Buddies

I think the most exciting part of our current school year has been the enthusiasm of our recess buddies.  Everyday, a different group of 6-12 grade 3 and 4 students come to join us for recess.  This has become one of the most popular clubs at our school.  They bring great energy to our space.  Everyday, we engage in a great variety of play.  We dance, use the OT swing, listen to books and music, draw, explore the sensory tools, play with balls and other games and toys.  Our students benefit from being able to play with the other kids while staying in a safe, familiar space.  Many of our students have been able to also take this outside and join the rest of the school for the big crazy lunch recess time.  We have also been able to have some grade four students join us for group reading.  It's great to see the smiles on  the faces of all the students - NT and ASD.

This is Autism Flashblog on Monday, Nov. 18, 2013

Autism is looking at the world from a different angle.
Autism is different not less
Autism is a challenge, a gift and a curse

In my life Autism is...

• A High School honor student 
• A different way of seeing the world
• Communicating using smiles, gestures, pictures, sounds, cries
• Frustrating when you don't understand
• Joyful when you do understand
• Ministers, teachers, professors, politicians, actors
• Exploring the world of the senses
• Learning to get along with lots of different people
• Having fun together
• Being alone - sometimes lonely sometimes peaceful
• Being aware of the beauty of the very smallest particle of dust or the sparkle of the lights
• Being overwhelmed

Autism is a way of being human

http://thisisautismflashblog.blogspot.ca/2013/11/about.html

Dogs in the Classroom, Sensory Room, Practicums...

It was quite an interesting day at school today.  We had a visit from some therapy dogs.  The students all enjoyed hanging around the dogs.  Even the one that was said to be terrified of dogs stayed in the room and even allowed the smallest dog to approach him closely enough to lick him on the nose.  We get to see the dogs again in about a month.  We got lots of smiles and interactions.

We have also reworked our breakout room this week.  We had been using as an informal play room.  It is morphing into a more structured sensory room.  Over the Christmas break, we received a standing swing on loan.  It is forming the core of our new space.  We plan to add lights, sound, oral-motor activities, more fine and gross motor activities.   We have been working with our OT to maximize the value of this room.  We have almost no budget which makes things interesting.

Finally, it was the first day for our practicum student.  We have a student from a local college in the Education Assistant program.  The kids benefit from the extra help and opportunities for interaction.

The new term is shaping up to be quite interesting and full of possibilities.