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91 Free Educational Websites for Kids + Companies Offering Free Lesson Plans for Kids

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Today we have an updated version of our massive resource of free educational websites and companies offering free learning opportunities for kids. Over

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Raise a reader by getting the best book recommendations, reading tips, and discounts delivered straight to your inbox.

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INFO FOR PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH ASD MARCH 16 2020 FINAL FINAL.pdf

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Xfinity/Comcast will provide free 60 days of internet for low income students.

Here is the number that they can contact: 1-800-934-6489

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Free Zoom Conferencing/ Meeting/ Teaching Space

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Free Zoom Conferencing/ Meeting/ Teaching Space

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In order to use these lessons, you'll first need to sign up for Twig Science Tools and then download the packets using the button below.

We've also provided a set of teaching and research aids, including graphic organizers and advice about working like a scientist to help with distance learning.

NGSS- Aligned Resources for K-5

An award-winning supplemental resource with short videos in English and Spanish, visuals, and hands-on investigative activities.

NGSS- Aligned Resources for 6-12

Twig Secondary provides thousands of award-winning videos and digital resources to help you build amazing units of study.

Twig Science leveled readers-available in English and Spanish-provide a variety of text types that help spark interest in your grade-level phenomena.

NGSS-based magazine-style leveled readers bring ELA and science together using informational, narrative, descriptive, and argumentative text types

Scientists at Imperial College London-one of the world's leading universities and partners with Twig Education-are racing to develop a vaccine for coronavirus.

We'll be keeping you up to date with their latest developments on our blog.

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In order to use these lessons, you'll first need to sign up for Twig Science Tools and then download the packets using the button below. We've also provided a set of teaching and research aids, including graphic organizers and advice about working like a scientist to help with distance learning.

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TCM is proud to offer these FREE teacher-approved resources that can be used at-home, in-person or in hybrid learning environments!

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Stress-free science lessons for K-5 distance learning

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User Name = Engaged; Password = Learning

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What is PebbleGo Next?

PebbleGo Next is the ideal enhancement to your PebbleGo subscription. With it, you'll provide 3rd-5th grade students with hundreds of curriculum-connected articles designed for their specific needs in:

How PebbleGo Next helps:

Engages upper elementary students with subject matter created for, and correlated to, state & national curriculum standards

Increases understanding, regardless of reading ability with scaffolding supports:

Authentic read-aloud audio

Academic vocabulary words with definitions

Images, video, and audio in each article

Enhances instruction with critical thinking questions to encourage reflection and connection

Fosters independence in learners with simple, consistent navigation

The PebbleGo Next experience has been upgraded.

New, modern look with all of the functionality and features you and your students love.

Access matters.

PebbleGo Next is accessible to students of all abilities and is Section 508 and WCAG 2.0 AA compliant.

Any device. Anywhere.

PebbleGo Next is fully mobile-responsive, ensuring students can access the database on smartphones, tablets, and computers.

Ease and choice.

A new, connected PebbleGo and PebbleGo Next experience makes it easier than ever to find nonfiction content at the appropriate reading and interest levels.

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Take the next step in digital citizenship and research when you add all 4 PebbleGo Next modules to supplement your existing PebbleGo subscription.

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Posted by Core Knowledge Foundation

Category: News

With the coronavirus bearing down on schools, teachers, students, and families, the Core Knowledge Foundation is committed to doing all that we can to support you by providing free online resources.

We hope you will share these resources with other teachers, families, and friends.
The following complete curricula materials are already available for free download online: Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA), Preschool - Grade 5
With schools across the country closing and moving to some form of online learning, The Core Knowledge Foundation is working hard to make teachers and parents aware of the various free, online resources that we already provide, as well as new resources that we are creating.

These are comprehensive grade level materials for teachers and students in Reading, Writing, English Grammar, and Spelling. These materials will be most effective when used at home if students already have been using CKLA in school. However, anyone may download and use the materials.

Special Note to Parents: It is unrealistic, in our opinion to expect parents to become experts in teaching young children how to read. Here are some additional tips and recommendations for using these materials:

K-Grade 3 - There are two strands or paths of instruction:

1. Listening and Learning Domains that consist of stories and texts to be read aloud by an adult while the student listens. The materials you need to download are the Teacher Guide and the related Flip Book.

2. Skills Units that consist of phonics, writing, English grammar, and spelling lessons that are described in the Teacher Guide. Starting with unit 4 in kindergarten, there is also a downloadable student book.

Grade 4-5 - At these grade levels, there is only one strand or path of instruction, described in the Teacher Guide. There are also downloadable student books, which most students should generally be able to read on their own.

If your child is below grade level and not able to read on his or her own, try the following:
Core Knowledge History and Geography (CKHG), Kindergarten - Grade 6

Read aloud to your child, as time allows. The Core Knowledge Foundation is working hard to collect a list with links of CKLA Read-Alouds created by teachers that are already available on the Internet. We will send you another email when this list is available.

Scholastic Inc. is also making many of their books available for free as online read alouds. Check out this link. (https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/learnathome.html)

For students in Grades 3-5 or above, also see the free Core Knowledge History and Geography (CKHG) eBooks below. These books are read aloud in English and Spanish.

CKHG American History eBooks, Grades 3-5
These are comprehensive grade level materials for teachers and students in world and American History. Please also see our list of additional online resources designed to align with each unit.

Although there is typically a subscription fee for these books, we are offering access to our CKHG ebooks free of charge for the remainder of this school year (June 30, 2020). Our ebooks allow students to read to themselves, or they can hear the text read aloud with the click of a button. There is also the added functionality for the text to be translated and read to students in Spanish. Additional buttons enable students to watch videos and participate in interactive activities.

To learn more about these ebooks please review our webpage: https://www.coreknowledge.org/curriculum/history-geography/ckhg-interactive-student-ebooks/
Core Knowledge Science (CKSci), Grade 3-5
In order to access all 10 American History ebook titles in Grades 3-5, click on this link: https://www.coreknowledge-ckhg-historyspeaks.org/sitelicense.php?sc=12Y93Q

These are comprehensive grade level Science materials for teachers and students that provide guidance for hands-on experiences, informed by the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), as well as student books designed to reinforce the hands-on experiences.

Not on our Mailing List?

Sign up to receive additional email notifications about free online Core Knowledge resources.

(Scroll down to the bottom of the webpage to complete "Stay in the Know!")

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Free Online Core Knowledge Foundation Resources | Core Knowledge Foundation

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With the coronavirus bearing down on schools, teachers, students, and families, the Core Knowledge Foundation is committed to doing all that we can to support you by providing free online resources. We hope you will share these resources with other teachers, families, and friends. With schools across the country closing and moving to some form...

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Printable at-home activity packs

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Remote Learning: At-Home Teaching Support with i-Ready

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This is a unique year of teaching and learning. As teachers, students, and families navigate different learning contexts and constantly adapt to change, we are here to help.

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Get access to files anywhere through secure cloud storage and file backup for your photos, videos, files and more with Google Drive.

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Join us for our Virtual Field Trips or watch them on-demand after their premieres. Each no-cost Virtual Field Trip comes with a companion guide packed with standards-aligned, hands-on learning activities! Select one of the options below to register.

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Take students beyond the classroom and into some of the world's most iconic locations with virtual field trips. Learn more!

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91 Free Educational Websites for Kids + Companies Offering Free Lesson Plans for Kids

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Today we have an updated version of our massive resource of free educational websites and companies offering free learning opportunities for kids. Over

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Museum Virtual Tours all around the world

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Explore all Collections on Google Arts & Culture.

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Take Your Kids on a Free Virtual Field Trip

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Free virtual field trips can turn an ordinary day into an extraordinary day. Whether it is with your virtual classmates, as part of a distance

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International Space Station Tour With Sunita Williams

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Ready to explore Yellowstone? You don't have to wait for your trip out here. You can start exploring now by virtually touring some of the main attractions around the park. Included with each map-based tour is additional information about visiting in person.

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Virtual Tours - Yellowstone National Park (U.S. National Park Service)

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See elephants, lions and naked mole-rats on animal cams streaming live, 24/7 from the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.

Download Animal Cam Bingo Cards (link opens in new window). These activities are designed to engage learners of all ages in looking closely and thinking deeply about animal behavior and habitats. Welcome to the wild side of learning!

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The Zoo's animal webcams are some of the most famous on the internet. Tune in to watch the Zoo's elephants, lions and naked mole-rats - live, 24/7!

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Virtual Reality

Take yourself on a real life expedition of Canadian farms and food processing facilities from the comfort of your home. It's a fun, simple and affordable way to educate and engage audiences in workshops, trade shows, classrooms and the like. This can be done through Google Cardboard or Gear VR. Grab one and get started!

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Virtual Reality Take yourself on a real life expedition of Canadian farms and food processing facilities from the comfort of your home. It's a fun, simple and affordable way to educate and engage audiences in workshops, trade shows, classrooms and the like. This can be done through Google Cardboard or Gear VR.

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Covid-19 & Autism Resources. This includes a recorded webinar.

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Resources..Webinars.. Recordings

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Money Skills: Coin & Dollar Identification (M/S & ATP)

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Money Skills: Coin & Dollar Identification (M/S & ATP)

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As a source of coverage for 1 in 5 Americans, Medicaid can play a key role in connecting individuals to testing and treatment for COVID-19. Through Medicaid, states can provide enrollees access to comprehensive benefits with limited out-of-pocket cost and receive federal funding with no pre-set limit to support coverage. States have options available under existing rules to expand access to coverage and facilitate enrollment in coverage for eligible individuals. Further, states can seek federal approval for additional flexibility to expedite access to coverage and care, as has occurred in response to previous disasters and emergencies. Moreover, the federal government could take a range of administrative and legislative actions to enhance state capacity to connect individuals to care through Medicaid.

This brief describes a range of steps states and the federal government could take to use Medicaid to expand coverage and access to care in the context of responding to COVID-19 as a public health crisis. The Appendix lists specific examples of Medicaid authorities available to states in emergencies. The strategies included here are not an exhaustive list of options, and, as with any such efforts, they could involve tradeoffs and may run counter to efforts by the Trump administration and some states to restrict eligibility, limit government spending, promote program integrity, and curb immigrant use of public programs. The Medicaid and CHIP Disaster Preparedness Toolkit for state agencies also specifies strategies states can implement to respond to emergencies and disasters. Moreover, on March 12, 2020, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) posted Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to aid state Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program agencies in their response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Medicaid's existing coverage and financing structure enables states to provide access to comprehensive care.

Broad source of coverage for the low-income population. As the nation's public health insurance program for people with low income, Medicaid can be a primary vehicle through which states can connect individuals to testing and treatment for COVID-19, particularly those with significant health needs who are at high risk for experiencing complications from the virus. While most adults on Medicaid are working, the vast majority of enrollees lack access to other affordable health insurance. Medicaid plays a particularly significant role for populations with complex health needs, covering 47% of children with special health care needs, 45% of nonelderly adults with disabilities, and more than six in ten nursing home residents. Unlike other types of insurance, there are no set open enrollment periods for Medicaid, meaning that people can enroll at any time they become eligible, for example, if they experience a decrease in income due to a decline in the economy. Moreover, under law, the program provides retroactive coverage for covered services incurred up to three months prior to an enrollee's application date if the individual would have been eligible at the time they received the service.

