Jenn Writes

Writing my way through life, one word at a time.

Book Review – No Relation by Terry Fallis

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“What’s in a name?” Juliet famously queried. “That which we call a rose, would smell as sweet” were it called something else, she noted as she contemplated the trouble that was caused by her true love having the last name of her family’s sworn rival.  In his latest novel, Terry Fallis has taken that question to the next level and the result is the hilariously funny No Relation. No Relation is Fallis’ fourth book – and the third I’ve read (I have Up and Down on my nightstand – queued up for reading when I finish my current book). As a political junkie, I adored The Best Laid Plans and its sequel The High Road. They were laugh out loud funny, and I was a little concerned about whether the smart and poignant political satire would transfer into a book that wasn’t at all political.

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Summer is coming – is camp in your plans?

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I know it seems like march break was only yesterday, but it’s time to start thinking of warmer things – sunshine, warmth, and summer camp! As a kid, I loved summer camp (most of the time) and one way my job changes during the summer is that instead of providing school support to kids on the spectrum, I help them adjust and thrive at day camp.

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Board games I like for kids on the Spectrum.

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Last week I blogged about how I use board games to help teach turn taking skills to kids with ASD. I’ve been asked what games I recommend and while I have some general guidelines and games that I always try out, not every game will be a hit with every kid.  I mentioned last time that Chutes and Ladders can be tricky as there is an element of chance in it, but it doesn’t have any text to read (a great thing in a kid’s game) and some kids really love the game. Some games come in character variant like Dora the Explorer or Transformers so that they engage kids’ interest. If you can find a game the child is interested in, that’s half the battle right there – they’ve bought in.  So, what games do I have in my stash for kids with ASD? It’s probably not what you’d expect.

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Why can’t we all just get along?

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April 2nd is WAAD – which stands for either World Autism Awareness day or World Autism Acceptance Day depending on who you ask.  My Facebook, Twitter, and RSS feeds were full of posts saying either “Light it up Blue” or “Don’t Light it up Blue, Walk in Red instead” or “wear rainbows for acceptance”. It seems there is a schism in the Autism community, and I’m here to plant myself firmly on the fence. [Read more…]

“It’s MY TURN” – The challenges of turn taking with kids who have ASD

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One of the most common non school related questions I hear from parents with children on the spectrum is how to teach turn taking / game playing.  Being able to play games and take turns is an important social skill and, like most other social skills, it is one that needs to be taught. Most neurotypical children need to be taught how to take turns as well, but it’s harder for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). [Read more…]