EABG conference

[cornwallia]

Anyone going to this in London next week?

Star, that's really nice to know.
I didn't realise you were there on Tuesday as well, so yes, that is the stuff I am involved in. I can indeed assure you that these people are consumed with passion and concern, not in a smug holier than thou way but in the sense of what could be more interesting, intellectually challenging and satisfying than sorting out a problem? perhaps not perfectly but certainly enough to make that child's life happier and more purposeful.

Corn, thatb is why it is so important to go to these things-to learn this stuff and to realise it's not just dusty old academic stuff but that people like you and your children are central to all of this. The International ABA conference in the States (ABAI. About 4000 people attend) is jampacked with parents and they have their own special interest groups and get togethers.

It costs about $1500 all in to attend but it is so worth it. In five days you learn what would take you years to pick up in Blighty.

Yes, and I had a 15 minute chat with RH from that project that often goes with chips, who told me (as have you) that parent networks are the way forward. God only knows there are enough pressures on my time, but it has made me think. For certain I don't want my experience to have been for nothing.

Thank God I didn't know who he was until the end though or I doubt I would have been able to talk to him.

I have to add here that my DH is a University Lecturer in UCL so whilst I have the utmost respect for academics, I'm not scared of them as a general rule -

Yes but RH is a very unassuming guy isn't he?
He's great.
I just love them all.

Yes he is. And quite a refreshing change from TC, who I have also had a 15 minute chat with btw a couple of years ago and who left me with despair.

TC??

Tony

Char

man

Who's he?
Never hear of him.

He's the EP in the Institute of Education that is a supposed expert on children with autism and has been asked by the Scottish Lot to indpendently review the dodgy website material that they had up on ABA.

Oh.
They had to withdraw the dodgy piece about ABA.
I had an interesting email correspondence with the wonderful woman (a mother) who got that sorted. Fair play to Scottish Govt. They held their hands up and admitted it was wring and changed it. The woman sent me the original segment. An outrageous pack of lies.

Sorry to hijack - Star have you used Headsprout with ds? Is it as good as they say? We've done the trial 3 episodes and wondering whether to buy it for ds (almost 4yo). Worth it?

Yes, but it takes a while before you as the adult 'get it' iyswim.

Also, I needed to use quite a bit of additional reinforcement at the beginning and repeat a lot of the episodes. But tbh that is ds for you. Getting him to do something new is like shifting a beached whale, but once he gets going a bit he seas the opportunities of the ocean and swims with gusto.

yes, I'd say it was worth it.

oh another thing to add is that he needed quite a bit of adult intervention at the beginning because he was both new to IT and didn't always understand the instructions or that he was supposed to attempt some of the tasks with speed. I have never met your ds but I'm not sure ds would have managed it much earlier.

Some of the games took additional practise and instruction so we had to go back and repeat the episodes without me instructing him where to click etc. I suppose he just needed some additional training.

I don't say a word now, except sometimes add some additional social reinforcement if he is flagging on a task but nearly there

Ok, thanks. So is he doing it independently now?

The difficulty we've had so far has been that we've been doing it on the laptop with no mouse - the mousepad is a bit beyond ds so he's been pointing at the screen and I've been doing the clicking, so it's a bit dependant on adult input, he's been sitting on my lap the whole time. I also have to sit on my hands to stop myself just going ahead and clicking before he has actually got it right

Ds is coming up to 4yo. I think yours is a bit older? How old was he when you started?

Thanks for the info.

No, you need to get a mouse and he needs to do it and be in control and despite your own frustrations you really have to keep your hands and voice out of it unless there is a technical problem. (sometimes I've wanted to scream at it or throw it across the living room, but that is just me, ds is fine).

DS started it about a month ago at 4 yrs 4 months. Ideally you'd do it every day but we do it every now and then. To be honest, if more than a couple of days pass you get a ticking off email from headsrpout anyway.

We repeat lots of the episodes if ds couldn't do one all the way through especially. He keeps repeating it until he can doing a whole episode in one sitting and get it at least 85% right. I have been told though that he really should be getting 90% right with each episode before he moves on.

Remember to start with the familiarisation exercise 'Mousing Around' (under 'Getting Started')

It's really important to do it frequently.
Better to da a bit at least 5 times a week even if not completing an episode each time than complete and episode every week or ten days.

I have just done it with my son (who was 6 but with English as a 2nd language) and I did it EVERY day (even Christmas day) and finished under 3 months.

The reason the adult musn't interfere (beyond occasional praise and maybe building in extra tangible reinforcement as child gets used to it) is that the programme is built to 'sense' the child's errors and automatically download more practice in areas of need. If you come in and take over, it will assume your child is doing ok and rush through things, assuming they are mastered when they are not which stores up trouble for the future.

This is what happens in poor educational practice-kids are rushed onto something new before they have mastered a key concept. Headsprout, when used correctly is designed to do the very opposite. No moving on until a concept is rock solid.