tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80043707657095595572024-03-12T16:48:58.957-07:00Books for Children with AutismA place to find and suggest books for children with autism, and to discuss autism and reading comprehension.Spectrum Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17059918013400822815noreply@blogger.comBlogger354125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8004370765709559557.post-65622745991396414682021-02-20T13:18:00.002-08:002021-02-20T13:18:50.184-08:00NYT - Your Kids Aren't Too Old for Picture BooksI have long felt we should spend more time with picture books,so this opinion piece by Pamela Paul caught my eye. Ms. Paul isthe author of "How to Raise a Reader."“My kid has outgrown picture books.”I hear this often when enthusing about a new picture book and offering to pass one along to a friend. It’s the kind of thing parents will say with a certain amount of pride because of what it Spectrum Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17059918013400822815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8004370765709559557.post-66051880483178100822020-05-02T14:27:00.003-07:002020-05-02T14:29:39.513-07:00Free Comic Book Day 2020TODAY is FREE COMIC BOOK DAY
Except, of course it isn't.
The event has been postponed until later this Summer.
Will comic book stores still be here?
I don't know. Some will probably have to close. Maybe
to open up again, maybe not. They are usually crowded little
places on the margins or great big places full of everything
pop culture. I hope they will find a way to survive.
Comics remain a Spectrum Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17059918013400822815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8004370765709559557.post-20754065032570180252020-03-26T15:25:00.000-07:002020-03-26T15:25:02.232-07:00Get Fuzzy - As Described by My 17 Year Old
Two Years Ago
I asked my 17 year old son to tell me about what he had been
reading. As you can see below, he didn't describe it
in a book review type way, so I didn't post it.
But -
it might be useful for others to see his process.
So here it is. My son's words are in blue.
"What have you been reading?"
"It's a comic strip. The Get Fuzzy book that I got for Christmas is "Scrum Spectrum Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17059918013400822815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8004370765709559557.post-91535000739178181052020-03-24T20:40:00.001-07:002020-03-25T04:22:46.755-07:00Social Stories for a PandemicCovid-19 is here, and we need to tell our children about it.
Children with autism may have more anxieties about the virus, or find the disease harder to understand than children not on the spectrum.*
Fortunately, we have social stories.
Here is a link to one from Green Mountain Self Advocates
about what Covid-19 is:
Plain-Language-Information-on-Coronavirus.pdf
Here is another from Carol Gray:
Spectrum Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17059918013400822815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8004370765709559557.post-39596616522737730172019-04-26T18:45:00.000-07:002019-04-27T13:04:44.029-07:00Free Comic Book Day May 4
Free Comic Book Day is almost here!
Every year on the first Saturday in May, the comic book world gifts us with fun, weird, delightful and sometimes horrifying comic books. None are designed for readers with autism, but many
may have great appeal for neurodiverse readers.
The comic books to be given away this year cover an astounding range of popular culture.
If you're into Pokemon, Spectrum Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17059918013400822815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8004370765709559557.post-30082840440037076822018-12-21T04:49:00.001-08:002018-12-21T04:49:13.780-08:00Someone Else's Ideas for GiftsHappy Holidays!
I wish you the brightest of holidays with the happiest of New Years.
Alas, still no time to blog, so here's a link to a monetized site with a few more ideas if you're still shopping to bring joy to your very wonderful family. Be aware items are sponsored and the site uses cookies (and not the leave out for Santa kind).
From "Growing Hands On Kids"
Spectrum Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17059918013400822815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8004370765709559557.post-64739641799653459432018-05-02T05:30:00.000-07:002018-05-02T18:46:44.204-07:00Free Comic Book Day 2018The First Saturday in May means . . .
FREE COMIC BOOK DAY!
Usually I have a few recommendations, but I am unsure which titles have clear story lines this year. If you or your kid have trouble with cluttered visuals/picture storytelling - I've made a few guesses.
Fifty titles this year, but remember not every store will have them all and popular titles may go quickly.
For theSpectrum Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17059918013400822815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8004370765709559557.post-9711636348095767162018-03-21T07:30:00.000-07:002018-03-21T07:30:04.967-07:00The End of (High School) EnglishEver since Third Grade when my son's teacher and the school staff revealed
1) my son didn't understand what he was reading
2) they had no plans to help him improve
he's fought through the battlefield of English class with whatever poor weapons we could give him.
Currently he has an extraordinary, gifted tutor and a helpful, experienced teacher.
