Apps for Autism, revised and expanded

For those who are new to the wonderful world of apps, worry not! Apps for Autism provides helpful sections on how to get started, including: Choosing an iDevice, Basic iDevice Operations, Opening an Account, How to Download an App from iTunes, and more.  Plus, there are more than 200 apps for autism, and this book will guide you through them so you can confidently utilize today’s technology to maximize your child or student’s success.

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

Save the Date!

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

Presenter:  Ross W. Greene, Ph.D.

November 5, 2015

Sponsored by the Indiana Resource Center for Autism
In Collaboration with Avon Community School Corporation

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. The model represents a significant departure from discipline-as-usual: it focuses on solving problems rather than on modifying behavior, emphasizes collaborative rather than unilateral solutions, encourages proactive rather than reactive intervention, de-emphasizes diagnostic categories, and provides practical, research-based tools for assessment and intervention.

Want to learn more about it? Please visit:
http://www.iidc.indiana.edu/pages/ross-greene-workshop

Mobile App Monday - Special Olympics

The 2015 Special Olympics World Games opened in Los Angeles this past weekend in conjunction with the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act. More than 6,000 athletes and 2,000 coaches representing 165 countries are participating this year. Want to keep up with the news from the games? You can with The LA2015 App. It's a fun, new way for you to keep in touch and join the global community.

Want more information on the app? Please visit:
http://www.la2015.org/the-la2015-app

A Year of Social Skills Activities and Games

A Year of Social Skills Activities and Games for Children with High Functioning Autism and/or Mental Health Challenges

Presenter:  Joel Shaul, LCSW (http://autismteachingstrategies.com/)

September 25, 2015 - Indianapolis, IN

Sponsored by the Indiana Resource Center for Autism in Collaboration with the Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township

This workshop aims to equip teachers, speech-language pathologists and mental health professionals with abundant, ready-to-use lessons, activities and games that they can use immediately in their work. Among the many games and activities featured are: Games and visuals to promote learning about peers; using a toy balance and chain visuals to practice “balance” and “staying connected” in conversation; games, worksheets and free online videos on dealing with troubling emotions; a card game on how to know when not to tattle; a unique card-based activity for teaching teen boys how to approach girls.

To learn more about this workshop and to register, please visit:
http://www.iidc.indiana.edu/pages/joel-shaul-workshop


Families can apply for Consumer Investment Funds from the Governor's Council for People with Disabilities to attend this workshop and/or other training events. For more information and an application see:  http://www.in.gov/gpcpd/2328.htm.

Primarily for Paraprofessionals: Teaching Students on the Autism Spectrum and Addressing Challenging Behaviors

Do you work with students who have challenging or difficult behaviors? Are you working with students who have learning difficulties? Are you working with students on the autism spectrum or with other learning or behavioral challenges?

If so, then the Indiana Resource Center for Autism has a training for you. Primarily for Paraprofessionals: Teaching Students on the Autism Spectrum and Addressing Challenging Behaviors will be held in several locations around the state in September and October.

To learn more about these trainings, please visit:
http://www.iidc.indiana.edu/pages/primarily-for-paraprofessionals-workshop

Preparing for School

Getting the kids ready for a new school year? The folks at the Indiana Resource Center for Autism have posted a couple of articles to help you. In the first one, "For Parents: Preparing for the School Year," Dr. Cathy Pratt offers "a few tips to help you become a proactive and positive advocate for your son/daughter." The second article, authored by Kristi Lofland, is "How to Get Your Child with ASD Ready for a New School Year Using Visual Information" and offers tips on visually supporting your child. Below are the links to each article.

For Parents: Preparing for the School Year
http://www.iidc.indiana.edu/index.php?pageId=3568

How to Get Your Child with ASD Ready for a New School Year Using Visual Information
http://www.iidc.indiana.edu/pages/How-to-get-your-child-with-asd-ready-for-a-new-school-year

Curriculum Materials and Programs for Individuals on the Autism Spectrum

Looking for curriculum materials for students on the spectrum? The Indiana Resource Center for Autism has updated its article on the subject and posted it online. It contains a listing of examples of curriculum and programs that could be used to teach subjects ranging from math to living skills.

Want to look it over? Please visit:
http://www.iidc.indiana.edu/index.php?pageId=3712

Mobile App Monday - aacorn AAC

Looking for a word suggestion app for your child with speech delays? With aacorn AAC, your child makes a word choice and new branches with suggestions for the next word in a sentence present themselves AUTOMATICALLY as needed. No more ‘Hunting and Pecking’ for words hidden in grids or folders. No need to be able to use a keyboard. No requirement to have an exceptional memory to find words, and no more stick figure drawings or robotic voices.

Want to learn more about it? Please visit:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id732419715

Workshop Announcement: Making Sense of the VB-MAPP

Date: September 30, 2015
Location:  Impact Institute, 1607 E. Dowling Street, Kendallville, IN 46755

Date: October 14, 2015
Location:  Bloomington, IN - Exact Location To Be Determined

The purpose of this presentation is to provide an overview of verbal behavior and describe how to conduct the Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program (VB-MAPP) with children with autism. Then, we will describe how to interpret VB-MAPP results. Finally, we will provide strategies for implementing behavior-change programs, based on assessment results, in public school settings.

