I am still learning, but here are a few things I have learned:

• Give commands in short phrases such as, “Mouth quiet, hands down, stop feet,” etc.
• Use music to help in learning reading skills. Use the Leapfrog: Letter Factory video to help teach letter sounds. Students may be singing the songs for different letters at various times during the day. They love this video!
• Use music to help in learning math skills. Use the Leapfrog: Math Adventure to the Moon to teach counting skills, patterns, skip counting, sorting, and problem solving. Again, students love this video!
• WordWorld is an awesome program on PBS for children, even very young children, to learn their alphabet letters, sounds, and how to blend words together.  I highly recommend WordWorld for ages one and up.  They also have DVDs available in stores such as Target.
  
• WordWorld.com is an excellent, free site to use at home or in a school setting. Their eBooks capture children’s attention, as well as the video and games on their site.  They also have free printables.
• Starfall.com is another excellent free site for learning alphabet letters, sounds, and learning to read.  I highly recommend this site also that teaches children to read with phonics.
  
• Use music for transitional times. Sing, “Clean up, clean up, everybody everywhere. Clean up, clean up, everybody everywhere.”
• Some students need a light compression such as gently squeezing each of their fingers or maybe sitting behind them and placing your hands gently on their stomach, gently massaging when they start to get upset.
• Some students might need “brushing” on their arms with a soft vinyl fingernail brush to help calm them down.
• Students with autism are affected by schedule changes so plan ahead and try to foresee any problems and make adjustments where possible.
• If you have access to a computer, the Edmark Reading Program has been successful with students. However, this has to be purchased in order to use it.
• For those who are visual thinkers, make flashcards with the vocabulary word and a picture. It must have a picture. Flashcards can be purchased at Dollar Tree, the dollar section at Target, etc., that have the word and picture on each card. Then make flashcards with just the words to use after they have learned the words with the picture flashcards.
• Use “Instant Learning Centers” and manipulatives for hands-0n learning.

• Great info:Autism – The Way I See It by Temple Grandin (Different types of thinking in autism)
• The DVD movie, Temple Grandin, is a wonderful movie that I highly recommend!

Here are some sites to read more about autism:

• The 2010 TIME 100 “People Who Most Affect Our World”
• Autism Speaks
• Autism Today
• Autism United

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The iPad is also an excellent learning tool for children with autism.

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The new eBook library from WordWorld has five great, fun, and educational stories for children.  Linda Labbo, Professor of Language and Literacy Education at the University of Georgia, has great things to say about these books.  She says, “Words come to life on screens in unique ways that invite children to interact with stories, characters, and language. The interactivity scaffolds children’s attention and provides age appropriate prompts that ensure an entertaining and educational experience.”   Scaffolding is very important in the learning process, and WordWorld utilizes that specialized teaching strategy.

In my opinion as an educator, I think Word World is one of the very best children’s educational programming available. The literacy lessons presented in the WordWorld television series are extended in the eBooks.  Kids can either read these eBooks on their own, have someone read to them, or have the stories read to them by the eBook narrator.  A Guide providing strategies is also available to maximize learning.

These are the five eBooks:

• A Smile for Crocodile
• Duck’s First Sleepover
• Snug as a Bug
• The Big Race
• Totally Terrific Duck

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• BEAR’s Skateboard Park Game
• DOG’s Letter Pit Game
• Snug as a BUG eBook

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· Re-programming the app to be compatible with the 4.0 iPhone operating system.

· Randomizing the presentation of the WordFriends for more WordBuilding fun!

· Decreasing the price. You can now purchase the app for the low, low cost of only $0.99.

“The “Build a Word” app is based on the WordWorld television show. Children will shake up this “WordBuilder” to watch letters float across the screen. They can then place letters in the outline provided to build words one letter at a time. By pushing the letters of each word together, words will magically “morph” into WordFriends! DOG, DUCK, PIG, ANT, FROG, SHEEP, BUG, COW, CAT and BEE come to life and help children build early literacy skills.”

You can download the WordWorld “Build a Word” app from iTunes.

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Here are a couple of resources from this site plus a Word World video clip and a story from Starfall about Earth Day that are available to help celebrate Earth Day this year.  Just click on these four links:

• Earth Day: Origin, Activities & Books for Children

• Teaching About Earth Day – The Three “R’s”: Recycle, Reuse, & Reduce

  
  

• WordWorld:  A short video clip about Earth Day

• Starfall:  A story about Earth Day
  

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I highly recommend the TV Program called “World World.”  Our grandson just turned two years old, and he knows his alphabet and is making sounds of the letters on his own.  He has watched World Word for the past year, and for a long time that was the only thing on TV that kept his attention.  He loved it!  And he was absorbing reading skills effortlessly.  (By the way, our daughter and s-i-l did not let him watch much TV, especially when younger.  Word World was the only show he watched.)

ABOVE, you will notice our grandson’s World World toys that you can buy at Target and other places.  These toys reinforce the skills learned on the program.

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