Communicating Though Technology

Like many people on the autism spectrum my little man has a fondness for his PC and more so the Internet. But its not just a hobby, Interest or even an addiction! Its his voice, the great one within… The one he can’t seem to use to express himself in the real world.

I’m not saying that Little man can’t speak, because he can! He is very verbal (ask our neighbours, the bus driver or even the postman)! Its just that little man struggles to put some of what he needs to say In the right set of words. This can lead to frustration, misunderstandings and a degree of sadness.

Of course I’d always heard about both children & adults with Aspergers having some type of connection and in many cases, great knowledge when it comes to the world of computers, many children branded as little whizz kids. I didn’t think much about this, that was in till my own child took to the keyboard.

I’ve never had to really ever teach little man something more then once when it comes to computers. I remember his interest at a young age. He was eager to know what all the fuss was about and couldn’t wait to explore cyber space. At 12 years old my son can now show me a thing or two when it comes to using a computer especially when it comes to windows (yes, its true, once you use a Mac you never go back).

Both the existence of computers and the net has opened a whole host of doors for children like Little Man. I’ve noticed that online his much more confident, fancying himself as something of a comedian at times. He loves talking to others about the world of Mind Craft, making Youtube Tutorial videos and sharing his love of wrestling and transport.

Its simple, the computer has no string of facial expressions to understand, it doesn’t constantly change its tone with every mood, it won’t ever demand you stare at it in order to prove your paying attention… Its your connection to the world and those in it. Its a place that lets you express yourself without fear in a way you know how! No ones looking at you and even if they are its through a web cam which according to the little man is an extremely cool invention (his words not mine).

As your child gets the most out of their new communication tool, they also learn and discover all there is to know about it! Little man has no issues when it comes to making spread sheets and presentations. His a massive fan of power point software and seems to understand where every file lies on his PC (even those he has no access to).

It allows him to write at speed instead of lagging behind as he struggles with his fine motor skills when doing things the traditional way. Whether his working on a new movie trailer for his youtube channel or sending that occasional funny tweet that makes everyone laugh, his expressing himself without fear… His learning, communicating and experimenting all at the same time.

All the above is fantastic, making me a very proud mother. However, though I think its great, as his mother I still feel its important he learns the communication skills required to use away from the computer, out there in the big wide world. That’s why together along with his school Little man is thought communication and social skills that we encourage him to use both on and offline.

So… Will I be at all surprised if my son grows up to get a job that involves computers, the net or both?

No… I think its looking pretty likely don’t you?

What Children With Aspergers Really Want For Christmas

Now, I’m not about to go all soppy by stating “That all our children with aspergers really want for Christmas is an appropriate school place and less judgement”because that wouldn’t be true.

Like any child, children with autism and Aspergers have their own interest, hobbies and Christmas wish list.

Every single year in the lead up to Christmas I find that many new readers find my blog as a result of googling terms such as “What to buy the child with Aspergers for Christmas” or “Gift ideas for children with autism and sen”

Every year we do the ‘Santa’s Little Helpers’ feature where the children showcase and review some toys. This year I’ve been a bit busier than other years so the feature has been on a much lower scale than previous. However, any review that little man does tends to get pretty high page views for the above reasons.

Over the years little mans Christmas list has been anything other than average… Its featured many a bizarre item, from padlocks to safes, batteries to working shop tills. One year we even got a request for a whole crate of fizzy drinks.

This year as he approaches his teen years the list seems somewhat more “normal” in terms of its contents. Well, that’s except for the request to hang out with Drew McIntyre his WWE idol and that of a life sized 4D simulator (needless to say both requests are somewhat out of my reach)! As you can see, Little man isn’t the type of child who scores the Argos catalog for ideas.

With this, I thought it would be interesting to pop over to my Facebook page “A boy with Aspergers” and ask some of the members there what their child with Aspergers has requested for Christmas whether this year or in past years.

Its important to remember that despite any diagnosis, all children with Aspergers have different likes and dislikes, yet unsurprising the results show lost of similarities.

