Information Bonanza or Information Overload?

Photo credit: English harmony

Found here

I love, love, love all the info available on the internet, blogs, Pinterest.... When I created my Facebook page about 2 years ago I was being innovative (I thought).  On my business page I did not want to get into the ethical quandry created by posting pics of clients on the web... not a safe place for that kind of thing.  Since I have for years been building my favorites pages with files (Literature, Autism, Apraxia, Articulation), I had bookmarked oodles and oodles of reference materials.  I lost lots of it over the years when my computers would melt down.  As I tried to figure out what in the world Facebook was good for, I noticed the photos files.  Being a highly visual person and loving to use books in therapy, I decided to use the photos sections to build up a visual reference file of favorite resources.  So I began googling book images, saving them to my computer pic files, uploading them to Facebook albums, and attaching links to online resources in the "comments" boxes below the pics.  Hence my own early version of "Pinterest".  (Unfortunately Pinterest does not allow link backs to Facebook so I cannot share these resources.  But, I think I will start blogging on each book or group of books so that my links and mined resources can be shared on Pinterest.  I want to be a contributor not just a taker.) Now I did this solely for my own personal use.  The benefits of this were multi-fold: I could work on this in the evenings as sort of a relaxation activity and I could go into the office and pull up my Facebook page from any computer in the building and instantly see and access my resources.  Those of you my age, or close to it, have (and probably still have) file cabinets full of old files and copies of resources, not to mention notebooks stuffed to the gills with worksheets and info.  How much nicer is this to click a button, find a link, and print the activity.  The only caveat seems to be the death of links; so maybe I still make hard copies and file away things I truly love, but I am also learning to save them on my hard drive and to back up my computer regularly. 

Unlike Al Gore and the internet, I do not claim to have invented Pinterest.  I was tentative about Pinterest at first glance and played around with it.  But as the popularity of Pinterest has exploded so have the beneficial resources.  It is like having an entire therapy supply store at your fingertips.  Tons of activities, ideas, information.  But to one as myself it is also a littly dizzying.  I am finding myself reeling at "too much" info.  I am repinning so many items that I am constantly having to subcategorize my boards to keep them manageable.  So how to keep sane  and from drowning in this wealth of info?  Here are a few of the things I am doing. (Realize that I am 50 years old, running a business, keeping a busy caseload of clients, raising young adults, dealing with aged parents... my brain cells are already overtaxed and not as flexible as they once were.  So, many of you reading this may be thinking, "What is she talking about, overload?" If so, you can skip this blog post.)

1.  I peruse Pinterest at least once a day, for a few minutes, to see what is new (there is always something great).   I "follow" people's pages that I find interesting, not their entire site. PediaStaff (I always want to call them Pedialyte) is a must as those dear people are tireless and do most of the work of finding great resources for the rest of us. "Thank you!"

2. PediaStaff has some amazing resources boards.  Instead of pinning each item I like (which would be overwhelming and make it impossible to quickly find specific things). I pin entire boards to my appropriate board.  They will often do this for you and you simply have to repin the link.  If you find an entire board of theirs or someone else's, here is how to do it:  Click repin on one of the pics. Save your pin.  Open the link to their entire board and highlight & copy the url.  Open your saved pin, hit edit pin, paste the url into the link window.  Save. Voila! You now have pinned the whole board.  The beauty of it is that as new items are added to their board, your link back always includes all of the great new info.  I especially like doing this with PediaStaff's boards that have picture prompts for problem solving, verbs, etc.

3. For those of you who have your own websites or blogs, do not forget to occassionally pin some of your own materials to Pinterest.  This creates more traffic to your sites.  It also opens up new resources to peruse.  If I click to see who repinned my pin and see their board has an interesting title, I will check out their board too and usually find new pins that I love.

4.  A no brainer tip is to pin the most interesting picture you can find and to rewrite the pin description to make it relevant to your needs.  I often leave what the pinner wrote and add my own words at the top.  This way when I go to find a pin to meet a therapy need (or personal interest), my description is relevant to the reason I pinned it.

Happy pinning and Pinterest management to you all.

