Join our worldwide group of family members and educators dedicated to meeting the needs of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders. This site will give you valuable information, provide an opportunity to get your questions answered and much, much more.

Who is this site for? Parents, family members, educators, Speech Pathologists, therapists and others who work to support the learning and living needs of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders and related learning challenges.

Autism 100 Day Kit This kit is produced by Autism Speaks. The Autism Speaks 100 Day Kit is created specifically for newly diagnosed families, to make the best possible use of the 100 days following the diagnosis of autism. A tool kit to assist families in getting the critical information they need in the first 100 days after an autism diagnosis. . . . keep reading Education & Therapies - Education Adolescence to Adult Years Education adolescence to adults Years. Connecting the Dots of Life toward a Meaningful Future: At a recent autism strategies workshop, the facilitator asked each of us to make a list of ten tasks we performed that morning at home to get ready for the day. After we generated our lists, she asked us to categorize each task by the skill required. The skills were: . . . keep reading More

Signs Signs: Please use a quiet voice, loud voice, wait to ask questions . . . keep reading Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders It is estimated that between 1 in 80 and 1 in 240 with an average of 1 in 110 children in the United States have an ASD. ASDs are reported to occur in all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups, yet . . . keep reading Throwing Rocks Aileen Hecht I tried very hard to be friends with the kids in my neighborhood, four of which were my cousins, and four or so others living within a hundred yards as well. I really only followed them around (mostly the girls), observing, mimicking, assimilating, trying to learn to be like them so that I could not only be their friends but to make friends at school as well. They weren't necessarily popular but as far as neighborhood cliques go, I very much found the breaks from solitude appealing and somewhat more comforting than those provided by the classmates at school considering that half of the neighborhood playmates were family. Family is an entirely different entity than the classmates who were . . . keep reading Rick Lavoie: Social Skills & Learning Disabilities In this video Rick Lavoie talks about teaching your child or student with Learning Disabilities the necessary social skills to build solid friendships. . . . keep reading Jonathan Alderson: Managing and Transforming Challenging Behaviors Jonathan uses an approach to transform negative behavior into positive behavior. . . . keep reading Temple Grandin Conversations: Unlocking Potential in Autism Temple Grandin talks about how autism influences her work . . . keep reading Temple Grandin: The Woman Who Thinks Like a Cow Part 1 & 2 An interesting interview with Temple Grandin . . . keep reading Considering Residential Living for Children with Autism Sister Jeannette Murray Although similarities exist, no two children with autism spectrum disorders are the same, thus their educational needs should be addressed on an individual basis, particularly when residential care comes into view. As parents make decisions about the education of their child with autism, they must consider many factors. First, the IEP team (including parents, counselors, teachers, support staff and any other pertinent individuals having knowledge of the child) must determine whether a public school classroom and related services can meet the child's needs. Observations of the child and formal and informal assessments may also . . . keep reading Sensory Integration for Children with Learning Disabilities - Strategies for Reading Dr. Susan Larson Kidd This article is a continuation on sensory integration (SI) strategies for children with learning disabilities (LD). SI strategies for reading. SI strategies for reading that have been successful with children with learning disabilities include the following: . . . keep reading Leisure Choice Boards Choice boards for leisure activites . . . keep reading Examples of Success stories and Experiences with Visual Strategies Do you have a success story or an experience story or some comments about your experience using visual strategies? Here's what they . . . keep reading Webinar: Answers to the 10 Most Important Questions About Autism Fitness Linda Hodgdon interviews Eric Chessen I received an email from a frustrated Mom of a child with autism. She wanted her son to play on a Little League baseball team, but he just couldn't do what was necessary to be successful. She wrote a very long list of everything he did wrong. He couldn't stand at in the right position. Swung too late to hit the ball. Didn't hold the bat in the right place. Didn't know when or where to run. And on and on. She wanted me to tell her how to use visual strategies to help him learn. It was hard to know how to . . . keep reading Temple Grandin's Success Story The story of Temple Grandin's life with autism is now being made into an HBO movie. Her parents were told she was autistic as a child when she did not learn to speak until she was 4 years old. However, Temple Grandin went