Comprehensive benefits. Through Medicaid, states can provide enrollees access to a broad array of services to address testing and treatment needs. States determine their Medicaid benefit package within a set of federal minimum standards and state options. All states offer at least some optional benefits, including prescription drugs. States can choose to add optional services to expand the scope of covered services to address emerging health needs. For example, in recent years, states have added an array of behavioral health and substance use disorder treatment services to address the opioid crisis. In its FAQs, CMS notes that states could expand coverage for telehealth and other services to provide care for individuals who are quarantined or self-isolated. For children, the federal minimum Medicaid benefit package offers access to all necessary services (regardless of whether these services are optional for adults) through the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT) benefit, which includes regular screenings, vision, dental, and hearing services and any other medically necessary care. For adults, minimum benefits include physician, inpatient and outpatient hospital, as well as laboratory services. In its FAQs, CMS clarifies that testing for COVID-19 is covered as mandatory laboratory service as long as it is provided in an office or similar facility other than a hospital outpatient department or clinic and furnished by a lab meeting specified standards. It further notes that tests that do not meet these criteria may still be covered under the optional diagnostic benefit.

No or limited out-of-pocket costs. Medicaid provides enrollees access to services with no or limited out of pocket costs. Federal rules do not require states to charge any premiums or cost sharing for Medicaid, and limit the amounts that state can charge given enrollees' limited ability to pay out of pocket costs. As of January 2019, only two states charged copayments for children in Medicaid, but most states charged cost sharing for parents and other adults. Some states have indicated that they are waiving cost sharing associated with COVID-19 testing and/or treatment. States could also broadly eliminate cost sharing for categories of services or eligibility groups. In public statements, federal officials have indicated insurance companies who provide coverage through Medicaid have agreed to cover all COVID-19 testing without cost sharing and to ensure treatment is full covered. However, to date, there is no official guidance on how these policies will be implemented or documenting insurers' agreement to this statement.

Financing structure. Medicaid provides states a guarantee of federal matching payments for covered benefits provided to enrollees with no pre-set limit. The statute sets a formula to determine the share paid by the federal government (that varies based on states' relative per capita income). Special enhanced match rates also are provided for the ACA Medicaid expansion, administration, and other services. This matching structure provides states with resources that automatically adjust for demographic and economic shifts, health care costs, public health emergencies, natural disasters and changing state priorities. As such, federal resources will automatically increase if demands for the program grow in response to COVID-19, for example, if enrollment increases due to income decreases amid an economic decline and/or if additional eligible individuals enroll in the program to access services. Medicaid also provides "disproportionate share hospital" (DSH) payments to hospitals serving many Medicaid and uninsured patients.

States can expand Medicaid eligibility to broaden access to care.

Medicaid expansion. To date, 37 states, including DC, have adopted the ACA Medicaid expansion to adults with incomes up to 138% FPL. In the remaining 14 non-expansion states, eligibility levels for parents remain very low, often below half of poverty, and, with the exception of Wisconsin, other adults are not eligible regardless of their incomes. In these non-expansion states, 2.3 million poor uninsured adults fall into a "coverage gap", with incomes above Medicaid eligibility limits but below the 100% FPL level at which Marketplace premium tax credits become available. Non-expansion states could significantly expand access to care for low-income adults by implementing the expansion and would receive enhanced federal matching dollars (currently at 90%) for this coverage. A substantial body of research shows that the ACA Medicaid expansion has expanded coverage, increased access to care and utilization, and improved various economic measures.

Optional eligibility expansions. Beyond the ACA Medicaid expansion to low-income adults, states have options available under federal rules to increase Medicaid eligibility above the federal minimum income limit of 138% FPL, at regular state match. For example, nearly all states (49) cover children with incomes up to at least 200% FPL through Medicaid and CHIP as of January 2019, including 19 states that cover children at or above 300% FPL. Similarly, the majority of states (47) extend eligibility to pregnant women beyond the federal minimum, including nearly half (22) who extend eligibility to above 200% FPL.

Optional coverage for legal immigrant children and pregnant women. Lawfully residing immigrants may qualify for Medicaid and CHIP but are subject to eligibility restrictions that require many to wait five years before they can enroll. States have an option to eliminate the five-year wait for lawfully residing immigrant children and pregnant women. Over half of states had adopted this option for children or pregnant women in Medicaid and/or CHIP. States also have the option to provide prenatal care to women regardless of immigration status by extending CHIP coverage to the unborn child, which 16 states had taken up as of January 2019.

Waivers of eligibility provisions. Currently, a number of states have received approval for and implemented waivers that allow them to operate their programs in way federal rules do not otherwise allow, for example, by charging premiums, imposing coverage lockouts periods, and/or not providing retroactive coverage. Given that such policies may restrict enrollment and access to care, states could suspend these waivers to facilitate access to services to address increased needs arising from COVID-19.

States can conduct outreach and adopt policy options to help get and keep eligible people enrolled in coverage.

Outreach and enrollment assistance. Nationwide, nearly a quarter (24%) of the 27.9 million nonelderly individuals who were uninsured as of 2018 were eligible for Medicaid or CHIP coverage but not enrolled. Previous state experience has illustrated that states can promote enrollment of eligible individuals through a combination of broad mass media outreach campaigns to raise awareness of coverage options as well as targeted local efforts, often in collaboration with community based organizations and/or safety-net providers, to provide direct enrollment assistance.

Presumptive eligibility and eligibility verification. Presumptive eligibility allows states to expedite connections to coverage by authorizing certain qualified entities, like community health centers or schools, to enroll individuals who appear likely eligible for coverage while the state processes the full application. Prior to the ACA, states could utilize this option for children and pregnant women. The ACA allowed states to adopt this option for other eligibility groups. The ACA also required states to allow hospitals to conduct presumptive eligibility determinations regardless of whether the state had otherwise adopted the policy. While most states have adopted this option for pregnant women and children, only a few currently utilize it for parents and other adults. In addition, under existing rules, states can allow for self-attestation for all eligibility criteria, excluding citizenship and immigration status, including on a case-by-case for individuals subject to a disaster when documentation is not available.

12-month continuous eligibility for children. States who elect to use this option can allow a child to remain enrolled for a full year unless the child ages out of coverage, moves out of state, voluntarily withdraws, or does not make premium payments. As such, 12-month continuous eligibility eliminates coverage gaps due to fluctuations in income over the course of the year, promoting stable and continuous access to care. As of January 2019, 32 states provide 12-month continuous eligibility to children in either Medicaid or CHIP. States do not have an option under federal rules to extend 12-month continuous eligibility to groups other than children, but two states (New York and Montana) have obtained waivers to provide 12-month continuous eligibility to adults.

Suspend or delay renewals. Under federal rules, states renew coverage every twelve months. States have existing authority to extend redetermination timelines for current enrollees subject to a disaster to maintain continuity of coverage. Some states have previously delayed or suspended renewals through 1115 waivers in response to emergencies. Moreover, CMS allowed states to delay or suspend renewals as a mitigation strategy when states were implementing the ACA and addressing system challenges and processing a large number of new enrollments under the Medicaid expansion.

Suspend periodic data checks between renewals. Between annual renewal periods, enrollees are required to report changes in circumstances that may affect eligibility, and states may conduct periodic electronic data matches to identify potential changes in circumstances. If a state identifies a change that may affect eligibility, it may request information or documentation from the individual to continue coverage. If the individual does not respond to a request within the required timeframe, the state will disenroll the individual from coverage. Recent reports suggest that these periodic data checks may be leading to coverage losses among eligible individuals because they do not receive or are not able to respond to information requests within required timeframes, which are limited to 10 days in many states conducting these checks. As such, suspending these data checks could help keep enrollees connected to coverage.

States can seek federal approval for additional flexibility to connect people to coverage and care.

Section 1135 waivers. If the President has declared an emergency or disaster and the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) has declared a public health emergency, the Secretary can use Section 1135 authority to waive or modify certain Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP requirements to ensure that sufficient health care items and services are available to meet the needs of Medicaid enrollees in affected areas. Examples of items that can be waived through Section 1135 authority include: conditions of participation or other certification requirements for providers; program participation and preapproval requirements for providers; requirements that physicians and other health care professionals be licensed in the state in which they are providing services (as long as they have equivalent licensing in another state for Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP reimbursement only); and the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act. The Secretary used Section 1135 to provide hurricane relief to a number of areas affected by storms during 2017. On March 13, President Trump issued a proclamation that the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States constitutes a national emergency, beginning March 1, 2020. With this declaration, the administration announced steps to take to address COVID-19 through 1135 waivers.

Section 1115 waivers. Section 1115 waiver authority allows the Secretary of HHS to test new approaches in Medicaid not otherwise allowed under current law, provided the demonstrations meet the objectives of the program. During past emergencies, states obtained Section 1115 waivers to expedite access to coverage and health care services for affected individuals. These included waivers to: expand coverage to individuals not otherwise eligible (including adults who were not eligible for Medicaid prior the ACA), streamline application and eligibility verification processes, temporarily suspend or delay renewals for existing enrollees, waive cost sharing and/or expand benefits for targeted population groups, and address needs for individuals within specific geographic areas of a state. For example:

Approximately 350,000 New Yorkers were covered by Disaster Relief Medicaid in a four-month time period following the September 11th attacks in 2001. DRM allowed for a simplified expedited application process, expanded income eligibility guidelines and adjusted immigrant eligibility rules to make more New Yorkers eligible for coverage in the immediate aftermath of the disaster. It also temporarily suspended annual renewals for many existing enrollees.

Following Hurricane Katrina, the Department of HHS released a waiver initiative to assist states in providing temporary coverage to certain groups of evacuees. Under these waivers, states could get expedited approval to provide up to five months of Medicaid or CHIP coverage to certain evacuees and receive authorization for an "uncompensated care pool" to reimburse providers for the costs of furnishing services to uninsured evacuees and services not otherwise covered under Medicaid or CHIP (including mental health counseling). Similar to Disaster Relief Medicaid in New York, these waivers also streamlined eligibility verification criteria for the temporary coverage period.

In 2016, Michigan received a waiver to expand Medicaid and CHIP eligibility for children and pregnant women affected by the Flint water crises and to waive cost sharing and premiums and expand targeted case management benefits and community support services for these enrollees.

Following Hurricane Harvey in 2017, Texas received approval to allow individuals in the affected service area to receive services beyond their renewal period, suspended certain eligibility verification requirements, and eliminated cost sharing for the waiver period.

The federal government could take action to enhance state capacity to provide access to care through Medicaid.

Administrative Options

Provide guidance and/or a template to facilitate state adoption of policy options. CMS posted a national fact sheet outlining coverage and benefits related to COVID-19 and posted the FAQs to aid states in determining steps they can take to enhance their response. CMS also could issue guidance and/or state plan amendment and waiver templates to facilitate states' implementation of options to enhance access to coverage and care. For example, in 2016, CMS put out an informational bulletin with information related to optional Medicaid benefits states could adopt to help address the Zika virus. In addition, CMS recently issued a waiver template t o encourage states to take up options tied to the new Healthy Adult Opportunity demonstrations.

