Managing family dynamics, travel plans, communication and power struggles…

The holidays might have you thinking about tossing your phone out the car window onto I-95 or the tarmac at O’Hare. Not so fast! The holidays give us time to catch up with tech! Travel is a great time to catch up on podcasts and webinars. Let me help you navigate your tech use so you can spend more time doing the things you love with the people you love. 

Yes, your electronic devices may be sources of distraction and power struggles, but if used wisely, they can be enormously empowering.

Hosted by Executive Function specialist Suchita Kamath, in her podcast Full PreFrontal: Exposing the Mysteries of Executive Functioning, I discuss Augmenting Life with Technology.  Planning + Organization = Calmer Families.  Everyday tools—free ones!—are available to every one of us to support self-optimization. Simple options we often neglect—or don’t even know about—can simplify complicated to-do lists and help you catch up with tech. Just in time! 

Long layover? Spend it with autism experts who will enlighten and inspire you.

I was so impressed with the presenters at the 2019 Parenting Autism Summit—and honored to be a part of it! If you missed the Summit, you can enroll in the Parenting Autism Experts Library Vol. 2  to access a treasure chest of webinars including mine:Assistive Technology to Help Students with Autism & Related Learning Challenges.” 

In this discussion, we talk about technology that assists in auditory comprehension, apps that promote engagement and support in social and family settings, and tools that assist with executive functioning.  Each webinar includes links to the apps, tools, and support materials mentioned in the discussion, so you don’t even have to take notes! Also, each presentation is about an hour long and comes with an MP3 option so you can close your eyes and just listen. 

Stressing over what to bring your favorite seniors? How about tech that simplifies instead of stymies?

So many apps and settings on our devices can enrich a senior’s life.  Tech can actually bridge the generational divide through communication and sharing.

A few months ago as part of the ongoing free “They May Not Know webinar series, I presented considerations for applying technology to the life of a senior including personal interests and choices, and physical and cognitive challenges. If you missed the live session, the recording of  “Technology for Seniors” is available at www.ittsguides.com.

It guides you toward available options and ideas for practical use, plus helps you catch up with tech.  Explore practical approaches to helping people with cognition and memory impairment, including apps and exercises that continue challenging the brain. Learn about tools that provide support such as voice commands for simple tasks like turning on lights, and memory alerts to take medication. Even for the most cognitively intact senior, there is a real advantage to being tech-savvy, even in just knowing how to gather information when you need it: Google it! 

If you’d like some guidance about helpful next steps, feel free to schedule a free 15-minute phone chat with me!

Here’s hoping Thanksgiving launches you into a holiday season full of meaningful connections with everyone you hold dear!