Together they face the last battle: Senior Spectrum Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17059918013400822815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8004370765709559557.post-87302191639816064552018-03-14T06:30:00.000-07:002018-03-22T18:00:21.278-07:00Editing Emotions
Little Critter by Mercer Mayer
Parenting Works posted an edited Little Critter page that went viral.
The original page read "I wanted to cry, but I didn't. I was brave instead."
The edit read "I wanted to cry, so I did! I was brave and sad."
While many commenters embraced the thoughtfulness of the message, others questioned why you would pick a book
you have to edit before you can read Spectrum Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17059918013400822815noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8004370765709559557.post-33073580167860214572017-05-17T18:49:00.000-07:002017-05-17T18:49:03.166-07:00Magazines - More RIppable Reads
Last week I found a box in the basement that critters
(mice judging by their handiwork - pawdiwork?)
clawed up pretty well.
Two Spider magazines survived the wreckage. I
brought them to the carport, mostly because of a cute
polar bear paper doll I thought a friend's kid would
like.
Then my oldest boy saw them. He's sixteen now (must
update the profile). I've tried to clear a Spectrum Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17059918013400822815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8004370765709559557.post-5295273311393243712017-05-10T20:05:00.000-07:002017-05-10T20:05:02.725-07:00Disposable ReadingLast Saturday was Free Comic Book Day.
If you missed it, schedule a reminder for the first Saturday of May 2018. In the meantime, you can still go to a comic book store.
If your reader is hard on books but does not eat paper,
old comic books may be a great choice.
The larger comic book stores have tons of old kid friendly comics priced low enough that you can let kids read, so long asSpectrum Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17059918013400822815noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8004370765709559557.post-2499636444549519552017-05-08T05:00:00.000-07:002018-03-22T18:14:42.589-07:00Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time Play
The stage adaptation of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time is powerful. It is also loud, confusing, and sensorily overwhelming.
Ironically, I can't recommend it for people with processing issues
such as the main character has. This is clearly deliberate, since the
staging puts us in Christopher's position. We have to cope with
an overwhelming amount of Spectrum Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17059918013400822815noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8004370765709559557.post-30841845963331701342017-05-05T21:02:00.000-07:002017-05-05T21:02:02.306-07:00Free Comic Book Day!
Saturday, May 6, 2017 is Free Comic Book Day
and it's going to be
Miraculous!
Seriously, that's one of the free comic books:
Miraculous, starring Lady Bug and Chat Noir.
Depending on your comic book store, your kid
can get everything from Simpsons
to Malika Warrior Queen.
I've written elsewhere in the blog about why I think comics
can be particularly helpful for Spectrum Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17059918013400822815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8004370765709559557.post-91934180308152011832017-05-01T10:14:00.000-07:002017-05-01T16:16:11.170-07:00Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime Curious Incident is a book, and now a play about a teenager named Christopher. Facts:
1) Mark Haddon is a novelist.
2) Mark Haddon does not have autism.
3) Mark Haddon was never a special education teacher.
4) Mark Haddon did not know anyone with autism well.
5) Mark Haddon did not research autism.
6) Mark Haddon didn't think of Christopher as having autism.
*
For some reason, Haddon Spectrum Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17059918013400822815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8004370765709559557.post-56478637682992243962016-10-04T05:34:00.001-07:002016-10-04T05:34:04.262-07:00Drawing Dot Dot Dot
A not so secret goal of many kids' coloring books is to
get little kids comfortable holding that crayon in a
tripod grasp, all ready to grab that pencil and start writing.
Drawing, of course, is even better for that purpose as kids
form shapes - ready to begin/continue shaping letters.
For many children with autism, just getting the grip right
can take years. MySpectrum Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17059918013400822815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8004370765709559557.post-85100963620965033072016-09-18T16:56:00.000-07:002016-09-18T16:59:28.840-07:00Little Free LibraryStep outside your home and look around.
Do you see a library?
No?
Are you sure?
Walk a few blocks and you
just might find a neighborhood
library close by.
Little Free Libraries have been
popping up for awhile, and I've
admired them from afar and online.
But until my neighbors built one,
I had no idea what a great resource
they could be.
It seems to yield endless knock knock
joke books -Spectrum Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17059918013400822815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8004370765709559557.post-73391832878611262002016-09-17T15:06:00.001-07:002016-09-17T15:06:12.104-07:00Technical DifficultiesContrary to my profile, my son with autism is
now sixteen. He still struggles with
comprehension. And I struggle with my
computer and blogger. Hence, no posts
in forever. Now and then I add to the
Facebook Page, mainly local events.
