All
of my products are available on Amazon...... Praise for: From Flapping to
function: A Parent's Guide to Autism and Hand Skills
Strategies in this book will help children
with autism perform everyday
functional activities such as brushing teeth or closing buttons.
Written for parents of children on the spectrum, Barbara explains how
sensory challenges, visual issues, postural symptoms, behavioral and/or
social skills impact hand skills. From Flapping to Function
fills an important niche, with a focus on how to make fine-motor
activities successful and fun. I highly recommend that you add it to
your toolbox
—Dr Lucy Jane Miller,
Ph.D. OTR Founder, STAR
Institute for Sensory Processing
Disorder Associate Professor, Dept. of Pediatrics, UC Denver
From Flapping to
Function is an essential publication for the 21st century child
with the diagnosis of Autism. It provides the reader with detailed
information based on the theory, but also provides practical and
functional applications to help these children access their maximum
potential in a variety of developmental areas. This book is a must not
only for parents, but for caregivers, therapists, educators and others
who work with children.
I wish I’d had From Flapping to Function at my
disposal when my own son was growing-up! Barbara A. Smith, OTR/L has
created a well-researched and valuable collection of practical, fun,
everyday, everywhere techniques and activities to help our children
reach their potential and ultimately live
happy lives. You will not only find original activities to build hand
skills (fine motor skills), but also learn how to look at your own
environment and create activities that fit your lifestyle and
individual needs.
From Flapping to Function was
developed from Barbara’s 30+ years of hands-on experience working with
the challenges of autism and sensory processing disorder (SPD). Writing
these experiences, activities, and wisdom down in a book is one of the
most valuable assets a parent or professional can ask for. Thank you,
Barbara, for sharing your professional knowledge and wisdom to address
the multiple challenges of this very special population of individuals.
Barbara Smith has written a practical, easy to read, how-to guide From
Flapping to Function: A Parent’s Guide to Autism and Hand Skills. The book provides an
excellent overview and a logical progression of functional hand use.
The point –form chapter summaries, DIY activities and clear
illustrations are home and school friendly. Smith ( AKA the Recycling
OT) is a creative and original thinker and I thank her for writing this
book with wide audience appeal. I am getting out my scissors now!!!
Barbara has once again brought her professional knowledge and
experience together to create a one-stop resource for parents. Just as
her landmark book, From Rattles to
Writing, proved to be a valuable guide to the
development of hand skills, Barbara has organized From Flapping to
Function to serve as an excellent companion tool for understanding
sensory processing disorders and their impact on hand skill
development. She includes important information about the link between
functional vision, visual perception, and hand skills, as well as
strategies for promoting handwriting. She provides teaching strategies
that offer adaptations to assist with sensory modulation and continues
her tradition for designing do-it-yourself activities that can be
created from everyday household materials. I recommend this new
resource has a place on your bookshelf!
Parents of children with autism face a variety of challenges on a daily
basis. Barbara Smith knows these challenges firsthand, and her personal
experience and professional expertise resonate throughout this book.
Barbara is the mother of a son with autism, and she is also an
occupational therapist with more than 30 years of clinical experience,
specializing in developmental disabilities. Barbara lectures and
presents workshops
for parents and professionals all over the United States. She has
written numerous articles on occupational therapy and various child
development topics. She is also the author of two online continuing
education courses on the subjects of autism and adults with
developmental disabilities. Her book From Rattles to Writing: A Parent’s
Guide to Hand Skills won the National
Association of Parenting Publications Award in 2011. In addition to
Barbara’s contributions as an occupational therapist and author, she is
a certified sensory integration and hippotherapy provider.
I am truly thankful that Barbara is sharing her knowledge and wisdom
once again. From Flapping to Function: A Parent’s Guide to Autism and
Hand Skills is a valuable resource that includes ideas, techniques, and
suggestions that parents can use to guide and support the development
of children with autism. As Barbara explains in this book, many
children with autism do not use their hands in a functional manner.
Flapping the hands and lining up small items often replace natural fine
motor experiences that are important for the development of hand
skills. Not only does this valuable resource offer practical strategies
to encourage children with autism to use their hands for functional
tasks, it provides information and techniques to promote improved
sensory processing, the development of visual skills, and much more.
Here is what you will learn from reading this book.
How
do I reinforce positive behavior?
What
is a strategy that I can use to get my child to make eye contact with
others?
How
do I get my child to cross midline or use both hands together?
What
is a visual schedule?
How
do sensory processing challenges impact development?
What
are some effective strategies to promote writing skills?
