Mobile App Monday - ExpressionArcade

"Some students have a difficult time learning social skills that would seem obvious to others. Having and understanding social skills can really be an integral factor in an individual's success. ExpressionArcade is a fun way to learn and increase social skills for people of all ages." -iTunes

Want to learn more about it? Please visit: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/expressionarcade/id684396188?mt=8

City Hall Will Display Blue Lights for Autism Awareness Month

Bloomington, Ind. - The City of Bloomington will display blue lights on the City Hall Showers Building April 2 in commemoration of the United Nations-sanctioned World Autism Awareness Day.  The lights will coincide with national organization Autism Speaks’ “Light It Up Blue” ceremony held throughout the international autism community.

Preceding the event on April 1,The City of Bloomington Community and Family Resources Department is sponsoring an autism program from 4 to 6 p.m. in Council Chambers of City Hall, 401 N. Morton St. A panel of experts on autism, including a person with autism, will provide valuable information on autism diagnosis, education and treatment. This event is open to the public and free of charge. Light refreshments will be served.

“Light It Up Blue” is a unique, global initiative that kicks off Autism Awareness Month and helps raise awareness about autism. In honor of this historic day, many iconic landmarks, hotels, sporting venues, concert halls, museums, bridges and retail stores are among the hundreds of thousands of homes and communities that take part to “Light It Up Blue”.  More information on this event can be found at http://liub.autismspeaks.org/home.do.

Additionally, World Autism Awareness Day celebrates the unique talents and skills of persons with autism and is a day when individuals with autism are warmly welcomed and embraced in community events around the globe. Autism is one of only three health issues to be recognized by the United Nations with its own day.  More information on this day can be found at http://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism/world-autism-awareness-day.

For more information regarding the lighting or the autism program, please contact Health Projects Manager Nancy Woolery at 812.349.3851. To find out more about the organization Autism Speaks, visit the website at http://www.autismspeaks.org/. 

Does autism start before birth?

"The symptoms of autism may not be obvious until a child is a toddler, but the disorder itself appears to begin well before birth." So begins an article found on NPR this morning about a study that looked at brain tissue taken from children with autism who had died. The tissue had "patches of disorganization in the cortex" that did not show up in brain tissue taken from children without autism.

Want to read the entire article? Please visit: http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/03/26/294446735/brain-changes-suggest-autism-starts-in-the-womb

A Week of Switching, Shifting, and Stretching

A Week of Switching, Shifting, and Stretching is a picture book that assists children, especially those on the autism spectrum, in thinking more flexibly. Using repeated rhymes and illustrations, children will begin to recognize that the more flexible their thinking is, the better they will be able to cope with the challenges that life presents.

Want to check it out? Email us at cedir@indiana.edu or use worldcat.org to find it in a library near you.

Visual supports for visual thinkers

Visual supports for visual thinkers is a guide not only for teachers but for therapists, parents, or anyone who works with students on the spectrum or any student who has difficulty learning. The tools involved are simple and effective in aiding the education of students with special education needs. From the way in the classroom is laid out to the use of schedules and time planning aids, there's something in this book for everyone.

Interested? Email us at cedir@indiana.edu to check it out or use worldcat.org to find it in a library near you.

Mobile App Monday - Touch-Words

Looking for an app for kids with communication differences? Touch-Words offers a visual-based approach to help children who are at the first stage of learning to talk and to read. It is specifically designed for children who may have difficulty learning to talk and to read and other visual learners.

Want to learn more? Please visit: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/touch-words/id722231281?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

Applied Behavior Analysis: Statewide Issues and Solutions Webinar

Applied Behavior Analysis: Statewide Issues and Solutions Webinar

Thursday, April 24, 2014- Thursday, April 24, 2014
3:00 PM EST - 4:00 PM EST

Webinar Description:

In this webinar, issues around the implementation of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) programs will be discussed including licensure, funding, diversity of practices and quality, understanding of ABA and collaboration between ABA providers and other organizations.   Both Tennessee and Indiana have addressed these issues and in different ways.  This webinar will highlight the processes both states have followed in trying to reach some consensus and to promote legislation in this area.

For more information and to register, please visit:
http://www.aucd.org/template/event.cfm?event_id=5497

Autism Awareness Month

April is Autism Awareness Month. To help you prepare for the month, staff at the Indiana Resource Center for Autism have developed an article in conjunction with the Autism Society of Indiana listing a number of facts and tips. Here are a few to get you started:

• Make it Visual!  Most individuals on the spectrum are visual learners.  Reduce verbal interactions and use visual supports.  Avoid getting into verbal arguments with students.
• Remember that the best time to address behavior is when behavior is not happening.  Teach the individual alternative ways of responding when they are calm and not in the heat of the moment.
• For individuals who need it, build in small breaks throughout the day, even in secondary school or in a job setting.  Identify a safe area or safe person for the individual to access when they are stressed. Rehearse the strategy with the individual when they are calm.
• Consider successes. When assessing behavior, be sure to determine those conditions, situations, events, and people with whom the individual is most successful. Replicating those factors is an important part of a behavior support plan.

Want to read the entire article? Please visit:  http://www.iidc.indiana.edu/index.php?pageId=359

The don't freak out guide to parenting kids with Asperger's

The Don’t Freak Out Guide to Parenting Kids with Asperger's is here to help parents through their process of parenting without worry, anger, and guilt. Through personal stories, tips, and strategies the authors will show you a new way to view your child and help you to become a leader in your child’s life.

Want to check it out? Email us at cedir@indiana.edu or use worldcat.org to find it in a library near you.

