Suggestions For Brain Training At Home

To make cognitive gains, a person has to work at a task intensely. This might mean doing a more complex task than usual, or doing a familiar task more quickly. One important key is concerted effort – good old hard work. We find that working on multiple skills in one session (logic/reasoning, processing speed and auditory skills, for example) is more effective than working only one area.
Here are some ideas that could benefit your child:

o Write down a list of tasks your child can do. Alter these tasks to make them slightly more challenging. If your daughter can count to 100 by ones, for example, can she count that high by 2’s and 3’s? Could she count by 2’s and 3’s to 100 even if her starting point is a random number (say, 34 or 58)?

o Is your child able to sustain his performance at a task if he has another task to do at the same time? An example would be coloring while you ask for the answer to a simple math problem. Try combining easy activities to give your child a new challenge.

o Target both visual and auditory attention. To boost auditory attention, listen together for particular sounds or words in stories, CDs, or online recordings. To enhance visual attention, scan for hidden objects in photos or puzzles, look for targeted letters and words in narratives. Another pattern activity is to figure out what is missing in categories where there is a pattern (all red, all things you find under the sea, all letters are capitalized)

o Talk with your child about things that “go together” during your daily routine. For instance, rapidly name the items you will need for the table at dinner time (plates, napkins, forks, knives, spoons, glasses, salt, and pepper). If you are in a carpool line, naming types of transportation or automakers is a quick organizational task. This exercise helps your child see patterns and cluster similar objects.

Learning means exposure to new things. That exposure results in new synapses, greater retention of brain cells, additional neuronal networks and greater brain density. We obtain the most synapses when we work on a novel task at a challenging level, but below the level of frustration.

The new pathways will bring greater ability to demonstrate new skills. Experiment and see what your child can learn.

- written by Dr. Vicki Parker
Dr. Vicki Parker is a speech-language pathologist with a background in neuroscience. She is the owner of Learning Rx, a brain training facility in Charlotte, N.C. Parker is the author of Problem Solving, Planning and Organizational Tasks: Strategies for Retraining.

The Best Activities for Children with Autism

In the spirit of Autism Awareness month, this is the opportunity to find out more about this condition and meet the needs of your autistic child. Autism affects almost one in six children in the United States, and it can be easily coped with through specific activities that are best suited for the autistic child.
Here are the top choices:
1. Songs: Songs and poetry are the perfect choice for autistic children, who may like the sound of a repetitive song. Rhyming will keep the attention of your autistic child, especially with the use of interactive songs that require skipping or clapping. This is the chance to reach your autistic child creatively and even have him or her makeup songs of their own.
2. Baking: Autistic children are stimulated by their senses, so it is a wonderful idea to have your child help you with a simple baking activity, where they can gently mix cookie dough, play with flour, or add chocolate chips to a recipe. On top of that, they get to enjoy a delicious treat that they have helped to make themselves!
3. Board Games: Simple board games for children help an autistic child learn to count and take turns. This will also help with social interaction and learning, with the use of a game like Scrabble or Clue.
4. Sports: Many autistic children can enjoy playing sports with other children, though it is best to choose a sport that requires less equipment. Simpler sports are the opportunity for your autistic child to become active, though full contact and interactive sports like tackle football may not be the best option.
5. I Spy: This is the occasion to take your child out into the world to learn more about his or her surroundings. You can start out with hikes or nature walks that will become interesting with the use of the game I Spy. This can help your autistic child to start to identify birds, leaves, flowers, and other staples of the great outdoors.
With these top activities, you have the opportunity to play with your child as they learn and grow in autism. Many of these activities can help with social skills, sensory stimulation, and comfortability in a learning environment!

- Written by Bethany North, The Coffe Bump
For a great selection of Bunn coffee makers, check out Chuggin McCoffee's website, The Coffee Bump.

Sending Your Child To Summer Camp

Summer can be a very stressful time for parents with an autistic child. We worry that being home all summer will have a bad affect on our child. We worry that they will regress while out of school. This was always a big concern for me. I soon realized that my son didn’t have to regress during the summer. I could keep him engaged and learning with different activities during the summer. It was my success in doing this that gave me the confidence to home school my son.

In the past, day camps have played an important part of our summer. My son spent two summers at a special autistic, overnight summer camp. It was one week, overnight, and my son loved it. Because of the cost, we have only been able to do this twice with him. There are several day camps in our area that are available for my son to attend. My son has attended some of them and will do so again this summer.

Of course, there has also been the all important swimming lessons during the summer. This is not just an important life skill to learn, it is also a great learning experience for motor planning. Both of my children have enjoyed swimming lessons during the summer. My daughter will be 7 this summer and will need more activities to keep her occupied. I have not planned out what I will be doing with both of my children, but summer camp will be included.

One choice for a summer camp experience for your child is KinderCare. KinderCare centers are springing up all around the country. They offer summer camp programs for children from Pre-school age to school age. This summer, they have several great themes that are designed to encourage your child’s creativity in learning. Such themes include Wild, Wild West and Dig Ancient Egypt. KinderCare has “crafted a summer day-camp program that delivers just what they’re looking for: irresistible learning opportunities, hands-on involvement and unique experiences.”

I don’t have a KinderCare near me. If you would like to find out if there is a Kinder Care center near you, please visit their website. I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of KinderCare and received a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate.