TheAutismShop

The Autism Shop on Etsy - by The Autism Whisperer™

Minneapolis, Minnesota On Etsy since 2011

4,689 Sales | 5 out of 5 stars

Top shop for gifts.

Buyers bought gifts from this shop and gave them 5-star reviews!

TheAutismShop

The Autism Shop on Etsy - by The Autism Whisperer™

Minneapolis, Minnesota | 4,689 Sales

5 out of 5 stars

Shop owner

Contact

Announcement    Fall/Winter 2018 - Orders are shipping out on time or a little bit early. Free domestic shipping is available through the holidays. My custom order waiting list has been extended out until January 2018. If you don't see something you need, please send me a message since I don't list every single product available. Happy Holidays!

PECS Social Stories - PECS Schedule Books - PECS Weekly Planner - Visual Aids for Autism - The Autism Whisperer - The Autism Shop on Etsy - Learning In Pictures

Announcement

Last updated on Oct 30, 2018

Fall/Winter 2018 - Orders are shipping out on time or a little bit early. Free domestic shipping is available through the holidays. My custom order waiting list has been extended out until January 2018. If you don't see something you need, please send me a message since I don't list every single product available. Happy Holidays!

PECS Social Stories - PECS Schedule Books - PECS Weekly Planner - Visual Aids for Autism - The Autism Whisperer - The Autism Shop on Etsy - Learning In Pictures

Items

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4689 Sales
2494 Admirers
 

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Laura B

Contact shop owner

Laura B

Reviews

Average item review
5 out of 5 stars
(647)
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quality 127 shipping 92 customer service 37

About TheAutismShop

Sales 4,689
On Etsy since 2011
  • I have a shop full of incredible and useful visual aids for children of all abilities and ages!
  • Just when I think I have written every story imaginable, another situation inspires a story for a child with autism.
  • You can also visit my other website www.AutismWhisperer.com

A Mother's Love Can Move Mountains

When I couldn't find the materials my child needed to learn and grow... I set out to make them myself and I was determined to make materials that would reach her. My motto was "Never waste a moment of therapy time!" Each day I made therapy moments out of her every day activities. Such as a drive to an appointment, a grocery store outing, a walk around the block. Each activity was a chance to help her learn and discover everything about the world around her.

Really taking the time to empathize with how my child was feeling and how she was receiving information from the world around her helped me develop every single product, social story, and keyring activity. Eventually all of our activities had visual supports. She was able to understand and retain the information when she had a visual cue. Today my child is in main stream classes, has some support during academic classes, is extremely smart and articulate, has friends and plans on going to college to become a teacher.

You can find my products at:
www.LearningInPictures.com
www.AutismWhisperer.com

Shop members

  • Laura B

    Owner

    I have been creating social stories and visual aids and other PECS materials for 12 years. Over the years I have worked with parents, teachers, and children with autism directly to create meaningful content that reaches the child at their level.

Shop policies

Last updated on November 6, 2018
Welcome to The Autism Shop on Etsy! This is the place to get all of your child's visual aids. All of our products have been designed for the child who is a visual learner. Most items can be customized or modified upon request at no additional charge. But if you need additional pages, or a custom story, I can do that too. Please send me an Etsy message about your child's specific issue and I will help you design and co-write your child's special social story. (Read more in my Shop Policies under Additional Information)

Accepted payment methods

Paypal Mastercard Visa American Express Discover Giftcard
Accepts Etsy Gift Cards and Etsy Credits
Returns and exchanges
I don't accept returns, exchanges, or cancellations
But please contact me if you have any problems with your order.
Returns and exchange details
All items are customized or made-to-order and therefore are not eligible for return.
Payment
Payment is required at the the time of purchase with PayPal or Visa, Mastercard, Discover, or Esty gift card.
Shipping
Items are shipped USPS and are shipped within 5-8 days of payment received. Orders that are CUSTOM made or modified may take 5-10 business days before it's ready to ship depending on the current case load. But rest assured, the extra wait will be worth it. Your child will have a customized item to suit their communication needs.
Shipping is by weight. So combined shipping isn't necessary. This includes US, CAN, and INT'L orders.

All items over 13 oz. will ship Priority Mail (that is USPS shipping weight policy). Additionally, when you pay for quicker shipping that does not mean I can make your item faster. Priority shipping just means the travel of your package will take 1-3 days approximately, once your item has been made. If you need me to make your item faster you will need to contact me to see if that is possible.
Additional policies and FAQs
In all situations, you will need contact me BEFORE ordering a custom book. I will let you know what my waiting list is like, how long it will take to write your story, whether or not I am able to write a story about the topic you are seeking, and I will need detailed information about your topic in order to determine that. (If you want a custom story, you will need to read these instructions in full).

~~~~CAN I GET A STORY CUSTOMIZED TO FIT MY CHILD'S SITUATION?~~~~

Yes! If you find a story topic that fits your child or 'sort of' fits your child's issue but need to make sure a specific issue is addressed, or something needs to be worded a certain way... PLEASE let me know. I am happy to make these minor changes to a book. In most cases the extra fee is $10-$20 depending on how much needs to be changed. Changing wording and rearranging pages take a lot of time. Sometimes as much as writing a whole new story. If you need a whole new storyline, a custom social story would be necessary. To get an idea of what you should order please contact me BEFORE ordering. I do not just 'add pages' to the story, it's not that simple.