Suspend pending regulations that would limit financing. CMS is currently reviewing comments related to the Medicaid Fiscal Accountability Rule. The rule would make changes to what funding states can use for the state share of Medicaid funding and to supplemental payments to providers. The changes could have significant implications for providers and state budgets. While the rule could reduce federal spending on Medicaid, it also creates significant uncertainty for states as they work to address COVID-19.

Suspend administrative actions focused on increasing eligibility verification requirements. As part of program integrity efforts, the Trump Administration has recently increased its focus on oversight of eligibility determinations. It has indicated plans to conduct new audits of state beneficiary eligibility determinations, promoted the use of periodic data matches between renewals, and indicated plans to issue regulatory changes to increase requirements around verification, monitoring of changes in beneficiary circumstances, and eligibility redeterminations. While current and planned administrative efforts might limit instances of ineligible people being enrolled in the program, they could also result in greater enrollment barriers and coverage losses for people who are eligible and add additional administrative burden for state agencies at a time when expediting enrollment in coverage for eligible individuals would help connect them to testing and treatment.

Suspend immigration policies that may be deterring immigrant families from enrolling in coverage and seeking care. Over the past several years, the Trump Administration has implemented a range of immigration policies focusing on restricting immigration, enhancing immigration enforcement, and restricting access to public programs, including Medicaid, for immigrant families. These include recent changes to public charge policies that newly take into account use of Medicaid by non-pregnant adults as part of the public charge test federal officials use to determine whether to grant certain individuals entry into the U.S. or adjustment to legal permanent resident (LPR) status (i.e., receive a green card). A growing set of evidence suggests that families have increased fears of enrolling themselves and their children, who are primarily U.S. citizens, in Medicaid and CHIP due to these policy changes and that some may be avoiding seeking care. The administration could take steps to alleviate these fears by suspending the changes to public charge policies. They also could take steps to assure families that they will not use any information shared to enroll in coverage for immigration enforcement purposes and that enrolling in coverage and/or seeking care will not have negative effects on their immigration status. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services issued an alert in March 2019, encouraging all individuals with symptoms that resemble COVID-19 to seek necessary medical treatment or preventive services and noted that such treatment or services will not negatively affect future public charge tests.

Legislative Options

Enhance federal financing. During economic downturns, more people qualify and enroll in Medicaid, increasing program spending at the same time that state tax revenues may be stagnating or falling. To mitigate these budget pressures, Congress has twice passed temporary increases in the federal match rate to help support states during economic downturns, most recently in 2009 as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). To receive ARRA funds, states could not roll back Medicaid eligibility. These temporary increases in the Medicaid match rate provided states fiscal capacity to address health issues for vulnerable populations through an existing, efficient mechanism. Congress could use such a mechanism to provide additional fiscal capacity for states. In addition, as providers will likely serve individuals who are uninsured or underinsured, Congress could increase funding for Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) to help reimburse hospitals for increased uncompensated care costs.

Increase access to coverage for lawfully present immigrants. As noted, lawfully residing immigrants may qualify for Medicaid and CHIP but are subject to eligibility restrictions that subject many to a five-year waiting period before they may enroll in coverage. These eligibility restrictions have been in place since 1996 under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act. The CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2009 provided states the option to cover lawfully residing immigrant pregnant women and children without a five-year waiting period, but not other groups. Congress could enact legislation to extend this option to parents and other adults.

Families First Coronavirus Response Act. Legislation enacted on March 19, 2020 will provide coverage for COVID-19 testing with no cost sharing under Medicaid and CHIP (as well as other insurers) and provide 100% federal funding through Medicaid for testing provided to uninsured individuals for the duration of the emergency period associated with COVID-19. The law will also provide states and territories a temporary 6.2 percentage point increase in the federal matching rate for the emergency period. To receive this increase, states will need to meet certain requirements including: not implementing more restrictive eligibility standards or higher premiums than those in place as of January 1, 2020; providing continuous eligibility for enrollees through the end of the month of the emergency period unless an individual asks to be disenrolled or ceases to be a state resident; and not charging any cost sharing for any testing services or treatments for COVID-19, including vaccines, specialized equipment or therapies. The law will also increase federal allotments to the territories.

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How Can Medicaid Enhance State Capacity to Respond to COVID-19?

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As a source of coverage for 1 in 5 Americans, Medicaid can play a key role in connecting individuals to testing and treatment for COVID-19. Through Medicaid, states can provide enrollees access to comprehensive benefits with limited out-of-pocket cost and receive federal funding with no pre-set limit to support coverage.

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Students with Limited Communication Skills

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No matter where you live, chances are good that the coronavirus has been on your mind. In today's post, we share an interactive graphic with many free downloadable resources that can be used to support the AAC learners in your life.

You can access visual schedules for handwashing, social narratives, videos, educational materials, and more by clicking the links embedded in the graphic below. Use the slider on the right to navigate up and down, or click the image to go to the full-sized version.

This is an evolving resource that will continue to be updated. If you know of things that we should add, please tell us in the comments below.

Stay safe and healthy, AAC friends.

This post was written by Carole Zangari

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PrAACtical Resources: Dealing with the Covid-19 Pandemic

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No matter where you live, chances are good that the coronavirus has been on your mind. In today's post, we share an interactive graphic with many free downloadable resources that can be used ...

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As Autism Speaks continues to monitor the evolving situation around COVID-19, our sincere hope is that you and your loved ones are staying safe and healthy. The situation is changing rapidly; stay informed by visiting the CDC's information page regularly. In the wake of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, it can be difficult to wade through what will be an effective tool to cope with widespread disruptions to the daily lives of autistic children, teens and adults. Autism Speaks is leading the COVID-19 Autism Research Community Task Force to tap the rich knowledge and expertise of autism researchers during the pandemic, and offer the best available evidence-based tools here for your use.
In partnership with the Autism Science Foundation (ASF), working together with the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR) and the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI), the task force has asked autism researchers to create ready-to-use tools for the range of support needs to help people with autism through this crisis. The task force will rapidly review, assess and distribute these tools to the public, posting them on this page as a quick reference. Tools vetted by the Task Force are indicated with a 💼 symbol.

As COVID-19 vaccines are distributed throughout the country, Autism Speaks hosted the CDC's Georgina Peacock, M.D., and the presidents of the Autism Society of America and Autism Science Foundation on for a webinar about COVID vaccines and autism. Watch it here.

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COVID-19 (coronavirus) information and resources | Autism Speaks

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As Autism Speaks continues to monitor the evolving situation around COVID-19, our sincere hope is that you and your loved ones are staying safe and healthy. The situation is changing rapidly; stay informed by visiting the CDC's information page regularly.

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Find your dream career.

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Take a step toward your new career

Find out how you can gain the experience necessary to break into your desired career. Whether you have a dream job in mind, you want to be your own boss, or you're looking for stability and good pay, take your first step here.

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Become connects you with the right career and shows you how to achieve it. Explore job options, roadmaps, salaries, and more.

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If you're seeing this message, it means we're having trouble loading external resources on our website.

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About this unit

Have you ever wondered how theme parks come to life? Disney Imagineers from hundreds of career disciplines around the world share how they use a wide range of skills - from story development and conceptual design, to math, physics and engineering - that all come together to create immersive experiences. Imagineering in a Box allows you to explore different aspects of theme park design, from characters to ride development, as you design a theme park of your very own.

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Imagineering in a Box | Storytelling | Arts and humanities | Khan Academy

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Have you ever wondered how theme parks come to life? Disney Imagineers from hundreds of career disciplines around the world share how they use a wide range of skills - from story development and conceptual design, to math, physics and engineering - that all come together to create immersive experiences.

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CORONAVIRUS Social Narrative.

I have been avidly following the the Coronavirus crisis and now find myself wanting to fulfill my civic duty.

I have created a FREE Coronavirus Social Narrative to help alleviate fears and anxiety many children may be experiencing at this time.

It seems inevitable now that schools will have to close in an attempt to curb the pandemic Coronavirus crisis.

I posted to my Instagram s tories this morning querying if parents required a Social Narative to help their children navigate the coming days.

I was met with a resounding yes.

I have created the social story in a page by page format, so you the parent can include or exclude whatever information you feel is pertinent to you and your family.

It is highly probable at this juncture that schools will close so I have allocated a countdown box within the social story.

This will help your son or daughter to understand in a concrete sense when school will reopen (if known).
Update- due to the overwhelming demand for the Coronavirus Social Narrative I have updated the link with a visual to help you locate it. I am receiving a great many messages requesting a copy to be sent directly. If you click on the above "Click to download", you will receive an instant download.
I hope this is helpful.
CLICK HERE for an accessible version of the Social Narrative as created by Melanie Thorton of Arkansas Partners for Inclusion.
Download a HINDI translation here.
Download a SPANISH translation here.
I have also been in contact with many schools around the globe this morning seeking to print off multiple copies of the aforementioned social stories to give to students.
You absolutely have my permission to do so. Absolutely no need to request permission. It is expressly given here.
I hope you find this Social Story helpful.

Best wishes,

Amanda

For more FREE Printable resources, click here.

Please note this post originally appeared on my website "The Autism Educator".

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Coronavirus Social Story - Little Puddins

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I have been avidly following the the Coronavirus crisis and now find myself wanting to fulfill my civic duty. I have created a FREE Coronavirus Social Narrative to help alleviate fears and anxiety many children may be experiencing at this time.

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CA Department of Developmental Services - Agency through which the State of California provides services and supports to individuals with developmental disabilities.

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The safety of all Californians with intellectual and developmental disabilities is our highest priority. We have experienced changes in almost every part of our lives during the public health emergency. Regional centers and service providers are dedicated to working with consumers and their communities to find different ways to help people and limit the spread of COVID-19.

This page provides COVID-19 links and resources. If you still have questions after reading this information and talking with your local regional center and/or your local county public health office, you can email DDSC19@dds.ca.gov. DDS checks this email daily and routes questions to staff for response(s).

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State of California & Department of Developmental Services

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Coronavirus Information and Resources - CA Department of Developmental Services

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The safety of all Californians with intellectual and developmental disabilities is our highest priority. We have experienced changes in almost every part of our lives during the public health emergency. Regional centers and service providers are dedicated to working with consumers and their communities to find different ways to help people and limit the spread of COVID-19.

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Occupational therapy (OT) practitioners can address many of the common concerns parents have for a child who has autism or sensory processing disorder. The goal of occupational therapy is to promote the highest level of functioning in daily life.

Occupational therapists must be creative when developing activities in order to address underlying issues and keep the child interested and engaged.

To help support the child outside of OT sessions, you can plan activities at home that promote the development of many important life skills!

10 Great OT Activities for Children

1) Make a sensory bin

Sensory bins are a great way to promote a variety of skills. For example, many children with autism or SPD are sensitive to certain textures.

A sensory bin is a playful way to introduce them to a variety of tactile (touch) experiences! This activity can also promote visual perception skills, language skills, and fine-motor skills.

To make a sensory bin, simply gather common household items and place in a plastic container. Items might include cotton balls, uncooked rice or beans, popcorn, cut up paper, coins.

It is important to be aware of your child's unique sensory preferences so they are not overwhelmed, but can also develop important skills. It is also very important not to leave your child alone while playing with items that can be a choking hazard.

2) Target practice using a swing

Swings are a great way to incorporate calming, organizing and sensory input.

