Saturday, November 15, 2014

'How to Talk With Your Son About Sex: 7 Sensitive Ways to Effectively Talk About Sex With Your Child' by Duncan Walker Kennedy



For a limited time! Download “How to Talk with Your Son About Sex” for just $0.99! Regularly priced at $4.99. Read on your PC, Mac, smart phone, tablet, or Kindle device. 

Do you find yourself struggling with how to talk to your son about sex? Kids today are exposed to sex much sooner than previous generations. Every moment of every day, they are bombarded by mature themes and images on television and the internet, in magazines, and on social media. Wouldn’t you rather talk to your child about sex before they receive inappropriate or incorrect information from an outside source or their buddies on the playground?

Let’s face it . . . many of our own parents weren’t very good at talking about sex . . . or perhaps they failed to ever approach the subject of sexuality with you, instead hoping that the topics of puberty and sex education would be delivered to you by a stranger in Health class. Needless to say, that approach was not very effective. Indeed, it got your parents off-the-hook from having to talk about sex with you, but that method is painfully outdated and predictably ineffective.

In “How to Talk with Your Son About Sex: 7 Sensitive Ways to Effectively Talk About Sex with Your Child,” you will uncover the most up-to-date methods in how best to communicate the true facts of life. This book replaces the old, tired “Birds and the Bees” talk with real-world advice on how to navigate the unavoidable conversation of talking to kids about sex.

http://amzn.to/119xY9V

Bio: 

Duncan Walker Kennedy lives in the Boston area with his family and Golden Retriever. He is a devoted and experienced husband, father, son, brother, high school teacher and Red Sox fan. His bucket list includes attending one baseball game in every Major League park in North America. He is most inspired by frequent family trail hikes, anything with a Ben & Jerry’s label, and watching “Field of Dreams.”

Connect with Duncan on Twitter: @DuncanWKennedy

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Earn money for your school through For the Schools

You like to save time and money by shopping online, especially during the crazy holiday season. Now you can put money back into your own pocket, as well as helping to support local schools when you shop through For the Schools.

For the Schools is a community that currently supports over 130,000 schools as people shop over 1000 stores. Check if your school has its own account. Otherwise, set up your own account that directly supports your school team, the PTO, or other school-based organization. You get to decide how much of the revenue comes directly back to you and how much goes to your school. Generate links with specific hashtags and send those to your family, friends, and school community. People shop through those affiliate links and the money starts to add up. Accounts can earn up as much as 10-25% back at select stores!

Start shopping here.

Want more ways to earn? Remember to check For the Schools whenever you are going to shop online. Browse their coupons and special store deals. Download the Automatic Fundraising Reminder to your PC, Mac, or mobile device, for alerts that tell you about the savings you can earn when shopping online. 

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

'A Month of Bedtime Stories' by Neil Roy McFarlane



Blurb:

A cow that eats bananas and lives in the trees! Bees that pilot submarines through uncharted puddles! An elevator that descends to the centre of the Earth! Cowardly dinosaurs! Alien Dogs! Vertiginous squirrels! Time-traveling slugs! Disco-dancing horses!

They’re all here in this collection of weird and wonderful bedtime stories, a month’s worth of fantastic tales to guarantee any child thirty-one dream-filled nights.


