Tips On Overcoming Bullying; Self-Advocacy Booklet Now Available; Learn The Warning Signs of Dyslexia; Christmas Gifts For Children With Autism

"The only limits are, as always, those of vision."---James Broughton

Tips On Overcoming Bullying

The National Autistic Society reports that over 40% of children are bullied in school. Some studies report significantly higher rates, some as high as 90%. With such high rates, what are parents and teachers to do? The National Autistic Society recommends the following strategies:

• Help Your Child Tell Someone. Telling someone can be a challenge for a child with autism especially if they have difficulty expressing their feelings and emotions. Nevertheless, it's vitally important your child know he/she can talk to someone (write it down if they are non-verbal). If the bullying is not reported, it will continue.
• Buddy Up.  Find out if your child's school has a buddy system where he/she can buddy up with a friend or friends. Ask the friends to "hang around" with your child throughout the day. We commonly refer to it as, "I got your back." It can work well in school settings as well.
• Make A Plan For Break Time. Make sure your school offers structured activities for your child during break times such as recess. These times are always supervised by teachers.
• Practice Talking To Your Child About Bullies. Teach your child how to respond to bullies. This could include, but not be limited to, teaching about body language and eye contact.
• Keep In Touch With Your Child's School and Teachers. Find out if your school has a special help line that you can call to get helpful information.
• Access Other Resources: For example, you can call the Autism Helpline at 1-800-328-8476 (Autism Resource Center).
• Also, understand there are generally three types of bullying. They include verbal, physical and psychological bullying. It's important you observe your child to gauge his/her emotional responses to any problems occurring at school. In other words, read those emotional signals.
• Become An Advocate  by raising awareness about bullying especially if your school does not have any plans in place to deal with this problem.  Many schools do a good job, but there is still a lot that needs to be done within school settings to deal with this problem correctly and in an timely fashion.

Self Advocacy Booklet Now Available

A Self Advocacy Booklet for adults on the autism spectrum is now available. This booklet was developed by a group of adults with autism. It's designed to help communicate wishes and needs. You can access this booklet at http://www.autism.org.uk/.

Do You Know The Warning Signs of Dyslexia?

Education.com reported on spotting these warning signs of Dyslexia. They include:

• Difficulty Learning to Speak. Keep an eye and ear out for repeated difficulties in speaking.
• Trouble With Learning Letters and Their Sounds. Trouble associating words with sounds they make is a classic red flag.
• Difficulty in Organizing Written and Spoken Language. Words and letters often become jumbled.
• Trouble Memorizing Number Facts. If your child continues having difficulty learning a phone number and address, this could also indicate a problem.
• Difficulty in Reading Comprehension.
• Difficulty in Learning Longer Reading Assignments.
• Spelling Difficulty.

Please note: not all children exhibiting these problems are dyslexic. But, if you see persistent problems in these areas, have your child assessed by a professional.  In addition, remember that early detection is the key.

Are You Looking For Those Perfect Christmas Gifts For Your Child With Autism?

Below is a list of some highly recommended Christmas and Holiday gifts for children with autism:

• Playtime With Zeebu
• The Blunders Game
• Know the Code
• Fisher Price Go Fish
• Mr. Potato Head Silly Suitcase
• Zoobooks
• Memory Games

You can get more information about these gifts and more at the following: http://www.bellaonline.com/ and http://www.nationalautismresoucesblog.com/