For this activity, have your child lay on their stomach on a swing. The Harkla compression swing a great option! Then, place about 6-7 empty containers around the swing, giving enough distance so the child has to move to reach the containers.

Give the child several small balls or bean bags and explain that their goal is to put one ball or bean bag in each container. This activity promotes body awareness, visual perception skills, coordination, and muscle strength.
To learn more about the wonderful benefits of sensory swings, check out this article!
3) Use video clips to address social skills

Children with autism typically have difficulty with social skills. One of the main skills commonly addressed in Occupational Therapy is perspective-taking. Often, it is difficult for them to understand what others might be feeling or thinking.

For this activity, find out what the child's favorite cartoon character is. You can then look up video clips (Youtube is a great resource) from the show. Use this as a motivating way to talk about how the characters might be feeling, what they are doing, or what they might be thinking.

This is an engaging activity and can be a helpful way to introduce emotions and different perspectives.

4) Make play dough

The activity of making playdough is not only enjoyable for kids, but it also addresses numerous important skills.

To make the dough, combine 1 cup of fine salt and 1 cup of flour in a bowl and mix. Once it is mixed well, add ½ cup water and knead and form the dough until it is smooth.
Skills addressed in this activity include:

following directions

exploration of textures

vision skills

even emotion regulation skills, like frustration tolerance

5) Have a straw race

Children with sensory processing difficulties often struggle with oral motor concerns, such as coordinating movements of the mouth or accepting different textures. One way to assist with desensitizing this area is to have a straw race.

For this activity, gather a large plastic container and fill it with water. Then, place two lightweight objects, such as a paper cup in the water. You and your child then use straws to try and blow the paper cups to the other side. Whoever reaches the other side first, wins!

If your child is not ready for competitive games, you can modify the activity and have the child blow the cup as fast as he can. Let him know how many seconds it took. This activity also addresses vision and coordination skills, besides being a great oral exercise.

6) Make a coping skills flipbook

Visual aids are a tool that most children with autism respond very well to. Making a coping skills flip book provides a visual aid for children to use when they are in distress.

Work with your child to come up with 5-7 things they can do when they become frustrated or need a break. Then, take pictures of your child engaging in the activities they identified. Print out these photos, laminate them, and secure with a loop ring. Some examples of coping skills might be reading a book, using a stress ball, going to a quiet space, or talking to an adult.

You can find more great ideas here!

7) Engage in a repetitive activity as a warm-up

Start by engaging your child in an activity that encourages repetition, such as throwing a ball back and forth to one another or tossing bean bags back and forth. Repetitive activities activate the part of the brain involved in regulating our emotions. Starting each session with this type of activity will help your child feel calm, organized, and ready to work.

8) Play OT Simon Says

Simon Says is a classic game children typically learn in school. It can be a great activity to try at home, too! There are many different skills that can be addressed and sensory diet activities that can be incorporated.

For example, crawling through a lycra tunnel (deep pressure) and then jumping five times (body awareness). To add a social skill component, your child can also have a turn directing you! This encourages perspective-taking and creativity.

9) Make an emotion thermometer

Typically, children with autism have trouble identifying different levels of frustration or distress. They can become over-stimulated or frustrated without much warning.

An emotion thermometer can be a helpful visual tool to assist with this. Draw or trace a thermometer on a standard piece of paper and cut it out. Then, work with your child to identify 3-5 levels they experience. For example, a 1 might be completely calm and a 3 might be starting to feel frustrated.

Let your child color or decorate their thermometer for added motivation, fine motor skills, and visual perception skills.
For other strategies to help calm meltdowns, click here!
10) Make-A-Person Activity

For this activity, you'll need a paper plate, four popsicle sticks, and cutouts of different eyes, noses, mouths, and ears. Work with your child to make a person. Let them know they are able to choose the way the face looks by choosing certain eyes, nose, ears, and mouth.

This activity works on body awareness and orientation, vision skills, and can be a way to discuss emotions. Have your child identify how their person might be feeling, depending upon which type of facial features they chose.

Conclusion

Creativity and skill-building are two of the most crucial elements of an occupational therapy session. There are so many different ways to address the necessary skills, but it is always most important to consider each child's unique needs and interests.

Hopefully, the activities described above will provide some inspiration when planning occupational therapy activities to do at home!
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Our 10 Favorite Occupational Therapy Activities

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Occupational therapists need to be able to come up with fun and skill developing activities that not only work during therapy but that parents can take home with them to try. Check out our list of our favorite therapy activities for home or school.

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Ideas for OT at home with everyday household items

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Every parent knows how challenging it can be when the baby is growing, especially in the first few years. It's an age where children are exploring their independence, pushing boundaries, and learning more about the world around them. While this is an essential phase for their growth, it often leads to moments of defiance that ... Read more

As a parent, I'll never forget the day when my four-year-old managed to scale our kitchen counters, raid the cookie jar, and create an art masterpiece on the living room wall, all while I was on a brief 10-minute phone call. That's the unmatched energy of children for you! While I sometimes wish I had ... Read more

Back when I was juggling a full-time job, night classes, and personal commitments, I often found myself running on empty. Every morning, despite having my day planned to the minute, I would wonder why my energy levels were consistently low. I initially chalked it up to just being "busy." It wasn't until a particularly draining ... Read more

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Every parent knows how challenging it can be when the baby is growing, especially in the first few years. It's an age where children are exploring their independence, pushing boundaries, and learning more about the world around them. While this is an essential phase for their growth, it often leads to moments of defiance that ...

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School Psychologist/ SLP/ Behaviorist Resources

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School Psychologist/ SLP/ Behaviorist Resources

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5 Minute Speech Therapy Activities you can do at home!

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5 Minute Speech Therapy Activities you can do at home!

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I often get asked how long and how often families should practice speech and language skills at home.

I recently posted an article on my own site on this very topic.

My professional opinion on this matter is based on what I have seen work the best with my own clients from my clinic.

I recommend that families shoot for two 5-minute sessions per day to target your child's speech and language skills.

The research is showing that shorter, more frequent sessions are more effective for learning and retention than longer, less frequent sessions.

(It's kind of like studying for a test for a few weeks instead of cramming the night before).

Five minutes does not give you much time to work on a lot, which is by design. Most children learn best when they are only working on one skill at a time.

By limiting your sessions to five minutes, you will only have time to work on one skill.

Your child's speech therapist will probably have an idea of what one skill would be best for you to work on at home.

Ask him/her for a recommendation. If your child is not currently seeing a speech-language pathologist, you can choose a skill for your child.

Try to choose something that is age-appropriate (other children his age are doing the skill) but that is not too hard for him.

You want to start with some easier skills that he will have success with instead of frustrating him right off the bat.

The key is to take whatever skill your child is missing and break it down to its easiest level.

For example, if you want to teach your child to say /p/ correctly, you should first start by just having your child say the sound by itself, like "p...p...p".

Then, you can make it a little harder by having your child say it in non-sense syllables, like "puh, poh, pah".

Then, you can move up to words, sentences, and conversation.

The same can be done for language skills, just make them as easy as possible to start with and build your way up.

What Do We Do During Our 5 Minutes?

I'm so glad you asked!

The goal of each 5-minute session will be to get your child to practice the skill correctly as many times as possible.

Imagine shooting for 50-100 repetitions of the same skill. You may not always get to that but it's a great goal.

So, if your child is working on saying the "p" sound, you want him to say that sound 50-100 times while you do a quick activity.

Or, if your child is practicing pronouns, you want him to repeat 50-100 sentences that use the pronouns "he" or "she" while doing the activity.

If the skill you're doing takes a little longer to practice, you can reduce the target number of repetitions.

In order to make this happen, you will need an activity that doesn't take a lot of time and won't take away from the goal of the 5 minutes, which is to practice the skill over and over again.

Here are some great ideas of activities you can do while getting your child to practice his skill:

Use a Counter

Go to a sporting goods store and purchase a counter. This is a small, round object with a single button. Each time you push the button, the counter goes up by one.

Set a goal for your child (number of repetitions) and tell him to push the button each time he does the skill correctly. Once he hits the target number, he's done.

Time him and see if he can beat his old score (but he has to say it correctly for it to count, no rushing through and messing up!).

Bankruptcy Game

Put a bunch of plastic coins in a bag but color one of them red. After each repetition, you and your child will both pull out one coin.

If anyone pulls out the red coin, they have to put all of their coins back (bankrupt!).

Whoever has the most coins after 5 minutes wins. (Got this one from www.5minutekids.com , love it!)

Hold Yoga Poses

Look for pictures of yoga poses for kids online. Have your child choose one and hold it while he does his skill.

See how many repetitions he can get in before he loses the pose.

Trace Lines or Shapes

Draw lines or shapes on a piece of paper. Then, laminate that page or put it in a plastic sheet protector.

Have your child trace the lines or shapes with a dry erase marker while repeating his skill. When he's done, erase and use again next time.

Put Blocks on a Tower

Each time your child practices the skill, give him a block to place atop a tower. When the tower falls, take the blocks back and start over.

See how tall he can make it before it falls.

Play Hopscotch

Draw a hopscotch track (or other shapes/numbers) on the ground and have your child do the skill once before each jump or move on the track.

Turtle Race

You need at least 2 people for this but you can be the second person if need be.

Have both people sit on their bottoms with their knees up. Each time your child does the skill, everyone gets to move forward one scoot.

Bottom must stay on the ground, no picking it up and jumping.

Whoever gets the farthest in 5 minutes wins.

Moving Beans or Marbles

Place beans or marbles in a small container. Get a second similar container.

For each repetition, move one bean or marble to the other container. When all the beans/marbles are moved, you're done!

Make Me Jump

Each time your child does the skill, have someone else (you or another adult/child) jump or do another action.

See how many times your child can make that person jump during 5 minutes.

Playdough

Give your child a pinch of playdough (or a similar substance) for every repetition. Once your child has all of the playdough, he can play with it.

Tickle Me

Start with your hand on your child's head or toes.

For each repetition, move slightly closer to his belly. When you get to his belly, tickle him like crazy. Then, start over and repeat until the 5 minutes is up.

Go for a Walk

When you are walking somewhere with your child, have him take one step for every repetition.

Try this one when you're walking to the playground from the car or into the house when you get home.

Stoplight Speech

While you're sitting at a red stoplight, see how many times your child can do the skill correctly before the light turns green.

Playing Cards

Get a playing card for every repetition. When your child has all of the playing cards, you can play the game with him.

Blowing Bubbles

Blow bubbles for every 10 repetitions that your child does.

Puzzle Pieces

Give your child a puzzle piece for every 10 repetitions he does.

Graph Your Results

Count how many correct productions your child can do in 5 minutes.

Graph that on graph paper and see if he can beat it the next time.

Connect Four...Or More!

Drop connect four pieces into the game randomly, one for each repetition. At the end, see if there are any patterns or designs created from where they all landed.

Wind-Up Toys

Wind up a toy and let it go. See how many times your child can do the skill correctly before it runs out of power.

Throw a Ball

Throw a ball back and forth and play catch while your child practices the skill.

There you have it!

Twenty awesome ways to work on speech in five minutes. Make sure that you pay attention to your child's frustration levels.

If your child is getting frustrated with these activities, you will want to either make the skill easier or back off to a shorter time.