Read an excerpt:
From “Shootout at the Deer Sisters’ Hideout” 
When you got to the Deer Sisters’ hideout, Badger Cassidy shouted, “Stop hiding in there and come out with your hands up!” 
“No we won’t!” shouted the Deer Sisters. “We ain’t a-going to no jail!” 
That was a double negative, but you didn’t mention it. 
“We ain’t a-plannin’ on a-takin’ you to no jail!” shouted Badger Cassidy. 
That was another double negative, but again you didn't say anything. 
“We just want some of that there caster sugar!” shouted the Sundance Pig. 
“You ain’t a-havin’ none of it!” shouted the Deer Sisters. 
That was another double negative but this time it was just too much and you couldn’t stop yourself. 
“‘Ain’t a-havin’ none of it’ is a double negative!” you shouted. “If we’re not having none of it, it means we’re having some of it!” 
“Just you try!” shouted one of the Deer Sisters. 
“Who cares about double negatives?” shouted another Deer Sister. 
“Ain’t no one here don't care nothing for no double negatives!” shouted a third. 
“Gosh darn it!” you shouted. “That’s a quadruple negative!” 
“Who cares?” shouted another Deer Sister. 
“What an annoying kid!” added another.
Read rave reviews!
"Written with a great love of vocabulary, with a musical style [...] this book is not a month of bedtime stories, but a lifetime of them." - Carole P. Roman, Kirkus Best of 2012 Award-winning Author 
"Neil Roy McFarlane likely has as fine a sense of humor as anyone writing today… Looney, wacky, imaginative and borderline crazy tales that McFarlane pens with absolute abandon." - Grady Harp, Hall of Fame Amazon Top 100 Reviewer / Vine Voice 
"I keep trying to get Mama to read more than one at night time - there are enough for a whole month but I don't want to take that long to read them all!" - Raif (Age 5) San Francisco Book Review

Buy links


About the author:

Neil Roy McFarlane lives and works in Devon, UK. He knew he wanted to be a writer at the age of eight and after being many other things in the intervening years (an EFL teacher, a care assistant, an assistant editor, a film subtitler, a garbage collector, a postman…) he has now returned to his original dream. He writes in a variety of genres, including radio drama, screenplays, children's and adult fiction. He recently returned to university as a mature student to gain an MA in English.

Sunday, October 26, 2014

'Motherlode: Essays on Parenthood' Edited by Ashley Parker Owens



Blurb:

Every mother and father shares the same secret—parenthood isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Forget the movies and television shows that encourage unrealistic expectations of the super mom, the benevolent father, and their perfect kids. In reality, all parents struggle, and all kids challenge their parents. Parents need to know they are not alone.

Motherlode is a collection of essays examining eye-opening, poignant, brutally honest accounts of parenting. Essays on bittersweet empty nests, children lost to mental illness, and broken child-parent relationships all share one strong element in common. Despite the challenges of parenthood, the writers have a deep abiding love and appreciation for their children.

Writers include Rebecca T. Dickinson, Amanda Etcheto, Oren Hammerquist, Treg Isaacson, Ann V. Klotz, Andrea Lani, Julia Poole, Michael Schofield, Tamara Kaye Sellman, Rita Reynolds Setness, Stephanie Vanderslice, and others.

http://amzn.to/1FP2WEt

Saturday, October 4, 2014

Common Core Math Apps Grades 3-5

Teachers and parents who want to give kids an interactive and results-focused way to enhance their math proficiency in: Operations & Algebraic Thinking; Number & Operations in Base Ten; Number & Operations-Fractions; Measurement & Data; and Geometry can now download three innovative new apps from Bright Minds LLC: 

Common Core State Standards® Grade 3 Math Practice Test


Available it on iTunes


Common Core State Standards® Grade 4 Math Practice Test 


Available on iTunes


Common Core State Standards® Grade 5 Math Practice Test


Available on iTunes

Monday, August 11, 2014

'Flags of the World' by Tyler Capper


Blurb:
Flags of the World is a great resource for children and adults alike who not only want to learn about each country’s national flag but also the geographic and demographics of the country the flags represent.

Set out in alphabetical order with easy navigation from letter to letter, this book shows each country’s national flag along with a snapshot of the country’s; Location, Capital City, Population, Area Size, Currency, Languages, Religions and Bordering Countries.

Great educational content in a concise and convenient book. Books 2 & 3 are interactive quiz books.

http://amzn.to/1oZaL2I

About the author:
Tyler Capper is a teacher with over 30 books published on Amazon Kindle.


'Baby Names That Work! Complete A-Z With Origins & Meanings' by Tyler Capper


Blurb:

“Imagine coming to realize years later that you gave your child a name that is culturally irresponsive; or a name other children use to tease your child…” How do you think that would make you, and your child feel?

Choosing a name these days has to be done with care, as it is much more than just a label. So many children these days are bullied because they have a weird name, or a name that means something completely different in another culture.