Firstly – LEGO seems to be that of the biggest contender, especially when it comes to boys on the spectrum. Many will know that my little man started to discover the joys of LEGO a few years back and as a result it featured heavily on last years Christmas list and has subsequently made a return this year.

Many of the members over on the ‘A boy with Aspergers’ Facebook page state that their child has either asked for Lego StarWars, Lego Hero’s or just LEGO full stop.

One member told me “Anytime people ask my son what present he wants for any occasions they will get the answer in number form. Because my son’s world revolves around LEGO and its not a ‘Lego truck’ its the model number 4435 or whatever the number maybe”

Other answers highlight that younger children on the spectrum have developed obsessional interests in super heroes with Batman being one child’s special interest for the past 6 years. This child’s Christmas list consists off Batman Merchandise and again LEGO.

It’s also apparent from reading members replies that as their children have aged many of the their requests have changed and now focus on technology. Xbox and PS3 appears a number of times with one member mentioning the new Book of Spells which little man is currently reviewing and thinks is wonderful.

Some members stated how their child wanted to connect with others online to play games over that of the PS3 or Xbox networks. I can relate to this as since little man got his PS3 in October for his birthday, he has discovered the joy of connecting with friends (mainly our extended family) to play against them on FIFA or WWE.

Another big contender was of course the IPad. Is it any surprise? Even I’m wishing for the latest iPad.

Most of the members on the page that took part in the discussion, are parents to boys on the spectrum but a few parents to girls were also happy to share their daughters wish list. One of the page admins shared that her daughter has actually asked for a fridge for her bedroom where another member stated that her daughter wanted money so she could bank it. Yes, this little girl wants her own farm in the middle of nowhere and is already saving for it (and no, I’m not talking about a plastic toy farm but that of an actual farm). Another little girl has asked for a unicorn pillow, slippers and a Star Wars DVD box set (which seems to be popular with both the girls and the boys).

Another item that reappeared more than once was that of spy items such as spy pens and night vision goggles. Again, I can relate as Little man is in love with a spy watch that has a dictaphone and secretly video records (yes, it does actually tell the time too)!

In terms of the more bizarre items here’s some that made me giggle…

Magnets (boy)
A Custard Doughnut (boy 5)
Feather Duster (little girl)
Farm In the Middle of Nowhere ( girl 11)
Cell Phone & Pocket Knife (boy 5)
Electric Leaf Blower (boy 6)
Pyjamas With Feet (boy 9)
To Be Just Like Santa Himself (boy)
Lottery Ticket/Scratch card (boy 7)
Fridge in bedroom (girl 10)
A white keyboard without computer (boy)

Biggest Contenders

LEGO
MOBILE PHONES
IPADS
SPY TOYS
STAR WARS
WWE
TRAIN SETS
PS3
XBOX
LAPTOPS
LASERS
HOTWHEELS
HARRY POTTER
SUPER HEROS (Batman etc)
SONIC
JAMES BOND DVDS
SKYLANDERS

Ooo… I almost forgot one… Mindcraft seems to be on everyone’s most wanted list too!

Special Thank You – This post was put together with the help from members of the Facebook page ‘A Boy With Aspergers’ Thank you so much to those who took part in the discussion.
Claire- Louise. Xx

Little Man The Secret Agent On A Mission

When little man was asked to review items from the Spy Net range he was more than happy to oblige.

Me, I didn’t mind! Yes, I’d be required to record his thoughts and opinions but a little writing never killed anyone, especially when it means you can sit back and enjoy watching your sons confidence grow as he gains more and more self confidence with each review he does. Growing up he had limited interests but this kind of thing was right up his street. For starters it’s Tech and he relates to this very well. Secondly it involves spying and he quite enjoys this too.

Was I worried… No…. After all it’s just a toy isn’t it!

But as usual I had spoken way to soon, and I mean way to soon!

The Spy Net™ range isn’t just some plastic fantastic toy that lets the child feel like a spy… No, no! It’s the ultimate in cool spy technology, Spy Net™ offers a range of fully-functional gadgets and I’m not talking alarm clocks or fancy sound effects!

Spy Net™ provides today’s secret agents with everything they need to do the job and do it well.