You want your child to feel positive about working on speech, it shouldn't be a battle. Thanks so much for reading!

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Twenty 5-Minute Speech Therapy Activities You Can Do at Home

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I often get asked how long and how often families should practice speech and language skills at home. I recently posted an article on my own site on this very topic. My professional opinion on this matter is based on what I have seen work the best with my own clients from my clinic.

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Practical Activities for Home

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Mommy Speech Therapy - Thoughts on speech & language development

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School's out for summer! This sentence can bring parents both relief and a bit of anxiety at the same time. As a parent myself my goal is to not only survive the break, but to enjoy it, and maybe even take it a bit easier then usual while helping my kids do the same. However, like reading, speech and language practice is an ongoing process that shouldn't get 3 months off if we want to see our little ones continue to make progress.

Speech practice can be done from just about anywhere, and with minimal prep and some creativity it can still be fun and effective. I know at my house multitasking is the only way to survive and with four kids there isn't time for me to spend the entire morning putting a lesson plan together for each one. It's a bowl of cereal and off we go. So I wanted to share some fun, quick ideas that I have used with my kids, that you could do to help you keep the practicing up while still enjoying summer fun.
1. In the car
Most people are familiar with at least some version of the alphabet game where you take turns going through the alphabet thinking of an animal or a food that starts with each letter of the alphabet. When targeting speech sounds you can play a similar game, only instead of thinking of animals that start with the letter k you might think of as many words as you can that start with the /k/ sound like "cat," "cookie" and "kite." You take turns going back and forth until someone is stumped and can't think of another word. I call this "Phono Family Fun." Okay, I really like alliteration. 😉
2. Sidewalk chalk
Sidewalk chalk is a summer staple at my house. There is so much fun to be had and so many possibilities with side walk chalk. You could create your own hopscotch game with speech words, make your own life size board game with speech words, or simply draw and color speech words in the driveway. Let your kids have a great time expressing their creativity on the concrete canvas of the driveway all while practicing the sounds they need work on at the same time. So much fun!
3. Picture Scavenger Hunt
Go through the house and or yard and take pictures of as many things as you can that start with your targeted sound. Whoever takes the most pictures wins. Of course in order to get the prize they have to say each word clearly. 😉 You can even make a fun book of the pictures that were taken to review later.
4. Playdough fun
Draw a word out of a hat (this could come from the worksheets here on Mommy Speech Therapy, the words in Articulation Station, or you could think of your own words), then shape your playdough into that word. Have the other players guess what you have created. For extra points you could have them say the word in a sentence.
5. At the playground
Whatever your target sound is you can usually find a way to target it at the playground. For example on the slide you could practice the /p/ sound by giving a stuffed animal a "push" down the slide. You could practice the /b/ sound by giving a "big" push, or going down the "big" slide. You could practice the /m/ or /w/ sound by saying, "watch me slide," "watch mom slide," or "mom's turn." You may even try rolling marbles down the slide into a bowl. You could have them ask for "more marbles" to roll down the slide. You can practice the /s/ sound by saying "ssssss" all the way down the slide and then ending the word when you hit the bottom. The point is if you're creative you can practice almost any sound anywhere, especially on the playground. 🙂
6. In the sand
Whether you are in your backyard sand box or at the beach, kids of all ages love the sand! Make it a speech activity by burying objects or laminated picture cards for them to find. When they find the objects or speech cards have them say the word as they put them in their sand pail. Of course the goal is to find them all so be sure and bury them within a small area so they can be found easily by little hands.
7. Paper ball basketball
Write each practice word on a piece of paper. Write the number of syllables in the word below the word. Then crumple each piece of paper into a ball. Have your son or daughter choose a ball, open it up, say the word and then crumple it back up and toss the paper ball into a trash can. If the word was a three syllable word and they make the basket they get three points. If it was a single syllable word they only get one point. Have fun, and don't forget to keep score. Little ones can be quite competitive!
8. Flashlight Hide and Seek
My kids LOVE playing hide and seek with flashlights in the house. Tape your practice words around the house then turn off the lights. Hand your child a flashlight and then go find the words. Have them say each word as they find them.
9. Snuggle time with books
Choose books that are interesting to your kids and help them find pictures or words that start with the sounds they are working on. You may have them just listen as you say the words clearly for them to hear, or you may have them try saying the words as well.
10. On the Go
Grab your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch and have fun practicing the words, sentences and stories together in the Articulation Station app anywhere. This is always fun, and just perfect when you are waiting at the doctors office, driving in the car, on a plane, or at home with nowhere to go at all.

Let's not forget about BUBBLES! Bubbles can be one of my favorite therapy tools for little kids. You can read my post, "Bubbles to Improve Language Development" for more ideas on how to use bubbles at home to encourage our little ones to talk more.

With summer off and running I hope that you are able to find practical ways to help your kids practice their speech words at home. The trick is to be creative with your surroundings and play to what will pique your child's interest.

What creative ways are you helping your children keep up with their speech and language practice at home?

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Practical Speech Therapy Activities for Home Practice - Mommy Speech Therapy

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School's out for summer! This sentence can bring parents both relief and a bit of anxiety at the same time. As a parent myself my goal is to not only survive the break, but to enjoy it, and maybe even take it a bit easier then usual while helping my kids do the same.

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7 activities to try at home

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Our philosophy here at Kid's Creek Therapy is that parents and patients will find compassion, direction and be treated like family. One way we do that is to provide tips and ideas which are both fun for your child and support his or her therapy goals. Following are ideas for seven DIY speech therapy activities we love that you can try at home.

Sight Word Hopscotch

For this easy activity, all you need is some chalk and a rock or bean bag, and the game can be adapted to aid in recognition of letters, numbers, or colors, or to practice letter sounds, spelling, etc. BONUS: it'll get your child moving, too! Find out more about sight word hopscotch here.

Penguin Memory/Describing Cards

Katie of Playing With Words 365 offers a FREE printable set that can be used with children as young as two up through elementary age. You can use the cards to work on same/different, vocabulary, articulation, grammar and syntax, describing skills, and asking and answering "wh" questions. Learn more and download her printable set here.

Articulation Towers

You can find several variations of what are called "artic towers" or "power towers" online, but the basic idea is as follows: get a bunch of small cups and write a word or letter (or tape images of words for younger kids) on the cups. Each time your child says the word on the cup, he gets to use the cup to build a tower. BONUS: stacking is good for fine motor skills, too! See one simple example here.

Learn and Play with Easter Eggs

Plastic Easter eggs are cheap and plentiful, so be sure to stock up this spring and use them to help your child with his speech and language development. Several ideas which promote letter and number recognition, sight words, word families, and even beginning mathematics can be found at this site.

Snowflake Gross Motor Learning

Another FREE printable from Katie of Playing With Words 365 is this simple snowflake set. She provides several ideas for how to use them to promote speech and learning through movement. Find out more and download her printable here.

French Fry Sight Words

Who doesn't love french fries? This simple game uses popsicle sticks, a set of tongs, and a french fry container to teach sight words (although you could adapt it to focus on letters or numbers). The addition of the tongs makes this game a fine motor activity, as well! Check out a how-to on this fun game here.

Now go have fun, and let us know if you try any of these ideas at home!
Melanie McGriff, M.Ed., clinic director and speech therapist

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Seven Fun DIY Speech Therapy Activities for Parents

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Our philosophy here at Kid's Creek Therapy is that parents and patients will find compassion, direction and be treated like family. One way we do that is to provide tips and ideas which are both fun for your child and support his or her therapy goals.

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PT activities you can do at home with your children

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As a pediatric physical therapist one of my main jobs is to work on gross motor skills. To work on these skills pediatric physical therapists come up with lots of different gross motor activities for kids!

Gross motor activities are a great way to get kids up and moving. Let's talk about activities that help kids work on gross motor skills!

At Pink Oatmeal, we provide you with several different FREE gross motor activities and task cards in the freebie library.

What does Gross Motor mean?

When you hear people say that they are working on gross motor skills or doing gross motor activities they are talking about activities that involve large movements of the body.

Some example of gross motor movements that you do everyday include running, jumping, walking, crawling, and squatting.

So, when someone is talking about gross motor activities they are talking about activities that involve these large movements of the body.

Playground Games

Using games and play is a huge part of working on gross motor skills. Almost all play equipment on a playground allows kids to work on gross motor skills and is a VERY IMPORTANT part of a child's school day.

There are other great games that can be played on the playground and have been for years that don't involve the need for fancy playground equipment.

Hopscotch - Don't forget about this game that has been around forever as it is a great gross motor activity!

Four Square - Another great game to work on so many different gross motor skills!

Tag - This can be in all forms. Traditional tag, freeze tag, TV tag etc.

Gaga Ball - Have you heard of this yet? Many different playgrounds and schools are starting to have gaga pits.

Jump Rope Games - Games like helicopter, snake, and partner jumping are all great ways to work on large motor skills.

Tether Ball - Do you remember playing this game? It consists of a ball attached to a medal pole by a rope. Two players would try to hit the ball around the pole. I don't see it as often on playgrounds anymore but it was/is a great game to work on gross motor skills.

Gross Motor and Learning

Gross motor activities can easily be brought right into learning when you have creative ideas for implementing it. The best part is the kids are having so much fun, getting in much needed physical activity, and learning all at the same time!

Alphabet Yoga- Someone brand new to yoga to the seasoned yogi will love these fun ways to move and learn about the alphabet.

Alphabet Movement - Fast, fun, and effective movements that go with different letters of the alphabet.

Letter Recognition Activities With Movement - Get so many different ideas for adding movement in to letter recognition.

Sight Word Motor Paths - Adding gross motor to sight words can be made easy by creating sight word paths where kids read the sight words as they move through the motor path.

Scavenger Hunts - Making scavenger hunts related to learning topics is an excellent way to work on gross motor skills. Adding in skipping, jumping, galloping, walking backward etc to the scavenger hunt let's you focus on the motor skills you want. Get FREE scavenger hunts in the Pink Oatmeal freebie library.

Themed Movement- Adding movement that goes along with the different themes you are working on is easy when it is already done for you. Are you looking to add movement to your farm theme, circus theme, or space theme? It's all done for you. Browse every themed activity and printable you could ever want in the Pink Oatmeal Shop.

- This is one of the easiest way to add movement. When discussing numbers it is easy to add gross motor activities. For example, calendar time. If the date is the 15th you would have your kids do 15 jumping jacks. Get ready made number gross motor cards.

Shapes Yoga - Have the kiddos make their bodies into different shapes.

Alphabet Magic - Magically turn your body into the different letters of the alphabet.

Gross Motor Activities - With A Ball

Using an exercise ball or small regular ball can be a fun addition to any gross motor game. Kids love all of these different activities and you can vary the challenge based on the age and ability of the kids you are working with!
Wall Climb Trunk Twists Ball Rolls
Foot Pass
Foot Rolls
Sticker Ball Stability Game

Balance Activities

Finding fun ways to work on balance can be achieved with some of these fun gross motor games.
Balance With Blocks Bean Bag Balance Game
Single Foot Cone Taps

Motor Planning

Have you found some ideas that look fun to use? At Pink Oatmeal we have even more to help you with your gross motor activity planning. Check out the entire section of the website dedicated to gross motor planning (and fine motor skills too). This will help make all of your motor planning a breeze!

