QUESTION: MakeBeliefsComix.com's Bill Zimmerman wants Ideas for Special Needs Students.

[William Zimmerman]

Dear colleagues,

I would appreciate your help. I want to create a Special Needs Tips Page to help educators, parents and therapists use my MakeBeliefsComix.com site creatively and constructively with youngsters with special needs.   It was suggested to me, for example, that for those who use the site with children with autism or with those who do not speak, it would be good to read aloud to the children the comic stories they create so that the youngsters can hear the expression in the voices.  I know, too, that the site is being used with deaf children to help them express themselves as well as with children who stutter but who seems to be able to read aloud with ease the comics they create.

If you have tried the site with children you teach and have thoughts or suggestions for such a Special Needs Tips Page, would you be so kind as to send them along so that I may include them?

With many thanks and good wishes,
Bill 

[Chris Hale]

Hi Bill, I will share the site with my son's class & teacher to see how they would use it. The class is a group of boys and girls who all have various mobility and cognitive issues so you may get some good feedback.

Best of luck,
Chris

[William Zimmerman]

Thank you, Chris.

I'd appreciate their feedback and suggestions very much.  Hope they'll enjoy the site.

Best wishes,

Bill

[Janice Haraz]

I have worked with this web site before with varying success. We used it to open a dialogue about what happened to the Colony of Roanoke.  The students loved using and the teacher was pleased with the results. The one issue we had was saving their work.  Students can't print in the lab, we had to save the comics to an email address.  In the beginning, the students were disappointed in the limited options, but in the end we all welcomed it.This site is well worth the time and effort. My students are Middle School grades 6-8 and the inclusion classes used the site.

Hope this helps.

 

[Kelly Farrow]

I just took a professional development course on teaching students in the autism spectrum, and there was a lot of discussion about social stories and comic strip conversations, ideas that come from various professionals and educators, like Carol Gray. I think Make Beliefs Comix lends itself perfectly to these kinds of teaching moments. Here's Gray's page on social stories just in case you're not familiar with them: http://thegraycenter.org/social-stories . And here's some information on Carol's book called Comic Strip Conversations: http://thegraycenter.org/index.php?page=shop.product_details&fl...

[William Zimmerman]

Thank you, Kelly, this is very helpful.

Does an example come to mind  of what a sample comic strip might say, teach or show?

I just sent away for the Comic Strip Conversations.

Bill