Psyched About School

  April is Autism Acceptance Month—a time to move beyond awareness and focus on understanding, inclusion, and meaningful support for individuals on the autism spectrum. Autism Acceptance Month recognizes that Autism is more than a diagnosis - it is identity, community, and a lived experience that encompasses both challenges and triumphs.   Autism is a neurodevelopmental difference that affects how a person communicates, interacts, and experiences the world. Just like all students, those with autism bring unique strengths, perspectives, and ways of learning to the classroom. Moving from Awareness to Acceptance Awareness means recognizing that autism exists. Acceptance means creating environments where students feel valued, respected, and supported for who they are. In schools, acceptance looks like: Valuing differences in communication and social interaction. Providing supports that help students access learning. Creating spaces where students feel safe be...

  This month celebrates and honors the experiences and identities of Autistic individuals. It emphasizes understanding, inclusion, and support, moving beyond awareness toward meaningful acceptance.  The Autism Society of America has launched its Autism Is campaign to amplify the voices and lived experiences of Autistic individuals. Autism Is: personal and collective--an identity, a culture, a way of life. It comes with strengths and struggles, moments of joy, and challenges. You can make an impact by sharing your story, getting involved, and supporting the Autism community.    In 2007, the United Nations General Assembly designated April 2nd as World Autism Awareness Day. The day's purpose is to highlight the need to improve the quality of life for people with autism and ensure they can lead full and meaningful lives as an integral part of society.  Consider wearing one of the following colors or something related to Autism Acceptance on Wednesday, April 2: Blue...

  Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex, lifelong developmental condition that typically appears during early childhood and can impact a person's social skills, communication, relationships, and self-regulation that is different for everyone.  The Autism Society of America has a great infographic  about ASD.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has put together a toolkit to raise awareness to promote autism acceptance, celebrate neurodiversity and individual differences, and continue to advance inclusivity and connectedness throughout the community. This partner toolkit provides free resources, including social media content and links to educational materials on autism. You can share these resources with your friends, family, colleagues, and partners.  You may have heard April referred to as Autism Awareness Month in the past, so why the name change? The change occurred in 2021 promoted by the Autism Society of America . While awareness reflect...

This feels like a different world that we are living in recently!  Stay at home orders, distance learning, social distancing, mask wearing, etc. are different for all of us, and can be particularly challenging for young children or kids with autism. Children with autism often struggles with changes in routine, or things that are unexpected.  Social stories can help kids be prepared for things that could be different or new experiences  A social story is described by Carol Gray, creator of Social Stories, as a “social learning tool that supports that safe and meaningful exchange of information between parents, professionals and people with autism of all ages.”  More simply put, for many children, a situation that is difficult to understand can be made more clear with the help of a simple story, with pictures and told in the first person.   In a typical situation, for example, a child might need help understanding how he or she needs to behave in the cafete...

One of our school psychologists shared this resource and we wanted to pass it along to all of our readers.  This is a challenging time for all of us and we are grateful that our colleagues at the University of North Carolina Child Development Institute Autism Team worked so quickly to develop this packet of resources for those with Autism Spectrum Disorders.  As they note in their introduction: "Individuals with autism may need additional support to process the news and adapt to the many changes. This population may face additional challenges related to comprehension, communication, difficulty understanding abstract language, an insistence on sameness, and a greater likelihood of anxiety and depression—all of which may be exasperated during this stressful period." To help address those needs, the UNC Autism Team provided a toolkit of materials aligned with these 7 support strategies: This fantastic resource from the UNC Autism Team contains social stories and visual...

Do you watch America's Got Talent? On Wednesday, the show crowned its latest winner - Kodi Lee. Kodi has Autism and is blind. After his victory, Kodi said that he feels amazing and is in disbelief that he won. To learn more about his journey on America's Got Talent, check out this story from The Today Show: https://www.today.com/popculture/singer-who-blind-has-autism-wins-america-s-got-talent-t162904

The book Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew  by Ellen Notbohm provides a wonderful insight into the life of a child with Autism. This book is describes ten characteristics that help illuminate - not define - children with autism. It provides thought-provoking discussion on communication issues, social processing skills, and the critical role that adult perspectives play in guiding the child with autism to a meaningful, self-sufficient, productive life. If you'd like to  learn more, the Autism Speaks website has provided an abbreviated version from the book  at this link.