For more information and to register, please visit:

http://www.iidc.indiana.edu/pages/verbal-behavior-workshop

Reminder to apply for respite funding

Apply for Caregiver Support (respite) Funding beginning July 1 for the fiscal year 2016. Applications received during fiscal year 2015 for Caregiver Support Services do not carry over to fiscal year 2016. Each fiscal year an application must be completed; Here is more information Caregiver Support Services:
• The program is 100 percent state funded and available on a first-come, first-served basis;
• As long as the Caregiver Support Services funds are available, services may be approved when
an individual meets the state eligibility definition of intellectual and developmental disabilities and the primary caregiver selects an approved provider;
• Caregiver Support Services are available to the primary caregiver if the targeted individual is not currently receiving and does not begin to receive other services from BDDS or other related state programs such as (but not limited to) Vocational Rehabilitation Services, First Steps, CHOICE, or a Medicaid Waiver;
• Applications may be made online, by mail or in-person;
• Online applications are available on this Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services (DDRS) webpage: https://ddrsprovider.fssa.in.gov/BDDS/ConsumerInfo/CaregiverSupportRequest.aspx;
• To apply by mail or in-person please call or visit your local Bureau of Developmental Disabilities Services (BDDS) District Office to request an application. Contact information for your local BDDS Office can be found on this webpage: http://www.in.gov/fssa/ddrs/4088.htm.

Initial budgets will be approved in the amount of $500 for each eligible individual regardless of the number of eligible individuals residing in the home. Successive budgets may be requested by the Caregiver Support Services provider and will be reviewed on a case by case basis. Any new budget is dependent upon available funds. Here is a link to frequently asked questions about the Caregiver Supports Program: http://www.in.gov/fssa/files/Caregiver_Supports_FAQ.pdf.

From Marci Wheeler, Social Work Specialist at the Indiana Resource Center for Autism

IU receives funding for autism study

BLOOMINGTON, Ind.--A $900,000 grant to Indiana University from the National Institutes of Health’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute for Child Health and Human Development will fund one of the first basic science investigations into potential connections between fever and the relief of some symptoms of autism.

To read the entire article, please visit:
http://news.iu.edu/releases/iu/2015/07/autism-fever-study.shtml

Sesame Street and Autism

Sesame Street is proud to partner with autism organizations throughout the country to embark on a nationwide initiative, “See Amazing in All Children.”

Our goal is to reduce stigma by celebrating the commonalities and differences among all children, while supporting families of children with autism through resources that reduce the stress of everyday routines.

Because every child is unique. Every child is amazing.

Sign up to find out more at:
http://www.sesameworkshop.org/autism/

Save the Date - September 25, 2015

A Year of Social Skills Activities and Games for 

Children with High Functioning Autism 

and/or Mental Health Challenges

Presenter: Joel Shaul, LCSW

Date: September 25, 2015

Hosted by and Location: Lawrence Education Community Center, 6501 Sunnyside Road, Indianapolis, IN 46236

This workshop aims to equip teachers, speech-language pathologists and mental health professionals with abundant, ready-to-use lessons, activities and games that they can use immediately in their work. Each participant will be shown how to access Joel’s website, AutismTeachingStrategies.com, to download and use dozens of free printout games, activities, worksheets, slide presentations and lessons on the topics of conversation, relationships and emotional regulation. During this workshop, the presenter will clearly explain the materials, and in work groups participants will practice using them.

Cost: The registration fee is $95

For more information and to register, please visit:
http://www.iidc.indiana.edu/pages/joel-shaul

Mobile App Monday - Story Patch

Looking for an app that will let kids build stories in fun and creative ways? Story Patch has over 800 illustrations and includes customizable characters to help your child make the story look exactly the way it should.

Want to learn more about this app? Please visit:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id388613157

Closed on Friday, July 3rd

In observance of the Independence Day holiday, the library will be closed on Friday, July 3rd.

Wishing everyone a safe and happy 4th of July!

Save the Dates!

The Indiana Resource Center for Autism is announcing two new workshops that will be offered later in the year.

A Year of Social Skills Activities and Games for Children with High Functioning Autism and/or Mental Health Challenges
Presented by:  Joel Shaul, LCSW
Date:  September 25, 2015
Location:  Lawrence Education Community Center, Indianapolis, IN

Workshop Overview
This workshop aims to equip teachers, speech-language pathologists and mental health professionals with abundant, ready-to-use lessons, activities and games that they can use immediately in their work. Each participant will be shown how to access Joel’s website, AutismTeachingStrategies.com, to download and use dozens of free printout games, activities, worksheets, slide presentations and lessons on the topics of conversation, relationships and emotional regulation.
 
Collaborative & Proactive Solutions: Understanding and Helping Students with Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Challenges
Presented by:  Ross W. Greene, Ph.D.
Dates:  November 5, 2015
Location:  Avon Middle School North, Avon, IN

Workshop Overview
This is the empirically supported model Dr. Ross Greene described 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.  The model represents a significant departure from discipline-as-usual:  it focuses on solving problems rather than on modifying behavior, emphasizes collaborative rather than unilateral solutions, encourages proactive rather than reactive intervention, de-emphasizes diagnostic categories, and provides practical, research-based tools for assessment and intervention. Participants in this workshop will leave with an understanding of the underpinnings of the model, along with practical assessment and intervention tools that can be brought back to and used in these diverse settings.

Registration for these workshops will be available soon so check back often!