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7321 See-through Eggshells and Chalk on the Trampoline: Building Extraordinary People through Ordinary Stuff

Friday, July 25, 2014: 2:30 PM-3:45 PM

206 (Indiana Convention Center)

Life often teaches that being different doesn't make you "original" - it makes you "weird." That STINKS. Spectrum minds think differently, they deserve to learn differently, too! Teach flexible thinking by tattooing bananas or turning eggshells transparent; teach teamwork via iPhone scavenger hunts. Little moments and lessons equal giant breakthroughs. The world, if we open our eyes, is really one big, fat classroom which kids (of ALL kinds) enter innately, abundantly, richly teeming with curiosity and wonder. And no matter what we on the spectrum are told, the truth is that NO child is born lazy or apathetic, careless or afraid. But somewhere along the way, life teaches them that asking questions can get you in trouble...or that trying something different doesn't make you "original," it just makes you "weird." "That," says Aspie, author, and award-winning teacher (and MOM!) Jennifer O'Toole, "just plain stinks." Real learning isn’t a spectator sport. Neither is real living.

Experts agree that "play" is the most important work young people do. Yet for kids on the spectrum, "Just go play!" may be the hardest instruction they are given all day. So what do we do? Simple. We make play PURPOSEFUL. And we make it work. We shake up our parenting, our teaching, and our perspectives with NON-LAME FUN - spectrum style! Using concrete (and somewhat sneaky) strategies, we can develop sophisticated social and emotional skills. Tattoo bananas and explore flexible thinking. Build a Tower of Density to visualize individual-versus-group priorities. Match graded paint chips to explore nuanced "not-so-all-or-nothing" emotions. Make chalk-drawings on trampolines, turn eggshells transparent, plan smart phone scavenger hunts and build Lego look-and-finds. And never forget to have FUN while you're at it.

With a little bit of imagination, just about anything can be turned into an opportunity for learning and growth. That's why this talk is fairly bursting with go-to ideas for making simple play equipment at home and using it to develop skills that Asperkids struggle with, from fine motor and social skills, to planning and organization. And you can count on Jennifer's signature, enthusiastic approach to inspire and motivate parents, educators, and therapists to make purposeful play a part of every spectrum kid's day.

Life, after all, is brimming with “little things.” Little moments. Little lessons. Little breakthroughs. But really, it's those little things, we surely find, that make the biggest differences of all.

Learning Objectives:

To recognize and use the intrinsic learning potential of everyday items to frame complicated psychosocial concepts.
To structure play in a way that appeals to the fact-driven spectrum mind, yet encourages collaboration, communication, and consideration of multiple perspectives.
To extrapolate, from concrete sensory games, artistic exploration, geometric concepts, and color gradation, a vocabulary with which to discuss nuanced social skills and emotional awareness.

Content Area: Social Skills

Presenter:

Jennifer O'Toole
Author and CEO, Asperkids LLC
Asperkids

Jennifer O'Toole is the author of ASA's 2014 Outstanding Literary Work and bestselling Asperkids series. One of Tony Attwood's "Top Aspie Mentors" and winner of the Temple Grandin Award, Jennifer has advised the President's Council on Disabilities and keynotes internationally. She is an Aspie and proud mom of three Asperkids.

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