A-Maze-ing Days!

It's that time of year again!

This weekend, the Autism Society of Greater Madison (ASGM) is hosting their annual A-maze-ing Days fundraiser at Treinen Farm in Lodi!

The event runs both Saturday and Sunday (Oct. 1 and Oct. 2) from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. The event will include:

• FREE General Admission
• Children’s Corn Maze
• Adult Corn Maze
• Art Activity Tent
• Tower of Tires
• Barnyard Playground
• Ice Cream and Lemonade
• Raffle
• Pumpkin Patch and Slingshot

Proceeds go towards ASGM’s continued educational workshops and programs. Come and support local families!

Blog Love: Differentiation Daily

Blogs are such a great way to share ideas and see what other educators are using successfully in their classrooms. I was beyond excited when Paula Kluth started her own blog, Differentiation Daily, last year. It is fantastic and has amazing tips from around the web for all disciplines! I especially appreciate her theme days, Todd's Tech Tuesdays (courtesy of her engineer husband) and Fun Fridays.

Here are my recent favorites:

• Classroom community builder links (at multiple levels)
• Fun visual AND a fantastic natural support for the classroom
• Possible lesson for kids about differentiation
• Multiple choice fans
  

I know you'll love Paula's blog and website, so while you're at it ... check out her Facebook page (she has a personal Facebook account and one for her book, From Tutor Scripts to Talking Sticks). Paula is the quintessential resource!

The Value of Visual Supports at any Age

"Can you imagine life without your calendar, your Blackberry or iPhone? Are you a person who would have difficulty surviving without those yellow sticky notes hanging in strategic places to remind you of important things? ... You and I use visual strategies to help us manage our life routines successfully. They help us organize our thinking and remember what to do. Visual supports help us accomplish activities and obligations more completely and with less stress."

The following article gives us some input on the importance of visual supports for our students on the autism spectrum and how we can adapt these supports for students of all ages and for a variety of life experiences.

http://www.autismdigest.com/Portals/0/docs/Visual%20Strategies.pdf

The Social Brain and Autism Spectrum Disorders/Research Study

Here is an article describing distinct differences in the brains of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and their siblings in recognizing human-like images and non-human images documented with MRI readings. The article includes video of the MRI process and a demo of the images shown during the MRIs.

http://www.iancommunity.org/cs/simons_simplex_community/the_social_brain_and_asd

Assessment and diagnosis of children with autism and other developmental disabilities who are from Spanish Speaking families

Although this study is not endorsed by or associated with the school district, it seemed like a good idea to pass on the information in case you or someone you know has a Spanish Speaking student with Autism (between the ages of 4 and 16) that might consider being a part of the study. Here are the details, as passed on to me: please pass them on to others this may apply to. Thanks!

Hello,

My name is Arellys Aguinaga and I am the lead Program Assistant on Sandy Magana's research study titled, Developmental Assessment of Children from Spanish Speaking Families.

Our objective is to learn about the process of assessment and diagnosis of children with autism and other developmental disabilities who are from Spanish Speaking families. Our hope is that the information we are gathering will ultimately lead to a more responsive and progressive service system for all families. Eligible participants are any parents in the Madison, WI area who are native Spanish speakers and who have a child with autism or other developmental disability that is between the ages of 4 and 16.

If you have any contact with families that have a child with a development disability or that are on the autism spectrum and are interested in helping us recruit participants, I would be interested in meeting with you to talk more about the study and to answer any questions you may have.

Very little research has considered the experiences, needs, and concerns of Latino families who have a child with autism or other developmental disabilities and it is our hope that this study will help address this disparity in treatment. Thank you for time and I look forward to hearing from you.

All the best,
--
Arellys Aguinaga, B.A.
Masters Student, Counseling Psychology
Program Assistant, Cultural Equivalence of Autism Assessment for Latino Children
Project Website: http://www.waisman.wisc.edu/CulturalContext/
Waisman Center - Room 527
University of Wisconsin-Madison
1500 Highland Avenue
Madison, WI 53705
Phone: 608.265.6144

Transtion/New York Times Article

A parent of a student passed this article on to me. They found it to really resonate as their child enters the world of transitioning to adulthood. Its a longer article, but has many anecdotes about Justin: whose journey to adulthood is followed, that give insight into what its like to 'walk' in his Autism. Food for thought:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/18/us/autistic-and-seeking-a-place-in-an-adult-world.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Helping peers understand autism

About this time each year we look for ways to help peers better understand autism. Peers may be thinking about a kid in their class and trying to make sense about things that s/he sees them do. There's a great book that you can borrow from your autism PST that has great suggestions for how to do peer sensitivity training about autism.