Worlds of Autism: Across the Spectrum of Neurological Difference

From the book description, Worlds of Autism:
"A major contribution to the emerging, interdisciplinary field of critical autism studies, this book is methodologically and conceptually broad. Its authors explore the philosophical questions raised by autism, such as how it complicates neurotypical understandings of personhood; grapple with the politics that inform autism research, treatment, and care; investigate the diagnosis of autism and the recognition of difference; and assess representations of autism and stories told by and about those with autism."

Want to check it out? Email us at cedir@indiana.edu or use worldcat.org to find it in a library near you.

Behavior Mapping

Looking to motivate children to make good choices and learn new skills? Pick up Behavior Mapping. This visual strategy works well for students regardless of age or ability level. Consequence Maps, Complex Behavior Maps, Language Maps, and Problem-Solving Maps are supported by examples and real-life vignettes.

Want to check it out? Email us at cedir@indiana.edu or use worldcat.org to find it in a library near you.

Mobile App Monday - Tom Taps Speak

Looking for a communication app that was made in collaboration with speech centers and teachers? Try Tom Taps Speak. It offers an easy, colorful layout and 500 cards to choose from that portray expressions, people, objects, places and more.

Want to learn more about it? Please visit: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tom-taps-speak/id805544185?mt=8

Technology tools for students with autism

Technology tools for students with autism: Innovations that enhance independence and learning offers a variety of technologies that support students on the spectrum in their classrooms and communities. From apps to video modeling, the book explores the current and the future of interventions for learning to help teachers make the most of new tools and strategies.

Want to check it out? Email us at cedir@indiana.edu or use worldcat.org to find it in a library near you.

What to Consider When Looking for a Qualified ABA Provider

Dr. Cathy Pratt at the Indiana Resource Center for Autism and others have published an article on choosing an ABA provider. Here is the first paragraph:

"Like many approaches to serving individuals with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is an approach that focuses on helping people develop skills that are very difficult for them. ABA does this by looking at factors in a person’s world that undermine their success, and then carefully changing those factors to teach different and more appropriate ways of responding. There is a lot of research that shows ABA works - not just for people with ASD or with disabilities, but with all children, adolescents and adults.  In truth, while the goals may be different, ABA can be effective with any of us at any age."

To read the entire article, please visit: http://www.iidc.indiana.edu/index.php?pageId=3675

City of Bloomington Sponsors Autism Program

Bloomington, Ind. – The City of Bloomington Community and Family Resources Department is sponsoring an autism program titled “Autism Speaks and We Listen, Living with Autism: Diagnosis, Education and Treatment.” The program will be held on Tuesday, April 1 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in Council Chambers of City Hall, 401 N. Morton St. The program is free of charge and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.

The event will include a panel discussion with experts in the field of autism. Chief Executive Officer Susan Rinne of LifeDesigns, Inc, an agency that provides services to people with disabilities, will moderate the discussion. Speakers include Dr. Dan Kennedy, Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of California, San Diego; Fritz Kruggel, Director of Behavior Supports for Indiana Mentor; Kristie Brown Lofland, Educational Consultant at the Indiana Resource Center for Autism at the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community at Indiana University; Mari Shawcroft, Coordinator of Behavior Support Services at Stone Belt;  and Adria Nassim, a person living with autism spectrum disorder who received a degree in English from Brescia University, Owensboro, KY. The program will be followed by a question and answer session.

About one out of every 88 children in the United States currently have autism and about 36,500 of every four million children born each year in the United States will have autism. More people than ever before are being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, but it is not clear why. Some of this increase could be due to a broader definition of autism, better efforts in diagnosis or greater awareness of symptoms. Research shows that some groups are at higher-than-normal risk for the disorder. Data shows that boys are four to five times more likely than girls to have it. Among families that have one child with autism, there is a 2% to 8% chance that another sibling will as well.

Autism spectrum disorder commonly occurs with other disorders, such as fragile x syndrome (an inherited condition characterized by an X chromosome that is abnormally susceptible to damage) and tuberous sclerosis (a genetic disorder that causes non-malignant tumors to form in many different organs). Babies born extremely preterm and children of older parents are at higher risk. More research is needed to better understand why these factors increase autism.  

For more information regarding the program, please contact Health Projects Manager Nancy Woolery at 349.3851.

Essential First Steps for Parents of Children with Autism

Essential First Steps for Parents of Children with Autism: Helping the Littlest Learners seeks to help parents learn where to turn and how to begin helping their child. The authors are both experienced clinicians and ABA therapists who help to eliminate the confusion and guesswork by outlining the pivotal steps parents can take now to optimize learning and functioning for young children.

Want to check it out? Email us at cedir@indiana.edu or use worldcat.org to find it in a library near you.

Mobile App Monday - Wait4it

From time to time, we all have to wait for something we want! Many learners who encounter situations during which they must wait have difficulty with this concept. Wait4It is a great visual tool if Phases I and II of PECS® have been mastered. The app is designed for use in any setting to help teach the concept of "wait" and encourage learners to wait successfully.

To learn more about this app, please visit: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/wait4it/id640757429?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

Mobile App Monday - PECS Phase III

The app, designed to look just like a PECS™ communication book permits a teacher to practice picture discrimination with one or several learners within a single session. Touching the correct icon results in immediate visual and auditory feedback from the device in a manner far quicker than a teacher could react. If the learner touches an incorrect icon, there is no significant feedback. A correct picture selection results in access to a desire item or activity.

Want to learn more about it? Please visit: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pecs-phase-iii/id551356825?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4