Autism Spectrum Across Ages and Environments : early intervention, autism, parents, home care

Time to Face It

Kathie Harrington — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 12:31:00 GMT

"Kathie, what's the number one strategy you use with children on the autism spectrum?" I get asked that question a lot and I always reply with the same response. Any item I can hold in one hand comes up by my face. That's so simple. But it's not so obvious....(read more)

Language Sample Collages from You, Pt. 2

Kathie Harrington — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 13:00:00 GMT

When do you elicit a language sample? Certainly when you first see a child you would want to take a language sample. However, if the child is not comfortable on the initial assessment, there is nothing written in stone that says that it has to be completed...(read more)

Working with Hearing Sensitivity

Kathie Harrington — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 15:45:00 GMT

Dear Kathie: "Chad is 5 years old and ‘very' autistic and non-verbal. He covers his ears with his hands when there is a loud noise, such as a fire alarm, or even when he anticipates a loud noise, like a balloon that he thinks may pop. How can I help him,...(read more)

A Lesson in Volume Control

Kathie Harrington — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:00:00 GMT

Dear Kathie: "Larry speaks so loudly. I can hear him coming from way down the hall in school. No one wants to sit by him in the lunchroom and his teacher is pulling her hair out. I've talked to Larry's mother and it's the same at home, in the library...(read more)

What to Include in a Language Sample, Pt. II

Kathie Harrington — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:15:00 GMT

In " What to Include in a Language Sample, Pt. I ," I expressed how important I feel a language sample is to complete an assessment for a verbal child or adult on the autism spectrum. I told you what to look for during a language sample and gave you an...(read more)

What to Include in a Language Sample, Pt. I

Kathie Harrington — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:30:00 GMT

Dear Kathie : "Do you always take a language sample as part of an assessment with a verbal child or adult with ASD? If so, what do you look for and how do you elicit the conversation?" - Adrian, speech-language pathologist My Response: Thank you for asking...(read more)

The Best Apps for Children with Autism

Kathie Harrington — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:04:00 GMT

In last week's blog post, "The iPad Becomes a wePad for Autism ," I encouraged you to develop a relationship between the iPad, the child and another person, rather than letting the child with autism treat it as a "thing." Let's call that with the iPad....(read more)

The iPad Becomes a wePad for Autism

Kathie Harrington — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:00:00 GMT

Dear Kathie: What are your thoughts on using an iPad with the autistic population?" - Mary, speech-language pathologist and parent of a child with autism Kathie's Response: I like it. I love it. I want some more of it. But, instead of calling it an iPad...(read more)

Top Tips to File in Your SLP Bag from Twyla Perryman, PhD, CCC-SLP

Kathie Harrington — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 17:42:00 GMT

This blog is based on the following presentation from the 2011 ASHA Convention: Exploring Child Characteristics/Family Factors in Evidence-Based Practice for Autism By Twyla Perryman, PhD, CCC-SLP Assistant Professor East Carolina University, Greenville,...(read more)

Organizing the Very Young Autistic Mind Part III-A

Kathie Harrington — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 14:53:00 GMT

Part I I talked about the characteristics of the right and left sides of the brain and how they do not dance together in people with autism/ASD. I gave you twenty signs that I see that indicate how Mr. Left Brain and Mrs. Right Brain dance alone. Part...(read more)

Organizing the Autistic Mind Part I: Brains, Brains, and More Brains

Kathie Harrington — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 13:32:00 GMT

Everybody's brains are different and certainly, the autistic brain connects in an unorthodox manner. Autism is not curable, but there are many language strategies the SLP can do to assist in organizing the brains of people with autism. It is my theory...(read more)

Should You Ask a Non-Verbal Child a Question?

Kathie Harrington — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 12:32:00 GMT

Have you ever thought about how you, as an SLP, talk to people? That means all people-- but specifically, non-verbal children with autism. We have two forms of sentence structures: questions and statements. We bombard children with questions. We do not...(read more)

Top Five Necessities for Your New School Year

Kathie Harrington — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 12:11:00 GMT

Our young clients with ASD aren't really so difficult when it comes to lesson plans for therapy and fulfilling benchmarks and outcomes. In fact, they're very easy. Look at my list of Top Five Necessities and you'll see that the first four are "get it...(read more)

Letter Home for a Harmonious School Year

Kathie Harrington — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 12:42:00 GMT

Why not get the school year started off with a special, personal note from YOU to the parents of your most challenging students. Dear Parents, As speech/language pathologist (SLP) at (name of school) Elementary School, I look forward to working with (child's...(read more)

How NOT to Play a Board Game with a Child with Autism

Kathie Harrington — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 12:16:00 GMT

Children with autism don't usually like board games because they don't know how to take turns and they don't like rules. Board games also rely on interacting with people-now there's a threat to children with autism. However, when a board game is played...(read more)