on to become a . . . keep reading Students with Learning Challenges Learn Students with Learning Challenges Learn Vocational Skills Many middle schools have school stores that are run by students. One middle school store however, is currently being run and managed by students with learning challenges. The intended purpose of the store is help students . . . keep reading Autism Service Dogs: An Interview with John Wheelwright Did you know that an Autism Service Dog can reduce a child's inappropriate behaviors and serve as a positive social link to other people? In this interview, John Wheelwright, Executive Director of Dogs with Wings Assistance Dog Society, discusses how service dogs can make a positive difference for children with autism and their families. |image2|Service dogs are specially trained to anchor themselves in a "stay" position and not move when children wander or bolt into danger. They accompany the child at home and in the community. These dogs provide a calming influence which improves the autistic child's behavior, sleep patterns and self-regulation. . . . keep reading Helpful Website links for Military Families Links for Military Families These links should be helpful for military families who are searching for resources and services. . . . keep reading Parents and Teachers sharing sucessful Visual Strategies We used small, colour, laminated pictures of a clock with students when it was almost time to finish an activity to let them know the end was coming, and also when one became frustrated and ready to end a session they got to take the picture and go to the next room and . . . keep reading Sensory Integration for Children with Learning Disabilities - Strategies for Handwriting Dr. Susan Larson Kidd This article is a continuation on sensory integration (SI) strategies for children with learning disabilities (LD). SI strategies for handwriting. . . . keep reading It's Worth a Try! Kerri Stocks Here I am giving different strategies for you to use if you feel different feelings and emotions through out your day. A lot of times they may work, but sometimes they . . . keep reading Social Challenges for Individuals with Autism Paula Kluth For many with autism, engaging in a social interaction is like playing a game without knowing the rules. Some individuals report that the social demands of making small talk or walking into a party can create stress, anxiety, and panic; they may feel as if everyone else knows the secrets necessary for success and they do not. Liane Holliday Willey (1999), a woman with Asperger's Syndrome, illustrates how stressful it can be when one does not understand certain social requirements: "The most simple-sounding duties blew me away. For example, what exactly did it mean to plan a child's class party? With no precise guidelines or definition of terms in tow, I had no answer but plenty of questions. . . . keep reading Visual Strategies Experiences Each year I take my class of students with moderate to severe Autism to our Oklahoma Special Olympics State Games on the campus of Oklahoma State Univeristy. We spend 2 nights and 3 days on campus participating. Each student or his/her coach carries with them a visual schedule of what is happening step by step for each day. Along with daily schedules down to brushing teeth, showering etc., we put in rain plans, cancellation plans and change of venue plans just in case. The visual schedules help my students . . . keep reading Sensory Integration for Children with Learning Disabilities - Introduction Dr. Susan Larson Kidd The purpose of this article is to provide professional educators with practical ways to implement sensory integration strategies into everyday teaching in order to help children with learning disabilities (LD) to be successful. In doing so, the author hopes to eliminate apprehension about the use of sensory integration while supporting brain-based practices as essential teaching tools. Sensory integration (SI), defined by Ayers as "the organization for sensory input for use…so that a person can interact with the environment effectively and experience appropriate satisfaction" (1979, p. 184), has been used by occupational therapists since . . . keep reading Honoring and Including Students with Communication Differences Paula Kluth "I have a new student coming to my sixth-grade classroom and I am stumped. Ben does not speak very much but he sometimes uses an electronic device to make choices and greet people. He also knows some sign language. I am not sure how to include him in the class or how to build a relationship with him. HELP! " This note came to me in the form of an e-mail. It was sent by a fourth-grade teacher who has never had a student . . . keep reading Hygiene 2 X 2 pictures deodorant, grooming, soap, brush, comb . . . keep reading Using Visual Strategies with ASD Individuals: Success Stories (Part 1) Do you have a success story or an experience story or some comments about your experience using visual strategies? Here's what they shared: We had a preschool child in whom we suspected Asperger's. He did not transition well so we used a digital camera and took pictures of each place he had to go with a time line. (he was obsessed with time and clocks) There were different schedules for each different daily schedule like the day he had speech, and the day he had music library or PE. . . . keep reading