Toys for Children with a Disability

Each year as we enter the holiday season, we are asked for resources for toys for children with a disability. We hope the resources below are helpful.

Instructions for building your own switch and battery-device adapter
For use with toys with a basic on/off function.

Toys R Us

A toy guide for differently-abled kids comes in English and Spanish. Ask for a copy here.

Fat Brain Toys® Special Needs Resource Center

Toys and other items selected for children with disabilities.

Autism Community Store

Products for kids diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders, sensory processing disorder, ADHD and other special needs.

Enabling Devices

Toys and products for kids of all ages with disabilities.

 To learn more, please click on the above title.

To access the CDR Library catalog, please click on this link.

Free Webinars from the Accessible Technology Coalition

Education Topics
Basics of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in K-12
Tuesday, November 5, 2013 from AbleNet
9 AM Pacific, Noon Eastern

Current Trends in Assistive Technology for K-12
Thursday, November 7th, 2013 from AbleNet
9 AM Pacific, Noon Eastern

Enable & Engage with Adaptations & Supports for Children with Significant Needs
Wednesday, November 15, 2013 from AbleNet
9 AM Pacific, Noon Eastern

Using eFlashcards in the Classroom 
Monday, November 18, 2013 from PATINS
7 AM Pacific, 10 AM Eastern

Universal Design for Learning and Teaching
Thursday, November 21st, 2013 from ATCoalition
1 pm Pacific, 3 pm Eastern

iPad Apps for Children with Visual Impairments: Explore, Learn and Communicate
Thursday, December 5th
1:30 PM Pacific, 4:30 Eastern

Accessible Websites and Docs
WAVE and WebAIM (Web Accessibility In Mind)
Thursday, November 14th, 2013 from EASI
11 AM Pacific, 2 PM Eastern

The Low Hanging Fruit of Web Accessibility
Monday, November 18th, 2013 from EASI
11 AM Pacific, 2 PM Eastern

Advanced Accessible PDF - Part 2: Tables, Forms, and More!
Thursday, November 21, 2013 from ADA National Network
11 AM Pacific, 2 PM Eastern

Recent Accessibility Enhancements to YouTube
Monday, December 2nd, 2013 from EASI
11 AM Pacific, 2 PM Eastern

Section 508 Refresh - Using WCAG 2.0 to Evaluate Document Accessibility
Thursday, December 5th, 2013 from ADA Online Learning
11:30 AM Pacific, 2:30 PM Eastern

General AT and adults
Switch Assessment
Tuesday, November 12, 2013 from AbleNet
9 AM Pacific, Noon Eastern

How ALS Caregivers Can Benefit from Assistive Technology
Monday, November 18, 2013 from ALS Assn.
11 AM Pacific, 2 PM Eastern

Switch Mounting
Tuesday, November 19, 2013 from AbleNet
9 AM Pacific, Noon Eastern

Using Technology to Stay On Time, On Task & Organized
Tuesday, November 19th, 2013 from AT Network
3:30 PM Pacific, 6:30 PM Eastern

Communication AAC
Increasing Communication Skills in Adults with Developmental Disabilities in Group Homes
Tuesday, December 3, 2013 from AbleNet
9 AM Pacific, Noon Eastern

Advancing Communication and Choice-Making Skills Aided with Technology
Thursday, December 5th, 2013 from AbleNet
9 AM Pacific, Noon Eastern

To learn more, please click on the above title.

To access the CDR Library catalog, please click on this link.

Assistive Technology in the Workplace

Join Able South Carolina and the South Carolina Assistive Technology Program on Wednesday, November 13, 2013 from two until four o'clock in the afternoon in our Columbia office for an insightful training on the available assistive technology for the workplace. Individuals with disabilities will get to learn about assistive technology, reasonable accommodations under The Americans with Disabilities Act, how to negotiate a reasonable accommodation, and hear stories from people who use assistive technology in the workplace.

To attend the training and request accommodations, please contact  (803) 779-5121, TTY- (803) 779-0949, or by e-mail at dtempio@able-sc.org.


When: Wednesday, November 13th
Time: 2-4PM
Where: Able South Carolina, 136 Stonemark Lane, Suite 100, Columbia, SC 29210

To learn more, please click on the above title.

To access the CDR Library catalog, please click on this link.

