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THE VOICE
Anne Arundel County Chapter

Volume 6, Issue 3

  Page 5

Resource Roundup:
Products and services
you can use
by Linda Carter-Ferrier


Angela Gaither, M.S., provides services for children and adolescents (ages 5 - 16) on the autism spectrum through her private practice in North Calvert County.  Her services include one-on-one teaching, tutoring, motor development, social skills groups (with typical peers), parent education, IEP development, evaluations/assessments, school observations, and advocacy.  She can be contacted by phone at (410) 863-6743 or by e-mail at Angelschxl@cs.com.

The Special Ed Advocate is a free online newsletter about special education legal and advocacy issues, cases, tactics and strategy, and Internet resources. Subscribers receive announcements and alerts about new cases, events, and special offers on Wrightslaw books. To subscribe, go to http://www.wrightslaw.com/subscribe.htm.

Toys "R" Us has released its eighth annual Toy Guide for Differently-Abled Kids, a free guide designed to help families and friends pick the right toy for the child with disabilities in their life. The guide is available this month in all Toys "R" Us stores nationwide.  All of the toys in the Guide have been extensively evaluated and specifically chosen by the National Lekotek Center for promoting the development of children with physical and cognitive disabilities. The toys are assigned symbols that indicate what skills they help enhance - auditory, creativity, fine and gross motor, language, self-esteem, social, tactile, thinking, and visual skills.  Each toy in the Guide is available in Toys "R" Us stores or on the Internet at www.toysrus.com.

Behavioral Services and Products, Inc., offers a comprehensive set of functional skills photo boards. These boards consist of a variety of color photograph sequences and categories relevant for children between 3 and 11 years of age.  The photo board sequences include the following functional activities: hand washing, tooth brushing, taking a bath, hair washing, brushing hair, getting dressed, getting undressed, putting on shoes, setting the table, doing homework, doing laundry, and getting ready for school. Each photo board sequence has 12 steps in a 3 x 4 cell template. 

These functional skills photo boards can be used as a visual cue to remind the child what he/she is suppose to do next, as an instructional aid to teach functional skills, and as a tool to promote independence.  Each board costs $5.00, and can be ordered through STEP Seminars at (301) 495-8824.

Spotlight Family of the Month:
The Wises
by Frank Wise


I guess the most compelling aspect of the Wise family is that it consists of several members who chose to be part of an autism family.  My wife Mindy, who has known Drew since she was his part-time child care provider when he was about 2 years old, chose to become his full-time, life-long stepmother three years ago.

Drew also has an older sister Stephanie (age 12) and an older stepsister Megan (age 11) living at home, who are very supportive and protective of him.  Additionally, he has 2 older stepsiblings, a brother and sister who live on their own.  That's right, we're just like the Brady Bunch, only without Alice, Bobby, and Tramp! (Instead, we have dogs named Onyx and Nille, and a cat named Molly).

Mindy got to know Drew when he was non-verbal and obsessing on Colorforms. This was how their childcare relationship began, very quiet and very challenging. As Drew began to develop his interests, she spent many hours practicing his letters, numbers, and shapes with him.  He began to imitate her writing on the chalkboard, and that became a daily ritual.  The big breakthrough came when his Infants and Toddlers speech therapist visited the childcare home to work with Drew and Mindy.  She blew bubbles and said the word until Drew finally said, "bubble." Mindy was amazed and knew "the door" had finally opened.  They were off and running. Little did any of us know that one day we'd be looking for the "off" switch!  Drew continues to amaze us with his developing vocabulary… good and bad.

All of Drew's siblings know what a blessing he is to our family.  He has touched each of them. His big brother Zach (age 20) takes him bowling and likes to just hang around with Drew.  He treats him like a typical kid, which Drew thrives on. Zach once said that if he could have chosen a little brother, it would have been Drew.  His oldest sister Angela (age 18) is fiercely protective of him and wouldn't trade him for the world.  She has gotten involved working with persons with disabilities because of her experiences with Drew.  They both spent time with him when he was in Mindy's childcare home.  It has given them both an appreciation of Drew and others like him.

Stephanie is very protective and spends time teaching Drew life's little nuances. Megan loves to read to Drew and help him with his homework.  They both help him with his soccer, dog walking, game playing and especially…fashion skills.  He is a very lucky boy to have such loving biological and stepsiblings, who accept him and appreciate him for who he is.

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