Welcome to Louise Sattler's Blog!

First Signs to Introduce to Young Children

Louise Sattler — Tue, 29 May 2012 21:58:30 +0000

Today I received an excellent question on my SIGNING FAMILIES FACEBOOK page. It was a very caring grandmother requesting information about First Signs for her young four year old granddaughter who is having sensory and learning challenges.. Where should they start? How can the school support their efforts and vice versa?

I have added a slideshow at the end of this blog to help answer this question.

Here are my basic rules for teaching sign to children whether they are deaf / hard of hearing or have developmental challenges. (These rules also can apply to teaching children “just because”.. which makes me all happy inside to think that so many are learning ASL for fun and to make communication bridges.)

1- Introduce signs that are in the child’s enviroment. Concrete signs. Daily activities or objects. Nothing that is abstract or not pertinent.

2- I always suggest learning a few signs such as MORE, WANT and FINISHED at the onset of ASL learning, too. These not only help with transitions but also can help with promoting positive behaviors.

3- Signs like I LOVE YOU and GOOD JOB will help the older child who is learning sign language feel comfortable.

4- Don’t use ASL in isolation. Have everyone in the child’s immediate environment learn ASL so that the child is an equal member of the family. Nothing is worse than a holiday celebration, an incidental conversation or a trip to the store where people are chatting all around you but you understand virtually nothing or very little. This is the scenario that has been retold to me time and time again by my deaf friends.

5- Learn only FIVE to TEN signs at a time. Your child will be able to tackle more, but try to learn and introduce the new signs in to your basic everyday conversation. Anymore than that and you may feel overwhelmed.

6. Involve your child in to the local deaf community. And, yourselves! There is a wonderful deaf community waiting to embrace you and share the rich culture that has been part of the fabric of Deaf Life here in the United States.

7. Read up on great resources and also indulge in social media to help you explore for more. See my resource link page on Signing Families for more info.

FIRST SIGNS LIST

MORE

DRINK

EAT

SLEEP

BATH

PLAY

MOMMY

DADDY

COME

FINISHED

TIME FOR

WANT

DON’T WANT

HELP

FRIENDS

BOOK

POTTY

WAIT

CAREUL

Click to view slideshow.

Parenting Children with Special Medical Needs

Louise Sattler — Tue, 29 May 2012 05:27:44 +0000

Through the years I have worked with families who have been put to a great parenting test – raising a child with difficult health needs. Whether it is a child with a disease that is most often treatable, such as asthma to the disabling and terminal diseases, such as Tay-Sachs, the worry, fear and fatigue of dealing with medical jargon and doctors is daunting. As a Psychologist, I never seemed to have at my finger tips a good reference to help parents that they could digest in the quiet of their own home. That is why I was pleased to receive and view Parenting Children with Special Medical Needs: Love and Logic Tools for Raising Resilient Kids. This two DVD series by Foster Cline, MD, Lisa Green and Charles Fay, PhD – is full of practical tips and solid information for parents who find themselves with a chronically ill child.

There are no bells and whistles with this DVD. You won’t see a fancy video montages nor will you see a glossed over approach to the topics presented. Some sections are heart wrenching, such as hearing a parent talk about learning to love again after the death of their child. Others parts include very timely issues – such as when a child is bullied because of their disease.

This video will help to provide parents with resources and some “food for thought”. Also, there is complimentary information available at the end of the video.

I plan on donating this video to a local library in order to make it available to any parent who is searching for any and all information to help negotiate the difficulties of parenting a child with special medical needs.

To order the DVD yourself, please go to www.loveandlogic.com

THANK YOU!

Louise Sattler — Sun, 27 May 2012 07:40:41 +0000

To all those who have served in the military, past and present, thank you. Without your service and acts of bravery, people like me wouldn’t have the freedom to write this blog.

Click to view slideshow.

We bought a zoo?

Louise Sattler — Mon, 21 May 2012 03:11:49 +0000

Hubby and I recently relocated to the Southern California town of San Pedro. As previously noted in my last blog, we bought the true “fixer-upper”. What we didn’t realize is that our quiet hamlet also came with a “zoo”. Now keep in mind, I am born and raised on the east coast. I have seen plenty of garden variety Disney characters in my backyard, including Bambi and Thumper. I tried snapping a good photo of the peacock parade to show all of you, but they were a bit shy with their feathers or fast on their feet. So, below is a photograph that I found from a local realtors website.