Help for the Chıld with Autism

Help for the Chıld with Autism

Waiting another decade for approval of a new drug is an agonizing prospect for the parents of a recently diagnosed child. Initial despair, however, can be tempered by the knowledge that a few good treatment options already exist. The latest research has shown that the brain of a toddler with autism can learn and change in response to behavioral therapies that enhance the child's social or language skills or that address another common problem: difficulties in engaging in play and other typical toddler activities. The flexibility demonstrated by the young child's brain opens new possibilities for intensive one-on-one therapy with trained professionals and parents to alleviate the difficulties with speech and social interactions that are a hallmark of the disorder.

One early intervention method derived from developmental psychology and applied behavior analysis (a technique for improving cognitive, language and social skills) is known as the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM). An ESDM therapist tries to deal with the difficulty a child with autism has in heeding social cues—facial expressions, gestures and spoken words. ESDM and other programs—such as Joint Attention, Symbolic Play, Engagement and Regulation—draw the attention of children to faces and voices. Healthy young children react more to a face than to a block, yet the pattern reverses for the child with autism, who typically responds more to an object than to a parent's gaze.

An ESDM therapist tries to encourage the child to focus attention. The professional will present a toy, perhaps name the toy in an inviting way and, when the child looks, will share it and start to play. The therapist tries to keep a child engaged in rounds of play intended to cultivate a nascent liking for social activities, all the while teaching social and communication skills.

ESDM has now begun to receive validation from formal scientific studies. With funding from the National Institutes of Health, Geraldine Dawson of Duke University and Sally J. Rogers of the University of California, Davis, have evaluated the technique and have recently reported the strongest evidence to date of the effectiveness of an early intervention for autism.

After two years of intensive training beginning anywhere from 18 to 30 months of age, children paid attention more to faces than did youngsters with autism in non-ESDM behavioral programs. The children who received ESDM scored higher on cognitive tests: their developmental quotient (an IQ test for very young children) rose in the study by 10.6 points more on average than did that of children in non-ESDM behavioral programs. The severity of social deficits and repetitive behaviors diminished, although some symptoms not directly related to autism lingered.

Imaging shows that the brain undergoes desirable changes as well. Brain areas activated when a child looks at faces lit up more in children with autism who received ESDM relative to those in in non-ESDM programs. In fact, the brain response of the ESDM-trained youngsters was identical to that of typical four-year olds. When charting electrical brain activity with electroencephalography (EEG), the researchers noted an increase in power (the amount of energy in the signal) for certain types of brain waves known as theta oscillations in an area below the brain's surface called the hippocampus, so named from the Greek hippokamposbecause it resembles the shape of a seahorse. Increases in theta power correlate with more focused attention and short-term memory function.

Researchers also found a reduction in the power of alpha oscillations—which generate EEG recordings that cycle up and down more quickly than theta waves—in several regions, including the hippocampus. A lower level of alpha power hints that the brain was becoming more attuned to people's faces. Increased theta and decreased alpha together reflect higher levels of electrical activity at the surface of the brain, or cerebral cortex, and specifically in the prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortices that are involved in the perception of faces. Observing these changes, the researchers conjecture that ESDM may spur brain changes in the treated children that may explain their higher scores on cognitive tests.

ESDM brought about these changes after more than 2,000 hours of intensive therapy over the course of two years, a labor of two hours twice daily for five days a week. A drug that could replace or hasten this process would make a world of difference to children and their families. The latest research has started to target a range of medications that address symptoms, including impaired social communication, hyperactivity and inattention, as well as repetitive, ritualistic behaviors and sleep disturbances.

A leading prospect for a drug that could mimic the benefits of ESDM is the brain hormone oxytocin, which has made headlines in the popular science press variously as the “cuddle” chemical, the “moral molecule” and the “trust hormone.” Known in the medical textbooks for its role in pregnancy, oxytocin readies a woman's body for childbirth. As levels rise, breasts swell and fill with milk, and later the hormone triggers labor. In the past 25 years researchers have learned that oxytocin, present in men as well, appears to play a role in promoting the bonding of infant to mother and cementing trust between friends. The hormone may even induce a sense of attachment to the baby in fathers-to-be.

Hope that oxytocin might help youngsters with autism comes from the observation that when the compound is administered in single doses either intravenously or within the nasal passages, the child with autism who normally fails to distinguish whether a new acquaintance is being “mean” or “nice” can suddenly detect the difference. Genetic studies add further evidence of oxytocin's role as a chemical that acts as a general social sensitizer and one that does so particularly in individuals with autism. Mice genetically tweaked to shut off the gene CD38, involved in making oxytocin, display less trust and recognition of other animals. Also, patients with autism have fewer oxytocin “receptors”—proteins that bind to oxytocin and convey its messages into specific nerve cells—and therefore lower levels of oxytocin.