"Walk awhile in my autism" - written by local autism consultants Nan Negri and Kate McGinnity - is a book you should check out. Written by experienced teachers and trainers, this unique and important guide contains 18 experiential activities that can be used to teach neurotypical students how individuals with autism perceive the world around them.

Each activity is presented with a complete description, set up guidelines, materials and space requirements, and related key points. The exercises address issues such as: celebrating diversity; cognitive styles; feeling stuck; sensory differences; being excluded; social barriers; and giving and receiving help. Personal stories and quotes from persons with autism are provided throughout the book, and tips on how to modify activity content and presentation are also included.

Talk with your autism PST about this book and how you can help students better understand, help, and support students with autism.

Is there an autism epidemic?

According to some lay groups, the nation is experiencing an autism epidemic—a rapid escalation in the prevalence of autism for unknown reasons. However, no sound scientific evidence indicates that the increasing number of diagnosed cases of autism arises from anything other than purposely broadened diagnostic criteria, coupled with deliberately greater public awareness and intentionally improved case finding. Why is the public perception so disconnected from the scientific evidence? In this article, the authors review three primary sources of misunderstanding: lack of awareness about the changing diagnostic criteria, uncritical acceptance of a conclusion illogically drawn in a California-based study, and inattention to a crucial feature of the ‘‘child count’’ data reported annually by the U.S. Department of Education.

On-line training opportunities

Looking for a way to enhance your knowledge and understanding of strategies to support students with autism, all from the comfort of your home? The Autism Internet Modules is a free website that currently has online workshops on 34 different evidence-based practices! They have plans to almost double the number of online workshops that are available on the site in the coming months. These online workshops have been developed by noted professionals in the field and will provide you with current and up-to-date knowledge and information that you can implement in the your home or classroom tomorrow.



You will need to register at the site by creating a login and password. Once that simple process is completed, you are just a few clicks away from enhancing your knowledge and skills about proven strategies that support students with autism. Each module is set up in mini-lessons that you can either complete in order or, if you have limited time, skip to specific components or steps of the strategy that interest you most. Pre- and post-assessments are provided to provide you with important feedback regarding your understanding of the strategy.

Workshop Titles, Dates & Times, Locations

These are the classes that we are providing this year:

Using Video Modeling to Support Students with Autism
9/13/11, 4:00 - 6:30, Hawthorne Public Library - Community Room
1/19/12, 4:00 - 6:30, Thoreau Elementary School - LMC

Autism 101 - An Introduction to Understanding and Supporting Students with Autism
9/22/11, 4:00 - 6:30, Sequoyah Public Library -Meeting Room A
2/16/12, 4:00 - 6:30, LaFollette High School - LMC

Autism Book Group - "Look Me in the Eye" (John Elder Robison)
10/5/11, 10/19/11, 12/14/11, and 1/18/12 (for book group meeting locations: MMSD district staff click here; parents and community members click here)

Autism Book Group - "Nobody, Nowhere" (Donna Williams)
2/8/12, 3/7/12. and 5/9/12 (for book group meeting locations: MMSD district staff click here; parents and community members click here)

Using Social Thinking Strategies to Support Students with Autism
10/11/11, 4:00 - 6:30. Thoreau Elementary School - LMC
1/24/12, 4:00 - 6:30, East High School - LMC

Using Improvisation Skills to Shape Student Behavior
11/1/11, 4:00 - 6:30, Hawthorne Public Library - Community Room
3/15/12, 4:00 - 6:30, Thoreau Elementary School - LMC

Movement Differences and Diversity in Autism
12/8/11, 4:00 - 6:30, LaFollette High School - LMC
2/28/12, 4:00 - 6:30, Hamilton Middle School - LMC

Professional Development Opportunities

The Madison A Team has developed some new after-school workshops to keep you informed about useful strategies and information to support students with autism.  This year, in addition to providing you with an autism introductory workshop (Autism 101), there are classes that focus on video modeling, social thinking, movement differences, and use of improvisation skills to shape student behavior.  A book group also is offered as well as an independent study where you can earn 2 hours of college credit!

 

If you are a MMSD employee, to register for any of the classes that the autism team is providing this year, click here and it will take you to the MMSD's Professional Development Course Portal (you will need to create an account for this system and get a login if you have not already done so). 

• Click on the second button entitled "Search via text"
• Type in "Autism" and press enter

All of the courses that we are offering will be listed; click on the "detail" link on the far right and you can "enroll" in the class (see last column) by clicking on the "Add to Cart" button and completing the requested information.   You need to be officially enrolled in the class in order to receive credit and/or compensation for your participation in the class. 

Parents and other community members can register for classes that the Autism team is providing by completing and sending in a registration form that you will find here.

We are looking forward to seeing you at one of the many professional development opportunities that we are providing this year!