In other “local animal news”…this week we also were introduced to a skunk, family of raccoons and many ferrel cats who renting space from our little property. None of them are paying any rent and I believe the skunk has overstayed his welcome.

Also, it dawned on me later today that the creator of the NBC television logo must have lived in my neighborhood!

My new addiction to HOME DEPOT

Louise Sattler — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 01:15:49 +0000

There was a time when shopping meant going to stores like Macy’s, Coldwater Creek or even TARGET. However, since our purchase of a true “Fixer-Uper” in the South Shores of California, I am trading clothes shopping for …..paint, doors and plumbing supplies! Goodbye shoe rack, hello shower stalls. Goodbye scarves and dresses, hello deck railing and paint.

Now for some, home repair is as exciting or even more exciting than shopping for self-indulgent wardrobe additions. I hope that in time, I will see that getting a new set of ceiling fans is equally special as the new sandals I have been scoping out at DSW.

I will say that staff at HOME DEPOT have been very patient with me. I have visited HOME DEPOT’S in at least four states while trying to get a grasp of all the home goods that are out there. Each time I travel for speaking engagements I seem to find myself in HOME DEPOT with my iPhone snapping samples of tile, carpet or even appliances. YES.. we are the fools that bought a home that doesn’t even come with a fridge or washer/dryer set. At least we have a working stove… we think.

In case you are wondering why we picked a Charlie Brown house (one that others overlook, but we found merit)… note that we are less than a mile to the Pacific Ocean. The view alone is worth having to scrub paint out of my hair on a daily basis.

So, please be patient as future blogs will chronicle the transformation of our “Charlie Brown House” in to our “little haven by the beach”.

Have a groovy week! This blog will be on hiatus as I make the trek from metro DC to LA area.

Why Selling a Home Should be an Olympic Sport

Louise Sattler — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 12:08:28 +0000

HELP! Who would have known that selling a home could suck you dry of all free time, spare money and energy? It all started several months ago when hubby was offered a wonderful new job in sunny and warm California. Now I am NOT here to sell you a home. Actually, I won’t even give you the address. But, I do want to educate future home sellers on what I have learned from this grueling process. So, go ahead and read the list below and then feel free to give help/resources in the comment section.

HOW TO PREPARE YOUR HOME TO SELL (Louise’s list of what I learned, so far)

1. No matter what.. the minute you sign on the dotted line a contract to sell your home in the trusty hands of a realtor, the home ceases to be yours. It may still LEGALLY be yours, but the warm fuzzy feeling it has had will be gone. That is because .. (see 2) So go ahead and photograph your beloved home before others trample through it.

2. You will be asked to put away the things that make a house a home. Family photos, cute artwork on the fridge, FIDOS favorite toys – they all will be now sharing space in the back of your closet or a storage unit.

3. Get a storage unit. Nothing can make your home feel more “roomy” than a nice big storage unit. Don’t forget to hire local teens to haul your stuff, too! See you are helping out the local economy two-fold!

4. Invest in painting the home. I love “STRONG” colors. Evidently, many people can’t vision their own belongings in a home with cranberry accent walls. So, go ahead and paint your favorite rooms with basic beige. By the way, in case you are wondering there are a zillion shades of WHITE. No, I’m serious. Currently our home is Alabaster White.

5. Bring in a home inspector to fix all the things you didn’t know was wrong with your home before some other person complains or takes “notice”. This may seem redundant, but truly I wish we had done this FIRST. Then we wouldn’t have needed to be a “rush” call to see why the plumbing was leaking. Same with RADON testing. Do it asap.

6. Consider moving out before the house is put up for sale. If you can, this really is the best way to go. Stage your home with a few pieces of furniture and then have your days free of needing to race home to grab FIDO before perspective buyers come to visit.

7. This is where you get to respond. Any words of advice that can be our lucky #7 tip??

A special shout-out and many thanks to the wonderful realtors from Long and Foster who have been quality providers and helped us through the process. And, for those who are curious- we sold our home in less than a month. Now on to the next task- BUYING a home!

MAP SKILLS

Louise Sattler — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 03:17:18 +0000

Map skills. Yep, that is the topic of this new blog. Plain. Simple. Basic map skills. The kind you learn in third grade when the teacher points to a place on the wall sized classroom map . Remember? She/he then will ask where is your school located? This then proceeds to a lively interactive lesson where each student takes turn pointing to where they were born, traveled and more! Some lucky kids may even get to point outside of the contiguous United States. Some teachers even asked kids to use all their colored pencils to draw maps and more! Gosh I loved map skills day!

