This for That Visual Schedules 2

Create Visual Schedules Easily with New This for That App

We are very happy to announce the release of our new app, This for That: Visual Schedules. The app is designed for behavioral therapists, teachers and parents who are working on adaptive and task completion skills with children on the autism spectrum.

Visual schedules are great assistive tools for children with autism spectrum disorder or any children who need help completing routines independently. They work by breaking down tasks (like tying shoes or making a PB&J sandwich) into simple steps and using visual cues to help the child along the way. The problem is visual schedules are constructed from paper and creating them requires a lot of materials, organization and time – valuable time that could otherwise be spent working directly with the child.

read more

Read More

Cyber Bullying

How to turn Cyberbullying into a Learning Opportunity: Part 1 of 2

For many children, playgrounds are being replaced with the online worlds of Call of Duty or Minecraft. Children are spending their free time immersed in these worlds, playing with friends and making new ones. While the benefits of games like Minecraft are becoming apparent to educators and parents, these digital playgrounds are not without their risks. Online games create a sense of anonymity and players say and do things they simply wouldn’t in other environments. Cyberbullying is a serious concern within online games and children with autism can be easy targets.

read more

Read More

Minecraft!

The Benefits of Minecraft for Children with Autism

The Benefits of Minecraft for Children with AutismMinecraft is being used in schools around the world to promote creativity, problem solving, and teamwork. The educational version, MinecraftEdu, is specifically designed for school use and provides teachers more control over the server and functionality. Children everywhere have fallen in love this game and educators have taken notice.

What makes Minecraft so fun to play (and also why it is a perfect game for children with autism) is there are no rules, no clear objectives, and no winning or losing. Kids are free to create and experiment in the world as they wish. For younger children developing early play skills, a lot can be worked on in the realm of Minecraft, including imitation, taking turns, observational learning, and pretend play. Setting up a server and playing Minecraft with a child is a good way to work on these skills that can be difficult to target in real world situations.

read more

Read More

5-ways

5 Ways to Use Your Smartphone’s Camera to Create Learning Opportunities

5 Ways to Use your Smartphone Camera to Create Learning Opportunities and Promote Generalization

1. Scavenger Hunt

If you are working on object labels or lessons like features or functions, you can create lists for the child to take pictures of around the house. If the child can’t read, you can stay with him or her and read the labels out loud. You can even time the child and have them try to beat their record!

Sample Lists:lol

Objects: Cup, ball, desk, pencil, clock, etc.

Features: Something with a nose, something with hair, etc.

read more

Read More

TocaKitch

The Benefits of Playing Toca Kitchen for Children with Autism

What I love most about Toca Kitchen is that it’s not a game. Toca Boca describes their apps as “digital toys,” and once you use Toca Kitchen you’ll understand what they mean. This app is perfect for setting up learning opportunities for your kiddos because there are no game elements – no timers, objectives, winning or losing. The app allows the user to discovery and play freely. The benefit of having such an open play style is that there are a lot of possibilities to work on generalizing skills that the child already has.

read more

Read More