What You Need to Know: Preparing Students with Special Needs for the Inclusive Classroom

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What You Need to Know: Preparing Students with Special Needs for the Inclusive Classroom

Gmail - Posts from Friendship Circle -- Special Needs Blog for 04/05/2012 - hawkinsj68@gmail.com

Four Great Special Needs Resources for Passover

APR 05, 2012 08:48 AM | TZVI

Passover is just two days away and the number one question on eveyone’s lips is: What are your Passover plans?

For most the answer to that question will be replies of who they have invited to their seder, who they will be visiting on Passover, whats on the menu and so on.

For a family with a special needs child the questions that they are trying to answer are more along the lines of: How will I keep my child still during the seder, what will my child eat, and what will he or she gain from attending a seder?

To help you get some answers to your questions (after all Passover is all about questions) here are four great resources to help prepare you and your child with special needs for Passover.

Gateways

Gateways mission is to provide access to Jewish Education for children with special needs in the greater Boston area.
Gateways provides some great online resources for Passover including versions of the Passover story (including in boardmaker symbols), visual supports for Passover, Passover songs with visual supports, and much more!
Visit their Passover Resource Section 

Gluten Free Matzah & Recipes

Do you have a child, family member or friend who is on a gluten-free diet?  If the answer is yes then this post is for you. Find out where you can purchase gluten-free oat Matzah for Passover plus check out three great cookbooks that offer up some great gluten-free dishes.
Read the post here.

Tips for a Sensory Friendly Passover Seder

Many children with special needs can’t sit by the dinner table for more than 5 minutes. Can you imagine a lengthy Passover Seder? This blog post provides tips that will keep a child with special needs engaged in the seder experience.
Read The Post Here.

Passover Website For Kids!

Designed for children of all ages and abilities. Passover For Kids is a great site created by chabad.org. The site is full of activities for every child and features interactive games, video, audio and much more to teach, engage and entertain child about the festival of Passover.
Visit the Passover For Kids site.

Wishing you a happy Passover!

About Tzvi

Rabbi Tzvi Schectman joined the Friendship Circle in 2007 as a program coordinator at Friendship Circle. In addition he maintains the Friendship Circle website and keeps an eye on the latest and greatest in the tech world.

Zac Picto ~ the new software for parents, professionals and caregivers

Las Vegas, NV – March 30, 2012 – Zac Browser, an award winning browser for children with autism, will now have a sister software to assist people with autism: Zac Picto. The creators of the award winning browser, Zac Browser, are launching the new software on April 2nd, which is World Autism Day. Zac Picto is an all-in-one solution based on a pictogram system. The software has been created in a way that helps parents, professionals and caregivers working around a child with autism by giving them a more manageable way to track progress. Additionally, the system brings a visual organizer and serves as a teaching assistant; all of which is built around an important social network. People CD is the creator of Zac Browser and Zac Picto. Zac Picto has been a work in progress for some time. Its creators were determined to offer a viable solution to bring a product to the market that would give added value to those who have autism, as well as their network of support. “We have spent more than 18 months creating a unique solution to empower people with autism for a lifetime,” says John LeSieur, President and CEO of People CD. John is also the grandfather of someone who is on the autism spectrum. Zac Picto will be available to the public on April 2nd. The software is compatible with PC, Mac, and Linux and is also offered free of charge to the public. In July, the software will be available in Spanish, thanks to the collaboration of Fundación Orange. For more information on the software, visit www.zacpicto.com.

Walk Now For Autism Speaks ~ Long Island

The reason I support Autism Awareness:




Team RayRay can be seen at 1:12, 2:43 (my sister, Margaret), 3:18, and 4:42 (my sweet, sweet nephew RayRay).

April is Autism Awareness Day

Autism is a general term used to describe a group of complex developmental brain disorders - autism spectrum disorders - caused by a combination of genes and environmental influences. These disorders are characterized, in varying degrees, by social and behavioral challenges, as well as repetitive behaviors. An estimated 1 in 88 children in the U.S. is on the autism spectrum – a 1000 percent increase in the past 40 years that is only partly explained by improved diagnosis.

More information at Autism Speaks


One of the ways that you can show your support is "Lighting it up Blue"
Other ways to spread awareness and show your support.

All Inclusive Playground Opens At Hagen Stone Park