Little man was sent two products from the range, one being the Spy Net™ Video Watch RRP £49.99. Now I understand this is for today’s spy but again I didn’t think to much about it, after all, as mention, it’s just a kids toy!

Yes, the clever device had me fooled! So well in fact that the Little man and his watch have caught me of guard more than once.

The Spy Net Video Watch looks just like your everyday watch (if anything a tad bulkier, but not obviously different from the norm)! As one would expect, it tells the time like an ordinary watch, but hidden deep within its packed with a whole host of innovative features, the type that only an under cover secret agent would require.

Amazingly one of these features is a real-working hidden video camera and audio system that allows its owner to record and store over 20 minutes of video (thats a lot of time to collect some pretty incriminating evidence). Whats more the watch has the capability to collect over 4 hours of audio evidence, or even 2000+ still photo! All features are displayable on a built-in, full color 1.4 inch TFT video screen so Mr Secret Agent can sit back, relax and watch the playback!

Once back at their headquarters, agents can upload to SpyNetHQ.com via USB where analysing of evidence commences

If this isn’t enough the watch has even been loaded with lie detector software… Yes, I did just say lie detector software! With this the little agents can check if your telling lies during a conversation or instead analysis the audio produced on that secret video you know nothing about.

When they are finally bored of spying on family members they can move onto something else like having a go at ‘Secret Code Cracking’ or maybe train for missions in way of the preloaded mini games.

To say little man loves this watch is to much of an understatement! His bonkers about it. Again I’ve been proven wrong this versatile Spy Net Video Watch that also downloads video missions from the HQ is far beyond a toy.

Do you know that thing we do as parents! We’re tired, stressed and not in the mood. The kids go on & on about something and we end up saying… “Yer maybe” or “OK, Ok whatever” Those with a child on the autism spectrum will particularly understand as the child with Aspergers has mastered the fine art of obsessiveness. Well, Little man has been doing this about his birthday and the little sneaky devil (that’s a polite term) has been secretly recording me as he bangs on about wanting the entire contents of Amazon. He has some pretty strong evidence of myself saying “OK, OK, we will see” as well as “Yes… Yes” I try not to do this as a child will never let you forget it, especially one with Aspergers but Yesterday I received a little shock. We had a discussion on the subject of birthday lists and he states i’ve agreed to get him something that I’m pretty sure I haven’t! To my complete and utter horror it turns out that I kinda have agreed to something and he holds the proof in that of his little watch. I’m considering suing the boy for entrapment… Seriously! His even got me singing (extremely badly) as I dance with the mop in my PJs… Something I’m not wanting leaked on YouTube! The boy has the potential to make a mint in blackmail money but we won’t tell him that ah!

Verdict: 9/10 it’s a brilliantly clever piece of kit that I’m considering borrowing when I speak to his father next * Evil Laugh*

Parents be careful your child could be spying on you.
www.SpyNetHQ.com

Little Man also received the Spy Net™ Bionic Ear Stealth Listening Device RRP £19.99
Another devices that allows him to become a top spy and does so by allowing him to hear distant sounds through walls and doors in-order to detect intruders and defend against enemy… AKA the parent.

By Putting on the Bionic Ear a long with his Spy Net Video watch, Little man has all the tools needed to be a super agent. The Bionic Ear has real ultrasound technology and allows him to listen in on all the action (not always appropriate I know)! He can even use it to hear round corners ensuring him a safe distance from his enemy (in our language… Little sister).

Does it work? Just look at the Little mans cheeky chops! Do you really need to ask?

At £30 cheaper than the Video Watch it’s a good price! However it doesn’t compare in terms of what it is able to do and the many features that come with the watch does put it way up there on a pedestal! I do love the watch and together with the Bionic Ear it’s the perfect set to delight boys and girls alike.

Verdict Bionic Ear 7/10 Great product that kids will love.

Both products are available from all good retailers including Toys R Us & Amazon.

