Does anyone here create teaching materials for their child or

special needs child to save money? Anything you want to share?

I

A lot depends on the age of the child and what their need is. . .

Also, you know you don't have to buy lots of stuff, right? (especially "new"). Many communities (realtime and online) have places to buy used curriculum/learning items. Heck, even a used bookstore.... BUT - then there's the library and the 'net, magazines, TV, learning videos/games and just ---- LIFE!

As far as "homemade" - well, if you're talking for a one learning to read - I made "flash cards" - on 3 x 5 index cards:

Side 1: Write the word (simple words)

Side 2: Cut out a picture from a magazine of the word AND write the word underneath it.

They love to help you find the picture, cut it out, and glue it. You start with the picture and word side and move to the "word" side.

Later I made cards that had common vowel "endings" - like -AT, -OP, -OT, -EE on one set (in a particular color)

Then another set of cards (in another color) with just one letter like: H, C, P, T, S (later I added consonant blends like Tr, Bl, Th, St....)

They could "make words" using the "one letter" card and putting it with the "two letter cards" -

Hat, Pat, Cat, Sat, Mat, Rat, - Hop, Pop, Top, Stop - well, you know the drill. :)

That was *my* great invention....... lol......



BTW - Are you on/in any support groups for special needs?


Ooops - edit to add - I thought I was in the hs'ing forum - so ignore about buying the curriculum stuff....

He's autistic. One of the tasks I'd like to work on with him is sequencing by copying. It's hard for him to concentrate on. I think I'll take his colorful multi-shaped wooden blocks that can be strung on a string, and take alot of pix of them in different order. Then he can copy the sequence.

I have also started taking alot of pix of him in various social circumstances to place in a social stories book. I'm also going to do step-by-step procedures with him as the subject. Some social stories will have undesired behaviors with consequences, so I'm going to use a pic of Harry Potter or another character.

I use alot of photo albums (cheap ones) to house his flash cards for reading sight words. He has a tendency to scatter items.

I'm amazed by what we can do with digital cameras, copied wallpaper (or the real stuff) and a good printer!

for my son, too. He's dysgraphic and probably has dyscalculia. I don't KNOW he has Asperger's - but he certainly has some of the traits...

I worked with him doing increasing number of matching cards to a viewed sequence of symbols and/or letters and/or numbers... Started with like + O and increased one "symbol" at a time and increased complexity (symbols seems easiest, followed by letters, then numbers...)

It sounds like you have a lot of good ideas going already! One thing - (that you're probably already doing) is looking at the (expensive) resources available and reproducing it "at home" for far less cost - AND more targeted towards your son's needs.

Still - a support group of hs'ers of special needs kids in your area might be a good resource for you for information - as they are very used to "making up their own"....

Here's a general hs special needs link that might lead you to more ideas......

http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/weblinks/autism.htm

But finding a local group could be even more helpful...


Also here's a link for "paper" type items: http://www.incompetech.com/beta/plainGraphPaper/

It's fun to scroll through and look at the different "formats" you can print out for so many different uses!

homeschooling, just trying to provide more stimulation at home during the summer before and after his summer program starts. He'll also be doing a dance class in July, and maybe even some vacation bible school, if the churches have an aide available for him (and the protection of others).

Thansk again for your input!

http://www.hetlandmultimedia.com/html/catalog.htm

"My name is Rachel Hetland. In 1999 I started off my career as a therapist for children
with Autism for Wisconsin Early Autism Project. I worked for them for 5 years up
until the birth of my son. While working for WEAP I made all of my own flash cards
for the children that I worked with. While doing so, I came up with the idea to
create a computer software program so that parents and professionals could print
off their own photographic flash cards from their own computer. If you are interested
in printing off your own photographic flash cards, please check out my website at
www.hetlandmultimedia.com"



I saw this on one of my hs (homeschool loops) for kids with special needs (at both ends of the spectrum) - and I thought of you. If the products are too pricey - maybe it can give you some new ideas.