Log onto: Nickelodeon Parents Connect Online Dance Party with the Swingset Mamas

We’ll be spinning your favorite tunes, giving away CDs, answering questions PLUS sharing tips for throwing your own successful FAMILY DANCE PARTY and much more.

by Marlowe on Fri, April 1st, 2011

(reposted from Friendship circle blog )

Tomorrow, April 2nd is World Autism Awareness Day, and April is Autism Awareness Month.  Although some of us live with Autism everyday, most people have difficulty understanding what living with Autism really means. Since children with autism often physically look like other kids, it can be like having an invisible disability.

Why is awareness so important?

People tend to be afraid of what they don’t understand.  Awareness has the power to change people’s attitudes from “Ugh, I can’t believe that kid is behaving so badly” to “is there anything I can do to help?”  This is why parents, educators, family and friends of kids with autism need to share their stories with their community.

Take a walk in someone else’s shoes

My oldest daughter has Autism, and my experiences and challenges raising a child with autism inspired me to write the song ”Take a Walk in Someone Else’s Shoes” by the Swingset Mamas. Watch this video and discuss it with your family.  Imagine if you “had something to say and the words wouldn’t come out?”  How can you “Understand another Point of view”, or “See what someone else is going through”. This video spreads the powerful message of acceptance and inclusion of all people.

“If you’ve met one kid with autism, then you’ve met one kid with autism.”

Each person with autism is unique with their own challenges ranging from no speech or communication with extreme behaviors, to highly verbal and difficulty with social language and situations.  The one thing that ALL people have in common is that everyone wants to be loved, accepted and included.  Don’t be afraid of Autism.  Dare to be aware, and embrace a child or family with Autism today

(reposted from Friendship Circle blog)

I saw Mary Poppins at the Detroit Music Theater over the holiday, and was struck by the “Spoonful of Sugar” song.  It is amazing how music (though not necessarily sugar for those of us with children on restricted diets) can help ease the transitions of getting through daily life.   Now that a new year has begun, it is time to get back to our schedules for ourselves and our children.  Why not ease up your daily routines by using music and brighten up the mood of the day?

Changing words to familiar melodies, or making up new chants and songs is a great way to help children with special needs manage schedules and transitions.  It also helps everyone in the family from siblings to parents by creating a sense of shared enjoyment.  Non-verbal children may not respond to the words alone, but they catch the cues and mood of the music.  Repetition creates familiarity and helps calm the emotions of leaving a preferred or safe activity.

In our family, my neuro-typical daughter now has started to create her own musical rhythms for us to chart our day; and my daughter with autism will “fill in the blanks” with vocal approximations or do the requested movement or gesture.   When I am performing or doing music in a classroom setting, I use musical transitions to prompt the group to move along.

Below are some of the familiar melodies I have changed the words to, and some that I have written and recorded with my family music band, the Swingset Mamas.  I hope this may inspire some of you to add a “spoonful of music” into your new year!

“Dressed” by the Swingest Mamas (Adapted from “Charge” the baseball anthem)
Make getting dressed a real accomplishment!
Pants, Pants, Pants, Pants 2x   (doo, doo, doo doo doo doo)  PANTS
Listen on iTunes

To the tune of “The Farmer in the Dell”
We’re ready for the Hall 2x, We’re standing very quietly, We’re ready for the Hall
- Use for any transition activity  (The bus, recess, to have lunch, centertime, etc.)

To the tune of “We Will Rock You” Queen
“Time to eat some dinner”  (substitute with “come to circle”, etc)
Movement: stamp, stamp, clap

“5 More Minutes” by the Swingset Mamas
Give a choice in “how” you leave, and enjoy the process
Listen on iTunes