Work Hard and Have Fun I thank my husband, Tim, for this lifesaving Power Phrase for our son, Doug. This was coined not for school, not for the home, but for the job. Work hard and have fun has been used every day for the past eight and one-half years as Doug walks out the door to leave for work. This phrase is simple, short, direct, and ...

What was your favorite thing that happened today? Who is your favorite singer? What is your favorite book? Do you have a favorite sport? I have a favorite time of the year, do you? My babysitter used to show me her favorite thimble. FAVORITE is one of my favorite words and it is powerful. I use it all the time and you should too. It's one of ...

 ''This is my son, Blain. It was taken a couple of years ago. He rarely smiles in pictures or in life, so I appreciate this picture.'' (Copied from a post on Facebook 1-3-13, from the mother of a young man with ASD.) There was a picture of Blain (fictitious name) with a semi-smile that accompanied this post and I could feel the love and joy ...

As an SLP you have the skills to teach children and adults on all levels of the autism spectrum social strategies they will need throughout their lives. As an SLP you have the responsibility to speak up at an IEP in the school or any setting when you hear that ''social skills do not impact education'' and state all the reasons why they do. As ...

While driving on my way to an appointment a car cut in front of me three times. I steered clear of a car that was edging over my way to avoid an accident. I saw a near miss when a car ran a stop sign. I pulled over for a siren but cars passed me who didn't bother to follow that law and I had cars honk at me for going the posted speed limit in a ...

An SLP isn't a celebrity, but we have influence in our school settings and communities. There are many celebrities who are speaking out against bullying: Justin Bieber, Queen Latifah, Daniel Radcliffe, Ellen Degeneres and Anderson Cooper, just to name a few. In the past few week's Autism Spectrum blogs, I've stated the language skills we ...

Who knows bullying better than those who are bullied? The last two week's blogs for Autism Spectrum Disorders, ''Bullying in ASD'' and ''The Vocabulary of Bullying'' have dealt with an overview of bullying and the words that people with ASD need to know that deal with bullying. Now, the words/vocabulary you need from one on the other end of ...

In last week's Autism Spectrum Blog, ''Time to Face It,'' I shared with you the most frequently asked question I get: ''What's the number one strategy you use with children on the autism spectrum?''  My answer was (and still is) Any item I can hold in one hand comes up by my face. I told you how simple, easy, speechy, and helpful ...

Autism Awareness Month began on Sunday, April 1. My son Doug's birthday is April 1. The fifth annual World Autism Awareness Day was April 2. World Autism Awareness Day ''aims to increase people's awareness about people, especially children, with autism. The day often features educational events for teachers, health care workers and parents, as ...

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 the first time around. That in itself should tell you something. I feel that ...