Generation A: Portraits of Autism and the Arts

Get an inside look at autism in Generation A: Portraits of Autism and the Arts. In this 62-minute DVD, art programs and therapies are explored for helping children on the spectrum to succeed. Music, dance, art, and animation are offered as ways for kids to connect with other people. Creative activities seem to help stimulate speech and language, encourage social interaction with others, and build self-esteem in children with limited skills in these areas. Eight portraits of individuals with autism are seen as this movie celebrates their talents and provides a platform for them to talk about their obstacles and their successes. Interviews with the children are offered along with experts in the field of autism such as Dr. Temple Grandin; Dr. Stephen Shore; Ed Asner, autism spokesman; Joanne Lara, founder, Autism Movement Therapy, and more.

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

Collaborative & Proactive Solutions: Understanding and Helping Students with Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Challenges

Collaborative & Proactive Solutions: 

Understanding and Helping Students with 

Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Challenges

November 18, 2016

Westfield, IN

This is the empirically supported model Dr. Ross Greene describes in his influential books, The Explosive Child and Lost at School. The CPS model has transformed thinking and practices in countless schools, inpatient psychiatry units, and residential and juvenile detention facilities, and has been associated with dramatic reductions in disciplinary referrals, detentions, suspensions, seclusions, and physical, chemical and mechanical restraints.

Wan to learn more about it? Please visit:
https://www.iidc.indiana.edu//index.php?pageId=ross-greene-workshop

Mobile App Monday - Kids Flashcard Maker

"Kids Flashcards Maker is a recommended application for us in K-8 classrooms. The option to add videos and content makes this app an indispensable, informative and entertaining tool for language study, for building vocabulary or even making short presentations. Build as many “decks” or collections as you like using your own resources or images and video from the web." -iTunes

To learn more about this app, please visit:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/kids-flashcards-maker/id1022832305

Free Parent Group Meetings

This fall, The Indiana Resource Center for Autism staff will present information to parent support groups across Indiana. Meetings have been scheduled through February throughout the state. These meetings are free and open to the public and will be geared toward families with a diagnosis on the autism spectrum rather than professionals.

To view the meetings list, please visit:
https://www.iidc.indiana.edu/pages/parent-group-meetings

Gear up for success

Gear up for success: A three-tiered planning model for supporting learners on the autism spectrum is a 152-page guide that offers evidence-based practices for teachers who have students on the autism spectrum in their classroom. Using the analogy of the gears on a bicycle to explain the three-tiered model, the authors, all professionals working in the field of autism, offer support for educators looking to adjust the intensity of interventions used based on their students' needs.

The aim of the book is to offer a conceptual framework to help education teams plan for interventions through general, class-wide supports, targeted small-group interventions, and specially designed one-on-one support. Detail is given on how to adjust the intensity level of interventions using the Gear Up model depending on the environmental conditions throughout the school day. Each bicycle representation is well-described and thoughtfully interwoven into the discussion.

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

Sensory issues and autism

Staff at the Indiana Resource Center for Autism have published a new article on the sensory issues that children with autism often face. It discusses relatively a new theory that suggests that autism actually originates as a defense mechanism to over- or under-stimulation to environmental factors such as light and sound.

To read the entire article, please visit:
https://www.iidc.indiana.edu/pages/look-into-my-eyes

6 Locations and Dates Offered for Upcoming Workshop

Understanding and Managing 

Challenging Behaviors

Presented by 

Dr. Cathy Pratt, BCBA-D 

Director, Indiana Resource Center for Autism

The goal of this full-day workshop is to provide affordable and localized training for those working with students who engage in challenging behaviors. It is relevant for certified and non-certified staff, including general and special educators, paraprofessionals, school psychologists, behavior consultants and interested others.

Dates:                                Locations:
September 2, 2016             Pendleton
September 7, 2016             Kokomo
September 16, 2016           New Albany
September 28, 2016           Lebanon
October 4, 2016                  St. Leon
November 2, 2016              Mt. Vernon

For more information about this workshop and to register, please visit:
https://www.iidc.indiana.edu/pages/understanding-and-managing-challenging-behaviors-workshop

Mobile App Monday - myHomework Student Planner

Looking for an app to replace that paper student agenda notebook? myHomework is a multiple award-winning app that can help students stay on track and get lets you sync across other platforms. Get homework reminders and join your teacher's Teachers.io class to automatically download their class information, assignments, files and announcements.

Want to learn more about this app? Please visit:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id303490844

Voting Guide

Wondering about your rights as a voter in this election season? CeDIR has developed a voting guide that has links from the agencies that make up the Developmental Disabilities Network. There you can check to see if you are currently registered to vote, find out how to register if you aren't, learn about accessibility at polling places and more!

