I’ve written several posts about the importance of reinforcement, but now I want to turn my attention to another important concept: replacement behaviors. It can be very easy to slip into the habit of telling kids what NOT to do. “Don’t touch that! Don’t pick your nose! Don’t run!” However, if we ca…

Differential Reinforcement of High Rates of Behavior (DRH) is “reinforcing only after several responses occur at or above a pre-established rate” (Mayer, Sulzer-Azaroff, & Wallace, 2013). There are times when a behavior is already in a student’s repertoire, but you may want to increase the …

Since the inception of voice assistants like Amazon Echo and Google Home, a lot more products have voice assistants built in now – be it smartphones, headphones, various devices around the house, and even vehicles. It is estimated that by 2023 there will be 8 billion voice assistants in use! …

It didn’t take long for the watch, which, for the longest time, had just one purpose (of telling time!), to go smart. For a smart watch, telling time is just one of the hundreds (if not thousands?) of features it is expected to have. Blind people have used always used Braille watches to tel…

This month’s ASAT feature comes to us from Heyde Ramirez, MA, BCBA, LBA and Maria Pantelides, MA, BCBA, LBA. To learn more about ASAT, please visit their website at www.asatonline.org. You can also sign up for ASAT’s free newsletter, Science in Autism Treatment, and like them on Facebook! You can re…

MDA Avaz Reader, built in association with the Madras Dyslexia Association, is an app that helps and encourages children with Dyslexia to read independently by offering various features and techniques, and a clean, distraction free interface. A user can either take photos of a physical book and u…

The Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) on their website lists credentialed behavior analysts from 99 countries spanning across 6 continents. Behavior analysts and consumers of behavior analysis are now establishing footprints across the globe. Each of these countries comes with its own set …

Whether the text is too small, the meaning of the icons are hard to identify and remember, or one finds themself making accidental calls because of the complexity of modern smartphones, Simple Smartphone may be a helpful solution. Simple Smartphone strips down the complicated features of a typica…

Mattel and the National Federation of the Blind have partnered together to create the first ever Braille edition of UNO®. Now, both sighted, blind and low vision people can play together! UNO Braille features braille on the corner of every playing card to indicate the card’s number or action and…

Nobody likes picking up poop, but for some people with disabilities, this activity can be difficult or impossible. With Beetl Robotic’s Poop-Scooper prototype, this challenge may soon be a thing of the past. The robot slowly drives around your yard (think Roomba) while uploading images of t…

Holidays can be challenging for everyone in the family. Your to-do lists get longer, your routines are switched around, and all the little stresses can be especially difficult for your child with autism. Here are a few tips to ease the difficulties related to Halloween. For Preschool & Elemen…

Seriously MAGIC Wheelchairs The nonprofit, Magic Wheelchair, is an organization that “builds epic costumes for kiddos in wheelchairs — at no cost to families.” Founder, Ryan Weimer, first built a magic wheelchair in 2008. Ryan’s son, Keaton, was diagnosed with SMA at 9-months. W…

Growing up, did your grandma ever make you handmade apparel? Karen Bowersox took this idea for her granddaughter who has Down Syndrome to the next level. She founded the clothing line, NBZ Apparel International, which stands for No Buttons/Zipperless. The company’s specialty is jeans but th…

A study conducted by the Occupational Therapy in Mental Health journal revealed that 63% of subjects using a wieghted blanket reported lower anxiety and 78% preferred the weighted blanket as a calming modality than other options provided. Weighted blankets have been found to provide comfort for m…