~~~~HOW DO I KNOW WHAT YOUR SOCIAL STORY SAYS?~~~~

Easy! Just take a few moments to look at the listing about the story that most closely represents your topic. Then take a look at the photos. The photos are clear enough that you can read almost half of the social story and get the feel of what it is about, maybe how it could be changed a bit to fit your child's circumstance, and if the book reads either too old or too young for your child (this can be changed too!).

~~~~WHAT IF MY CHILD HAS SEVERAL ISSUES AND I WANT TO COMBINE THEM ALL IN ONE BOOK?~~~~

Umm, sorry no. Each book needs to address a specific topic and stay crystal clear on that topic. Most kids can't handle the input of several topics at once. So I can't make a combination book about 'Being Patient-Not Holding My Pee-Going to the Eye Doctor' book. It would be confusing and not beneficial for a child in the least. So I have to break down the books into separate issues in order to adequately address them and input positive scripts regarding each issue.

~~~~WILL YOU WRITE A SOCIAL STORY FOR MY CHILD?~~~~

Sure, BUT... You must know that I will NEED your input. You have to be able to give specifics about the issue/topic. I can't write a story if you say, "My child is afraid of green beans." or "Can you tell my kid how to play soccer?" What I will need to know from you is EXACTLY (or as much as you can surmise) what the problem is:

1) WHAT the issue is that your child is facing (i.e. hitting others, won't try new foods, moving to another house, etc.) Then I will need to know...
2) WHO is this book for? Is this for a boy or girl, what age, and what is their level of comprehension. This gives me some insight into whom I am working for.
3) WHY is this a concern or what do you believe your child's road block is for this subject (i.e. teachers are getting frustrated, need to prepare for an event, resistant to change, etc.) Then I would like you to tell me...
4) WHAT positive spin (or solution) do you want to give to your child (i.e. when you are frustrated instead of hitting others you will... go to your happy place, take a break, tell a teacher.) We can't just tell them to 'stop it' we need a replacement activity. If this book is NOT behavioral and just informative or a script, I will still need to have a positive spin. Like, 'I will be in big boy underwear and stay dry all day!' or something of that nature.
5) TELL ME what the title of the book should be. I may have to tweak it a bit, but this gives me a good idea of where you are coming from on the topic and where you are headed with the book.

~~~~UGH, CAN'T YOU JUST WRITE THIS STORY FOR ME WITHOUT ALL THIS INFORMATION?~~~~

Boy, that would be miraculous wouldn't it? BUT A GREAT CUSTOM SOCIAL STORY HAS A LOT OF PARENTAL AND/OR TEACHER INPUT. I will be here to help guide and word things to get it right for your child. I can offer suggestions to help you develop your story and put it into words and pictures for your child. Only you know your child best and your input is priceless!

~~~~CAN YOU USE PHOTOS I TAKE AND PUT THEM IN A SOCIAL STORY?~~~~

I really don't do that because most people are not very good photographers. In my experience the pictures i receive are usually low resolution, not centered well, and very dark. This makes the photos very difficult and sometimes impossible to work with. I am not in the business of photo editing, so it's not my expertise either. The time involved for me to create a full story with your photographs would be very time consuming and costly. In instances where I will work with photos is usually a head shot of a parent, therapist, pet, or sibling in order to make a simple PECS card or sometimes 1-2 photos in a book if absolutely necessary.

~~~~WILL YOU WRITE A STORY ABOUT ANYTHING?~~~~

Well I don't 'censor' the topics parents need for a story. However, if I don't know much about a subject and/or the parent can't give me enough inside information, then I simply can't write a story that would be beneficial. In such a case I would have to decline.

Once I review your information, I can determine if I can write an effective story for your child or not. I am human and a creative person, so if a story doesn't come to me from your information, then I simply can't. Nothing personal, and that doesn't happen very often.

I have only needed to decline a story twice: A parent asked me to write a book that would teach her child to play a specific sport. I just didn't know enough about the sport to even attempt such a book. Another time a parent asked me to write a story about the difference between two different religions. I didn't know much about either religion and didn't feel I would be able to represent it properly.

~~~~HOW MUCH DOES A COMPLETE CUSTOM SOCIAL STORY COST?~~~~

In most cases a complete custom social story will be $45-$50 depending on the number of pages and artwork or pictures needed to complete it and I need to consider any unforeseen matters as well. It's really very reasonable considering I am going to spend anywhere from 2-6 hours creating your child's very special book.

If you wish to proceed with a custom social story, feel free to contact The Autism Whisperer via email and put CUSTOM SOCIAL STORY in the subject line AutismShopper [!at] gmail.com

Purpose of social stories:
• I ncrease understanding
• D ecrease anxiety
• E ducate your child about an event
• A ffirm success
• S hare information

This story is 10 or 14 pages (depending what your story's needs are) and measures approx. 8" x 6". ALL MATERIALS are printed in color on heavy duty card stock and heat laminated with commercial plastic. The book is bound with a vinyl coil binding and is extremely durable.

The Autism Whisperer™

Visual Aids for Visual Kids™