Thomas the Tank Engine & Autism

I admit it. I like Thomas the Tank Engine. I watch it (from time to time) and I like it. Now, Thomas is helping out with Autism. Check out CNN's report by clicking here.

May 2009 AT-FYI available

The May 2009 AT FYI newsletter is available for download. Click here.

Autism and Adulthood on NPR

Cathy Pratt, Director of the Institute’s Indiana Resource Center for Autism and Chair of the Autism Society of America (ASA) Board of Directors, was featured on WMAU 88.5 public radio for NPR in the greater Washington D.C. area. Pratt, Sondra Cunningham, President, Autism Society of America, District of Columbia Chapter, and Linda H. Davis, President, SAGE Crossing Foundation, were guests on the Kojo Nnamdi Show, which offers coverage of local, national, and international events. Discussion topics addressed the status of current services and supports for persons on the autism spectrum and what those services and supports should look like in the future.

To listen to the interview, click here.

April is Autism Awareness Month

April is Autism Awareness Month. It is known as the puzzling disability and interferes with social interactions, sensory processing, and ways of communicating.

Autism Society of America statistics:
- 1 in 150-166 births
- 1 to 1.5 million Americans
- Fastest-growing developmental disability
- 10 - 17 % annual growth

Growth comparison during the 1990s:
- U.S. population increase: 13%
- Disabilities increase: 16%
- Autism increase: 172%

For more information, check out the Autism Speaks ASD Video Glossary at: Autism Speaks

New Speech Language Blog

Here's a new Speech Language Pathology blog that looks pretty nice! Check it out!

December AT-FYI available

The latest and greatest December AT FYI is available now!
This issue includes info on spelling and writing aids, handheld electronic dictionaries, online dictionaries, voice recognition, spellers and future events.

Really Cool World Map Site

Worldmapper is a collection of world maps, where territories are re-sized on each map according to the subject of interest. For example, there are maps showing literacy levels, CO2 emissions and religious distribution (christians vs muslims for example).

There are now nearly 600 maps! It's a very cool site to look at one country's subjects, or how the world sees one particular subject.

New AT FYI Available

The Region 5/7 AT Committee has released the November '08 AT FYI! To download the PDF, click here.

Want to download pre-made Boardmaker boards?

You can sign up at adaptedlearning.com and download Boardmaker boards that other users have uploaded for public use. If you're a Boardmaker user, it's a must see!

It's votin' time!

It's almost over! Get out there!

Quest Atlantis

This quote from the Quest Atlantis site sums it up for me: 'Quest Atlantis (QA) is an international learning and teaching project that uses a 3D multi-user environment to immerse children, ages 9-15, in educational tasks. QA combines strategies used in the commercial gaming environment with lessons from educational research on learning and motivation.'

This project is run by the Indiana School of Education at Indiana University and is funded by the National Science Foundation and others.

SpEd Forms User Group Meeting

There will be a SpEd Forms user group meeting on Tuesday, October 28 from 9:00-noon. If you are interested in attending, let me know.

Also, this is my 100th blog post!

AT for Computer Games?

I get many questions about using assistive technology to help students use popular video game software. The assistivegaming.com site is a great resource for making AT work in the gaming world. They can help with everything from playing Monopoly to Second Life. They actually use AT to interact with the programs so they know what they are all about.

Other good sites include ablegamers.com and pcsgames.net.

No tricks, just treats!

Celebrate All Hallows’ Eve by sending “ghoulish” treats to that favorite pumpkin in your patch. The students at Paul Bunyan Transition Plus have created “frightfully” fun and “boo”tifully decorated Halloween gifts containing a not too scary “brew” of treats. Hurry as “haunting” season is upon us and your favorite “ghoul or ghostie” doesn’t want to be left out in the dark. “Bewitch” them by having us deliver it as well on that “spooky” day. There will be “screams” of joy.

Deadline to place orders is Wednesday, Oct. 29 or while supplies last. Prices range from $1.00-$6.00 with orders taken via email to pam.lorenz@isd181.org or by calling 454-5393 to talk with a student.

Witch hand $1 = popcorn hand with spider ring
Sucker bouquet $2 = 1 large and 2 small Halloween suckers made into a “bouquet”
Spider pumpkin $2 = non-edible pumpkin spider
Candy bags $3 = peanut/candy corn mixture in decorated cellophane bags
Witches brew $4 small or $5 large = ghost, bat, witch, and pumpkin “cauldrons” filled with candy and prizes
Goblets $4 = ghoulish goblets filled with candy and prizes
Candy corn pot $4 = clay pots painted to look like candy corn filled with peanut/candy corn mixture
Scary cactus $6 = live cactus plants decorated in ghoulish fashion

Open Source AT Software

I learned of a great Open Source (can you say 'free') site for assistive technology software at Closing the Gap. The site is oatsoft.org.

There is lots of good stuff on the site including on screen keyboards, voice activation, symbol libraries, full office suites and word prediction software. It's all free, but some have upgrades to more full featured products that have a nominal fee. At least you can try it for free.

With budgets evaporating, I think this is something everyone should at least consider.

What's a Ning?

A Ning is a type of social networking site. There are many social networking sites that students use like Facebook or MySpace.

I've created a Ning for the coop. If you'd like to participate as an early adopter, let me know! It's a great chance to play with technology you could use in a classroom.

Resident Districts Alphabetized

I've reordered the drop down list box for resident districts. They are now in alphabetical order (based on the alphabet I learned).

Services Alphabetized

I've reorganized the services list in SpEd Forms into alphabetical order. I hope to keep it that way...

New Custom Goal Bank

There is a new custom goal bank feature in SpEd Forms. We now have custom goals for EBD and Transition. For a quick, two-minute tutorial on how to use the custom goals, click here.

Firefox and SpEd Forms

SpEd Forms has completed evaluating Firefox 3 and now recommends it to users of SpEd Forms running Mac OS 10.4 (Tiger) or higher. I've been using it for several weeks and I like it.

To download Firefox 3 click here.

For Mac OS 10.1 to 10.3 they recommend Firefox 2.0.0.14 available by clicking
here.

Please note:
1. Existing users only need to upgrade if they are experiencing issues with Firefox 2 or Opera 9.0.
2. Mac OS users should avoid Firefox 2.0.0.16. When printing multiple pages using Firefox 2.0.0.16 extra blank pages print.