Ausome Solutions LLC

: Visual Supports & Communication

Did you know that visual supports are a communication tool that can be used to aid and enhance communication? 🗣They provide children and adults with speech, language and communication deficits with an alternative mode of communication. 🎊 Not only do visual supports help our kiddos to make choices and express their wants and needs in most situations, but they can be created to be individualized, and are adaptable to use in any setting. 😁

Visual supports can help to:

✔️Provide structure and routine

✔️Encourage independence

✔️Build confidence

✔️Improve understanding

✔️Avoid frustration and anxiety

✔️Provide opportunities to interact with others

They can make communication physical and consistent, rather than fleeting and inconsistent like spoken words can be.👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽

Comment below👇and feel free to share ideas, questions, or different visual supports you currently use in your daily routine that are effective.

: I don’t know about you, but I can’t ever seem to shake the “back-to-school” jitters no matter what! 🤷🏻‍♀️And more often than not, we’re more nervous than the kids. 😣I’ve received many questions from families on how to alleviate the stressors associated with the “back-to-school” jitters, so I decided to compile a list of what tools you can use to help do just that:

✏️Ask Questions: Talk to your child’s school & ask all of your questions to help prepare for what to expect on the first day. For example- “Can I walk my child to their classroom in the morning?” Review any information that the school has sent about changes to the school routine & use it to answer your child’s questions. If anything is unclear, or you or your child still have questions - talk to your child’s teacher or the school.

✏️Open Communication: Communicate with your child about going back to school.Help your child to identify any questions, feelings or worries they have.Reassure them that they are safe, stay positive & have ongoing communication with your child. If talking isn’t your child’s main way of communicating, you could text, email, write them a letter, draw or use art to start a conversation.

✏️Routines: Provide clear information about any new routines/changes at school such as their schedule, bell times, new teachers, drop-off/pick-up times, etc. Prepare them by describing how their routine may change & what the new routine may look like. Try breaking down the new routine into small steps so your child has time to process the changes. For example, if pick-up time or location has changed, write down or mark on a map/picture where you will pick them up, where to wait, the time you will pick them up, & what to do if something changes. Prepare them for the unexpected. 👍🏽

✏️Schedules: Written or visual schedules can help to make new routines clear for:
• “Table time"/Instruction time, break times, & new hygiene practices such as hand washing or toileting.
• New morning & after school routines.
• Try creating the schedule with your child by writing down the steps and/or drawing a picture for each step. Your child could keep the schedule in their pocket, school bag or lunch box to use at school.

✏️Supports- What supports will help your child? Talk about supports with your child & the school.
• Which staff member can they go to for help in the class or play times?
• What supports are available for sensory breaks, quiet spaces, “cool down zone”, or movement breaks? Talk about how your child can let their teacher know that they need a break, and let the teacher know what this request may look like.

✏️A transition plan: A Parent/Team meeting can be a great way to talk about this information & put it in a written transition plan for your child. A transition plan may include all supports, all adjustments, & any adjusted school hours. It may also include information on how to support your child if they become overwhelmed or anxious.The plan should state clearly what each person will/should do.

✏️ Practice, Practice, Practice!
To support your child getting used to the idea of going to school again, try:
• Visiting the school with your child whether you drive by routinely or can walk some portion of the campus to gain familiarity with your child
• Call the school & ask if you & your child can visit the school
before school starts & meet your child’s teacher(s).
• Set their school wake up alarm & let your child practice getting up & dressed in their school attire. This is also a great routine to practice within their ABA Therapy while you have the support with you 👍🏽
• Ask your child to check their school bag before school starts to ensure they have everything they need - text books, pencils, lunch, etc.

And parents- don’t forget to breathe, take it one day or one routine at a time, and give yourself some grace in applying these tools. It takes a lot of patience and practice for it not to feel like such hard work, but I promise it’ll get easier the more you try! 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽

: Using Shared Control with Your Child with Autism

As parents, it’s often our responsibility to engage our children in a variety of different tasks. At times, all children resist this. Whether it’s the four-year-old cleaning up his toys or the ten-year-old taking out the trash, it’s common for our kiddos to resist being told what to do. 🤯😩🥺
And I don’t know about you, but if someone told me what to do on a constant basis with little to no say, I would resist,
cry😭, scream 😫 and maybe even have a full-blown meltdown🤬. All of us want the feeling of having control over what happens to us and no one really enjoys being told what to do.🚫Shared control 🤝is a behavior management strategy that gives our kiddos some control over their environment, allowing them to make choices and have a say in what they do within certain restrictions established by the adult. By offering choices, we reduce this resistance from your kiddo and hopefully avoid a power struggle with them. 😌 When using shared control, it does NOT mean you are allowing your child to make choices freely throughout the day, eating whatever they want, or watching the iPad for 10 hours straight, etc. Instead, you as the adult are controlling the situation by offering choices that YOU have pre-selected. Using shared control doesn’t mean that chores, learning new skills, or participating in other adult-directed activities is a choice, they do still have to follow through with completing the activity. But you can offer choices within the activity that give your child a sense of control. Shared control is very effective in reducing the power struggle that often occurs when you ask your child to do ANYTHING. By giving your child a say in what they do, you are giving them a sense of power and responsibility, resulting in an increase of engagement and reduction in resistance. Shared control can be used in pretty much any situation- free time, homework, bed time, getting ready for school, meal time, family outings, you name it! Next time you find yourself on the verge of placing a demand on your little one, try offering choices instead, you’ll be pleasantly surprised how it works!