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Gross Motor Activities For Kids | Pink Oatmeal - Games and Resources

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As a pediatric physical therapist one of my main jobs is to work on gross motor skills. To work on these skills pediatric physical therapists come up with lots of different gross motor activities for kids! Gross motor activities are a great way to get kids up and moving.

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Several links to a variety of government resources

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Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resources for

Affordable & Supportive Housing

VOTINg Resources

Federal / nationwide resources

California State Resources

The EDD provides a variety of support services to individuals affected by COVID-19 in California. For faster and more convenient access to those services, we encourage the use of our online options.

California for All - Find Childcare

San Diego County Resources

San Diego County Schools (K-12 & Higher Education)

San Diego County Food Sources

Affordable / supportive Housing, service providers, resident services, developers, communities

COVID-19 Response Funding

Health & Wellness Resources

Education, Arts & Culture Resources

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COVID-19 Resources for Affordable Housing - San Diego Housing Federation

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VOTINg Resources Federal / nationwide resources The EDD provides a variety of support services to individuals affected by COVID-19 in California. For faster and more convenient access to those services, we encourage the use of our online options.

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Resources for Families and Teachers Affected by the Coronavirus

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Simple home activities

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As we have seen on the page about using an Active Learning approach at home, expensive equipment is not a prerequisite to getting started! The video below shows how a simple bath mat and water beads can be an interesting and developmentally appropriate activity, without need for any specialized equipment.

Laundry Basket

A parent shared this simple idea: just place items inside the laundry basket and the child can pull them out through the holes. Be sure that the items are small enough or squishy enough to be able to fit. You can leave part of the item hanging out a bit for the child to find more easily and to help him or her get it started.

Voozeki with Bathmat & Beads

Description: A boy with cerebral palsy is seated outside in his wheelchair. On his lap tray is a spiky, gel bathmat with water beads. Please note that this activity is not recommended for someone who puts things in his mouth.

Active Learning at Home

Voozeki is actively learning through play and exploration. Children with limited mobility often have a difficult time grasping objects. His family has created this Active Learning space for him at home: with a backdrop armature they have been able to hang instruments and toys to make sounds or music.

NOTE: We recommend that some tubing be added over the elastic (for safety) to ensure that a child does not wrap fingers around the elastic and cut off circulation to the fingers.

Glow Art

This boy with CVI (cortical visual impairment) and cerebral palsy is using neon paint to create glow art. Neon paint has been placed on the cover of a slanted black notebook, which raises it a bit, making it easier for him to access both visually and tactually. A black light is shining on the paint, which illuminates it, without shining in his eyes or distracting him. Paintbrushes are suspended on elastic next to each of his hands, so that he is able to grasp them and bring them to the paint surface to create a picture. His family has created this set-up to allow him to explore the paint independently.

View Part 2 of the Glow Art video.

Voozeki with Red Garland

Description: Voozeki with Red Garland. Video courtesy of the Gardea family, 2018.

Note: The tinsel garland is not very strong and if eaten could be a hazard. While this child just rubs it on his face and touches it, it could be dangerous for children who might put it in their mouths or try to eat it. For those children you could string buttons on elastic (very long) or attach items to tubing, or use fringe from a material store that is more sturdy, etc.

Voozeki with Beach Chair

Description: A boy with cortical visual impairment and cerebral palsy lies prone on a lounge chair in the family yard.

Note: The beach chair is not very sturdy and someone must hold him in the position, but it is better than not doing it at all. Note that the hip joint cannot bend because the chair is too long. Finding a chair that is shorter in width would produce a better result by allowing the legs to move as well and this would be a good idea to try.

Comparing Similar Items

A typically developing infant or toddler is constantly moving, touching, mouthing, smelling, looking, and listening. A child spends a great amount of time in the first two years of life playing, experiencing and exploring with toys and objects. It is the method by which all humans develop foundational concepts. Through play, a child learns about size, shape, temperature, texture, flexibility, and density. A child gains cognitive skills such as spatial relations, object concept, object permanence, and begins to develop problem solving skills. A child will learn about the function of an object, compare qualities, understand quantity and begin to develop language skills. The individual with special needs must also have opportunities to master these skills, an Active Learning environment will provide this opportunity.

In the images above, a young boy examines sets of objects: a variety of different types of small balls on the left and a group of different hair rollers on the right. Exploring them and playing with them allows him to compare them and learn about their various properties. (Watch the video to see him playing with these.) Courtesy of SKI-HI Institute.
Video of Child Comparing Items While Sitting in His High Chair

Description: In Active Learning, foundational concepts are developed through exploration of similar objects. This video, produced by SKI-HI Institute, demonstrates how a young boy with a visual impairment explores the properties of similar objects.

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As we have seen on the page about using an Active Learning approach at home, expensive equipment is not a prerequisite to getting started! The video below shows how a simple bath mat and water beads can be an interesting and developmentally appropriate activity, without need for any specialized equipment.

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All stories are free to stream on your desktop, laptop, phone or tablet.

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Movement and mindfulness videos created by child development experts.

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Free Stories for kids of all ages. Stream on phones, computers, and tablets.

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Online Activities

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Sunflower Hill | Residential Communities and Programs for Adults with Developmental Disabilities

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Thursday, July 22, 2021
Let's Get Cooking! Join Teacher Abby in the kitchen as she prepares an easy and delicious Stir-Fry Eggplant, using fresh ingredients from the Sunflower Hill Garden! Download the recipe, watch the video, then share with us: do you enjoy eggplant?

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Thursday, July 22, 2021 Let's Get Cooking! Join Teacher Abby in the kitchen as she prepares an easy and delicious Stir-Fry Eggplant, using fresh ingredients from the Sunflower Hill Garden! Download the recipe, watch the video, then share with us: do you enjoy eggplant?

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Helpful Academic Resources for Remote Learning

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Helpful Academic Resources for Remote Learning

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Helpful Academic Resources for Remote Learning.docx

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It assesses independent living skills and provides results instantly

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Dreams can be a reality... if you have a plan.

Casey Life Skills is a free practice tool and framework for working with youth in foster care. It assesses independent living skills and provides results instantly. Learn more about Casey Life Skills

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Dreams can be a reality... if you have a plan. Casey Life Skills is a free practice tool and framework for working with youth in foster care. It assesses independent living skills and provides results instantly. Learn more about Casey Life Skills

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This site will help you explore the broad range of careers within the industry of agriculture.

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"I look forward to logging in, every day. Whether I need a quick video about a current event, a pre-made learning activity for a lesson, or using Quiz to poll my class, there's always something useful. I feel like Discovery Education has really listened to what educators need."

Amy Erb
STEAM Teacher

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Discovery Education | Your Daily Learning Platform

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"I look forward to logging in, every day. Whether I need a quick video about a current event, a pre-made learning activity for a lesson, or using Quiz to poll my class, there's always something useful. I feel like Discovery Education has really listened to what educators need."

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As a Massachusetts-based company, we are complying with the Governor's emergency mandate to limit in-person operations. Please know that we are doing our best to continue to serve you during this period, although our response time may be delayed. Thank you for your patience.

During extended school closures due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, Wilson Language Training ® recognizes that addressing the needs of your students while continuing to keep yourself, your class, and other faculty members safe is important. With that in mind, we have made recommendations to help facilitate instruction from a distance.

Below, you will find links to recommendations for Fundations ®, Just Words ®, and Wilson Reading System ® use and instructions for accessing the online Learning Communities.
Continuing Your Work with Fundations Students During COVID-19 Closures
Use this link for Tier 1 and 2 instruction for students in K-3
Continuing Your Work with Just Words Students During COVID-19 Closures Continuing Your Work with Wilson Reading System Students During COVID-19 Closures
Use this link for Tier 2 instruction for students in grades 4-12

Use this link for Tier 3 instruction for students with dyslexia

We greatly appreciate the effort that teachers and districts are making to support students during this challenging time.

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Supporting Students During COVID-19 Closures | Wilson Language Training

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As a Massachusetts-based company, we are complying with the Governor's emergency mandate to limit in-person operations. Please know that we are doing our best to continue to serve you during this period, although our response time may be delayed. Thank you for your patience.

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making eye contact kid version video - Bing video

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Top suggestions for making eye contact kid version video

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Supporting Individuals with Autism through Uncertain Times

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It may also be necessary to create new routines during this time, as there are many new demands of caregivers-possibly homeschooling for the first time, continuing to work in/out of the home, and/or caring for multiple children or other family members. Several new routines that may be helpful are described here:

Transitioning off screens: For many reasons, children and young adults may access screens more frequently and for longer periods of the day during this time. Transitioning away from a device, especially after a period of extended use, may be difficult for many children and young adults; however, the behavioral rigidity and inflexibility often characteristic in individuals with autism may make these transitions problematic. Establishing a clear, consistent, and concrete routine for this transition can better prepare the individual for the coming transition and offer support throughout.

Use a visual timer. It may be helpful for individuals with autism to "see" how much time remains of screen time before they will be expected to transition to off the device. Concepts related to time are fairly abstract (e.g. "You have a few minutes"), often cannot be interpreted literally (e.g. "Just a second" or "We need to get off in a minute"), and may be confusing, especially if time-telling is not a mastered skill. Presenting information related to time visually can assist in making the concepts more meaningful. One example is the Time Timer ™ app (https://www.timetimer.com/collections/applications), which displays a section of red that disappears when the time runs out.

Another visual transition strategy to use is a visual countdown system. Like the visual timer, a visual countdown allows an individual to "see" how much time is remaining in an activity. The countdown differs, however, because there is no specific time increment used. This tool is beneficial if the timing of the transition needs to be flexible (e.g. caregiver would like the child to stay engaged on the device during a work call but doesn't know when it will end). A countdown system can be made with numbered or colored squares or sticky notes, or any shape or style that is meaningful to the individual. As the transition nears, the caregiver can pull off or cross off the top item (e.g. the number 5) so the individual is able to see that only 4 items remain. The caregiver decides how quickly or slowly to remove the remaining items depending on when the transition will occur. Two minutes may elapse between the removal of number 3 and number 2, while a longer amount of time may elapse before the final number is removed. Once the final item is removed, the individual is taught that it is time to transition. Several examples are provided, and these can be used to support any transition.

Offer choices. In a time of crisis, when most people feel like so much is out of their control, providing choices can increase a sense of autonomy and motivation. Creating regular opportunities across the day where family members have a voice about what happens and when it happens can serve as an effective anxiety reducing strategy and a communication tool. These choices might include the route for the nightly walk, meal options, order of activities for the day, and/or preferences for activities. Several examples are provided for use across the day and age range.

Creating a work space with a to-do list. For the first time, many children and young adults will be expected to complete schoolwork in the home setting. Individuals with autism may have difficulty generalizing the strategies and skills they used in the school environment to the home environment (e.g. organizing materials, attending to work activities, submitting assignments online). Thus, it will be helpful to establish a designated workspace to help clarify expectations and reduce distractions. This may be a spot at the dining room table designated by a colored placemat and facing away from the television or window. If multiple children are working in one space, consider adding a small visual divider (e.g. an open folder) between them. Caregivers can create a visual "to-do" list in several different ways-

a) placing the individual worksheets to be completed on the child's left and a small basket on the child's right to put them in when they are finished, or

b) writing a short list on a sticky note of the tasks to accomplish during the work session (e.g. 1 science story and 15 minutes of ABC Mouse). These can be crossed off when they are finished. Older children and young adults can likely generate their own to-do lists but may need some initial support to establish a workspace and launch these routines.

