Can you imagine not being able to recognize those you know if they wore glasses, changed their hairstyle, or perhaps put on a hat? Prosopagnosia is a severe facial recognition disorder that is thought to impact around two per cent of the population. Frequently found in children on the autism spectrum, those with the condition have difficulties distinguishing between one face and the next, meaning that they may not recognize even those who are closest to them. Nancy L. Mindick provides parents, teachers, and other professionals with an accessible explanation of the different types, causes, and characteristics of prosopagnosia. Providing an insider's perspective on the condition, she suggests ways to recognize the signs of facial recognition difficulties in children, and offers specific ideas for ensuring that they are properly supported in their learning and social development. The issues of diagnosis and disclosure are explored, and the author offers practical management strategies for helping children to cope with the condition and to navigate the many different social situations they will encounter at home, at school, and in the community. This book offers specific, practical information for parents, teachers, child psychologists, and anyone else who wishes to support the learning and development of a child with a facial recognition disorder.
Children with pervasive developmental disorders often do not learn from conventional methods, which can result in social isolation, behavior problems, limitations in communication, and slow academic growth. Greater integration into home and school activities, improved behavior and academic success can be achieved using alternative-augmentative communication (AAC), and this book explains exactly how to make it happen. Exploring the various communication and intervention options available and offering straightforward techniques and strategies for using them effectively, this book clearly explains everything families, teachers, therapists and other professionals need to know in order to improve a child's communication, behavior, social and academic skills. Chapters follow a consistent, user-friendly format, answering the questions Who, What, Why, How, Where and When about every technique. This book will be essential reading for anyone looking to improve social interaction between children with pervasive developmental disorders and those around them.
Coping with life's stresses is difficult for everybody, but can be especially challenging for teenagers, who often feel isolated and misunderstood. Creative expression through art, craft, and writing is a natural and effective way of helping young people to explore and communicate personal identity. This book is bursting with art and journal activities, creative challenges, and miniature projects for bedrooms and other personal spaces, all of which help teenagers to understand and express who they are and what is important to them. These fun ideas can be tailored to suit the individual, and require minimal equipment and even less artistic know-how, so can be enjoyed by all. The book concludes with a useful section for counselors and other professionals who work with young people, which explains how these activities can be incorporated into treatment goals. This imaginative and insightful book is a useful resource for all therapists, social workers, and counselors who wish to encourage self-expression in teenagers.
Having an array of effective strategies at your fingertips and understanding exactly why they work makes supporting children with Asperger Syndrome in the classroom a whole lot easier. This accessible, short and snappy guide to the basics will provide busy teachers and teaching assistants with everything they need to know to make their job easier, and to make a real difference to any student with AS in their care. The book begins by exploring how children with AS operate and the implications this has for mainstream school settings. It goes on to give practical advice for one-on-one working, DIY resources for visual learners, tools for effective assessment, and much more. Information on how personal wellbeing can be maintained in potentially stressful situations is also included, and the concise chapters are ideal for dipping into as and when inspiration is needed. This book will be an essential resource for any teacher or teaching assistant supporting children with Asperger Syndrome.
Learning new facial expressions and mouth movements can be great fun, just ask Sam! Moving the tongue and mouth in different ways is an effective way of strengthening facial muscles, teaching children about emotions and encouraging speech. Children will love copying Sam and Timmy Tongue's silly faces and improve their facial strength and dexterity in the process. This simple picture book will be an invaluable resource for any parent, teacher or professional looking to encourage children to talk and laugh by making funny facial expressions.
People with learning disabilities are at greater risk of physical and psychiatric illness than the population at large, but their health needs are often not adequately supported. This book is a practical guide for those caring for people with learning disabilities living in community settings. It is designed to help the carers to better understand what the service users' health needs may be, how to recognise problems, and how to meet their needs. Chapter topics include physical health issues such as epilepsy, common health problems and diet and well-being; mental health issues such as dementia, depression, bipolar disorder and anxiety; and information related to common issues such as sleep and swallowing problems. The book also includes advice on screening programmes and health checks. Written in an accessible and straightforward style, this book will be an invaluable guide for anyone caring for someone with a learning disability, including social carers, health facilitators, community nurses and family carers.