: “If they can’t learn the way we teach, we teach the way they learn.” – O. Ivar Lovaas
With so many different treatments available, it can be tough to figure out which approach is right for your child. 🤷🏻‍♀️Making things more complicated, you may hear different or even conflicting recommendations from parents, teachers, and doctors. 🤯When putting together a treatment plan for your child, keep in mind that there is no single treatment that works for everyone. Each person on the autism spectrum is unique, with different strengths and weaknesses.

A good treatment plan will:

🌟Build on your child’s interests

🌟Offer a predictable schedule

🌟Teach tasks as a series of simple steps

🌟Actively engage your child’s attention in highly structured activities

🌟Provide regular reinforcement of behavior

🌟Involve the parents

Your child’s treatment should be tailored according to their individual needs. You know your child best, so it’s up to you to make sure those needs are being met. You can do that by asking yourself the following questions:

✅What are my child’s strengths – and their weaknesses?

✅What behaviors are causing the most problems? What important skills is my child lacking?

✅How does my child learn best – through seeing, listening, or doing?

✅What does my child enjoy – and how can those activities be used in treatment and to bolster learning?

Finally, keep in mind that no matter what treatment plan is chosen, your involvement is vital to success. You can help your child get the most out of treatment by working hand-in-hand with the treatment team and following through with the therapy at home. This is why your well-being is essential! 🙏❤️🧘🧘‍♀️

: Nonverbal Communication- Connecting with a child with ASD can be challenging, but you don’t need to talk—or even touch—in order to communicate & bond. You communicate by the way you look at your child, by the tone of your voice, your body language, the way you touch your child, etc. Your child is also communicating with you, even if they never speak. You just need to learn the language.
Look for nonverbal cues. Pay attention to the kinds of sounds they make, their facial expressions, & the gestures they use when they’re tired, hungry, or want access to something.
Figure out the motivation behind the tantrum. It’s only natural to feel upset when you are misunderstood or ignored, and it’s no different for children with ASD. When children with ASD act out, it’s often because you’re not picking up on their nonverbal cues. Throwing a tantrum is their way of communicating their frustration & getting your attention.
Make time for fun. A child coping with ASD is still a child. For both children with ASD & their parents, there needs to be more to life than therapy. Schedule playtime when your child is most alert & awake. Figure out ways to have fun together by thinking about the things that make your child smile, laugh, and come out of their shell. Your child is likely to enjoy these activities most if they don’t seem therapeutic or educational. There are tremendous benefits that result from your enjoyment of your child’s company and from your child’s enjoyment of spending unpressured time with you. Play is an essential part of learning for all children and shouldn’t feel like work.
Pay attention to your child’s sensory sensitivities. Many children with ASD are hypersensitive to light, sound, touch, taste, and smell. Some children with autism are “under-sensitive” to sensory stimuli. Figure out what sights, sounds, smells, movements, and tactile sensations trigger your kid’s challenging behaviors & what elicits a positive response. What does your child find stressful? Calming? Uncomfortable? Enjoyable? If you understand what affects your child, it’ll help troubleshoot problems, prevent triggering any challenging behaviors, & create successful experiences.

: Summer is officially in full swing and so is the heat! 🔥 A fun recent find to help beat the heat that I have seen pop up more all throughout OC are splash pad parks! And oh boy- do I see everyone having so much fun! 🎉 What I love about splash pads is that they are "all-abilities friendly". There are no access issues for people who use mobility devices and splash pads provide flat, non-skid surfaces, which ensures steady footing. I have seen parents cover their child’s wheelchairs with plastic bags and then they are ready to go and have some fun! 🙌🏽
One of the best things about beating the heat at one of many splash pads located in Orange County is it provides so many opportunities for your kiddo(s) to practice their interactive play skills! It’s important to help kids improve interactive play skills because it helps develop other foundational skills. Some of the skills children learn through interactive play are:

⭐️ Cognitive skills—like problem solving and playing games

⭐️ Communication skills—like asking and answering questions

⭐️ Social skills—like taking turns, sharing and cooperative play

More FREE splash fountains located throughout OC!

☀️ Lemon Park Spray Pool at Maple Neighborhood Center

☀️The Splash Pad in Westminster’s Sigler Park- reservations required for the entire summer

☀️Adlena Park in Fullerton

☀️The District in Tustin Legacy- has pop up fountains in the shopping center

☀️Brio Park and Oeste Park are two splash pad parks in La Habra available by reservation for Summer of 2021

☀️Irvine Spectrum children’s play fountain outside Target near the carousel and the playground

☀️Atlantis Play Center in Garden Grove- the splash pad is open for the season on weekends since they are running summer camp during the week

☀️Walnut Grove Park in Anaheim

☀️Ponderosa Park in Anaheim

Feel free to drop below 👇 in the comments section some of your tricks and finds to help beat the heat this summer!

