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Autism and Occupational Therapy

Tara Warwick, MS, OTR/L

Four Part Series• Seminar 1: Introduction to Autism Spectrum Disorders:  

Characteristics and Learning Styles

• Seminar 2: Interpreting Challenging Behavior in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders

• Seminar 3:  Effective Strategies for Decreasing Challenging Behavior in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders 

• Seminar 4:  Implementing Visual Supports and Multi‐Media to Teach Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Course Objectives

• List and describe five apps for teaching individuals with autism

• Provide and describe three examples of visual supports used for teaching individuals with autism

• List three other multi‐media used for teaching individuals with autism spectrum disorders

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Assistive Technology Assessments

OCALI

• http://www.ocali.org/project/guidelines_for_assistive_technology_assessment

WATI – Assistive technology tools

• http://www.wati.org/

The power of Assistive Technology

Helpful Apps

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Go Talk for Ipad

LAMP words for Life

Proloquo2go App

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First/Then Visual Schedule App

My Daily Tasks

Time Timer

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Autism Tracker

Model Me Kids Going Places

Write My Name

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Ready to Print

Social Skill Builder

Peak a Boo Barn App

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Light Box App 

See Me Potty

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www.DropBox.com

I pad 2 Modifications

• Physical Access

• Verbal Feedback

• Guided Access

Guided Access for I pad

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Video Modeling

Video Modeling

http://autismpdc.fpg.unc.edu/content/video‐modeling

Activities I have used video modeling

• Student who is anxious about going into a new situation

• Student who has developed a poor habit around a routine

• Student who has become dependent on verbal cues

• Student who enjoys watching video

• Student who does not like assistance for activities but still needs help with an activity

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Helpful Tools for Video Modeling

• Ipad or Iphone

• Flip Camera

• Editing software (not necessary)

Visual Supports

Most people are visual learners

VS

• Auditory messages are transitory‐they come and go very quickly

• Messages may be difficult to process and then remember

• You cannot reference an auditory message after it has been given

• Are non‐transient – they remain fixed until the learner/listener can accomplish his/her purpose with the information

• Remain until the individual has the ability to process and remember them

Auditory Messages Visual Messages

PEAK, 2013

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Visual Supports

• Environmental cues

• Calendar

• Schedules

• Timers

• Procedures/routines

• Social Stories

• Modifications on assignments

• Teacher/student “signals”

• Clarify expectations

• Prepare for transitions

• Provide motivation

• Decease need to process and provide verbal information

• Teach routines that can be used anywhere

What They Are What They Do

Visual tools give information

• What is going to happen

• When something is going to happen

• What are the choices

• What is changing

• Who is coming

• What are you suppose to do

FORMS of Visual Cues

• Objects

• Photographs

• Icon

• Written

• Combination of the above

• May look different for different activities

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Creating Visual Tools

• DO:

– use what the student understands quickly and easily

– create tools that are universally understood

– observe how the students respond to what you create

– teach what you create

– place visual tools in all settings

• DON’T

– Make tools that are to complicated or too difficult for students to understand

– create arbitrary rules about how visual tools must look

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Helpful Websites

www.google.com/imageswww.do2learn.comwww.setbc.org

www.sandbox‐learning.comwww.symbolworld.org

www.tinsnips.orgwww.trainland.tripod.comwww.supernanny.comwww.kidspiration.comwww.boardmaker.com

www.wordq.com

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Funding Resources 

http://www.autismsupportnetwork.com/resources/autism‐grants‐united‐states

Using technology in the classroom http://www.nfar.org/en/programs‐a‐services/teachers‐grants/218‐tech‐classroom2011.html

Questions?

twarwick@todaystherapysolutions.com