Welcome!
Here I will post any resources I find and organize them into categories with short descriptions. If you find any resources you would like to share, add them in the comments or email them to me and I'll post them on here as well. If you are a professional, please familiarize yourself with these resources so that you can share the information with parents or to find other great teaching tools.
If you have any questions about any of the resources listed or need me to further narrow it down, let me know!
Please keep in mind I live in Miami, FL and most of my posts are resources for Miami schools however I will continue to research and expand the list over time and will cater to any suggested topics as well.
Interesting books
The Huffington post has created this great list of books for children. They all share the common goals of promoting understanding of autism through fun and easy to understand clever books. This is great for children in schools who have classmates on the spectrum and for siblings as welll!
School info
Inclusion... reverse mainstream...What does it all mean? Well luckily, MDCPS has created this chart to hopefully alleviate some of the confusion associated with all the different classroom models.
Autism speaks briefly explains the Individual with Disabilities Act or IDEA. This law mandates that all individuals have the right to free and appropriate education. How that is interpreted varies greatly from school to school. Make sure you check this out and empower yourselves with knowledge, so you understand your child's rights.
Centers with great information
The 2 resources mentioned above are excellent sources of information. They always have something valuable and very practical to share. Check out their calendar of events! This will be where they have some great events for socialization and support groups etc. Not in Miami? Try looking for a CARD center in your area! CARD stands for Center for Autism and related Disabilities. They also have webinars!
Autism speaks is one of the most widely known associations for Autism and has excellent resources for nearly every possible topic! This one specifically includes a 100-day kit you can request for download, for all newly diagnosed families. It has most of the essentials you will need to know and separates the kits by ages and addresses some essential questions you may have when newly diagnosed.
Grants info
Need information on scholarships? This website allows you to choose a scholarship based on a specific category. For example: iPad scholarships Education scholarships, sports scholarships etc. There are a ton so feel free to contact me if you need a helping hand sorting through them. This comprehensive list is of all the scholarships in the country, not just Florida.
The Mckay and Gardiner are explained in by the FL-DOE in this website along with a few other opportunities. Please read them carefully and choose the one that is right for you or contact me to help you sort through them!
This website compares the McKay, Gardiner and step-up grants. Easy to understand criteria and checklist as well as a downloaded guide for available free scholarships.
Good to know
Byte's website has a great guide to dental care for children with autism. It includes general tips, recommended products, and ideas on getting your kiddo prepared for a dental visit. It also has a list of other dental resources with tips and instructions to help parents maintain dental hygiene at home with their children after a dentist visit.
The Association for Science in Autism treatment website clearly defines which treatments are evidence based and which ones have no scientific backing. Before investing large sums of money in treatments that may not be worth it, check them out. You always want to make sure you are getting treatments that are proven using objective data, not empty promises.
The BACB is the Board where all Behavior Analysts must report to. Make sure you have their information on hand in the case you need to file a complaint or report unethical behavior. It is also a good idea for therapists to check the criteria for certification regularly since it does change often.
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