Disclaimer: I was not paid for writing this post! Little man received product samples for the purpose of the review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

#Silent Sunday

Review and promotional code – morphy richards Comfigrip Diamond Soleplate Iron

As some of you may know already I’ve been extremely lucky in the fact I’ve been selected as on of the Morphy Richards Innovators. This basically means that for the year I will get to try out some of their newest products sharing my honest thoughts and opinions with my readers.

Excitingly I have my first product for review, the morphy richards Comfigrip Steam Shot Spray Iron with Diamond soleplate

This Comfigrip Iron features a diamond soleplate for ultimate glideability and a huge 200g steam shot to tackle the most stubborn creases.

The Morphy richards Comfigrip features unique TriZone Soleplate technology with three dedicated areas for the perfect finish every time.

The iron is also Eco friendly with an Eco Steam Switch that allows up to 23% energy saving plus the specially designed handle and easy fill water features make ironing even easier.

The Comfigrip comes with a multitude of features including auto shut off, anti scale, anti drip and 350ml clear view water tank.

The verdict: This iron couldn’t have came at a better time! I was currently using the most useless iron ever, making tasks such as ironing school uniforms the most horrid and drawn out chore ever.

The shoot of steam that is delivered with the Comfigrip is most impressive, combined with its easy glideability the task of iron is made that much easier. I hate ironing and like to get the job done as quick as possible, the Comfigrip is the best iron I’ve used in a long time.

My old iron was always burning and sticking the plates on the Comfigrip are easy to clean and so far I haven’t really felt the need to do so.

For me one of the best features is auto shut off it may seem such a small feature but I’ve over heated so many irons plus the safety aspect of it is essential with children.

The plates on this iron really do make for an incredible iron experience. The iron isn’t overly heavily so you can manoeuvre it around the garment with ease.

Not only does it do a great job in a shorter space of time, but it also looks fabulous and is easy to use.

The Comfigrip Steam Shot Spray Iron with Diamond soleplate is available to purchase from morphy richards RRP £89.99

And good news the guys over at morphy richards are giving A boy with Asperger’s readers a massive fab 40% of the New Comfigrip Steam Shot Spray Iron with Diamond soleplate. All you have to do is enter the code BLOG6840 when checking out.

Disclaimer: This is a review post, I was not paid for this review but as part of the Innovators team I was provided the product free of charge in-order to review. All words and opinions are my own.

Help a child with Autism communicate with the world they live in

So, I was on twitter recently (nothing new there I know) when I came across a very interesting tweet from one of my new followers.

The tweet in question contained a link to a very interesting website and article focused around a campaign that is aiming to help children with autism by providing them with a way to communicate with the world they live in! Here’s how.

With your help a child with autism can be given the tools needed to better communicate their needs, making the world a much easier place for them to live in.

The charity making this happen is “Hearts & Minds Challenge”

They don’t need you to give funds, they don’t want your money, all they need is your old mobile phones, even those that are no longer working!

Here’s what the charity had to say!

Once upon a time, a mobile phone was a status symbol, a way to tell the world that you were so important that people had to be able to reach you all the time. Nowadays a mobile is a necessity, but we still like to have the latest model with features that can improve our daily life.

Now; when you want to trade up your old phone, you could be helping someone with Autism to communicate their basic needs and for the first time, truly express what they want. And the phone doesn’t even have to be working to help….

Autism is a developmental disability which typically affects social interaction, imagination and the ability to communicate. Half of all people diagnosed will have severely delayed speech and as a result, can become frustrated, leading to behavioral challenges and social exclusion.

In the past, these individuals could be taught to use picture exchange communication or “pecs” a system of handing over a picture to request an item. Thus replacing that negative behaviour with a vocabulary of different pictures, all of which have a huge value to the individual. They are prompted to try to say each word and can slowly learn to speak independently with the picture system as support.

However, at least a 1/4 of all people diagnosed with Autism will have to use an alternative communication system for life, which can become very unwieldy as their vocabulary grows.
They must also rely on carers and therapists to update and maintain the system, so they never have independent control of what they want to say.

There are electronic picture devices, but the vocabulary is static, the devices bulky and expensive and the individual cannot express exactly what they want.