Spring Break Rejuvenation

Our office was closed for Spring Break last week.  Some may shake their heads at the idea of closing a private practice office during a school holiday.  But, I do not believe we all have to operate the same way.  I have made a conscious decision to keep my practice small and personable.  That decision is based on the fact that I only want to "bite off what I am able to chew."  Sometimes I do wish I were "SuperWoman" and able to do it all, but I am not.  I accept my limitations. 

I have worked in larger facilities and seen how easy it is to become impersonable, focused on "productivity", and burnt-out.  My ideals for private practice were the opposite.  I am "human" though and I do get stessed about income, paying the bills, and I even tend to get a little jealous when I see other practices surpassing mine.  When I become cognizant of these feelings, I know it is time to pause, take a step back, cock my head to one side, and do a quick re-check on my goals:

• Am I providing high quality services to my clients?
• Am I working effectively and efficiently?
• Am I doing ______, in order to be a better therapist or simply to make a name for myself?
• Do I really want this thing I find myself a bit jealous over?  (Think about what this would involve in the way of work, stress, time, etc.).
• Am I sacrificing my personal life on the altar of my work?

A word of caution to those who are or want to be in private practice:  Just as in your daily life, be careful not to fall into the trap of competing with or comparing yourself to others.  Instead, know who you are (or what your practice is), what your goals are, and stick to your plan rather than chasing someone else's idea of what you should become, be doing, or how often you should be doing it. 

My sons are 22 and 18 years old.  My youngest is graduating from high school in May.  Last night I was digging through photo boxes (because my albums have only been completed through when they were 6 and 2 years old... because I went into private practice and have had NO time to work on things like that).  As I rummaged through photos looking for the cutest photo of my son for a Senior ad, I was hit by a wave ("tsunami" actually) of emotion.  Where had those years gone?  What I wouldn't give to be able to go back and just have one day with those sweet little babies?  I would appreciate the moments more, I would not sweat the small stuff, I would hold them and hug them and laugh and play...  (I would not expend so much of my energy on work - my work is very important but I do feel that I fretted far too much about it over the years).

I digress too much.  What I am trying to say is... if you want to take Spring Break off, or a day here or there, then do it!   I have found that most of my clients want their breaks off from therapy too.  If you are in private practice, that is the beauty of what we are doing: flexibility.  I find that if I take the time off to rejuvenate and recharge, that just makes me a better therapist the rest of the time.

Great Picture!

I don't know where this originated.  I got tagged in it on Facebook and instantly loved it so I had to share it with you all.  How true is this!!!

Spring is in the Air... Part Deux

Just when I thought I would scream if I had to endure another cold and gray day (cold in East Texas means below 60 degrees).... I awoke to a beautiful day full of sunshine.  What a sorely needed gift to my blighted mood!  This of course turns my thoughts to Spring themes....

I plan to ponder this idea as my week progresses and I will add to this blog.  But until then, here is a link to Spring is in the Air (Part one).

I never actually got to do the gardening theme last year (my dad was diagnosed with lung cancer in March and my life went into survival mode; thankfully we have been blessed and he is doing well.)  So... I am really thinking maybe I WILL put in the extra efforts toward this project this year.  We shall see....

Social Thinking: "Just Me" versus "Being Part of a Group"

Another concept taught in Michelle Winner's Social Thinking curriculum involves being a "Just Me" (borrowed from an old Munro Leaf book) versus a "Thinking of Others" type of person.  "Just Me" behavior revolves around only thinking of yourself and what you want.  "Just Me" behaviors include always wanting to be first, always wanting to play what you suggest instead of anything others might want to play, always wanting to be the winner in the games, only talking about topics of interest to you, not sharing, etc.Whereas "Thinking of Others" involves the opposite behaviors because you realize that others have feelings and desires too.  Relationships are "give and take", not "take and receive".  These lessons involve teaching children the art of compromise and learning to think, act, play as part of a group. 

This seemingly simple lesson is not-so-simple to learn.  I have had the experiences of completing this lesson, introducing a game, and being immediately met with "I will go first" or "I want to be the blue piece"... (sigh). 