I was recently reading a report from ABC of NC, a community partner that has been referenced in our blog posts in the past.  Included in the "Recommendations" section of that report is a reference to a resource from the Autism Speaks website, entitled  The 100-Day Kit for Newly Diagnosed Families of School-Age Children .  If your child is diagnosed before the age of 4, Autism Speaks has a toolkit for that, as well. Family members can download this free resource from the link above.  Autism Speaks created it with the goal to "make the best possible use of the 100 days following their child's diagnosis of autism."  Families whose children have been diagnosed in the last 6 months are also eligible to request a complimentary hard copy of the 100 Day Kit by calling 888-AUTISM2 (888-288-4762) to speak with an Autism Response Team Coordinator. The kit includes helpful information for navigating what may be unfamiliar territory for the family.  There is in...

On August 13 th , Target announced that they will begin to sell sensory-friendly clothing. Target plans to add 12 pieces to their “Cat and Jack” children’s brand. The clothing pieces will feature heat transferred labels and flat seams. You can find the sensory-friendly clothing exclusively on Target.com. To learn more, visit: Target.com  or  Today.com

As part of our continuing coverage of Autism Awareness Month, we wanted to pass along this guidance  from the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA).  It's certainly understandable that any parent of a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) would want to do everything possible to ensure that the child leads a happy and successful life.  In fact, it's probably safe to assume that all parents want this for their children.  However, as the FDA points out, there is no "cure" for Autism Spectrum Disorders.  As we have seen an increase in the number of children identified with ASD over recent years, we have also seen an increase in the number of treatments or "cures" being marketed by companies.  Some of these not only fail to improve characteristics or symptoms of ASD, but may actually cause harm.  The FDA offers the following helpful advice: "if it’s an unproven or little known treatment, talk to your health care professional before buying or using the...

April is Autism Awareness Month and, to continue our coverage of this important topic, we wanted to share this helpful resource from the Child Mind Institute: Sharing an Autism Diagnosis With Family & Friends Parenting a child with characteristics of an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is not easy.  One of the challenges faced by many parents is how and when to communicate to others that their child is on the Autism Spectrum.  There are some great tips in this article, including differentiating between "behaviors" and "symptoms."  For example, a child with ASD who has difficulty with eye contact may be inaccurately perceived as "rude."  Another great tip is to explain that ASD covers an extremely broad range of skill levels, so it's important to remember that one person with an ASD may function in a completely different manner from another person with an ASD.  In the world of school psychology, we've all heard the saying, "If you...

To continue our coverage of Autism Awareness Month throughout April, we wanted to pass along some information on Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in girls.  You may already be aware that the ration of boys to girls diagnosed with ASD is more than  4 to 1.  There has never been a specific reason for this gender difference, although questions have been raised about genetic differences.  However, as this article points out, "clinicians and researchers have also come to realize that many 'higher functioning' autistic girls are simply missed."  When girls with ASD are overlooked, misdiagnosed or diagnosed later, it may be because they don't fit the traditional "profile."  The author also notes that girls actually "may be better at hiding the signs, at least when they’re young."  You can learn more about the differences between boys and girls with characteristics of ASD here:  Why Many Autistic Girls are Overlooked

The month of April is World Autism Month! The Autism Speaks "Light It Up Blue" campaign was initiated in  2010 to commemorate the UN-Sanctioned World Autism  Awareness Day on April 2nd. What started as a day for famous  landmarks to light up blue for autism has evolved into an annual  blue movement that continues throughout the entire month of April  around the world. You can see some of the fantastic participants on Twitter using the hashtag #LightItUpBlue.   Kazakhstan went blue for Autism... and so did Italy.... and Washington, D.C.! Our friend Selene Johnson, the Executive Director at ABC of NC recently shared information about Autism Awareness Month in this video clip from  WXII .  We recently blogged about our visit to ABC of NC, where we learned a lot about this fantastic resource - and you can, too!  Just click here:  ABC of NC. To learn more about Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and how you can be...

