Digital materials for early learning, homeschool, special education, autism, ABA, speech therapy
Hello, I'm Audra!
Wife, a mother of two, and a dog lover. My oldest son is a wonderful young man, and he has autism. He is the reason I got into the field, and it has been a wonderful (albeit sometimes painful) ride. I am a parent, an author, a special education teacher, and a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst. I have enjoyed sitting on all sides of the table.​ I decided to start this site and blog to hopefully help other educators and parents out there who want to learn how to merge their clinical knowledge and background of ABA into a school setting. It can be done! My newest adventures were born out of the COVID challenging and the new "opportunities" it afforded parents and educators by way of digital learning. I have learned a great deal this past year, so I am now focusing on synthesizing the experiences I have had over the years into digital formats (e.g., teacherspayteachers™ and BoomCards™).
I Get it!
Building Social Thinking® and Reading Comprehension Through Book Chats
"Reading comprehension is more than decoding words. It depends less on language comprehension and more on a student's social thinking ability. Yet little has been written from this point of view. Until now. Author Audra Jensen brilliantly illuminates the synergistic relationship between social thinking and reading comprehension. Teachers, administrators, parents, and clinicians alike will appreciate her positive, practical approach to helping children learn to read for meaning." See it here. ​
I wrote this book after having developed a technique in my private clinic running social groups for students ranging from ages 5 to young adult. I found that at the start of a group, I could help "center" the students by reading to them. I chose books generally with fewer words than age-expected and very expressive pictures. I would use exaggerated tones of voice and facial expressions, I would ask inferencing questions ("What do you think is going to happen next?"), and I would push the students to really *think* about the story. I found it helped not only in the moment, in getting the students attending to the group, but had an impact on their reading comprehension and social learning abilities. I connected with Michelle Garcia Winner who coined the term Social Thinking®, and we worked together to put the strategy to paper.​
When Babies read
A Practical Guide to Helping Young Children with Hyperlexia, Asperger Syndrome and High-Functioning Autism
"When Babies Read is an invaluable, practical guide for parents of children with autism and hyperlexia, as well as teachers and professionals who may want to learn more about it. The challenges and joys of hyperlexia, includes a comprehensive reading curriculum." See it here. ​
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This book is quite old now (crazy to think!). I finished writing it when my son was still only 5 years old (he's over 20 now!). It's really aimed at the very young child who has autism or symptoms of it AND has shown a propensity and/or interest in the written word, far above what would be expected at his or her developmental age. I share my story about early diagnosis and how we used his ability to read at a very young age (and obsession with the written word) as a tool to help him develop language and social skills. He was still early on in his journey, and I learned a lot in the years that followed, but it's a good start for any parent of a young child who wants some direction or is thinking, "What do I do with this kid who can barely talk and shows no interest in others but can READ!?!"
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Maybe I'll get around to updating it with all I learned over the next 15 years!
