Tips to prepare resources for your child with autism.

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 I know first-hand buying resources from stores for your child with autism can be very expensive. It can also be expensive to buy resources already made by some Etsy sellers.

It is a little bit of investment upfront but trust me it will pay for itself in the long run. Having the materials on hand helps you to save money as going to places like Staples, Office Depot can get very expensive especially when they charge you on a per-page basis.

There are a few essential materials you need to have on hand to make your resources.

The printer-A good quality printer is a must-have resource you need in your tool kit to make any kind of resource. There are good quality printers available commercially at a reasonable price.

I personally own EPSON  ET2550. It comes with super tank ink which can last up to two years. It has saved me tons of money over the years. I spent a lot of money before I bought this printer to print resources.

The other thing you will need it’s good quality printer paper or card stock whatever you can afford to make your resources durable

Personal Laminator- This is a must-have product if you want to preserve your resources for years to come depending on the weather and tear. I bought mine from Walmart the scotch brand for $20 ten years ago. This will last you for many years to make sure your resources are durable. The other product you will need is laminating pouches which are available in Walmart or Amazon depending on your budget.

Comb Binding Machine-I bought this from Staples a couple of years ago. It was on the expensive side but it did save me lots of money I was getting adapted books bound cost a lot of money.

In addition, you will need velcro which can be long strips or you can use Hooks and Loops to make your adapted books removable pieces that your children can manipulate. Keep a separate pair of titanium scissors to cut your velcro as cutting it will be a mess with regular pair of scissors.

How to start making your own resources.

The first thing you can do is to create a free account on Teachers pay Teachers. As a parent, you can create an account on teachers pay teachers.

Then you can search for autism resources like file folders adapted books, task cards, schedule digital resources and many more. There are lots of free resources available are you can buy resources as per your child’s needs the cost is in US dollars.

I have bought tons of resources from teachers pay teachers for my son. It comes in digital PDF format which you can print and prepare resources for your child. To save money sometimes I will speak to protect those as laminating gets very expensive.

I have been preparing been super adopted books file folders, task cards for my son for many years. He has benefitted a lot from working on it I said gives him a chance to practice and generalize his skills.

Lately, I have been buying lots of digital resources like boom cards or Google slides which are no prep and which do not require any painting or laminating. It can be used on any tablet iPad or desktop device.

Make sure your resources are organized I want to work with your chain. You don’t need to make everything at once make the resources your child needs depending on the skins day working for.

I hope these tips will help you get started to make resources for your child with autism and save you money.


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