Here are some links on activities or video clips that might be useful in teaching this idea.  I provide Youtube clip links to illustrate the ideas but as always (disclaimer) I suggest people purchase the actual videos of the movies referenced (you probably already own many of them) for actual use of the materials.  Another SLP and blogger, SpeechTechie, has made an excellent suggestion to subscribe to Netflix for access to materials.

* As usual, check back periodically since I add newfound ideas into the old posts to keep things more organized and concise (so I can find them again when I need to use them).

Being a "Just Me"
"Mine" Seagulls scene from Nemo. I did not link to it but there is one clip that loops this soundtrack repeatedly for 10 minutes... that should convey the annoyance of this behavior effectively!

Cooperative games

Youth Group games

From Cindy Meester's Blog

• Noodles - http://meesterc.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/noodle-activity-cm.pdf
• Maze Directions - http://meesterc.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/cooperation-maze-directions.pdf
• Maze - http://meesterc.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/cooperation-maze.pdf

Teamwork

Linj

• Musical (comical) example 
• Penguins and Whale 
• Pilobolus 
• Teamwork video with stills and captions 
• Crabs vs. Seagull   (Also see Ants & Fireflies)
• Coke commercial:  Bugs help each other steal the Coke                                                                                         

Across the River of Autism.... by Marty Murphy

As I was surfing the web I ran across this.  It was apparently written or presented by an adult with autism who was a speaker at an Indiana conference.  It offers a unique perspective on the work of those of us who work with individuals with autism.

 
I was born and reside apart from you. I make my home on an isolated stretch of land just opposite yours across the river of Autism.

It is here that I have lived my whole life, alone and apart from most of you and yet somehow connected at the same time. Throughout my life a few people who resided on your side of the river would build a bridge in an attempt to connect me with your world. I would watch in both horror and happiness as the architect, ever building, crept closer and closer, until finally the bridge reached my side.

I watched as they called for me, pulled me, punished me, threatened me, jerked me and coaxed me, to come to their side. For you see, I was on the wrong side and all I needed to do was cross the bridge. Bitterly resisting all attempts at persuasion, I remained on my side. Defiant, yet terribly afraid I would watch, wrapped in feelings of both satisfaction and self-loathing, as the bridge builder, in rage, frustration and resentment, shattered their bridge of good intentions into a billion tiny pieces and walked away without looking back. This action solidifying in my mind that like a murderer or a mugger belongs in prison, so too must my out of order brain belong only on my side of the river.

I not only was scared to cross but, inevitably, the invitation to cross would be dramatically withdrawn. I knew I was not wanted “over there.” Eventually this scenario would repeat itself numerous times until I knew the drill by heart and my resentment and self-hatred only grew stronger and stronger.

About 8 months ago I watched as another bridge builder began to build a path across the river to reach me. With the same resistance and resentment, I watched the bridge creeping every steadily towards me until one day, it was finally completed. I waited for the prodding, pulling, punishing and jerking that was inevitable. I waited for the hand to beckon me to the other side of the river, yet it never came. There was the bridge but the bridge builder was not always in sight. There was no pulling on my arm and yelling at me to cross or taunting me for living on the “wrong side”. Yet this bridge did seem safer that the others built before it. One day, the bridge builder crossed the bridge. I waited for the pulling and coaxing but it never came.

This time the bridge builder sat next to me and like an anthropologist studying some distant tribe in the Congo, wanted to learn a little about life across the river. The bridge builder watched as I signed my story and crossed back to the other side, not once insisting I go along or telling me I was on the “wrong side”. The builder kept coming back and some times even brought friends. One friend even wanted to learn the language spoken on my side of the river and I was thrilled to help teach her sign.

No, the builder and her friends did not want to take up residence on my isolated stretch of land, for that would have been as improbable as me moving lock, stock and barrel onto theirs. For this bridge builder, the bridge went both ways. Eventually I took hold of the hand of the architect and crossed with her, reluctantly, to the other side. Yet, it was true, I was different but for the first time I attempted to get by. I began to speak the language used opposite my side of the river and try to act a little bit more like those inhabitants, once so foreign to me. I always cross back to my side when my incursions are done.