Let Tyler Capper guide you through 320 pages of baby names; from cultures around the world. Tyler has picked these name with care and passion, and not just because they are popular. For each name you are given an explanation of its meaning, as well as from where the name originates.

Now you would not need to worry if your child’s name might sound funny, or feel different to others as you have a resource that can help you on all fronts.

The best aspect of this book is that it contains names from all common nationalities and cultures around the world. Even if you like to pick a name that stands out, you can still make sure it does not violate your own cultural heritage; or general perception by looking at the detailed meaning. There is really no reason to pick a name that does not fit your situation.

Yes, there are other books that do the same, but this resource is much more complete than any other book available today for Kindle. Be sure you pick the right name for your precious darling by starting with this book!

There are also some really nice related 'Extras' waiting to be discovered at the end of the book. Enjoy!!

http://amzn.to/1nJ5jfL




Tuesday, June 24, 2014

'Questionable Autism' by Susan Louise Peterson


Blurb:

The book Questionable Autism is focused on opening discussions about a variety of autism topics.

Looking at professional, parenting, research and testing issues numerous questions are developed to consider the broad impact of autism topics for both parents and professionals.

Author Susan Louise Peterson, an award winning autism author weaves her experiences as an educator and school psychologist for young children into a discussion of some of the major issues impacting the field of autism.

Questionable Autism includes many real world examples related to parenting topics, field issues and general practices in the area of autism.

Questionable Autism has opened the door for broader discussions in the field of autism.


Buy links

About the author:

Susan Louise Peterson took an incredible journey back to the public schools and worked in the tough inner city public schools of Las Vegas, NV for twenty years as a teacher and later a school psychologist. She taught and assessed students with at-risk situations from preschool to high school. Susan also worked with parents making thousands of home visits in the inner city housing projects of Las Vegas and conducting hundreds of parent meetings to encourage parents to help their children succeed.

When Susan first started teaching she had not even heard the word-autism, but that soon changed. Later, Susan worked as a school psychologist in a school diagnostic center for early childhood students with development delays and autism concerns. She has conducted over 1000 multidisciplinary team assessments for children with possible developmental delays and autism concerns beside speech therapists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, school nurses, vision/hearing specialists, special education teachers and regular education teachers. In that process she realized that professionals can have different perspectives and varying opinions about autism and developmental delays. As well, parents struggle with questions of autism and delays from information they receive from professionals with different training experiences.

Susan has received numerous national awards for improving educational practice including being named to the Practitioners Hall of Fame by NOVA University.

Susan is the author of books in the areas of education, child behavior and research.

Monday, June 9, 2014

'French Women Don't Get Fat' by Mireille Guiliano

When it is about “French paradox”, usually people think to the benefit of red wine consumption on the health of French People. It is well known that French food is rich in saturated fats but in spite of this, in this country the incidence of cardiac disease is low.

The Mireille Guiliano book “French Women Don’t Get Fat” looks from a feminine point of view the “French paradox”: French women do not keep a diet, they enjoy the bread, patisserie, wine, chocolate and the regular meals without gaining weight or getting ill.

In a wording full of charm, the writer reveals her own experience which resulted in the discovery of some healthy life principles which she always followed.

Reading this book we find out about the principles of the classic French gastronomy, old tips of French women, some example of daily menus or recipes of delicious French cuisine.

Following the Mireille Guiliano advices, we learn how to fullest enjoy the things you like without severe diets or guilty fillings.

Step by step, the writer presents the ingredients of a healthy life without privations, how to act in emergency situations (additional kilos) or the little daily satisfactions.

The all story is developed around her personal life presented in short episodes such as; first sip of champagne, the trips for finding mushrooms or forest fruits, the meeting with oysters.

We also find out about other women experience, how they discovered the “French style of life”.

Why should we buy our food from the market instead of supermarket?

Which are the benefits of making sport?

How can we aging nicely?

The lecture of “French Women Don’t Get Fat” will give you the answers revealing in the same time the valuable secretes of an old culture retold for nowadays.