*Bronze Medal Winner in the Education / Academic / Teaching Category of the 2011 IPPY Awards* * Bronze Medal Winner in the 2010 BOTYA Awards Education Category * Graduating high school and moving on to further education or the workplace brings with it a whole new set of challenges, and this is especially true for students with disabilities. This useful book provides a complete overview of the issues such students and their families will need to consider, and outlines the key skills they will need in order to succeed once they get there. The authors describe the legal landscape as it applies to students with disabilities in the USA, and how to obtain the proper disability documentation to ensure that the student receives the right support and accommodations in college. Focussing specifically on the issues that affect students with disabilities, they offer advice on everything from dealing with college entrance exams and the college application process, to selecting the right college, visiting the campus, and achieving medical and financial independence away from home. A list of further resources guides students and their families towards additional sources of information and support, and stories of students with disabilities who have made the transition from high school to further education or the workplace are included throughout. This accessible and thoroughly readable book offers help and support to students with disabilities of all kinds, and their families, both before and during the transition to life after high school.
Young people with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties (BESD – sometimes called 'SEBD' or 'EBD') need effective and consistent support, yet providing this can be highly stressful and demanding for the practitioners involved. Complete with practical intervention strategies based on research, theory and practice, this comprehensive handbook provides practitioners with the information and tools they need to deal with BESD in a way that is of benefit to them as well as to the children they work with. The book begins by expanding the reader's general understanding of BESD in children. The authors examine the underlying causes, explore what can be learned from past experience, and discuss research-based theory. They then offer a range of interventions and therapies for use in and out of school, and encourage practitioners to develop skills such as engaging with parents, identifying special educational needs and setting constructive boundaries. Finally, the needs of practitioners themselves are addressed. The authors advise on how to collaborate productively with other professions and stress the importance of supporting colleagues and developing the personal resilience needed to cope in difficult circumstances. Wide-ranging, accessible and current, this guide will be an invaluable resource for the professional development of teachers and other practitioners working with young people with BESD/SEBD in educational settings.
This book condenses everything the mainstream teacher needs to know about Special Educational Needs into one short volume, allowing them to pick and choose teaching methods that suit them and each individual student. Following a revolutionary 'a la carte' concept, the book acts first and foremost as a teaching menu, offering a variety of options that teachers can use as they see fit. Written in a jargon-free, accessible style, the author gets to the heart of issues associated with teaching mixed ability classes, offering more flexible alternatives to traditional teaching strategies and suggesting helpful approaches that really work. Maintaining that teachers are usually far more capable of handling situations than they believe themselves to be, the book allows them to choose methods that suit their own personal style and the specific needs of their students. Essential background information on special educational needs including dyslexia, dyspraxia, Asperger's Syndrome and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is included throughout. Combining practical methodology with factual information about learning difficulties, this guide will be an invaluable resource for non-specialist teachers supporting children with special educational needs in inclusive classrooms.
Getting the educational provision you need for your special needs child can feel like an uphill struggle. This book offers clear guidance on how authorities such as Local Education Authorities, schools, the National Health Service and the Government function, what the law entitles your child to, and how you can fight most effectively for the education they need. Basing the book on her own experience of bringing up two sons with special educational needs, Ellen Power describes how she worked with – and in some cases challenged – the authorities to get the right education for her children. Outlining what she did, how she did it, and how you can do the same, she explains clearly the implications of the Special Educational Needs code of practice and the Disability Discrimination Act, as well as giving advice on diagnosis, assessment, and dealing with the authorities. Further sections look at how to address issues such as transition between schools, and bullying. Interweaving real-life experience with practical advice, Guerrilla Mum is essential reading for parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities.