"Just Give Him the Whale!" 20 Ways to Use Fascinations, Areas of Expertise, and Strengths to Support Students with Autism (Kluth & Schwarz)

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Table of Contents

Read Paula Kluth's Top 10 Tips for Teachers

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A Is for "All Aboard!"

Turn students' fascinations into great teaching tools

"Just Give Him the Whale!"
20 Ways to Use Fascinations, Areas of Expertise, and Strengths to Support Students with Autism
By Paula Kluth, Ph.D., & Patrick Schwarz, Ph.D.

"This book is for any teacher who wants to be remembered fondly by her students as the one who 'got it,' who built meaning and motivation into learning. I wish this book had been on my shelf my first year of teaching!" —Carol Gray, President, The Gray Center for Social Learning and Understanding

"A practical book that is crystal clear in its values and powerful in its vision. I recommend it for every teacher who wants to make a difference in all students' lives." —Carol Tashie, Author, Seeing the Charade: What We Need to Do and Undo to Make Friendships Happen

When learners with autism have deep, consuming fascinations—trains, triangles, basketballs, whales—teachers often wonder what to do. This concise, highly practical guidebook gives educators across grade levels a powerful new way to think about students' "obsessions": as positive teaching tools that calm, motivate, and improve learning.

Written by top autism experts and nationally renowned speakers Paula Kluth and Patrick Schwarz, this guide is brimming with easy tips and strategies for folding students' special interests, strengths, and areas of expertise into classroom lessons and routines. Teachers will discover how making the most of fascinations can help their students

learn standards-based academic content
boost literacy learning and mathematics skills
develop social connections
expand communication skills
minimize anxiety
and much more

Just Give Him the Whale! is packed from start to finish with unforgettable stories based on the authors' experience, firsthand perspectives from people with autism themselves, research-based recommendations that are easy to use right away, and sample forms teachers can adapt for use in their own classrooms. An enjoyable read with an eye-opening message, this short book will have a long-lasting impact on teachers' understanding of autism—and on their students' social and academic success.

ORDERING INFO
ISBN 978-1-55766-960-5
Paperback
160 pages / 81⁄2 x 11
2008 / $19.95
Stock# 69605

Read the story behind "Just Give Him the Whale"

ORDERING INFO
ISBN 978-1-59857-160-8
Hardcover / approx. 32 pages / 8 x 8
September 2010 / $18.95
Stock# 71608

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Stock# S1068/ $29.95

Table of Contents

About the Authors
About the Cover Artist
A Note About Terminology
Introduction
Acknowledgments

Fascinations, strengths, and areas of expertise can be used . . .

1: To Develop a Relationship with the Student

2. To Expand Social Opportunities

3. To Expand Communication Skills and Opportunities

4. To Help Minimize Anxiety

5. To Plan for Inclusive Schooling

6. To Build Classroom Expertise

7. To Boost Literacy Learning

8. To Comfort

9. To Inspire Career Ideas

10. To Encourage Risk Taking

11. To Connect Students to Standards-Based Content

12. To Encourage In-Depth Study

13. To Make Sense of a Confusing World

14. To Let Students Shine and Showcase Talents

15. To Give Students "Power"

16. To Encourage Chit-Chat

17. To Boost Mathematics Skills and Competencies

18. To Teach Manners, Cooperation, and the Expression of Empathy

19. To Encourage Greatness

20. To Make Life Worth Living

References

Appendix A: Frequently Asked Questions

Appendix B: Additional Resources Focused on Strengths, Abilities, and Interests