For all the persons that tried at least once in their life to keep a diet, Mireille Guiliano offers in her book an optimistic way to have a nice silhouette while enjoy the bred, wine and even chocolate. As sports is the best suggestion for a healthy body we invite you to read attractive news from the author in Epyxa.com



http://amzn.to/1o7cXH1

Saturday, May 31, 2014

Enhance your science lessons with 'An Introduction to the Blood Sing-A-Long Storybook'


Blurb:

Using bright colors, amazing illustrations, zany animations and simple explanations, your kids will learn about a complex and important subject… The Blood! Your kids will be so engaged watching this animation they won’t even realize they are learning about their blood! They’ll be sounding like a medical doctor in no time!


http://amzn.to/1u0Bugc


About creator Elva O'Sullivan

"Proven Products to Help Children Learn Science for the Price of a Cup of Coffee."

Quality science learning materials shouldn't be boring, hard for kids to understand and expensive. What kids want (and what Elva provides) are fun, easy, and visual products designed to engage, entertain and enchant kids about a specific area of science. Elva writes her books for her number one customer- the kids! but a variety of busy parents and overworked teachers buy them too. What separates Elva from other scientists is her ability to explain and present complex topics in a straightforward manner without dumbing them down.

ScienceWithMe!® was founded in 2003 when Loghlen Rickard, aged 3, would ask his Mom, Elva O'Sullivan, to "Play With Me! Play With Me!" Elva didn't know what to do - after all she's a chemist and because she hadn't played with someone for nearly 30 years she had forgotten how to play! So she made up little experiments to do with Loghlen and he loved them. Soon, his plea of "Play With Me! Play With Me!" changed to "Science With Me! Science With Me! - and the rest, as they say, is history.

In her spare time, Elva likes to hangout with the 4 L's --- kids Loghlen, Luke, Leah and Licorice (dog) --- and hubby Scott, talk incessantly with her friends, Crossfit, read, travel and drink copious amounts of coffee.

Want to know more? Then check out the different eBooks Elva has published...And thanks for supporting her coffee habit!

Dr. Elva O'Sullivan's education includes a B.Sc.(Hons) in Chemistry from University College Dublin, Ireland and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Clarkson University, New York. In addition to her broad teaching experience, she has extensive applied industrial experience and has worked at W. R. Grace, Wyeth, American Cyanamid Company and BASF Corporation, the world's leading chemical company. She is a certified RESULTS® coach and a graduate of Corporate Coach University. She is currently the CEO of ScienceWithMe!® LLC.

Friday, May 30, 2014

Read4Kids.Net to immerse your children in storytelling


I'm Too Tired To Read You A Story

Ever had that feeling? Too tired, too busy, just can't be bothered? 
You know that reading stories to your children is important because it brings a story to life and encourages your children to love stories and books from an early age. Whether it's bedtime or a tedious long journey, story-telling is an important part of a child's early life experience and education.

So, what do you do when your heart's just not in it? You go to Read4Kids.net is what you do, where you can get stories, both classic and newly-written, recorded in MP3 format so they can be played on many devices, to entertain your kids, and take the pressure off you. 

We are a group of writers and narrators, dedicated to presenting your child, of whatever age, with an enjoyable listening experience. Fairy tales, adventures, comedies, we're striving to have every genre and for every age group.

So, why not pay us a visit and see what we've got to offer - 
Read4Kids.net

See you there.

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Supplement your science curriculum with 'Amazing Dolphin Pictures' by Cuddles


Blurb:

In this book you'll discover an exciting adventure as you browse through the 100 awesome photos of dolphins. After a brief informational introduction you will be in awe with these crisp and clear images. Although most of the mammals in the pictures are bottlenose dolphins, there are a few cool photos of wild orcas. This is the book that provides the high quality and high quantity of dolphin photos. Whether swimming underwater in groups or just one leaping out of the water, be prepared to be amazed!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JW0JS1Q/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00JW0JS1Q&linkCode=as2&tag=andsboorev-20&linkId=VLTCSDEXEN4VSGB3

AMAZING DOLPHIN PICTURES is available in both paperback and ebook formats. This allows multiple ways to share it in your classroom. Buy the paperback version to include it in your classroom library. Buy the ebook to share on your classroom SmartBoard during a presentation or discussion about ocean life!