Now that summer has officially kicked off, finding out where to go to keep the kiddos entertained and engaged can be challenging when competing with their iPad or cell phones. And the challenge is even bigger when you have kiddos of all ages with all different interests and play skills.

Check out Pretend City Children's Museum located in Irvine, CA! Pretend City Children’s Museum is “the world in a nut-shell”, designed for children to learn how the real world works while engaging their curiosities and imaginations. This museum is where children can assume various real-world roles and let their creativity take over! They see how academic concepts can be applied in real-life by learning in a unique, hands-on environment. Pretend play is a critical part of children’s development. When a child pretends to be a chef stirring soup or an astronaut going to the moon, he’s building many different skills, including:

✔️Language skills
✔️Social and emotional skills
✔️Problem-solving and thinking skills

While Pretend City is designed to engage children of all abilities, they are aware that some children are more comfortable in modified surroundings. They offer Family Autism Night – a stigma-free, fun and insightful event for children on the autism spectrum and their families and caregivers.
Family Autism Night is an opportunity for families and caretakers with children on the autism spectrum to have some fun in an autism-friendly environment along with other families. The next Family Autism Night is scheduled for Thursday, July 29, 2021 from 5:00pm-7:30pm. Admission is free!

: “We need to learn to accept and celebrate our differences. And we need to continue our research in Autism Spectrum Disorder in order to understand how we can best lend a helping hand” ~Alan Rosales (Scientist)

In addition to celebrating our differences every single day, we should also think about how we can offer support to members of our own community, especially those affected with special-needs, including autism. There are ways to support parents of children with autism and lend a helping hand! Many people may want to support those with autism and their families, but are unsure how to go about it. It can be stressful worrying about offending anyone, which is why many people, unfortunately, remain silent. I found that the tips listed below have been appreciated by both individuals and families within our “all-abilities” community and goes a long way in showing our support in learning, acceptance, awareness, and advocating.

👍🏽Be Inclusive
👍🏽Don’t Judge
👍🏽Understand Autism
👍🏽Maintain Confidentiality
👍🏽Advocate

4th of July is almost here! 🙌🏽🎉🥰 And I must admit, it is definitely my favorite holiday to celebrate with my nearest and dearest. ❤️🤍💙But sadly, most families I work with have shared that the 4th of July is one of the holidays they dread celebrating because of all of the overstimulation their kiddo/kiddos can encounter. 😞 But who can blame them? 🤷🏻‍♀️ With all of the bright/flashing lights, loud noises, big crowds, different smells, etc. it's no wonder their bodies are working extra hard to help keep them cool, calm, and collected. 🧘‍♀️🧘‍♂️And to those parents/caregivers who stress over the "what ifs" when going into a holiday like the 4th of July, I applaud you for continuing to fight the good fight and keep moving forward! 👏🏼🙌🏽🤜🏼🤛🏼I've included a few tips to help manage the chaos and ensure that there are as few bumps in the road as possible when preparing for your day of fun! 🙏🎉👍🏽

✅Don't forget your supplies- earplugs, headphones, sunglasses, and blankets can all be helpful.

✅ Be sure to pack your patience- remember that the fireworks will be much louder and brighter
than your loved ones on the spectrum are used to.

✅ Prepare beforehand- a little pre-coaching can make all the difference.

✅ And remember- it's okay to have a Plan B!

Happy Wednesday everyone! I’m finding myself needing a little wisdom to get over this hump on Hump Day. This quote from Temple Grandin was just what I needed and helped capture a common struggle families I work with have: How do I play with my little one? Am I doing it correctly?
Autistic children enjoy and learn through play, just as typically developing children do. Here are some tips to help you and your child get the most out of play:
• Encourage play in different environments. For example, if your child likes playing with Legos at home, encourage your child to play with them at a friend’s house. Reward your child for playing and using their skills in different places and with different people.
• Watch your child throughout the day and look for the times when your child shows interest in an activity, however ordinary it might seem to you. These are the perfect times to teach and learn.
• Use play to help your child develop everyday skills. For example, dressing a doll or changing in and out of dress-ups can help your child learn to dress themselves.
• Follow your child’s lead with play. Join in with your child’s play, rather than trying to guide it. And watch for signs that your child is getting bored or losing interest – knowing when to stop or change is important.
• Work with your child’s thinking and learning strengths. For example, if your child is a visual learner, you can work with this strength by using pictures of the different steps in a game or activity.

By helping your child’s play develop, you also help your child learn and practice new skills and abilities. These skills are important for your child’s overall development. They include the ability to explore the environment, copy others, share things, take turns, imagine what other people are thinking and feeling, communicate, and more!