However, thanks to the development of a simple App, which recreates the picture system in a digital format, so called ‘non-verbal’ people can communicate exactly what they want on an Apple iPod or iPad. The Grace App, named after the little girl who inspired it is a basic picture vocabulary in a digital format which the user selects then shares to communicate what they want. Most importantly, they can actually add to their pictures themselves using the device camera, or google and save an image if they cannot find and photograph what they need.

Lisa, who created the Grace App says:
“Just because someone is not yet talking, it doesn’t mean they have nothing to say”

Lisa said the App has allowed Grace to express herself clearly and her frustration and tantrums, which could last for hours are now vastly reduced.
“Grace is also interacting with us a lot more, and I’m delighted to hear her using her own voice, as her speech continues to improve”

There are a lot of families that could benefit from trying out Grace or one of the many Apps developed to support the needs of people with autism – but they need the device to use it. This is a big commitment for a family who may have limited means, and a lot of demands on their income due to the pressures of raising a child with Autism.

Hearts and Minds are a charity with a mission to raise the quality of life of individuals with autism have come up with a scheme to turn old mobiles into new technology like the Apple iPad, while raising funds towards opening an Education Centre For Autism in Greater Manchester.

To help: Go through your drawers and cupboards and clear out all those old mobiles that are taking up space, contact the school and donate those devices in the envelopes provided. Not only will you be giving a child with autism the chance to communicate, but you will go into a draw to get your mortgage paid for a year – who wouldn’t like that?

Once I read the above I just had to write this post and share this great campaign with my readers.

I also found a great video on the Hearts and Minds website that really does share a strong message with the world on what a difference we can make by donating our old mobile phones. The video shows a selected number of children with autism using their iPad at home or in school. Attached is a message from the families of these children who state what a remarkable difference the iPad has made to their child’s life.

Warning… The video is a real tear jerker! I sobbed all over my iPhone!

I was actually about to write a sponsored post for a company that specialises in recycling mobile phones, saving the environment and making us a bit of extra cash in the process. Then I read about ‘Hearts and Minds’ who are not only saving the planet but helping a child with autism to communicate. Of course it’s Ok to recycle your mobile for cash, especially if you have little… We all need some extra pennies sometimes. But remember this charity are happy to take any mobile phone, regardless of the state it’s in… Broken, old, “a brick” it really doesn’t matter!

Thankfully my son is verbal and actually speaks very well! However he does have an array of communication difficulties and even for him such technology is a godsend. Little man attends a special school and as part of an OT programme he is now learning to touch type, his fine motor skills are very poor and his handwriting hardly legible. An iPad is on the Birthday list and it’s something I’d purchase with the knowledge of knowing that for little man it’s so much more than a fancy handheld tablet.

I hope that others will read this and next time they open a draw to discover an old dusty mobile they remember this post and therefore remember that for a child with autism that dusty mobile is a door that opens into a world of communication!

Remember families and schools wanting to register for the programme can do so over on the hearts and minds website

For more information on the programme visit Grace App or Hearts and Minds to see if you can help give a child with autism a way to communicate.

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored or guest post. I have not been asked to write this and have not received anything for sharing this information. I have done so as a way to help a charity on their mission to help others.

Little one’s can take great pictures with the V-Tech Kidizoom Twist this Christmas

1

DAY TILL CHRISTMAS

The children have been extremely lucky to road test some of the newest toys on the market, and as the Santa’s Little helpers comes to an end we still have a few more to come.

When we were asked to review the V-Tech Kidizoom Twist, I have to admit that I myself became a tad over excited! Harley is forever putting his little chocolate fingers all over my camera so the prospect of him having his own couldn’t have come soon enough.

The Kidizoom Twist is in fact aimed at pre-schoolers aged from 3 years, Harley may actually only be 2, nonetheless he loved it all the same! It really is felt that my youngest little helper may in fact grow up with an interest in photography, and his not half bad at it either.

V-tech have been extremely clever when creating the Kidizoom twist, the must have Christmas Gift which is featured in the ‘Argos, fab fifteen’ (Top fifteen christmas toys for 2011).