I am constantly in awe of the advances that I read about with technology and medicine and how it can connect to the world of School Psychology.  When I see exciting new research, it reminds me of how fortunate we are to have STEM programs in our district, helping to develop the next generation of leaders in this field. In this article, scientists used blood sample data to help predict Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in children.  They were 97.6% accurate in identifying the 83 students with ASD and 96.1% accurate in identifying the 76 neurotypical children.  This was a small study, but the implications for future research and the potential benefits of an earlier, accurate diagnosis of ASD are impressive, You can read more about this research here: Science Daily Article

We blogged about Sesame Street's newest character back when she was in the early stages of development Character with Autism Joins Sesame Street   A little over a year later Julia, a cute character with bright orange hair AND Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), is now a recurring cast member on the popular children's television show.  As you will see in this CBS  60 Minutes Clip , Sesame Street's development team met with ASD groups in order to determine how to best develop her character.  ASD can take many shapes and sizes with no two individuals having the same exact pattern of characteristics.  Sesame Street wanted to make sure they took that into consideration as they use Julia to educate children about individuals with special needs.

Before winter break, our staff had the opportunity to visit ABC of NC.  If you don't have a child on the autism spectrum, you may not have heard of this amazing program.  According to their website, they are a not-for-profit center that provides a variety of services to people with autism spectrum disorder. They are committed to delivering high-quality, evidence-based services including diagnosis, therapy, and education.  They strive to help individuals with autism spectrum disorder reach their full potential. During our visit, we certainly observed how dedicated their staff members are to supporting the children and families they serve. As part of their clinical services, ABC of NC offers diagnosis/assessment, psychotherapy, and Applied Behavior Analysis.  ABC of NC is also a licensed non-public school that provides educational programs for preschool through high school.  They also have a variety of supplemental services. One example is their Buddy Club, a lo...

It has been quite some time since we've blogged.  December turned out to be a busy month for this group of school psychologists!  The winter break came at a much needed time!  As we prepare for our first work week of 2017, we thought it would be nice to start with an inspirational story of a young man with Autism Spectrum Disorder.  Logan Siplow falls on the severe end of the spectrum and is unable to speak.  In spite of these obstacles, his family has found a way for him connect with the world around him by using his favorite pastime to help others in need.  To read Logan's story, visit  Disability Scoop

Are you the parent or guardian of a child with special needs? If so, you probably know how stressful IEP meetings can be. Those meetings often involve lots of paperwork and terminology that can be confusing. This article from The Mighty suggests 10 important questions parents and guardians should ask during IEP meetings. https://themighty.com/2016/09/questions-every-parent-should-ask-at-an-iep-meeting/

A new study published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders found that parents could be taught to improve their children's social communication skills when they learned research-based interventions using online programs.  For many families, it could be quite empowering to teach their children social skills at home using proven techniques. To learn more about the study, visit Disability Scoop at  https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2016/05/24/online-autism-training/22353/ I recently attended a workshop conducted by staff from the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute in Chapel Hill, N.C.  They shared this exciting website  http://afirm.fpg.unc.edu/social-skills-training  which provides social skills training modules based on evidence-based practices.  And that is just the beginning!  If you look around the website, you can find training modules for numerous other behavioral approaches that can be used with individuals with Autism ...

As we wrap up Autism Awareness Week, we wanted to share this short video about a special family. Bill's son was diagnosed with autism at a very young age.  He did not communicate, had significant behavior problems, and engaged in serious self-injury.  The family was advised that an institution might be the best place for him.  This is a story of hope and determination because the parents did not give up on their son and continue to fight for him everyday.  To see the video and read about the strength of this amazing family, visit  http://www.littlethings.com/far-from-the-tree/