It is the side of the river, on which I still live and probably always will. Yet, I have, for the first time, begun to see that there were others like me, who lived on my side of the river; apart from me and a part from each other. I can see bridges being built to some of them. I can see demolished bridges of good intentions lying in a billion tiny pieces lying directly opposite the shores of others. I can even see a few places where the dweller on my side of the river has abandoned their world and crossed to the other side to take up permanent residence, no doubt walking hand in hand with some bridge builder as they left their world behind.

Bridges are not one-way streets. They are direction-less. Perhaps as you assist us to cross the bridge, you could walk a cross it yourself, let the inhabitant place his hand in yours and allow him to teach you about his world on his side of the river. Because then, and only then will he take your hand and begin to venture with you across the bridge to the side of the "River of Autism" on which you live.

The End


Source:
Autism Society of Indiana
P.O. Box 8502
Bloomington, IN 47407-8502

Link to original site

Fun Winter Books

A wordless book, The Snowman is excellent for working on interpretation and language development.  Have the child look at the pics and tell what they think is happening.  Prompt them to notice details in the pictures and assist them in processing the clues to arrive at a logical narrative.  This is a great activity for developing narratives, working on verbal expression skills, and improving grammar and written language. This task is also excellent for the child with weak processing or pragmatic language skills.  Social skills weaknesses can be addressed by discussing how the characters may be feeling, why they feel this way, and how we come to those conclusions based on what we see or know. See Snowman Art ideas at Deep Space Sparkle.

The Mitten is a classic story about a lost glove and the forest animals who find shelter there.  This story lends itself to sequencing tasks and story retelling.  There is also lots of advanced vocabulary to be learned in this version of the story.  Jan Brett's website includes many freebies such as story masks, mitten patterns (which I like to hole punch for the kids to lace together), story characters (which we print and place into the laced mittens when retelling the story or sequencing), and other items.  The mitten lacing is a fun activity and the kids can even earn items such as sequins, buttons, and stickers for decorating their mittens.  You can add all types of activities depending on your goals:  matching mittens (real one, wallpaper/scapbook paper cutouts, or pencil paper tasks with worksheets), learning about the different kinds of animals, or creating your own story based on another article of clothing.  The Hat is an example of expanding an idea from one story to another.

Snowballs by Lois Ehlert is about making Snow People from lots of items such as scraps of ribbon, toys, and natural items.  It is a great book to read and then make your own Snow People.  Paper plate snowmen are easy to make and you can find items similar to those in the book for decorating the plates.  I like to supply the children with yarn, buttons, pipe cleaners, and an assortment of items.  Or, you can take them  on a nature walk to find items to add to their snowman such as acorns, sticks, leaves, etc. There are all kinds of 3-D snowmen to be made.  One of the cutest ideas is to take empty water or soda bottles and cover them with cotton balls and then add the decorations.  Other ideas include air dry clay, floam, styrofoam balls, and edible snowmen made of marshmallows, rice cakes, etc.   See more ideas in my post Let It Snow.  Deep Space Sparkle is a fun art blog with lots of cute ideas for snowmen pictures.

Snow is the story of a boy in the city who anticipates snow even when the rest of the town people say it is not going to snow.  This would be a good book to springboard to a snowglobe project. 

The Snowy Day is the quintessential book about snow activities.  The boy ventures out and engages in all of the classic snow play activities.  He also discovers that his snowball melts when he tries to stuff one into his pocket and take it home. Here is a cute YouTube link that retells the story with live action.  There are also some nice resources for retelling here.

Lapbook idea from 3G=Growing Godly Girls


Update 1-25-14: here is another great resource from The Budget SLP. Here are my favorites from her resource list:

• We Give Books:  Read the book online; free
• Animated book at Ezra Jack Keats webpage
• Printables at Homeschool Creations: Basic skills like tracing, counting, also a winter clothing sort.
• Homeschoolshare.com lapbook

With the pretty snowflakes on the cover, this book might go well with making paper snowflakes. Here is a site with advanced designs for snowflakes (for older kids).







More Winter Favorites.