Visit the Cuddles website for more pictures, to sign up for a newsletter, and to check out other books by this creator!

Monday, May 26, 2014

#FeaturedFiverr Memorial Day Weekend Sale!

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!


Most of you will be out there celebrating with loved ones. I will be remembering those who served and who are lost, but while working.

Take advantage of my workaholic state this weekend! Any Fiverr book/author promotion gig ordered between now and 11:59 PM EST on Monday will get a FREE bonus gig extra!

Order a gig and get your cover as a blog ad in the sidebar for a week or a bonus five daily tweets for free!

Order one gig extra and get the other one free!

Or, order both gig extras and get bonus tweets and extra days in the sidebar! Your choice!

Browse my Fiverr gigs here!

Photo courtesy linder6580 at FreeImages.com

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Teachers love 'The Adventures of Bob: To Doodledip for Soup' by Ryan Shea



Blurb:

What do you get when a man is invited to a strange purple and green planet by a tiny speed-freak robot, a construction-cone-wearing king, a really bad bowl of soup, and a fat purple servant cat that doesn't listen to anyone? The Adventures of Bob: to Doodledip for Soup! Find out what happens to Bob when he travels to Planet Doodledip for dinner with the King and discovers he is afraid to try the soup.

This review is from: The Adventures of Bob (Kindle Edition)
My Son (Age 7) and Daughter (Age 4) absolutely love this book. The story is funny, exciting, and appeals to their imagination. I often hear them when they play, pretending to take a trip to Doodledip. I find drawings of Bongo in their notebooks. I am excited that this great story is now available for my Kindle. With my Kindle App on my phone, it will always be available to entertain my kiddos.
More reviews from Amazon!
"This is a great read sure to bring a smile to your face!" ~Karin Cooney
"...a must have in every classroom! It's a great example of dialog, expression, characterization, and cause and effect!" ~Kristen Anders
"As a teacher, the ultimate test for any book is does it appeal to my reluctant readers? The answer to that question is, yes..." ~Kelly Malloy
"The Adventures of Bob is a great family book. The story holds the attention of all ages with its bright colors and interesting and detailed story." ~Bob Sweert
"Ryan clearly knows kids! Bought this book for my classroom library and my kids absolutely love it! It's one of the most popular books on my shelf!" ~Valerie

 Available on Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FM66GBE/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00FM66GBE&linkCode=as2&tag=andsboorev-20
The softcover version comes with a free audio book download!



Sunday, May 11, 2014

'Thank You, Teacher!' by Ziva & Zoe Solay



Blurb:

Every Year in May we celebrate NATIONAL TEACHER DAY and TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK. It is also common to celebrate and Thank teachers during year-end holiday breaks (like Christmas, Hanukkah, etc.) and Summer break. But we believe that EVERYDAY is a good day to say THANK YOU to a Teacher!

This book is designed to let a special teacher know that you recognize just how impactful his/her role is in student development. This is a perfect way for parents of students in Preschool and K-8 to thank a special teacher. This is also suitable for High School and College students to use as a Thank You note to a beloved teacher any time of year.

A Paperback version is also available for OFFLINE gift giving.



About the authors:

Ziva & Zoe Solay are a mother-daughter writing team. Ziva taught Zoe how to read when she was 3 years old. Ever since then they have shared a love for reading and creating books. Even though they both have written various books for grown-ups, they both knew that the best way to share their passion was to create books that would inspire children to cherish books as much as toys. Their mission is to create memorable stories, activities and images that children will enjoy and remember. In short, they want to inspire children to love reading. When a child loves reading, they are empowered to learn. And with the passion of reading to learn, all things are possible. A child who loves books is empowered with an ignited imagination. And imagination is the fuel that inspires dreams, passions and limitless possibilities.

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Check out the Cymbol app for iPad



Cymbol ...

