BEAT THE BACK TO SCHOOL JITTERS

Door Prizes Graciously Donated

• Fly Away dvd• Loving Lampposts dvd• 2 The Anti-Romantic Child by Priscilla Gilman• 2 The Autism Cookbook from Skyhorse Publishing• The Uncharted Path: My Journey with Late-

Diagnosed Autism by Rachel Cohen-Rottenberg• What I Wish I'd Known about Raising a Child with

Autism by Bobbi Sheahan• 3 mugs from Starbucks!

Autism Speaks

• More than just a walk. • More than just one day a year.• More than just about raising money.

It’s about…

Little housekeeping…

– All proceedings from the Autism Speaks merchandise and books go to the West Texas Walk which will help us reach our goal of an additional $40,000 raised before December 31.

– If you found these sessions helpful, please consider giving a donation as you leave.

– If you don’t have a team, it’s not too late. Please consider creating one and hosting “fun” fundraisers of your own!

Upcoming Fundraisers• Tomorrow August 11 ArtWalk downtown

Team Alex and Cisco College’s team (well, a couple of us) will have a booth at ArtWalk where we we sell our children’s artwork to raise money for Autism Speaks!

Looking for a cool way to transition?

• Mr. Gatti’s Mini Lock-in August 19 from 10:00pm to 2:00 am for $20 a person, with half of the proceeds ($10 PER PERSON) going directly to Autism Speaks!

Autism Risk & Safety Management Training

• August 30th Dennis Debbaudt will be presenting at Region 14!

• 9:00 to 11:30 am at Region 14, Haskell Rm.• FREE, call 675-8629 to register.• Dennis Debbaudt is the leading global voice

on autism training for law enforcement and emergency responders.

• http://www.autismriskmanagement.com/

A Man with a Mission

• The parent of a young man with autism, Dennis Debbaudt is known for his humor, insight and is one of most sought after speakers in the autism community.

Workshop details

• The workshop will:– educate community members on how to

recognize autism.– Improve interactions and communications

between community members and individuals with autism.

– Improve citizen safety.– Learn risk management techniques to avoid

litigation, negative media, and other undesirable outcomes.

Now, things to make your life easier!

• Resources• Tools• Websites

Resources!

• Having access to a variety of resources can make all the difference!– Autism Speaks resources– General online resources The number is scary! – Autism Blogs Directory Over 600 people sharing

their stories.

Phenomenal Website

• Transitioning back to School– Our concerns, according to a survey reported on

this page:1. Your child's reaction to the transition2. Educating teachers and staff about how to meet your

child's educational needs3. Bullying situations at school4. Peer acceptance5. Meeting curriculum needs for students with autism.

Toolkits

• School Community Toolkit• Older student tips• Younger student tips• Transition Toolkit• http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index2.aspx?id=61

48 Find out the curriculum standards for your student.

Good Tips!

Teenage years and the transition to life after high school can be difficult for families. It can be even more complicated for families of young adults with autism. It is important that each family works with their school district to provide their young adult with autism with the appropriate skills and services that will lead to a life as an adult that is as independent as possible.

Additional information sheets

• How to friend someone with autism (next page)– Share with friends of neurotypical children, with

your teachers, with your church.– Use this with your own children on the spectrum

to start a dialogue on how they can use these same tips to help reach out to others.

Be Persistent and Patient

• Could there be any better lesson to learn to get us all through life?

Ways to help your children

• Respect their unique needs and skills and work within that.

• Talk about what’s going to be different this school year and what’s going to be the same.

• Attempt to get their thoughts, but don’t push.• Be positive! • Use social stories to help walk them through

things.

Social Stories

• Several sites offer free social stories (all linked at directory for you!).– Watson Institute– Speaking of Speech (main site)– Child Behavior Guide specific– Sample Back to School social story from here– Kansas Instructional Support Network

• StoryBuilder• You can also buy social stories.– Some of the school-related ones are being used in the kids

session.

Sandbox Learning

• Printable books to work on various skills.• For a fee.

• http://www.sandbox-learning.com

Tips for parents

• Prepare ahead. You’ll feel less stressed.• Get your children into their school routine

starting now.• Work with the school to get access to the

classroom if possible at a quiet time.• Be confident. Believe that you, your child, and

the school personnel can and will work together to have a good school year.

Last Thoughts

• Don’t procrastinate.• Be clear with yourself and your child what goals

you have for him or her for the year.• Make up a chart that you can chart that

progress on.• Reinforce positive behavior.• Make sure your student has more success than

failure. Set it up intentionally so that happens.

Sweet Success

• Nothing makes us work harder than knowing we can do it, we can get better, we can learn.

• It is empowering.• So work with your school to empower your

student!

Where can I get this info• Please take an Autism Blogs Directory card with you. • All links are provided on the directory.

Thank You

– ACU– Region 14 Education Service Center– Starbucks on Buffalo Gap– Janet Grillo and Docurama Films– Todd Drezner and Cinema Libre– Priscilla Gilman and Harper Publishing– Skyhorse Publishing– Bed, Bath & Beyond