These findings pave the way for larger studies. The nih is now providing $12.6 million for five institutions to conduct a trial of intranasal oxytocin in which patients are randomly assigned to a treatment or control group. The Study of Oxytocin in Autism to Improve Reciprocal Social Behaviors (SOARS-B) should determine within a few years whether oxytocin becomes a routine part of treatment. Ascertaining whether the hormone is an effective drug is especially important because a large number of parents already administer oxytocin to their children with autism, using prescriptions from physicians allied with the DAN! (Defeat Autism Now!) faction. Yet the evidence so far is not conclusive enough to justify the practice. If oxytocin receives validation through this study, it might be recommended to facilitate ESDM by readying a child to respond to the ministrations of a therapist.

To learn more, please click on the above title.

To access the CDR Library catalog, please click on this link.

Putting LAMP to Work: AAC Strategies for Promoting the Development of Communication for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Putting LAMP to Work: 

AAC Strategies for Promoting the Development of Communication for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Date: November 7, 2013 
Time: 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM 
Location:
Collaborative Training Center
8301 Farrow Road
Columbia, SC 29203
Cost: $79*

Please be in training room before starting time!

Presenter: John D. Halloran, M.S., CCC-SLP

Description: Language Acquisition Through Motor Planning (LAMP) is an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) approach designed to give individuals who are non-verbal or have limited verbal abilities a method of independently and spontaneously expressing themselves through the use of a voice output communication device. LAMP was initially developed to give non-verbal individuals with autism a means of communication but can be adapted to benefit individuals with a variety of disabilities.

The components of LAMP address the features and vocabulary available on the device as well as the method of teaching communication while taking into account the individual’s sensory needs.

Topics to be covered include:

The 5 components of LAMP: readiness to learn, joint engagement, and pairing a unique and consistent motor plan with auditory output and a natural response
The role of motor learning in language development and AAC fluency
Device features that support implementation
Choosing and teaching vocabulary
Introduction to the Words for Life AAC iPad app and  vocabulary file for PRC devices
This program is offered for 0.5 CEUs. ASHA CE Provider approval does not imply endorsement of course content, specific products, or clinical procedures.

Registration: For more information or to register, visit: http://www.aacandautism.com/trng/index.php?action=view&id=QZAP5A04YU3S

*A 50% discount is available for parents and students. Email susan@aacandautism.com to register.
Continuing Education: Prentke Romich Company, along with the Center for AAC and Autism, is approved by the Continuing Education Board of the American Speech Language Hearing Association to provide continuing education activities in speech language pathology and audiology.

To learn more, please click on the above title.

To access the CDR Library catalog, please click on this link.

Tobii Products Mini-Workshop

Date: Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Time: 9:00am -11:00am
Location:
Poplar Conference Room
Midlands Center, 8301 Farrow Road
Columbia, SC

Presenter: Wayne Jones ll, Regional Sales Consultant, Tobii Technology

Description:
Learn about Tobii’s newest communication products, the Tobii I-Series and the Tobii Tablet. This workshop will provide an overview of the features and design of the New Tobii I-Series and Tobii Tablet. The I-Series devices let you take and share photos, surf the web, play games, access regular computer applications and control the environment around you. These are the most advanced purpose-built speech-generating device for those with communications challenges.

Space is limited to 15 participants. 

Cost:  Free, but pre-registration is required.

To register for this workshop:

• Complete the Tobii Products Mini Workshop online registration form.
• For questions, call Will McCain at (803) 935-5004 or Lydia Durham at (803) 935-5263 or 800-915-4522.

To learn more, please click on the above title.

To access the CDR Library catalog, please click on this link.

Creative Funding Ideas for Assistive Technology Web Training

Creative Funding Ideas for Assistive Technology

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

10:30 AM Pacific, 1:30 PM Eastern

This ATNetwork.org webinar will address funding. "When a person has a disability, many times assistive technology can make the difference between reliance and independent living. Covering the cost of the necessary equipment often times proves to be too costly. Attend this webinar to learn about various alternative funding strategies for assistive technology and how to work with people with disabilities to achieve their goals. We will explore community funding opportunities, how to use Internet-based funding websites effectively, such as Kickstarter and IndieGoGo, and how to tap into personal financial resources and support networks. Through the use of these resources, you will be able to build successful strategies for funding assistive technology."