Cymbol is the iPad app that has endless uses in the classroom and workplace. Use it to help you write chemistry equations, math equations, or even to explore the functions of the iPad. Here is a rough draft of a sample lesson plan for the Cymbol app:


For a simple lesson in your data representation class room exercise try this with Cymbol iPad App mentioned earlier.


Lesson Name - iPad Codes and Discoveries


Objective: To decode how the iPad works and extend that into discovery of new ways to tap the systems in the device with Cymbol iPad App.


Chance discoveries sought by the instructor to open the minds:


1. Will be to have the student discover Unicode values that over-print English character sets for science


2. Find other languages in Unicode represented, Russian or Thai are one of many character sets in the iPad


3. See how character values transition in general terms to understand a principle of mapping values to symbols.


[ Preparation to concentrate on the use of the iPad, Cymbol does not need the Internet turned on, so to keep wandering eyes on the tablet, network is turned off with return to going back online staged towards the end of the lesson period. Using the world keyboard icon on the iPad, switch to English characters, switch back to Mandarin towards the close and show students on overhead how to toggle between them on the screen viewed by all.


All iPad's need Cymbol App - https://itunes.apple.com/app/id416714959
[installed in advance for the students and instructor to properly proceed.]


Instructor Introduction:


The world of computers is driven with codes.  The iPad stores all that you tap into e-mail for instance as an extended code.


å­™


Has a code in numbers, binary numbers are too long for convenience, so base 16 is a compact format.


That is a series of digits of 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,A,B,C,D,E,F
each one a expands to four binary numbers, 0101 1011 0101 1001 equals


5B59

Using Cymbol, enter in on the English keyboard '5B59'

Tap to select, Use Convert Hex to Unicode those four characters with the button on the lower right after '5B59'.

å­™

The number is changed into a Unicode character for display on your iPad. However, just changing a few binary digits.

0101 1011 0101 1001
to
0101 1110 0110 0000

Or in hexadecimal numbers:
5E60

å¹ 

Breaking New Ground Together is a very different piece of information from Grandson.

Now try changing the same length of values into different characters on your iPad, copy into your Pages App each one you try.  Find some discoveries in there.  Careful though, you will find a ☐ at times when no character is present in the map.


Your mission is to avoid these boxes and to find something interesting.

Very important, you may want to find 20 or more various different characters before going through these questions.

Lesson Questions [May be e-mailed in advance of class to students in this case, more advanced groups may be asked to create missions on their own accord.]

1.) Then once you found three interesting items, report on how you understood you found something.

2.) Contrasts you found between numbers and characters

3.) Relationships or groups you identified in this process

4.) Write a progression based on characters you predict

Special instructions for predictions is to postpone checking them out. Our class wants to compare predictions and award the best and worst prediction with a small reward as voted on by the class.

Next class we ask you as homework to find a series of characters worthy as useful in another class.  Explain why that is the case with an example plus process description.


Cymbol - New Version 2.0.2

Cymbol turns your iPad into an easy-to-use snippet editor. Insert trademark symbols or text glyphs, translate 4-character Unicode - this little beauty can handle them all. You’ll quickly manage and edit your snippets with just the tap of a button. 



Cymbol iPad App is an active part of Apple's Volume Purchase Program - VPP!

    Here’s a quick bullet list of just some of the amazing features waiting for you in Cymbol:
  • Always Retina Ready! Optimized views available for iPad 3 and iPad 4
  • Works great on iPad geneation 1 through to and including iPad Mini with iOS 5 or greater
  • Rotation compatible for any orientation
  • Integrated full-function editor
  • One-tap editing without searching code tables along with ultrafast operation
  • Copyright ©, Registered Trademark ® and Standard Trademark ™
  • Service Mark  and Phonogram (Audio Performance Trademark) ℗
  • Text Marks: Pilcrow (paragraph) ¶ and Section § for legal citation and briefs
  • Daggers † and Double Daggers ‡
  • Calculus and statistics such as μ σ á´¨ χ ∫ ∆ and ➛ are new editions, also for chemistry and physics!
  • A full set of subscripts and superscripts
  • Includes scissors, star, degree, handicapped, recycle, two kosher indicators, number
  • Easy Unicode conversion
  • Full keyboard available
  • One button “Copy All”, “Clear”, "Save"
  • Compatible with Notes, Pages, IA Writers and others
  • Great for package and label copy, too!
  • Available at the reasonable price of only $1.99 (USD)
You’re going to love this indispensable tool! It has been developed by writers for writers, so you know it contains everything you need for your snippet work.
Favorite for writers around the world!