Now keep in mind… many of the maps looked like the one above. How many third graders grew up thinking that Alaska and Hawaii were so close together and near Texas or even Mexico? Isn’t Alaska close to Russia?

Now you may be wondering why I am perseverating on map skills . Well, quite simply it all started with a conversation between hubby, a sales clerk from a box store and myself. You see hubby and I are in the throes of moving from metro DC to metro LA. (What can I say- we like the metro- life…sorta). Anyway- we decided to go shopping for a washer and dryer since the new digs doesn’t come equipped and I am long past laundry mat days. While in the box store the nice sales clerk told us all about the “in store specials”. However, when we pointed out that our items were probably going to be purchased in our new home state of CALIFORNIA this was how the rest of the conversation continued:

Sales clerk: ”Electric across country may be different than we use here in Maryland.”
Hubby: “We are only going to California“

Sales clerk:” They may use a different kind of electric, like you know voltage.“

Me: (Using my inside my head voice)… Seriously, we need to pull out a map and have a bit of a lesson about what constitutes the United States!

Now just in case you are wondering here are a few helpful facts….

California has been part of the United States since September 1850

Electric in New York, Maryland, Iowa and even California is the SAME.

According to the CA.gov website… More than 13,000 of California’s wind turbines, or 95 percent of all of California’s wind generating capacity and output, are located in three primary regions: Altamont Pass , Tehachapi (south east of Bakersfield) and San Gorgonio (near Palm Springs, east of Los Angeles).

And… according to an educational website 37% of United States citizens failed to find the United States on a basic world map.

Obviously, map skills need to continue beyond the third grade. Next week maybe we will discuss basic life skills, like balancing a check book or knowing how to sew a basic hem.

Helping to Save the Lives of Children with Autism

Louise Sattler — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 17:47:51 +0000

April is Autism Awareness Month and I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce all of you to a new joint venture between Debi Taylor, Spirit of Autism, and myself. Together we are trying to help educate and potentially save the lives of children with Autism. For a number of years I have trained emergency medical personnel on how to interact and communicate with children with special needs, many who use sign language. Debi, is a paramedic and the mother of a son with Autism. We are “Tweet pals” and have become fast friends and colleagues. Our mission is to help EMS and others be able to assist children and adults with Autism during medical emergencies or disasters.

If you are interested in learning more about our programs please connect here via SIGNING FAMILIES: INFOSigningFamiliescom

To be able to receive our two emergency cards below for the sweet price of $1.99 (US customers only receive free shipping), again send us an email: INFOSigningFamiliescom

For bulk rates for Schools/ PTOs, Hospitals and EMS organizations please also connect at the email above or via SigningFamilies.com

Thank you!

Click to view slideshow.

FUN with ANGER MANAGEMENT!? A guest post by Wendy Young, Founder of Kidlutions

Louise Sattler — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 03:04:36 +0000

I am giving over this weeks blog to my friend and colleague, Wendy Young, of Kidlutions. She and I just had a wonderful time at the MIAEYC conference. Now you can read her “take” on the event. And, if you missed our presentation, don’t panic. Just comment below and we will be in touch and let you know how to get a copy of the materials. Read this original post here: http://www.kidlutions.blogspot.com/

88888888

Fun with Anger Management for Kids

Oxymorons

It seems like an oxymoron, doesn’t it? Fun with anger managment for kids? But that’s exactly what we had went one of my twitter BFF’s and I met up (for the first time ever) in Grand Rapids, Michigan, for the Michigan Association for the Education of Young Children’s Spring Conference.

Louise Sattler from Signing Families and I have been long-timefacebook, twitter and coffee-drinking-early-morning-phone-connectors. It was high time that we meet in person. Louise is everything I thought she’d be and more. Sweet, petite and a powerhouse of information and energy. She’s a firecracker! (We never did have a cup of coffee while we were together, so we’ll have to definitely do so the next time we meet up!)

Beach Ball, Bubbles and Bugs (and MORE)

Our attendees learned creative interventions for angry children which included, beach balls, playdoh, bubbles, bugs, magic wands and more! Louise provided the grand finale regarding using ASL in the classroom to help prevent behavior problems. I had a hoot watching Louise do ASL in person. I’ve seen her do it on her award-winning videos, but if you ever get a chance to see her live, don’t miss it. She doesn’t disappoint! Ohmigosh…and the prizes that the audience was treated to! Phenomenal!

