the credits. There is a muveee share option for iPod, DVD burning and for various devices and through www.shwup.com you can import for private family album sharing.
There is a 15-day free trial at Muvee Reveal , as well as $20.00 off as a Mother's Day promotion.
Muvee Reveal is offering a CD program to one winner.
RULES FOR GIVEAWAY
Please make sure I have a way to contact you should you be the winner. You can include your email address with your comment. Please do one comment for each entry.
For the main entry please post in comments who you would feature in your Muvee.
For extra entries leave a comment for each option
1 entry - subscribe to my RSS feed or via email
1 entry - follow this blog - can be found in the sidebar
1 entry - follow me on twitter (autismfamily) leave your ID
1 entry - grab my button from the sidebar - leave link to blog
1 entry - Fav Autism Family Adventures (this blog) in Technorati
1 entry - tweet this giveaway - leave your twitter id & date of tweet
This Muvee giveaway will run through Tuesday, May 5, 2009 at 9 PM PST. The winner will be chosen using Random.org from all valid entries and notified via email. The winner will have 48 hours to contact me before another winner is chosen. Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.
Animal Pics is the name of our Muvee Reveal , which consists of pictures from the Los Angeles Zoo, Sea World and the California Wildlife Center that had animals on stage Earth Day for the first day of showing Disney's Earth Adventure.
The download took over one hour to complete, which gave me a warning before the setup phase -
Your system does not meet the recommended system requirements of 1GB RAM and 128 MB dedicated Video RAM to run Muvee Reveal optimally. Overall performance may be sluggish especially when using High Definition material or saving option.
The setup took about another half hour before I finally got into the site to make my Muvee Reveal. The first step is to add pictures. They are loaded at the top of the page. In four easy steps we had Animal Pics.
1. Add photos or videos - we use pics from flip video camera
2. Choose the Style - we went with default, found options after finished
3. Select Music - I could not figure that out so I think it was default
4. Press play - I got a message a few times telling me that I needed to add more photos - I started at 12, ended at 18 with the message indicating I needed 6 more to have the pictures rotate faster to keep up with music.
Seems the pictures are slower in my Muvee Reveal due to the limited number of photos I uploaded. I liked the way the video turned out. It did not appear sluggish as the warning indicated after the download prior to setup. It seems 24 is the number of photos recommended.
The Reviewer's Guide really helped guide me through making my Muvee. There are 8 styles to choose from and at the end you can do a voice-over, put up a title and do the credits. Our microphone is not working but I did add a title and my name in the credits. There is a muveee share option for iPod, DVD burning and for various devices and through www.shwup.com you can import for private family album sharing.
There is a 15-day free trial at Muvee Reveal , as well as $20.00 off as a Mother's Day promotion.
Muvee Reveal is offering a CD program to one winner.
RULES FOR GIVEAWAY
Please make sure I have a way to contact you should you be the winner. You can include your email address with your comment. Please do one comment for each entry.
For the main entry please post in comments who you would feature in your Muvee.
For extra entries leave a comment for each option
1 entry - subscribe to my RSS feed or via email
1 entry - follow this blog - can be found in the sidebar
1 entry - follow me on twitter (autismfamily) leave your ID
1 entry - grab my button from the sidebar - leave link to blog
1 entry - Fav Autism Family Adventures (this blog) in Technorati
1 entry - tweet this giveaway - leave your twitter id & date of tweet
This Muvee giveaway will run through Tuesday, May 5, 2009 at 9 PM PST. The winner will be chosen using Random.org from all valid entries and notified via email. The winner will have 48 hours to contact me before another winner is chosen. Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.
Monday, April 27, 2009
A Few Autism Emotional Moments
As the parent to two teens on the autism spectrum I have not been through the stages some families go through during or after the initial diagnosis. I have never been in denial or cried for what could have been or lost time, etc. I read stories of how Dads are sad they will never play ball with their sons or whatever.
While I do not understand that since it is not the end of the world to have a child with autism or for the person who is on the autism spectrum I have had a few moments over the years when I got emotional.
The ones that I can recall are when I listened to Temple Grandin at a Back to School Conference in August held in Pasadena. I felt the tears start as I got up to leave the auditorium to see the exhibitor tables out in the hall. A little while later I went up to Temple at the table she was hanging out at and felt awkward trying to come up with something to say besides great speech. It was like meeting a celebrity.
The other day we went to the autism fair at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. I was parking the car and got that emotional feeling come over me. It was quite a sight to see all these cars and families with their kids getting ready to do the fair and the walk. I am not sure if I was emotional because it was just me and my kids while the other vehicles had extended family members and friends with them or just knowing that this many families were at the same location at one time seemed amazing to me.
Then yesterday while I was agitated over some rude remarks on twitter my nonverbal son who likes to flip through the photo albums brought me one with a picture in his hand that fell out. He needed me to put the photo back into the plastic . I turned it over to see the first picture taken of him with me at the Hospital the day he was born. It was like he knew this was a special picture and it was a great moment to see that picture again after all these years. I got up from the computer and to be with my kid instead of dealing with individuals online that pushed my buttons.
While I do not understand that since it is not the end of the world to have a child with autism or for the person who is on the autism spectrum I have had a few moments over the years when I got emotional.