Reading Comprehension is a many-
faceted beast. Most of us don't realize
that. I sure didn't. For someone with
autism, there can be many stumbling
Spectrum Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17059918013400822815noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8004370765709559557.post-62030106131353539662016-04-19T18:00:00.004-07:002016-04-19T18:00:49.265-07:00Reading Programs - Fast ForWord
I only just learned that Fast ForWord existed.
It seems to be computer based.
Info from their website below.
Early Reading Programs
While reading problems vary for ages 4 to 7, the underlying source of difficulty is almost always phonological awareness, the target of our reading programs.
Protocol
Our early childhood reading programs help reading fundamentals, the cognitive and Spectrum Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17059918013400822815noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8004370765709559557.post-15090570865245518432015-04-22T15:16:00.001-07:002015-04-22T17:20:56.853-07:00Go Hang a Salami, I'm a Lasagna Hog
In Aprils Past,
Poetry posts predominated.
(me opt poem)
and certainly we've read some
wonderful poetry.
But sillier stuff appeals
more to my son.
Jon Agee's books of palindromes
couple ridiculous phrases with
matching silly drawings and
will delight those with a sense
of the ridiculous and anyone
who sees things backwards and
forwards.
Here a few for you
to see if your gal or guySpectrum Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17059918013400822815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8004370765709559557.post-69714501763235624962015-04-15T09:21:00.001-07:002015-04-15T09:21:17.979-07:00Ducks in Muck - Rhyme Time
Cool Spring rain falling,
happy duck weather,
found some ducky rhymes.
Ducks in Muck by Lori Haskins
is an "Early Step into Reading" book
and a great easy reading book with
very few words.
The rhymes help kids read and
to have the predictability they
value.
Short, sweet, with bright colors
and cuddly ducks, it should appeal
to beginning readers and those who
just love silly, Spectrum Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17059918013400822815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8004370765709559557.post-51443733413595065852015-03-25T05:00:00.000-07:002015-03-25T07:18:30.707-07:00The Funny Little Woman
The Funny Little Woman won the Caldecott some years ago.
It's a retelling of a Japanese folk tale that reminded my nine
year old of Strega Nona with its theme of a magical cookery
implement (A rice paddle rather than the Strega Nona pasta pot).
The battered little paperback has been sitting unloved and unread
in my house for years, and I decided it was time for it to seek
a new home. But Spectrum Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17059918013400822815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8004370765709559557.post-62726235026477536792015-03-18T09:32:00.003-07:002015-03-19T08:36:19.346-07:00I saw a Peacock
"I saw a peacock with a fiery tail
I saw a blazing comet drop down hail
I saw a cloud with ivy circled round
I saw a sturdy oak creep on the ground
. . . "
Ramsingh Urvel chose to illustrate this lovely and puzzling
poem written in 17th century England to create a book
that may have special appeal for children with autism.
First of all, it rhymes.
Next, the Spectrum Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17059918013400822815noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8004370765709559557.post-8205078382014145972015-02-04T01:00:00.000-08:002015-02-04T01:00:01.112-08:00Award WinnersThis year I've never heard of the Newbery
and Caldecott winners.
This is usual.
And as usual, the winners look well worth a look.
The picture book seems a bit over the top illustratively
for kids who relate better to clear, realistic pictures.
But the message of someone searching to belong and
succeeding is great.
And my boy loves poems.
I'm hoping Spectrum Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17059918013400822815noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8004370765709559557.post-26161620224388693032015-01-28T07:32:00.002-08:002015-01-28T07:32:37.978-08:00Alphabeasties and Other Amazing Types
For the start of the year, the start of reading:
Alphabet animals of a different type.
Each traditional animal (alligator to zebra)
is made out of its starting letter.
Each is a different typeface.
From Giddyup to Extended Egyptian,
the writers explain and exploit the merits
of each, "A typeface is like a family."
The typeface idea makes for an oddly
sophisticated alphabet focusing on Spectrum Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17059918013400822815noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8004370765709559557.post-65448247608018581102015-01-26T06:48:00.000-08:002015-01-26T11:29:29.182-08:00All Grown Up Monday - I Know What Causes Autism by Carrie CarielloSeveral of my friends have posted this recently.
I nearly didn't read it because I thought I knew what it would say.
And, indeed, the first part, though beautifully written, is what I expected. But the middle part takes me right to the heart of my feelings, and the last part is downright poetic. There's a link here so you can go to her blog for the rest and order her book if you Spectrum Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17059918013400822815noreply@blogger.com0