The 2 megapixel camera camera with 5 digital zoom and coloured screen has a number of clever features designed to bring ease of use, entertainment and learning to it’s tiny users. The Kidizoom twist really is more than just your average kid’s camera. It’s really funky design makes it super cool and appealing to children while it’s designed to restrain bumps and falls avoiding them horrid costly replacements.

The Kidizoom Twist features not one but two lenses window’s so your tot doesn’t come across the problem of having to angle the camera in-order to see their target image and position the camera accordingly to take a picture. The child can instead hold the camera at eye level and take a picture with ease.

That’s not all, this camera has a number of special editing features allowing your child to create some great features to their pictures such as frames, wacky stamps and the ability to distort the picture in-order to create some really funky funny faces, which I feel is very appealing for children on the autism spectrum (Harley’s elder brother, Little man loves this feature on his younger brother’s latest gadget). Another fabulous feature to this camera is the voice recording mode that allows you to edit & change the tone of your voice to five effects (pitch up, pitch down, slow, robot and echo)  you can then add the edited voice to your images.

The Camera also has a number of built-in games, five in total, you can even use your own pictures within the games to play games such as spot the difference amongst a whole host of others.

If all that doesn’t sound great enough Kidizoom also has the capability to video, giving it that extra edge.

Oh… and in case you were wondering about the name and the reference it makes to the word twist? This camera does actually have a revolving lenses, meaning it spins round to face the photographer in-order for them to create the perfect self-portrait or video of themselves.

Harley loved the Kidizoom twist and to be honest so do his older siblings who actually ran-out two different sets of batteries. Little Harley is just mastering them all important motor skills so yes, he did drop the camera once or twice, but the protective rubber casing around the camera ensured its safety and saved it from breakage.

We, actually received the camera on the morning of the day we set of to Butlin’s so Harley got to bring his lovely new Kidizoom twist along for the ride, which provided lots of photo taking opportunities.

Kidizoom Twist Specifications:

2 Mega Pixel

4x digital zoom

Built in flash

Twisting/rotating lenses

Colour screen

256 MB built in memory (Holds over 500 images & has a SD card slot)

Voice recording & editing mode

Video recording

Image editing (funky effects)

5 built in games

Connect to TV & PC

Dual viewfinder

Durable (funky rubber protective casing)

Accessories can be brought separately such as SD card and protective case

Parental perspective.

I loved this eye-catching camera from v-tech, the only disadvantage I have, is the fact the screen is a tad small (I did expect a slightly bigger screen) though this is meant for younger children and despite the screen being a little small its more than enough for a pre-schooler. I did love the amount of features V-Tech have packed into this kids camera, it really is so much more than a camera, with games and video recording, it’s my opinion that the camera is great value for money.

The camera helps the development of hand eye coordination, gross and fine motor skills while allowing their growing imaginative and creative sides to shine through. It’s great, not only is this super fun but it’s actually quite educational too!

****
We easily award this one with a 4 out of 5 stars.

Available in a choice of pink or blue

Sold at around £49.99 (price may vary depending on retailer).

This is currently on Sale with a £10 reduction (£39.99) at Argos

Click HERE for more details

Disclaimer

V-Tech sent us the Kidizoom Twist in blue, for the purpose of this review! All opinions that are given by myself & the children are our own, are honest and haven’t been influenced in any way.

Related articles

• Best Toys for Christmas Vtech Kidizoom Spin & Smile Digital Camera Part 5 (lindaboyd.typepad.com)
• 12 toys of Christmas (thesun.co.uk)
• Christmas gift guide: The kids are alright (independent.co.uk)
• Tech toys heading for Christmas lists (geeksaresexy.net)
• Top 10 Christmas toys tested by the experts – children (mirror.co.uk)
• Last Minute Christmas toys (aspergersinfo.wordpress.com)

Somebody call Watson!

Story Buddy

 It’s a sure sign that Christmas is fast approaching as the Santa’s Little helpers get busy! Yes, it’s all fun and games in ours as we meet Watson the fabulous Racoon. 

 Watson was here on official business, his mission, to make story time magical!

 This awesome little Racoon, who goes by the name of Watson is part of Hallmark’s brand new & exciting, ‘Story Buddy’ range of interactive cuddly toys. 