To learn more, please click on the above title.

To access the CDR Library catalog, please click on this link.

ProParents Workshop

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Workshop

Clarendon County DSS Office

3 South Church Street

Manning, SC

10/31/2013

5:00pm-7:00pm

Contact: Kim Preston, PRO-Parents

Region 1 Education Coordinator

To Register call 1-800-759-4776 or 803-772-5688

Transition Into Special Education – Moving from IFSP to IEP Workshop

Sponsored by Berkeley FPA

Berkeley Electric Co-Op

551 Rembert C. Dennis Blvd

Moncks Corner, SC

11/02/2013

10:00am-12:00pm

Contact: Kim Preston, PRO-Parents

Region 1 Education Coordinator

To Register call 1-800-759-4776 or 803-772-5688

ADD/ADHd Workshop

Clarendon County Disability and Special Needs Board

312 Pine Street

Manning, SC

11/13/2013

1:00pm-3:00pm

Contact: Kim Preston, PRO-Parents

Region 1 Education Coordinator

To Register call 1-800-759-4776 or 803-772-5688

Positive Behavior Interventions (PBI) Workshop

Beaufort County School Parent/Community REACH Center

Robert Smalls Middle School

43 W.K. Alston Road, Room J-1

Beaufort, SC

11/14/2013

6:00pm-8:00pm

Contact: Kim Preston, PRO-Parents

Region 1 Education Coordinator

To Register call 1-800-759-4776 or 803-772-5688

To learn more, please click on the above title.

To access the CDR Library catalog, please click on this link.

BIASC's 2013 Run for Thought!

The Brain Injury Association of South Carolina is only 2 and a half weeks away from their 6th Annual Run for thought. Have you registered yet?

Race Details:
Saturday, November 9th 2013
Conestee Park, 840 Maudlin Road, Greenville SC
Start Time: 9:00 am
Cost: Adults - $25, Brain Injury survivors - $15, Students -$15


There are many ways to show support, to learn more on how you can show your support, please visit the website www.biausa.org/SC/ or contact 877-824-3228

To learn more, please click on the above title.

To access the CDR Library catalog, please click on this link.

Assistive Technology and the Workplace

Individuals with disabilities can learn the latest about assistive technology for successful employment.

Date: Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Time: 2:00—4:00 p.m.

Location: 

Able South Carolina

136 Stonemark Lane, Suite 100

Columbia, South Carolina 29210

Cost: Free

Registration: To attend the training and request accommodations, please contact Dori Tempio at

(803) 779-5121, TTY- (803) 779-0949, or by e-mail at dtempio@able-sc.org.

To learn more, please click on the above title.

To access the CDR Library catalog, please click on this link.

Brain Injury Association of South Carolina Fall 2013 Newsletter

To learn more, please click on the above title.

To access the CDR Library catalog, please click on this link.

Techniques and Tips for Serving Children with the Most Significant Needs

FREE Professional Development

October 29, 2013 11:00am CST - 45 minutes
Title: Techniques and Tips for Serving Children with the Most Significant Needs
Category: Assistive Technology
Presenter: Padmaja Sarathy MA, Author and Educational Consultant
Cost: FREE
Visit www.ablenetinc.com/au for more details.

When	Tue Oct 29, 2013 11am – 12pm Central Time
Where	AbleNet University (map) To learn more, please click on the above title. To access the CDR Library catalog, please click on this link.

The South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation Department Newsletter

The South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation Department Newsletter

The South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation Department provides an individualized array of services to help people with disabilities find employment. Many of our clients are highly motivated but need help developing work skills. After eligibility is established, each client participates in an assessment to determine which vocational rehabilitation services are needed to help the client prepare for employment.

The client is totally involved in the development of an Individualized Plan for Employment tailored to his or her abilities and interests.

Clients participate fully in all decisions made during the course of their rehabilitation.

More than 400 businesses and industries statewide work with SCVRDto prepare our clients for the workplace and hundreds more take advantage of their skills when they are ready.

Clients in our area offices and work training centers learn work skills and behaviors while performing contract work for local businesses. The businesses receive quality work at a reasonable cost while the clients improve their employability. When the clients are job-ready, employers look to SCVRD for job candidates who are trained in a wide variety of skills and have learned good work habits.


These new workers become taxpaying citizens, proud of what they have achieved and building fulfilling lives for themselves and their families.

To learn more, please click on the above title.

To access the CDR Library catalog, please click on this link.