Please visit the guide at:
http://guides.libraries.indiana.edu/vote

Free Webinar on Measuring Transition Outcomes

The National Autism Data Center: 

Building Gauges to Measure National Progress on Transition Outcomes

Wednesday, August 31, 2016

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. ET

Location: Webinar

Paul Shattuck, founder of the National Autism Data Center, will describe the Center's activities with special emphasis on national indicators related to transition, and Laura Ivanova Smith, UW LEND Advocate Faculty, will describe the support she received while transitioning out of high school and into college.

To learn more about this webinar and to register, please visit:
https://www.aucd.org/template/event.cfm?event_id=7863

PECS workshop in September

PECS Level 1 Training

Presenter:

Jill Waegenaere, M.A., CCC-SLP

September 12 & 13, 2016 - A Two Day Workshop

Carmel, Indiana

The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is a language training package that is used to teach communication skills rapidly to those with limited functional speech. PECS promotes communication within a social context, without lengthy prerequisite training.

For more information and to register, please visit:
https://www.iidc.indiana.edu/pages/pecs

Curriculum Materials and Programs

Looking for curricular materials for students on the autism spectrum? The folks at IRCA have made your search a little bit easier! An article has been published that offers a list of instructional materials and programs in subjects ranging from math to living skills.

View the article and the listing at:
https://www.iidc.indiana.edu/pages/curriculum-materials-and-programs-for-individuals-on-the-autism-spectrum

Mobile App Monday - Dexteria Jr.

Young children, especially between the ages of 2 and 6, need help with pre-writing skills. This app offers hand and finger exercises to begin building the fine motor control that is necessary for writing in school. It's great for both typically developing kids and those who have developmental delays. The sound effects can be adapted for use with kids with different sensory needs.

To learn more about this app, please visit:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id624918435

Local district leaders

 

The Indiana Resource Center for Autism has published a listing of local district autism leaders, coaches, and mentors throughout the state. These individuals have been selected to play a role in leadership in their district with regard to students on the autism spectrum.

Find the list at:
https://www.iidc.indiana.edu/pages/local-district-autism-leaders-mentors-coaches

Sexuality education for students with developmental disabilities

Sexuality education for students with developmental disabilities is a curriculum designed for self-advocates and staff to teach a sexuality education series together as a team. Written by sexuality educators with decades of experience teaching individuals with disabilities, the curriculum offers three components: the manual, the curriculum, and the pre/post test packet. The manual comprises the first 22 pages of the book and includes information on setting up a class and discusses challenges that may arise. The curriculum makes up the vast majority of the book covering different types of relationships, communication, decision-making, anatomy, children, and more. Activity suggestions and handouts are the hallmark of these lessons. A 22-question test found at the end of the book can be offered prior to the lessons to gear the class toward the information they lack. The same test is given after the class is over to ensure the class was successful.

Want to check it out? Email us at cedir@indiana.edu.

Mobile App Monday - ICE4Autism

ICE4Autism conveniently stores vital information about YOUR unique needs, sensitivities and behaviors directly on your iPhone or iPad. "First responders, ER doctors and nurses may lack a sufficient understanding of autism leading them to misinterpret your unique behaviors and needs. ICE4Autism provides them with immediate access to that very information so they can treat you properly while helping to reduce what is likely a heightened level of anxiety." -iTunes

To learn more about this app, please visit:
https://itunes.apple.com/app/ice4autism/id969601780

Combination Locks and How to Open Them

Combination locks can be tricky, and with the new school year upon us, the folks at the Indiana Resource Center for Autism is offering some resources to help your student open them. The article has various resources in various formats so that you can find the best fit for your student.

To read the article, please visit:
https://www.iidc.indiana.edu/pages/how-to-open-a-combination-lock-locker

Answers for Autism Walk

Answers for Autism is announcing its 16th annual walk. It's a one-mile, stroller and wheelchair friendly walk and silent auction fundraiser. Answers for Autism provides grants to autism programs throughout Indiana.

Date: September 24

Time: 9:00 am - 1:00 pm

Location: Carmel, IN

For more information on the walk and the organization, please visit:
http://answersautism.org/autism-event/2016-answers-for-autism-walk/

Mobile App Monday - Kid in Story Book Maker

Looking for an app that lets you use your own photos to create social stories? Kid in Story Book Maker has 20 story templates that you can drop your child's photo into or build your own stories. Use your own voice or your child's to customize it further. You can even share it with others by using email, pdf, or Dropbox.

Want to learn more about it? Please visit:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id594403164