 Each buddy is beautiful made, each containing a very magical, yet clever innovative technology, that wont fail to impress the kids.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 This is the first toy on our Santa’s Little helpers list, that I feel cannot be done justice with words alone. With this in mind I decided it was time to get vlogging (for those of you who haven’t got the first clue what I’m going on about, “Vlogging” is a team used for video blogging)

 So… Here it is!

How, cute is that!  Watson is not only adorable, but as you can see his an extremely clever Racoon.

 The Magic inside Watson is actually innovative playback technology which prompts Watson to speak & join in once the trigger passages are read out (trigger passages are highlighted green within the story book provide).

Story buddy’s are due to hit Hallmark stores this month (October 2011) There’s currently three story buddies to choose from (more to come in the New Year)! These are, our lovely friend, ‘Watson’ (the inquisitive racoon,) ‘Copper’ (the playful bear) & the Limited edition ‘Jingle’ (the Husky especially for Christmas) Each Buddy comes complete with its own awesome story book, plus

for those who wish to expand there reading skills further additional books can be bought for Watson & Copper.

 Hallmark have also developed they’re own  App for ipad, ipods and iphone. 

This app tells the story behind each buddy, plus more. 

Download the app free from itunes.

 Our Verdict 

 Seriously what is there not to like here. Watson is magical and all the children love him, including my 11-year-old who is on the autism spectrum

Kids rating 4 star****

 As a parent, I love the story buddy range, not only are we looking at an educational toy that will encourage children to read, but this special buddy’s help families bond and enjoy time together create childhood memories. 

 The stories are great helping the development of imagination and creative thinking.

Big thumbs up.

At £19.99 this is an adorable toy with innovative technology that I’m used to seeing in the higher end of the market, displaying a scary fat price tag. 

4**** stars from mum

Click HERE to get yours

Additional books priced at £5.99 at most Hallmark stores.

Creative minds, pupils with autism use ICT to create Art.

There are so many things I love about blogging, hearing good news alongside inspiring stories of success from my readers, has to be the ultimate highlight to blogging.

Last week, I got my kicks of happiness, when I received an email from reader and teacher, ‘Joanne’

Joanne contacted me and asked if I was happy to upload some art work to the, ‘Autism & Art’ Page, here on the blog.  The art was created by pupils with Autism and Severe Learning Difficulties who attend a unit for children with autism and SEN (special educational needs) that forms part of the mainstream school, “Evergreen”  Most of the children at the unit are non-verbal but are very expressive when it comes to art. The  children’s artwork has been created on computer with the use of free art software packages, which Joanne has been kind enough to share (this can be found later on in this post).

Of course, I informed Joanne that it would be an honour to feature the children’s fabulous artwork on the blogs Art page, however, while chatting with Joanne, I felt inspired to write a post to show the world how talented these budding little artist are!

Yes, they really are some talented lot, and it’s not just me, Joanne or the rest of the staff at Evergreen Primary school, who think so!

The pupils were nominated for the Northern grid awards (ICT In Education Awards) where their work has been widely showcased and celebrated as a result.

The Northern Grid Awards recognise and celebrate the excellent practice happening in North East Schools. The pupils at Evergreen, were actually Highly Commended in the “Surprise me” category. This was for an activity that was actually formed to support literacy for the KS1 class. The presentation began as a teacher made resources to present the story, ‘We’re going on a bear hunt’ to pupils. The pupils were then involved with developing the presentation into their own, ‘Bear Hunt’ story through their interaction with the story props and resources. Seriously guys, check it out on the site hosting the awards, the teachers and parents of these pupils must be beaming with pride!

Joanne is a lady who is very passionate about her work and she has a great fondness for those she teaches. She told me that, “Most of the children are non-verbal but can actually teach me a thing or two!” It’s refreshing to see teachers and teaching assistants, so passionate about what they do, I really love that, it’s something so simple but for a mother of a child on the spectrum, it’s something you are truly grateful to find.