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It may also be necessary to create new routines during this time, as there are many new demands of caregivers-possibly homeschooling for the first time, continuing to work in/out of the home, and/or caring for multiple children or other family members.

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Welcome to Little Puddins. This is my personal blog, which focuses on Family, Parenting, Autism, Special Needs,Craft, and Lifestyle.

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FREE At home learning Schedule for parents to use during COVID-19 (coronavirus) school closures
Included:
+ First, then

+ My Schedule 1-4

+ 12 schedule pieces

+ AM/PM

PLEASE NOTE: Limited Visuals are included with this set, for more visuals click here
More helpful resources: Simple Visual Schedules Digital Sentence Comprehension Digital Coin ID FREE hand washing task analysis Reduced price Simple Comprehension March

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FREE At home learning Schedule for parents to use during COVID-19 (coronavirus) school closuresIncluded:+ First, then+ My Schedule 1-4+ 12 schedule pieces+ AM/PMPLEASE NOTE: Limited Visuals are included with this set, for more visuals click hereMore helpful resources:Simple Visual SchedulesDigital S...

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Special Education Degrees | Your Guide To A Career In Special Education

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Top 12 Websites For Children With Learning Disabilities | Special Education Degrees

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As many educators, parents, and families know, having a learning disability doesn’t make a child any less smart than his or her peers. In fact, it often means that the child is as smart or smarter but their brain just works differently because it’s neurological process. People with learning disabili…

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The Can Do! page just for kids!!

T he Can Do! Kids page has fun online activities for kids to try out, and interesting can do stories and resources that will help kids realize and appreciate their abilities as they try to accomplish their goals and reach their dreams.

Click on the icons below to try them out yourself!

Who are Can Do! Kids?

C an Do! Kids are kids who focus on what they can do instead of what they can't. Can Do! Kids use their abilities in whatever way is best for them in order to do the things they want... whether it's reading a book, drawing a picture, being a friend, playing a sport, or reaching a goal or dream. The cool thing is, EVERY kid can be a Can Do! Kid!

Even if some things are hard to do,
most people have abilities...
we each have our own "constellation" of abilities.

Take a cyber side-trip by
following this star to learn more about your
constellation of abilities.

*

Can Do! web pages Copyright &copy 1997-2013, Maribeth Bush. All rights reserved.

Artwork by Peter H. Reynolds, Copyright &copy 1997-2013, Peter H. Reynolds. All rights reserved.

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The Can Do! page just for kids!! T he Can Do! Kids page has fun online activities for kids to try out, and interesting can do stories and resources that will help kids realize and appreciate their abilities as they try to accomplish their goals and reach their dreams. Click on the icons below to try them out yourself!

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coronaviruses; 2019-ncov; covid-19; sars-cov-2; viruses; outbreak; infections; illnesses; epidemic; epidemiology; pandemic; quarantine; wuhan; immune system; pneumonia; germs; vaccines; vaccinations; creative coding; corona virus; corona viruses; carona

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Learn all about the coronavirus that started making people sick in 2019.

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Virtual Learning for students with Mod/Sev needs

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Virtual Learning for students with Mod/Sev needs

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I'm passionate about helping ALL students succeed! I taught special education in a multi-needs classroom, where my students had a range of low incidence abilities functioning anywhere between a PreK to 3rd grade level. I love teaching and creating materials - and then being able to share my ideas and help teachers like you! Read more about my classroom on my blog - Breezy Special Ed Blog and on my facebook page.

Every student can succeed, just in different ways. So I keep trying new things until I find what works for that student!

HONORS/AWARDS/SHINING TEACHER MOMENT

It's all in the little things. When I see something we've been working on for so long finally "click" with a student, when a behavior plan starts to show improvements with a student, when my students say hello unprompted! :)

MY OWN EDUCATIONAL HISTORY

Graduated from Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights with a Special Education and Elementary Education BA degree.

ADDITIONAL BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

Check out my facebook page for more ideas and notifications of new products/sales!

English Language Arts, Reading, Spelling, Specialty, Math, Science, Earth Sciences, Social Studies - History, Government, U.S. History, Arts & Music, Computer Science - Technology, Special Education, Health, Social Work, Life Skills, School Counseling, Cooking, Writing, Oral Communication, Holidays/Seasonal, Back to School, Thanksgiving, Christmas/ Chanukah/ Kwanzaa, Halloween, Speech Therapy, Winter, Valentine's Day, Presidents' Day, Black History Month, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, Spring, Earth Day, Summer, Vocational Education, Early Intervention, Women's History Month

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I'm passionate about helping ALL students succeed! I taught special education in a multi-needs classroom, where my students had a range of low incidence abilities functioning anywhere between a PreK to 3rd grade level. I love teaching and creating materials - and then being able to share my ideas and help teachers like you!

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The Coronavirus outbreak has put a stress on teachers and schools to close in order to keep communities safe. For special education teachers, providing at home learning materials can be very difficult. I want to help! I am offering the following for the month of March to ease the pressure and workload placed on teachers and to support students at home during this time period:
+ FREE hand washing life skills center (visuals and task analysis) + FREE visual recipe for Shamrock Mix + FREE Picture Comprehension: Spring + FREE Cut and Paste Worksheets: March + FREE Home visual Schedule + $5 Simple Comprehension: March + At Home Learning Bundle How can you tell parents about these resources?
These resources are print and go. You are welcome to email parents this resource for at home printing ( this is usually not allowed in my terms of use and I am giving a written exception for this case in case it is necessary.)

If you have planning time, print the resources for parents to complete at home and provide an email explaining how to support students while doing so.

What resource will give me week long learning?
Picture comprehension Spring will provide comprehension sheets for daily use of up to one months time.

Simple Comprehension ( March is available for $5 at this time) will give you 4 weeks work of lessons, stories, vocabulary, comprehension, and more. You can print the level appropriate for the student and send home with them.

What if I need more to fill the time out of school?
I recommend only sending print and go materials or loaning your prepped materials to parents. As always, over 70 free downloads in the Simply Free Library Many of these are task boxes that can become simple cut and paste worksheets if sending home.

Need more help? We are brainstorming ideas in my Simply Special Community of special ed teachers on Facebook, join the conversation here.

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5 Resources for at Home Learning - Simply Special Ed

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The Coronavirus outbreak has put a stress on teachers and schools to close in order to keep communities safe. For special education teachers, providing at home learning materials can be very difficult. I want to help! I am offering the following for the month of March to ease the pressure and workload placed on teachers [...]

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Free Downloads for Closed Schools from The Autism Helper

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i wanted to try and learn sign language over quarantine, and this a really great app for beginners. it shows you the letters, and how to sign them, before giving you words to spell out which is a great way to learn. i also like how the words get harder and longer each level, because you really are learning more each round. the only problem i have with this app is when it gives you words with two letters in a row (example: bee, boo, free). it won't let you type the second letter (so you can only type be, no, and fre) so you can't finish that round and have to start over. it wasn't a huge problem at first because it wasn't giving me a lot of words with two letters in a row, but now that it is, it's kind of frustrating. especially when i will be on a roll with some of the more difficult rounds and i have to start over completely. other than that, the app is really helpful for begginers.

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‎Learn how to receptively and expressively finger-spell using "Hands On ASL"! Our unique, interactive application helps anyone and everyone learn communication-basics using the American Sign Language alphabet. Unlike other applications, "Hands On ASL" uses 3D models, rather than still shots or video...

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Learn sign language with these easy to learn signs, play the quiz, and learn the ASL alphabet.

Get the whole family excited about learning American Sign Language (ASL) by watching other kids sign! The ASL experts in our app are between the ages of 1 and 12, and they teach you common signs from the ASL dictionary and baby sign language. All hand signs, furthermore, are accompanied by a large image and an audio button designed to stimulate speech and hearing.

This free app has all the functionality you can imagine, including quiz games, fingerspelling and 50 free signs. An optional pack of 150+ more signs is available to help you increase your knowledge of ASL.

Important Message for Parents and Teachers
- NO Direct links to social networking websites
- NO ads
- Parents have the option to monitor and control all in-app purchases

If you have an issue, please email us for help at info@asl-kids.com.

Why this app?
When we found out our son had hearing loss, our whole family was eager to learn sign language. That was when we discovered that our kids benefited from interactive visual material. However, it was hard to find suitable apps on signing specifically designed for kids. The next thing we knew, we had decided to design one ourselves.

How do children learn best? By imitating other kids! My son loves this app, and I hope you will too.

How does it work?
The app is kid-proof and was designed to be used without the help of an adult. There are no external links or ads, so no internet connection is needed to work the app. While there is no complex text, kids will have no issues navigating our clear and tappable images.

**** Support ****
We are dedicated to creating and expanding a high-quality app that unlocks your child's learning potential in a fun way.

Looking for more tips for improvement? Go to asl-kids.com and let us know.
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ASLkids

**** Features: ****
- Peer role models: How do children learn best? By imitating other kids!
- Intuitive interface: No need to read. Clear tappable images.
- Easy signs: Carefully selected signs that are easy for children to master.
- Fun: Includes an interactive quiz game to test your knowledge of ASL.
- Fingerspelling: Learn your ABC's by swiping through the letters
- No ads or external links: No internet connection required after download.
- Video: Videos can be (re)played by tapping the screen.
- Easy navigation: Simple menu and buttons for easy browsing.
- Audio: Separate audio button to hear how a word is pronounced.
- iPad / iPhone optimized

Download now and learn ASL!

Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ASLkids
and visit https://asl-kids.com for more information

150 more signs that are free for previous buyers. Improved graphics, audio, and categories.

fix please!

I loved the app in the beginning because it was easy to follow along with and watching the people so it really helped. I do believe you should update the app and add more signs to learn. I have experienced a bug when i tried to watch the kids do it it would load and just stayed the same and froze. I don't know if this has happened to others but please try to fix this bug.

Thanks! Please turn Low Power Mode off to make the videos play. With Low Power mode enabled videos do not play correctly (when low on battery). Go to Settings > Battery.

Love the App, Hope for New Material

This is truly a beautiful app that is simple, kid friendly, very easy to learn and everything I ever hoped for in an app. Its even easy for adults to learn along with the kids. I hope ASL Kids can keep going because this app has lots of potential to be used at home, in school, at daycare, etc.

My critique is if the developers can, update new material more often. My little brother is autistic and he lost interest after learning everything and having no new material to learn. This new update reignited his interest and he looks forward to learning more.

I've recommended it to a friend and her kids love it. I highly recommend it. Thank you ASL Kids for existing, being awesome and I look forward to seeing you grow.

Thank you very much for your support and suggestions Akira!!

Please fix!

We loved the app! My son loves using it to learn sign language and it's so much easier than looking up each individual word to show him a video. HOWEVER, like fluffycatthingymabon said in their review on April 13 , there seems to be a bug. He's been using the app nonstop without any issues for the last 2 weeks, we even bought the extra package for more words. But now when he tries to play the videos, it just shows the child standing there and doesn't actually play. My son is very upset that it has stopped working. I will be more than happy to change my rating to 5 stars once this bug is fixed. I'm really bummed, especially since I paid for the extra words and now none of them are working.