Friday, March 28, 2014

'Unlocking the Social Potential in Autism' by Karina Poirier

Unlocking the Social Potential
Unlocking the Social Potential_Final_ShadowsTo your dismay, your child has received a diagnosis of autism. Along with this alarming news comes the barrage of emotions that suffocates you like an avalanche— denial—confusion—depression—guilt. You want to fix your child; you have a million questions; and you want answers immediately. Autism is a journey in which the child and her family navigate challenges and experience achievements along the way. To guide you in this rewarding journey, Dr. Karina Poirier offers her expertise in this book that parents will find incredibly useful.

In this book, you will find the answers you’ve desperately been seeking. Dr. Poirier has provided in simple, easy to comprehend language, an overview of child development, a descriptive explanation of how autism affects each developmental area, and guidelines for advancing your child’s functioning in all developmental domains. You will appreciate the multitude of hands-on, full-color sample lessons for teaching social and emotional skills, language, problem-solving and decision making, and play skills to children with autism.

Publisher: Social Cognition Publications | Irvine, CA Color: Full-color illustrations Pages: 300 ISBN (Print): 9780988798205 ISBN (Digital): 9780988798212 Available: March 2014
Available at: http://www.socialcognitionpublications.com/

Improving social and communication skills in children with autism


Dr. Karina Poirier, author of Unlocking the Social Potential in Autism, says that understanding a child’s unique needs is the key step to dealing with concerns and developing their strengths.

“Bring everything into the light. The worst thing you can do,” she said, “is to ignore the issue. Parents can help their children learn how to communicate better and develop social skills that will help them thrive later in life.

Get help early, identify the specific issues you are facing, ask questions, learn everything you can, and devise a concrete and detailed strategy for engaging your child so key skills are developed and strengthened”.

Here are her answers to some key concerns that parents of a child with autism are faced with.


Q: My child can sit through a learning task on the iPad or television; however, he becomes restless and fidgety when working with a teacher. Why?

A: Your child’s attention system is reactive. Consider how much children learn from viewing television. Teachers struggle to get children’s attention when an activity does not include the sensory kaleidoscope children are used to receiving when sitting in front of the television.

Key Action: Children must be taught at an early age how to develop the mental tools (attend, remember, think) to engage in deliberate and self-directed learning experiences with an adult’s guidance.

Q: My child does not respond appropriately to mood changes in others (e.g., when a peer’s mood changes from happiness to distress). Why?

A: Your child may be lacking the ability to read nonverbal cues. Children with autism often have impaired ability to read, interpret, and process social and emotional messages. Children who are unaware of others’ thoughts and feelings risk not developing the sense of self.

Key Action: Treatment to teach the child the emotional codes that are part of the social experience. The child needs to develop the ability to understand other peoples’ emotions from their facial expression, tone of voice, and body posture. The child should be taught to recognize and interpret how people around him think and feel.

Q: My child has difficulty with describing his/her day at school, recounting an experience, or relaying a message. Why?

A: Delayed recall skills utilize episodic memory. Episodic memory allows us to remember past events and share these events with others. In other words, it is how we engage in reciprocal conversations with others. Episodic memory produces a conscious awareness of events that have occurred at any one time; it enables people to remember what happened to them in the past or to conceive the future.

Key Action: Effective treatment is required for the child to learn about memory strategies and to practice remembering. Through repetition, the child develops not only better recall of past events, but also the skills to communicate the memory of the event to peers or adults during a conversation.

Q: My child is verbal and has good command of language; however, he has trouble initiating conversation with others and taking turns during a conversation. Why?

