Monthly Archives: August 2012

Dr. Rebecca Mullican and Flat Stanley Visit California!

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Hi Parents and Kids. Please enjoy my first story and trip with Flat Stanley. The blue words can be clicked on and will teach you new things while you read my story. Enjoy!

Recently, I took Flat Stanley to California! Flat Stanley rode on 2 airplanes to get there! It took a long time! He didn’t have a seat, so he had to sit with the magazines. He did not care because he likes to read. Because it was his first airplane trip, the friendly stewardess brought him a pin that looked like airplane wings- he is not a rookie anymore!

As soon as Stanley and I got to Los Angeles, we went to the Griffith Observatory. I was really excited because a friend had recommended it to me. You can see the whole city of Los Angeles from up there. We were surprised when they saw the Hollywood sign, too! The weather was so cool in California that we rode in the car with the windows down. Stanley was already liking California.

Flat Stanley and Hollywood

The next day, Stanley got to go surfing. He had to wear a wet suit because the water in San Diego is cold. Stanley enjoyed surfing and relaxing in the sun on the beach. Here are some pictures he took at Ocean Beach in San Diego, Ca.

Stanley was really excited on Sunday because he was going to the San Diego Zoo. He took lots of pictures of the animals. His favorite was the gorillas because the mama gorilla was playing with one of her babies. You can watch the animals too by clicking here.

Before Stanley and I came home, we had one more stop- Disneyland. Stanley was so excited because he got to visit Cars Land. Stanley rode lots of rides at Disneyland and California Adventure, but his favorite was the Radiator Springs Racers.

Thanks for stopping by! Come see us again soon and we’ll tell you about our latest adventure!

Dr. Rebecca and Flat Stanley

 

Parent Blogs Daydreams from the Spectrum

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Sometimes I know parents and professionals working with kids who have autism feel lonely, disconnected, and like no one could understand them. I know I have felt that way before as a special educator. The great thing about the internet is it gives us opportunities to look up and around and realize we are not alone. I worry that parents spend a lot of this time in a lonely, disconnected world. So, as a great reminder that you are not alone, I wanted to share a blog that was posted on facebook. Among the challenges we face with autism, there are always rewards. Hold on to the good moments and the times when he or she surprise you doing or saying something new because these are the moments that make it all worth while. One of my recent favorite moments occurred recently when I ran into a student I taught many years ago and he said, “Bye Ms. Rebecca.” Most people wouldn’t think anything of that- but to me, it meant the world. This student didn’t really use my name much, so his sweet voice and remembering me was so special. It made my day!

 

Certified to work with Children using Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)

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I am very pleased to announce that I have completed the LAMP training through the Center for AAC & Autism aacandautism.com and am the second certified LAMP professional in Mississippi. The Center for AAC and Autism is helping more and more children learn to communicate using speech generating devices AKA Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC).

LAMP stands for Language Acquisition through Motor Planning and is a therapy tool to help children with autism and other related disabilities to learn and use language to communicate. I personally have been using LAMP in the classroom for over four years and have been excited to help children not only learn to communicate better, but also increase communications by using core vocabulary. Core vocabulary are the words that are most used in every day speech. It helps kids with disabilities get “more bang for their buck” when communicating by teaching fewer words with higher rates of generalization. LAMP has a large focus on core vocabulary such as every day verbs and pronouns with less of a focus on teaching nouns. By focusing on core vocabulary, kids are able to communicate in more settings and with more activities because they are not pigeonholed into words like “cookie, hat, or Elmo” that only have one meaning. A typical core word LAMP may teach instead is “that” which after taught, can translate into many different scenarios and items. What a better use of a word!

To learn more about LAMP, check out aacandautism.com or join the Center for AAC & Autism on facebook!

What does this mean for the Jackson Autism Center? JAC will be able to help more children learn to communicate using AAC and LAMP! I am so excited about being able to help teach more children how to communicate. If you are interested in learning more, please fill out the information on my contact page: contact me.