Please turn Low Power Mode off to make the videos play. With Low Power mode enabled videos do not play correctly (when low on battery). Go to Settings > Battery.
This is not a bug but a setting to protect the battery life. Hope this helps.

The developer, New-impulse media, has not provided details about its privacy practices and handling of data to Apple. For more information, see the developer's privacy policy.

No Details Provided

The developer will be required to provide privacy details when they submit their next app update.

Information

Compatibility

iPhone

Requires iOS 8.0 or later.

iPad

Requires iPadOS 8.0 or later.

iPod touch

Requires iOS 8.0 or later.

Mac

Requires macOS 11.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip.

Family Sharing

With Family Sharing set up, up to six family members can use this app.

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‎Get the whole family excited about learning American Sign Language (ASL) by watching other kids sign! The ASL experts in our app are between the ages of 1 and 12, and they teach you common signs from the ASL dictionary and baby sign language. All hand signs, furthermore, are accompanied by a large i...

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Señas Básicas para Cuidadores (Basic Sign Language for Caregivers of the Deaf)-Spanish

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Many parents, therapists, and teachers are feeling overwhelmed with school closings. I wanted to give back by making you a fine motor / visual motor chart for daily activities that use common household items for 15 activities / days. You can print and give to parents to use with their students while they are on school closing. This is primarily aimed at younger children (preschool / early elementary) or children who are at this developmental level.
SHARING: Please share this PDF directly with students or families in your classroom or caseload (ie: printing out, email, google classroom, e-platforms) or any ways that directly link to your students/families/caseload/classroom. Please DO NOT post the PDF or screenshots directly to any PUBLIC sharing platform (ie:blog, website, Facebook group, instagram) or other PUBLIC place. Instead, share by posting a link for people to download.
What's included:

ENGLISH:

Page 3: Cover page (print or do not print)

Page 4: Chart with directions to cross off each activity after completion

Page 5: SAME Chart but with directions to have your child circle that they liked the activity :) or did not like the activity :(

Page 6: By request: visual chart. This chart is ONLY SIMPLE visuals for students to use. This does not specifically show how to do the activities but is a visual representation. Please look at the directions on previous pages to understand what you need to do.

SPANISH: THANK YOU to my wonderful co-worker, Giselle Alvarez, MOT, OTR/L for translating this Spanish version!

Page 7: Cover page (print or do not print)

Page 8: Chart with directions to cross off each activity after completion

Page 9: SAME Chart but with directions to have your child circle that they liked the activity :) or did not like the activity :(

Page 10: By request: visual chart. This chart is ONLY SIMPLE visuals for students to use. This does not specifically show how to do the activities but is a visual representation. Please look at the directions on previous pages to understand what you need to do.

If you love this product, please leave me feedback. If you find an error, or have a suggestion, please email me: EmpoweringOT@gmail.com I am happy to work with buyers to make them happy :)

PLEASE SHARE THIS WITH EVERYONE WHO NEEDS IT! However, please direct them to my website to download to their own account. This resource cannot be posted on websites or other areas where multiple people can access this resource. All rights reserved.

Check out my teacher pay teacher store for more resources: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Empowering-Ot-By-Dr-R

This is perfect for RTI / MTSS as an intervention for handwriting skills.This is great for visual scanning, visual perceptual skills, coordination, visual motor integration and fine motor. This is also a perfect activity for occupational therapists OT, teachers, speech pathologists SLP, special education SPED teachers and other school professionals while working on skills!

I am a school occupational therapist who has a doctorate in occupational therapy. I work closely with special education and general education staff adapting material. This is where I get my inspiration for this material. I have used my materials with a variety of children with different disabilities including learning disabilities, dyslexia, autism, sensory processing disorder, ADD, ADHD, visual impairments, deaf/hard of hearing, cerebral palsy, down syndrome and more.

DISCLAIMER: By using this, you agree that this activity is not intended to replace the advice of a physician or occupational therapist. Information provided should not be used for diagnostic or training purposes. Please speak with your physician or OT if you have questions. Stop any activity if you are unsure about a child's reaction or ability.

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Distance Learning 15 days of HOME fine motor CHART OT FREE ENGLISH & SPANISH

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Many parents, therapists, and teachers are feeling overwhelmed with school closings. I wanted to give back by making you a fine motor / visual motor chart for daily activities that use common household items for 15 activities / days. You can print and give to parents to use with their students while...

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Reaching Out in These Difficult Times . . . As teachers, therapists, and parents, we are all facing a challenging time with COVID-19. With many schools closing across the world, I wanted to do what I could to help. I am offering several FREE resources (below) for you and your students to use in the coming weeks as many of us shift to online teaching and to providing work to take home. Feel welcome to share these resources with friends, families, and other professionals.

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Pencil Control Packet Designed for younger children, this packet offers several types of writing strokes for practice. Strokes include horizontal, vertical, circles, sideways bumps, up/down bumps, diagonals, and weaving. Ideas for multi-sensory practice are included.

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Check out our list of fun printable activities for kids that promote fine motor, visual motor, and gross motor development. Click on the titles to see each activity and get the printables:

The Butter Making Song: Use this simple farm activity with a printable song as an opportunity to talk to kids about where their food comes from and how it's made.

Make Me a Monster: Kids will have a blast finishing off the faces of the Halloween characters in these free printable activities for kids. A great activity to encourage visual motor skills and attention to detail.

The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything Cutting Craft: A fun way to practice cutting skills with a printable craft activity that goes right along with a favorite Halloween book!

Pick a Pumpkin Fine Motor Activity: Challenge kids' in-hand manipulation and grasping skills with a fun fall pumpkin picking activity that uses a cute printable pumpkin patch page!

Spooky Scavenger Hunt: A fun printable scavenger hunt activity that kids can do together to get ready for Halloween, using their senses to explore the great Halloween decorations in their neighborhood! Comes with a free printable invitation to give to a neighbor!

Halloween Charades: With this printable game of Halloween charades, children will be having their very own monster mash in no time!

Cranberry Crazy: This fun Thanksgiving gross motor activity with a free printable will have kids up and moving after Thanksgiving dinner!

Wikki Stixy Tom: Get your Super Fingers ready for this one! Meet Wikki Stixy Tom....a printable Thanksgiving fine motor activity created from ! This activity makes a great decoration to stick to a window or a wall.

Printable Table Setting Game: A great game for a small group. Kids will learn where to put the silverware, cup, and plate as they race to see who can be the first to fill their printable place mat!

Holiday Flashlight Walk: A fun winter outdoor activity for kids, this fun printable scavenger hunt is sure to become a tradition in your family! Also comes with a cute printable invitation to invite neighborhood friends along for the fun!

Naughty or Nice: This activity with a free printable enforces the kind of behavior that warrants a visit from Santa and points out the kind of behavior that gets you a lump of coal!

Snow Dance: Introducing an activity with a book provides great context, giving kids a sense of purpose behind what they're doing. This fun activity with printable pictures is the perfect opporutnity for kids to create some one-of-a-kind dance moves to celebrate winter!

Printable Winter Craft: One of our favorite winter crafts for kids because it can be graded to challenge both kids with higher level cutting skills and kids who are just getting the hang of using scissors.

Snowy Word Shakeup: While this winter game isn't necessarily for the youngest kids in the Treehouse, it can be adapted so that anyone can play. How many words can your child find?

An Island in the Sun: The book, An Island in the Sun by Stella Blackstone focuses on rhyming, rhythym, and repetition. This post offers two printable activities for kids: a visual memory and sequencing activity and a fine motor craft activity too!

Sparkly Sensory Starfish: A fun ocean craft for kids with a free printable template. Get those Super Fingers ready for a fine motor workout!

Jumping Hearts: For this activity, we string together a few different gross motor activities that involve jumping - using hearts for our Valentine's Day theme!

Fine Motor Heart Art: There's nothing better than getting flowers as a gift, especially from a child. Your little one will love making this beautiful flower heart art. And with the added benefit of fine motor skills practice, it's the gift that keeps on giving!

3D Circus Stars: All kids benefit from fine motor practice with scissors and glue! With these printable activities for kids, your little one will create a 3-dimensional circus star - a clown, a lion, an elephant, or all 3!

Snacktime at the Circus!: Step right up and get your popcorn or peanuts! Kids will get to decorate their own fun circus snack holder with this free printable!

Bunny Puppet Craft: This printable activity will give your child some fine motor work and some exposure to cutting with scissors as she makes her own puppet that can go "tippy tippy tippy pat, dig scrabble scratch scratch scratch MUNCHA MUNCHA MUNCHA" - just like the book by Candace Fleming!

The Bedtime March: When you think about bedtime for kids, the last thing that comes to mind might be gross motor activities. But this one could go a long way toward helping with the whining, pleading, and general slow motion approach that typically goes along with getting young kids into bed.

All About My Mom: Looking for a great gift for a mom? Print out this adorable fill-in-the-blank poem and have kids fill in their answers!

Printable Seed Collection Templates: Kids will get to learn about seeds, sorting them by type, size, and color with these cute, colorful printables!

Make a Star: Print out the template below to help your child draw a star. Then, read on to get ideas for some creative fine motor practice for your child using his star!

4th of July Poem and Movement Activity: A great way for everyone to experience the fun of fireworks, even if they're a bit afraid of the real thing - perfect for younger kids or kids who are sensitive to loud sounds.

W-Sitting Information Handout: Are you a therapist, teacher, or caregiver that works with kids who are W-Sitters? Print off this informational handout to share with parents and families!

Baby Bumblebee: This classic kids song gets a little sensory and fine motor twist in this fun activity!

Sports Ball Drawing Activity: A fun and challenging drawing exercise where kids have to finish drawing the missing half of a variety of sports balls!

Football Pass Route Tracing: Little football fans will love learning the different passing routes by tracing each one!

Soccer Fine Motor Challenge: Weave your pencil in and out of the cones for a fun and simple sports-themed fine motor drill!

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Check out our list of fun printable activities for kids that promote fine motor, visual motor, and gross motor development. Click on the titles to see each activity and get the printables: The Butter Making Song : Use this simple farm activity with a printable song as an opportunity to talk to kids about where their food comes from and how it's made.

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Free apps that support Social- Emotional Growth

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Free apps that support Social- Emotional Growth

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Breath, Think, Do with Sesame  2-4

Daniel Tiger for Parents 2-4

Stop, Breathe & Think Kids – 4+

SuperBetter – 8+

Smiling Mind – 6-12, teenagers, young adults

Headspace – various age categories

Calm – all ages

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Just For Kids: A Comic Exploring The New Coronavirus

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You may have heard the word “coronavirus” online or on TV. You probably have a lot of questions. Check out our comic to get some answers — and print out a zine version at home.

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Padlet Supporting students with Autism during COVID-19

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Padlet Supporting students with Autism during COVID-19

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PrAACtical Resources: Online AAC Support for Families During School Closures

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The AAC field is peppered with amazingly dedicated professionals who come up with creative solutions to the day’s latest challenges. In this guest post, SLP Laura Boates, a graduate of McGill…

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100 Free TPT Speech Therapy Home Packets

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100 Free TPT Speech Therapy Home Packets