Improve learning and retention of flashcard info

By Rick Colosimo / October 25, 2010 / Comments Off on Improve learning and retention of flashcard info

So many, many flashcards and pictures around our classroom (what the unitiated refer to as our “playroom”) fill bins and bins, sorted into ziplock bags. This Lifehacker article suggests that using a slightly more unusual font, such as Comic Sans MS or Bodoni MT, had 14% greater retention, even at different font sizes. One group…

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Avoiding classification doesn’t help your child

By Rick Colosimo / August 3, 2009 / Comments Off on Avoiding classification doesn’t help your child

I just saw this quote in a recent article: “We don’t want to identify kids as disabled,” Charla MacKenzie, director of pupil personnel services for Southwest Licking Local Schools, said “To us, that’s a very big thing.” “It’s only when we’ve exhausted all those suggestions, all those interventions, and we still don’t see progress that…

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Down with Autism!

By Rick Colosimo / July 1, 2009 / Comments Off on Down with Autism!

Let’s be clear. Autism sucks; it certainly sucks for my son. (And I don’t lump the Asperger’s group into this: I have met Aspies who are cogent, gainfully employed, capable, present in the world, and able to self-advocate; Dylan wasn’t at all like that before getting high-quality ABA and has a long way to go,…

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Why do poor treatments sometimes get results?

By Rick Colosimo / April 27, 2009 / Comments Off on Why do poor treatments sometimes get results?

This Slate article talks about the Hawthorne effect, which basically says that positive interactions with people creates positive outcomes, at least for a while. It’s sort of like a placebo effect for behavior. Using facilitated communication as an example, the author details one reason why researchers in the softer sciences (as opposed to hard sciences…

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