Teachers that Make a Difference

In our top picture, you’ll see our attendees give us “applause” at the end of our session. This group of educators was top-notch and it was an honor to spend the afternoon with them! They learned how they can help change brains, and improve outcomes for kids at-risk due to problems with self-regulation!

It was a great day, indeed!

Louise and me prior to our workshop!

To book a speaker for topics relating to education, and almost everything else under the sun, be sure to check out411Voices.com http://www.411Voices.com. The speaker’s bureau covers a wide range of topics with seasoned experts on multiple topics.

To get your free copy of our signature Anger Toolbox for Kidsintroduction (including an MP3, printables and more, go here!

RESOURCES for FAMILIES with AUTISTIC CHILDREN

Louise Sattler — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 21:27:00 +0000

April 2nd is now recognized as WORLD AUTISM AWARENESS DAY. Last week statistics hit the news that cited that one of every 88 children born in the United States will be diagnosed with Autism prior to their eighth birthday. Seriously, this fact took my breath away. I clearly recall the first time I ever heard the word, AUTISM. It was back in the 1970′s and not many people knew what it meant. Fewer had ever seen or worked with a child with Autism. Talking with phrases “On the Spectrum” or “Having mild autism- Asperger’s- was never heard.

Years later I now not only understand what Autism means but have worked in the trenches with children with Autism for over two decades. Many of them have secondary disorders, such as Deaf AND Autistic. I also have acquired a very deep and heartfelt respect for the parents who give to their children unconditionally and would sell their souls to find ways to make their child’s lives easier. In addition, I cannot give enough Kudos to the educators, therapists and other professionals who work tirelessly to help children “on the spectrum”.

Since my work is “all about education”, I am listing some of my most favorite resources. Not all are dedicated solely to Autism, but if you click on them perhaps you will find information, assistance or some value to the company or organization listed. My apologies in advance for forgetting to mention sites that may have slipped my mind. I will be sure to add to the list as the days go on. AND.. PLEASE feel free to add to the list in the comments section below of your favorite Autism related materials/ websites/ resources, too.

As always, thank you for reading!

SPIRIT of AUTISM - Founded by a mom of a child with Autism and who is a paramedic, Debi Taylor developed the AUTISM TIPS CARD to be used by First Responders in the field. The goal- keeping children with Autism SAFE and ALIVE. (Signing Families offers this card at every workshop now)

AUTISM SPEAKS- This is what many consider as the “FACE” of Autism organizations. Their website is full of great information. Although for some it may be very overhwhelming.

EDUCATION.com - This website is packed full of information about Autism and much, much more. From A-Z you can receive information and assistance. I am proud to be a member of Education.com as one of their JustAsk contributors!

AUTISABLE - Blogs, info and more

THE COFFEE KLATCH - I first followed this group on TWITTER (#TCK) and now am a huge fan of all their work, including the TCK website and radio programs.

THE AUTISM NEWS / ZAC BROWSER and more – this is a set of websites constructed by a dad and his teen son with Autism. Filled with no nonsenese information, as well as games that are helpful for kids on the spectrum.

KABONGO - Interactive methods to teach reading skills. Great for kids who relate virtually. I love this site and you will, too!

KIBOOMU and LISTEN TO ME PLEASE - Music can be a great force to help children learn who have language and social-emotional challenges. These websites are great! Kiboomu offers apps as well. Listen to me Please has corresponding reading materials, such as their award winning books. Both sites are exceptional and worth more than a glance.

AMAILIA STARR , author of RAISING BRANDON. So much is written about children who have Autism. However, not much is scribed about adults with Autism. Here is a book that will tug at your heart strings and give you hope at the same time. I know Amalia personally and am proud to list her here!

AUTISM at LONG BEACH Soon I will be making the greater Long Beach, California area my home. I am over the top excited to be working in conjunction with this amazing group of parents, professionals and kids! There model of cooperative education to benefit the children and support parents is exceptional. Check them out! (Bravo to Jane Tipton for creating this group)

KYLES TREEHOUSE For parents, by parents. This website is full of amazing resources, especially for those searching for information about treatments and accommodations. Love this site! (Note- Jen Westphal went to great lengths to make a resource page that is outstanding. Please peruse it for loads more resources. )

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS and WRIGHTS LAW - These two websites are premiere for understanding the IEP process and the laws regarding Special Education.

I could be here for hours more typing more resources for you. Instead, I will let you comment below with YOUR favorites.

Thank you, in advance, for contributing to our “community”