The ones that I can recall are when I listened to Temple Grandin at a Back to School Conference in August held in Pasadena. I felt the tears start as I got up to leave the auditorium to see the exhibitor tables out in the hall. A little while later I went up to Temple at the table she was hanging out at and felt awkward trying to come up with something to say besides great speech. It was like meeting a celebrity.
The other day we went to the autism fair at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. I was parking the car and got that emotional feeling come over me. It was quite a sight to see all these cars and families with their kids getting ready to do the fair and the walk. I am not sure if I was emotional because it was just me and my kids while the other vehicles had extended family members and friends with them or just knowing that this many families were at the same location at one time seemed amazing to me.
Then yesterday while I was agitated over some rude remarks on twitter my nonverbal son who likes to flip through the photo albums brought me one with a picture in his hand that fell out. He needed me to put the photo back into the plastic . I turned it over to see the first picture taken of him with me at the Hospital the day he was born. It was like he knew this was a special picture and it was a great moment to see that picture again after all these years. I got up from the computer and to be with my kid instead of dealing with individuals online that pushed my buttons.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Join The Play To Grow Twitter Chat
I am hosting a chat with author Tali Berman of Play to Grow! Over 200 games designed to help your special child develop fundamental social skills. This is taking place on twitter Tuesday, April 28th at 11 am PST.
The chat will last for one hour with five books to give away. If a winner is located in Canada or International they will get the book for free, but have to pay shipping charges.
The hashtag used for the chat and promoting the chat is #sonrise. Talia is a Son-Rise Teacher located in Israel. I am in California so this is the best time for both of us to have the chat.
Over 200 games designed to help your special child develop fundamental social skills, is the essential companion to The Son-Rise Program® Developmental Model. This user-friendly book contains 201 fun, creative and simple-to-prepare games.
The games are divided according to the 5 stages of development outlined in The Son-Rise Program Developmental Model, and each game is designed to address a very specific goal listed within each stage. Now parents simply need to locate their child’s level on the developmental model and use Play to Grow as their guide.
There are various twitter applications that you can use. I prefer www.summize.com where you would just type in #sonrise and follow along in real time and click reply to respond to a particular post.
When I attend twitter events I keep a window open to the host and another one for the guest and then one for summize. When you hit reply in summize it opens a new window in twitter with the @ sign ready to respond to that twitter member. You might want to close window when it has finished posting. You will also need to make room in your tweet for the #sonrise hashtag.
There is also www.tweetchat.com where you would sign in using your twitter ID and password and when it asks what room to enter you would type in #sonrise. I have tried it a few times. You do not have to keep typing in the hashtag if you use tweetchat.
Another option is to utilize www.tweetdeck.com. I went there once and got lost so never tried to figure it out. There are many twitter members that use this if you seek guidance. I would test it out now with other twitter gatherings that take place on a weekly basis like Monday nights it is #journchat and Tuesday evenings it is #gno (girls night out).
I suggest trying these out if you are new to twitter to see how real time chat events work and how they flow, etc. When you RSVP below in Mr Linky you will be using your twitter ID, not a website as this is a twitter chat and going to your website is not going to help another twitter member follow you at the chat.
Feel free to post relevant questions in the comments. This chat will last for one hour on Tuesday, April 28th 11AM PST, 2PM EST. Five copies of the book will be given away.
The chat will last for one hour with five books to give away. If a winner is located in Canada or International they will get the book for free, but have to pay shipping charges.
The hashtag used for the chat and promoting the chat is #sonrise. Talia is a Son-Rise Teacher located in Israel. I am in California so this is the best time for both of us to have the chat.
Over 200 games designed to help your special child develop fundamental social skills, is the essential companion to The Son-Rise Program® Developmental Model. This user-friendly book contains 201 fun, creative and simple-to-prepare games.
The games are divided according to the 5 stages of development outlined in The Son-Rise Program Developmental Model, and each game is designed to address a very specific goal listed within each stage. Now parents simply need to locate their child’s level on the developmental model and use Play to Grow as their guide.
There are various twitter applications that you can use. I prefer www.summize.com where you would just type in #sonrise and follow along in real time and click reply to respond to a particular post.
When I attend twitter events I keep a window open to the host and another one for the guest and then one for summize. When you hit reply in summize it opens a new window in twitter with the @ sign ready to respond to that twitter member. You might want to close window when it has finished posting. You will also need to make room in your tweet for the #sonrise hashtag.
There is also www.tweetchat.com where you would sign in using your twitter ID and password and when it asks what room to enter you would type in #sonrise. I have tried it a few times. You do not have to keep typing in the hashtag if you use tweetchat.
Another option is to utilize www.tweetdeck.com. I went there once and got lost so never tried to figure it out. There are many twitter members that use this if you seek guidance. I would test it out now with other twitter gatherings that take place on a weekly basis like Monday nights it is #journchat and Tuesday evenings it is #gno (girls night out).
I suggest trying these out if you are new to twitter to see how real time chat events work and how they flow, etc. When you RSVP below in Mr Linky you will be using your twitter ID, not a website as this is a twitter chat and going to your website is not going to help another twitter member follow you at the chat.
Feel free to post relevant questions in the comments. This chat will last for one hour on Tuesday, April 28th 11AM PST, 2PM EST. Five copies of the book will be given away.
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