Synopses & Reviews
Winner of an iParenting Media Award! Puberty can be especially tough when young people have autism or other special needs. Through simple stories similar to Carol Gray's
Social Stories, author Mary Wrobel teaches caregivers exactly what to say and not say, and shows how you can create helpful stories of your own. Mary addresses hygiene, modesty, body growth and development, menstruation, touching, personal safety, and more. Young students can benefit from self-care skills such as using the toilet, brushing teeth, and washing hands. Parents and teachers should begin teaching these necessary skills as early as possible, even from ages 3-5. The ultimate goal is to maximize the child's potential for independence and lifelong social success. Helpful sections include:
- Hygiene
- Health
- Modesty
- Growth and Development
- Menstruation
- Touching and Personal Safety
- Masturbation
- Using A Urinal
Synopsis
An experienced certified teacher and speech-language pathologist offers a book to help teach the necessary information and skills that students with disabilities need to know to live safe, healthy lives.
Synopsis
Winner of an iParenting Media Award Puberty can be especially tough when young people have autism or other special needs. Through simple stories similar to Carol Gray's
Social Stories, author Mary Wrobel teaches caregivers exactly what to say and not say, and shows how you can create helpful stories of your own. Mary addresses hygiene, modesty, body growth and development, menstruation, touching, personal safety, and more. Young students can benefit from self-care skills such as using the toilet, brushing teeth, and washing hands. Parents and teachers should begin teaching these necessary skills as early as possible, even from ages 3-5. The ultimate goal is to maximize the child's potential for independence and lifelong social success. Helpful sections include:
- Hygiene
- Health
- Modesty
- Growth and Development
- Menstruation
- Touching and Personal Safety
- Masturbation
- Using A Urinal
Synopsis
Taking Care of Myself: A Hygiene, Puberty and Personal Curriculum For Young People With Autism is a much needed resource for the autism community so that children with disabilities can learn about personal safety in a nurturing environment. I am thankful for the curriculum presented in Taking Care of Myself: A Hygiene, Puberty and Personal Curriculum For Young People With Autism, as it helps me raise two boys on the Autistic Spectrum and make sure I do not miss anything in the process that they need to know and be aware of before someone else tells them about these issues.'
- BellaOnline Reviews
'The social stories could save parents and teachers time having to write their own and reduce the stress load especially on parents in having to find the right words to address sensitive topics. Wrobel's stories are well written, using appropriate vocabulary and simple sentence structure. They are positive and affirmative; when used they will greatly reduce the anxieties experienced by young people when dealing with these sorts of issues. Both of us felt that the book would be useful for a very wide range of children and young people, not just those that fall within the Autistic Spectrum and would recommend its use in home, school and college contexts.'
- Share an Idea
Using a unique combination of social scripts and easy-to-understand activities, Taking Care of Myself provides accessible information on health, hygiene and personal safety issues for people with autism spectrum conditions or other developmental disabilities.
Presented as seven distinct units, this new curriculum covers all aspects of day to day life paying particular attention to areas that may cause confusion or distress, including illness and visits to the doctors. The authors also offer advice on puberty, appropriate sexual behaviour and stranger danger', making this a comprehensive manual for children and adolescents from the age of five upwards.
Synopsis
Unlike the curriculum presented to most neurotypical students, this book was specifically designed to address the health and safety needs of students aged five and up with autism spectrum disorders. Through a unique combination of social stories and easy-to-understand activities, Taking Care of Myself will reduce the fear and confusion surrounding issues of health, hygiene, puberty and more. Whether you're concerned about abuse or just want bath time and doctor's visits to be a more pleasant experience, this book is must-read for those who love and guide students with disabilities.
Synopsis
An experienced, certified teacher and speech-language pathologist has written this book to provide the necessary information on skills students need to live safe, healthy lives as independently as they are physically and mentally capable of living.
About the Author
Mary Wrobel is a speech-language pathologist with more than twenty years of experience working with students who have autism and other disabilities. She wrote Taking Care of Myself to help teach students with disabilities the necessary information and skills they need to live safe, healthy lives as independently as they are physically and mentally capable of. Mary believes that by teaching these special young people self-care skills, we can instill personal safety and reduce confusion, fear, and the incidence of abuse.
Table of Contents
Introduction
How to Use This Book
Addressing Communication and Language Needs
Using the Computer with this Curriculum
Getting Started with this Curriculum
Steps for Developing a Successful Program
Voice Output Devices
UNIT ONE: HYGIENE
Teaching Hygiene
What's Dirty?
Washing My Hands
Taking Care of My Body
We Need to Take a Bath or Shower
I Can Take a Bath (sequence activity)
I Wash My Hair with Shampoo
I Can Take a Shower By Myself
We Brush Our Teeth
Sometimes I Need a Haircut
I Need to Comb and Brush My Hair
Blowing My Nose
Picking My Nose
Alex Uses the Toilet
I Use the Bathroom at School
Using Toilet Paper
Hygiene Cards- Question/Answer Activity
UNIT TWO: HEALTH
Teaching Health
Being Healthy
Eating Fruits and Vegetables
I Sleep at Night
Sometimes I Feel Sick
I Feel Sick (repeated line story)
Sometimes I Have Pain
Going to the Doctor
Going to the Dentist
Wearing a Bandage
I Don’t Touch Blood
Taking Medicine
Health Cards- Question/Answer Activity
UNIT THREE: MODESTY
Teaching Modesty
Being Naked
Where Can I Be Naked?
My Clothes Need to Stay On
Dressing Myself
My Private Areas
No Hands Down My Pants
People Need Privacy
UNIT FOUR: GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
Teaching Growth and Development
Our Bodies are Growing and Changing: A story about female development
Our Bodies are Growing and Changing: A story about male development
I Need to Wear Deodorant
Wearing a Bra
Shaving My Face
Growth and Development Worksheets
UNIT FIVE: MENSTRUATION
Teaching Menstruation
Getting My Period
Blood Will Come
I Wear Pads in My Panties
Changing Pads (sequencing activity)
Creating a Bathroom Folder
(Students) Period
Sometimes I Have Cramps
My Period is Private
UNIT SIX: TOUCHING AND PERSONAL SAFETY
Teaching about Touching and Personal Safety
Sometimes People Touch You
Touching Others
Can We Touch? (Activity Booklet)
Where Can People Touch Me?- Activities for boys and girls
My Touching Rules (A personalized story)
Talking About Sex and Private Areas
I Don't Know Strangers
It's Not OK to Hurt Me
Personal Safety Cards (Question/Answer activity)
My Sentences About Touching (Worksheet)
UNIT SEVEN: MASTURBATION
Addressing Masturbation
Touching My Private Areas (A story for young students)
Touching Myself- Addressing Male Masturbation
Touching Myself- Addressing Female Masturbation
Having Erections
My Private Routine -Establishing a Schedule for Masturbation
Summary
References and Resources
About the Author
ADDITIONAL STORY
Using A Urinal