Joanne’s role with the children is to create creative & sensory friendly learning experiences and her success shines through within the children’s beautiful, yet talented work. She talked about the way the children use computers to create and learn and like myself and many other parents, she really understood the importance of using ICT as a resource for children with autism, both in education and within their everyday lives.

It’s my belief  that children and adults on the spectrum, have an amazing way about them when given a computer. A child that is branded a menace due to their refusal to participate in written work can then excel if put in-front of a computer. When I went to view Little man’s work at a past parents evening, at his old mainstream school, they didn’t have a single exercise book to show me! The only work they had to display was all done with the use of a PC. Little man has fine motor skills difficulties and like many children on the spectrum his handwriting took the force of this. Little man is extremely aware off these difficulties and the fact he is often considered less able within certain areas of his learning (despite his intelligence). He is overly proud and he would rather not engage at all if it meant that by doing so, It would only portray him as some kind of “failure”. Its my opinion that every child with autism as-well as those children with other communication difficulties, should be able to express themselves with the use of ICT, by way of having regular access to a computer. Now, I’m not stating we should give up, stop encouraging them to engage with written work, not at all! I’m just stating that expression is important especially for non-verbal children like those whom Joanne teaches.

 Here’s the wonderful creations of art, that will feature on the Autism and Art page.

Spiderman, By: Thomas Age: 9 

Mr Men, By: Liam Age: 6 

Thomas the tank engine By: Ethan Age: 5

Worms By: Jacob Age: 4 

Wow, I think they are simply wonderful!

 Joanne was kind enough to share the resources that herself and the teaching team regularly use with the children in the unit. All resources are ICT packages that are used to create  different types of art. What is so awesome about these resources, are… amazingly all are “FREE!” meaning you can use these with your child at home.

Tux paint: A great piece of free computer software for kids.

Sumo paint: A free piece of software introduced to Joanne by one of her pupils. Sumo paint has a complicated yet detailed set of features. Greater colour and texture options, fine detailing, filters, layers, and effects. Here you will be presented with endless possibilities.

Nga Kids: Interactive art you can make online. The National Gallery Of Art’s great range of resources enables you to create your own classic masterpieces.

Art pad: An online canvas with basic tools, its appeal to it’s users is that you can re-play you’re painting to watch your creation take shape; you can also email a finished painting.

Cbeebies: Cbeebies have a fantastic selection of activities with characters that appeal to Joanne’s pupils’ interests. Programmes such as Mr maker and Get Squiggling, have magic paint-box activities.

Help kidz learn: Free online games from the guys at inclusive technology with its own creative section.

Create Comics: Create your own comic strip Joanna’s pupils like Garfield, DR Who and Marvel comics.

Audactiy: a piece of kit that can be used to record voices, sound effects, music etc… and can also be used in developing resources. (Free downloads)

Having obtained these from Joanne, I discovered there was only one or two I have used before (Cbeebies, Help Kidz Learn). So, I tried the rest with both Little man and Alice.

Little man enjoys art on a much greater scale when It’s created with the use of a computer. He loved Sumo Paint and has used it for the last three days.

Alice is very creative and like me she has a passion for Art. Though she loves the more practical aspects of art, she also had great fun with this.

I love the comic strips and find the software an invaluable tool for children with autism. These comics can be used to build social stories together which your child. The Comic strips you make, can also be used to help a child with autism to communicate perspectives, feelings and more. All this while remaining fun and creative.

 A massive thank you to Joanne and her wonderful pupils at Evergreen Primary school’s unit for children with autism. Check out the Class website by Clicking HERE  (please note… there is also a special members only section for parents of the pupils whom attend the unit).

Disclaimer: Please note that the above images are the property of Evergreen Primary school and should not be copied without the permission of its owner. The images are subject to copyrite and all terms apply. 

If you are interested in the story or want to find out more, then please leave your details, and I’ll be sure that Joanne gets them.

Thanks Claire-Louise

Related articles

• Autism Education Services Offers New Autism Programs and Training to Schools Nationwide (prweb.com)
• How Facebook Helps Parents Of Children With Autism (allfacebook.com)
• Autism? There’s an App for That! (proactivespeech.wordpress.com)