A: Children with autism have difficulties in social initiation and social-emotional understanding. Engaging in a reciprocal conversation with others requires the development and interaction of memory, information processing, and expressive communication skills—all of which are pervasive deficits of children with autism. It is not that these children do not desire involvement with their peers. On the contrary, they do have the desire to be socially engaged with others; however, the dilemma lies in the fact that these children lack knowledge of social norms.

Key Action: Effective treatment that emphasizes social norms and rules, and teaches children how to process social information by distinguishing between relevant and irrelevant information in a social situation. Initiating and maintaining a conversation requires a person to have social knowledge, which is knowledge of event schemas.

Q: How much play time is appropriate to include in my child’s learning routine?

A: For a young child, teaching through play is extremely important. Play gives children something to do with their ample free time; it also serves the important purpose of honing children’s physical, social and emotional development. Play does not occur spontaneously in children with autism the way it does for typical children.

Key Action: Investing significant time teaching through play focuses the child on developing fine and gross motor skills, interpreting the social cues of other children and adults, and responding to those social cues appropriately. Play can be used to develop the ability to interact with, explore, and, ultimately master their surroundings. Play is an essential part of the learning process, and its ability to mimic real-life scenarios makes it an ideal way to stimulate overall development.


About the author:

Karina Poirier, Psy.D., BCBA-D

Dr. Karina Poirier is the Director of the Center for Social Cognition , a board certified behavior analyst at the doc-toral level (BCBA-D), and a certified cognitive educational therapist. Her clinical practice is devoted to providing outstanding individuals and group therapy that improves social and cognitive outcomes for individuals with autism, ADHD, Traumatic Brain Injury, and related disorders.

Learn more at www.drkarinapoirier.com.

ONLINE RESOURCES

http://www.drkarinapoirier.com
http://www.facebook.com/CenterforSocialCognition
http://www.twitter.com/SocialCognition
https://plus.google.com/+Centerforsocialcognition/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2hZCpP_TDdGzWxrREAbJ4w


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Sunday, March 16, 2014

Review of '101 More Improv Games for Children and Adults' by Bob Bedore

Description

101 More Improv Games for Children and Adults: A Smart Fun Book for Ages 5 and Up is the follow-up to Bob Bedore’s popular 101 Improv Games for Children and Adults. This sequel takes us even deeper into the craft of improv — the magical art of creating something out of nothing — with all new games!

Author Bob Bedore emphasizes how you can use improvisation, creativity, and teamwork any time, any place, to get your imagination flowing, win over a crowd, or be a wittier conversationalist. Actors and improv students will appreciate the author's fun, down-to-earth approach to developing theater craft. And improv isn't only for serious thespians. Used as a classroom activity, it teaches kids how to have fun, relax, and work together without seeming like an educational tool at all.

Great on its own or as a companion to Bedore’s first book, 101 More Improv Games for Children and Adults is centered around entertaining an audience and creating memorable scenes. This sequel includes information on how to produce your own improv show.

101 More Improv Games for Children and Adults is full of wacky and brilliant activities for kids, teachers, actors, comedians, improv groups, or anyone else.

**My review, which first appeared on Examiner**
This book is filled with all kinds of fun activities for most ages. I would recommend it for elementary and beyond, though some could be scaled back for kindergartners, as well.

The first quarter of the book provides some examples as to how an improv situation works, via descriptions known as "Magic Moments." It provides rules on how to "stay in the game" and provides a general outline that fits all of the different types of activities. It doesn't get very in depth with the methodology involved with doing improv. In fact, author Bob Bedore recommends you read his first book to get more of that information. I don't know much about doing improv, but still felt that there was adequate explanation in this book. Bob does provide his contact information, should you have questions. 
These activities would be great for building community within a group, forging relationships and bonding experiences. It gives children a chance to practice speech and language skills, as well as helping them to build confidence. They also have to pay attention to what is going on, so that they can effectively participate. My favorites are the ones where the audience calls out different characters or emotions, music is played to dictate movement, or the one-word debate.
While kids would benefit from having an adult supervise or guide the activities, once the concept is introduced to them, they could page through this book for ideas on their own.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. 
Buy links
Amazon \ Barnes & Noble \ Hunter House

Get the first book, 101 Improv Games for Children and Adults