Students on the spectrum in college

Staff at the Indiana Resource Center for Autism has just published a new article called, Academic Supports for College Students with an Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Overview. Written by their Social Work Specialist, Marci Wheeler, the article discusses several topics of concern when supporting students on the spectrum in college, such as:

• Communication skills
• Social skills
• Sensory differences
• Motor skills

Also included is a chart that acts as a quick reference to important facets of the autism spectrum and how it pertains to college life. To see the chart and read the entire article, go to: http://www.iidc.indiana.edu/index.php?pageId=3417

The first year

The first year: Autism spectrum disorders: An essential guide for the newly diagnosed child is written by Nancy Wiseman, a parent who is also an expert in the field. Wiseman takes the reader through the first year of a autism diagnosis with daily, weekly, and monthly milestones, including:

• Taking the top 10 most essential actions
• Assembling a team of specialists
• Accessing early intervention services
• Building a strong support system
• Advocating for your child

and more! With an emphasis on early intervention, this guide will help you get the medical care, treatment, and services that your child will need.

Send us an email at cedir@indiana.edu to check out this title. Worldcat.org can also help you find the book in a library near you.

App Giveaway

To help celebrate Autism awareness month, the folks at Autism Epicenter have joined forces with several app developers to bring you a generous promotion! During this giveaway Autism Epicenter will be distributing 4 packs of 4 apps. Two of these packs are geared toward the iPod Touch and two of them for the iPad:

iPod Touch pack #1 First Then Visual Schedule Voice4U My Choice Board Speech with Milo: Verbs	iPod Touch pack #2 TASUC Schedule Voice4U My Choice Board Pictello
iPad pack #1 iPrompts XL Pictello AACSpeechBuddy Speech with Milo: Prepositions	iPad pack #2 iPrompts XL AACSpeechBuddy Speech with Milo: Verbs Speech with Milo: Prepositions

To get in on this giveaway, navigate to: http://www.autismepicenter.com/autism-blog/blog5.php?p=191&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1#more191

Autism College

Feel like you need to get schooled on the ins and outs of autism? Want to take courses to find out more about the spectrum of this disorder? Check out Autism College where interactive video webinars will be your classroom. They have classes for professionals who need continuing education credits and classes for parents. Visiting professors such as Temple Grandin and IRCA's own Dr. Cathy Pratt will present lectures. For each course, classes are held once a week for 2 hours over a four week period. Small group coaching is also available.

For more information, go to: autismcollege.com

Week-Long Webinar on Autism

The folks at HANDS in Autism (Helping Answer Needs by Developing Specialists in Autism) are hosting a special week-long online webinar next week. The webinar will offer various presentations throughout the week, some of which will be presented by staff at the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community. Register for one or all of the presentations to receive a link to that particular classroom, or just browse the virtual fair to see what they have to offer.

For more information and to register, go to: http://handsinautism.org/awarenessfair.html

Support

Looking for support for a family with a child with autism? Services and resources can be difficult to find. The Indiana Resource Center for Autism has a webpage devoted to this topic. From support groups around the state to respite services to how and where to obtain a diagnosis or assessment, this page will point you in the right direction.

Get started at: http://www.iidc.indiana.edu/index.php?pageId=275

Autism: Coming of Age

Autism: Coming of Age is a public television documentary about families facing the future as their children with autism become adults. This film focuses on the day-to-day struggles and issues families face not only while raising their children with autism but also continuing to care for them once they become adults. MassMutual Financial Group sponsored this documentary which was produced by public television station WGBY (Springfield, MA) to help raise awareness of the challenges faced by individuals with autism and their families.

For more information on this documentary and to view it, browse over to: http://www.massmutual.com/planningtools/additional-resources/special-needs/special-care/autism-coming-of-age