As a parent of a child with different needs, this is a must....
A Parent's Guide to Student-Directed IEPsPosted: 03 Dec 2013 08:24 AM PST What is a student-directed IEP (Individual Education Plan) and how is it different than the standard IEP? How and when can student-directed IEPs be used in a student's life?
Guest, Dr. Colleen Thoma, Professor and Chair of the Department of Special Education & Disability Policy at Virginia Commonwealth University, will be joining us on The Inclusive Class Podcast to answer these questions. Dr. Thoma's work focuses broadly on the transition from high school to adult life for students with disabilities, a line of research that began during her doctoral studies at Indiana University where she earned her PhD in Curriculum and Instruction.
This research began with an initial focus on student self-determination in the process (including the IEP process), and then expanded to teacher preparation issues and specific strategies and approaches that help students take control of the next phase of their lives. In addition, Dr. Thoma has been developing and validating an instructional framework that applies a Universal Design for Learning approach to transition education, or Universal Design for Transition. Initial research indicates that this approach increases academic and transition goal achievement while enhancing student engagement in learning. Lastly, Ms. Thoma's research expanded to investigate the impact of postsecondary transition programs for students with intellectual disability on their long-range transition goals. This is an exciting development in our field and one where research is still needed to guide policy and practice.
This episode of The Inclusive Class Podcast will air live on Friday, December 6, 2013 at 9 AM EST
Hello everyone! We have some great news to tell you today! The Great Wolf Lodge in Concord is offering Autism Unbound's members a room on January 23, 2014 for the low price of $104 + tax/fees. Check-in time is 4:00 PM on the 23rd and check-out time is at 11:00 AM on the 24th, but you are free to use the water park until it closes on the 24th. And here's the best part: both days are Guilford County Schools teacher workdays! Spaces are extremely limited, so if you want to take advantage of this offer, please call 866.944.9653 and mention Group Code AUTISMUNBOUND. If you call and they no longer have rooms available, please contact Marcy at [email protected] or 336.638.4676 and she will see if they can open up more rooms. Thanks, Chris
Dear Music Loving Families, The Winter 2014 Music Together Semester, featuring the Sticks Collection, is now open for registration! As the weather get colder, come sing "I'm Freezing" with us! Classes are filling quickly, so email to reserve your seat today! Classes will be held on Tuesdays from 12:15pm - 1:00pm and 1:15pm - 2:00pm at Wesley Memorial UMC, and will run from Jan 13 - March 18. Gift certificates are available if you have a family member that would like to give your child the gift of music, and remember that you get a $10 discount for every enrolled referral! I have a new website at http://triadmusictogether.com with more class information; check it out when you have a chance! If you are a returning family, register by emailing me your time preference and child's name. If you are a new family, please include child's name, your name, address, cell phone and class time preference. Should you have any questions about registration or the Winter semester please don't hesitate to ask. I look forward to a wonderful session of music-making with you and your little ones! Best, Rebekah CarlsonDirector and Teacher, Music Together of the Triad
Support Family Engagement for Families of Students with Special Needs through National PTA’s Every Child in Focus campaign! Take Action!December is the Month of the Child with Special Needs! National PTA's Every Child in Focus campaign seeks to strengthen family engagement in schools by celebrating the achievements of diverse populations, while also sharing resources and advocacy tools to help overcome disparities in these populations and understand the needs of every child. Launched in August 2013, the campaign is a school-year-long series that provides educators, families and PTAs with the information they need to broaden family engagement in schools through the PTA National Standards for Family-School Partnerships. To help with this effort, National PTA will spotlight the educational issues surrounding a particular group, highlight their accomplishments and focus on ways to help foster family-school partnerships. December is the Month of the Child with Special Needs. Using the PTA National Standards for Family-School Partnerships as a guide, PTAs can explore ways to welcome and support families with special needs children in the school community. As a PTA advocate living in the state or district of a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension committee or the House Education and the Workforce committee, you can help support our campaign by letting them know about our efforts and by telling them that you support both the Every Child in Focus initiative and the Family Engagement in Education Act as a way to improve family engagement in schools for all families across the country. PTA Special Education ToolkitHow Your PTA Can Better Support Children with Special Needs- Read our PTA One Voice Blog for PTA Success Stories and additional resources. You can also share your blog! We want to hear local and state PTA success stories on supporting children with special needs, how do you promote an environment that is welcoming to all children and parents. Use our blog share tool to tell us your story.
- Share the PTA Special Education Toolkit. This guide empowers parents with resources from understanding developmental disabilities, learning disabilities, health conditions, or even giftedness these standards provide clear, consistent expectations for how parents and caregivers can advocate for and empower their child.
Senate and House education leaders need to hear your voice! Take action today to help strengthen family engagement for all families!
AutismCares has opened its grant application process for iPad 2s for children with autism. The application deadline is Friday, November 8 at 11:59 pm EST, so you must act quickly. You will need to create a login and username and as would be expected, the site is experiencing a significant amount of traffic. This warning message was displayed on the New User Registration page for AutismCares.org: We are experiencing high volume associated with the current iPad Application program. We are actively monitoring the site to help ensure that you can apply, but there may be unexpected spikes in usage that cause the system to run slowly. Please save your work frequently and if you experience issues (such as slow performance) while trying to apply, please try again later. If you see that message, simply click on the X in the upper right-hand corner to close the warning and proceed to the Create New Account screen. Apply for an Autism iPad 2 GrantGood luck!
Have a Heart for The ArcSeventh AnnualSilent Art Auction You are cordially invited to join us as we celebrate the artistic accomplishments of members of our community. The Artists of the Creative Art Studio at The Arc of High Point will share their artwork and offer it for sale by silent auction. Wednesday, November 6th 5:30-8:30pmTAG Theater Art Galleries220 East Commerce Avenue,High Point, NC 27260RSVP 336.883.0650 x223 Tickets are $10 and include hors d’eouvres and 2 wine tickets. This event is the major fundraiser for the Creative Art Studio at The Arc of High Point and provides instruction and supplies for the students. Tickets available online www.arcofhp.org or at the door. Please RSVP in advance [email protected] or 336-202-6192.
- Feeding Your Child On The Spectrum
On November 15th at 7:00 PM, please join us at The Independence Place at 111-C Pomona Drive in Greensboro for Feeding Your Child On The Spectrum presented by Elizabeth McKee, RD, LDN, MPH. Elizabeth is a registered dietitian and mother of an eleven-year-old boy with autism. She will discuss the various diets that are used to treat the symptoms of autism. If you would like free respite care during the event, please RSVP by November 13th to Marcy at [email protected] or 336.638.4676and let us know how many adults and children will be attending.
- Free Movie: Free Birds
Please join us for some fun at the movies on Sunday November 17th at 11:00 AM at the Cinemark Brassfield Cinema Ten located at 2101 New Garden Road in Greensboro. This free showing of Free Birds will be autism friendly with dimmed lighting and lowered volume. We will have the theater to ourselves. If you'd like to attend, please RSVP by November 15th with the number of adults and children attending to Marcy at [email protected] or 336.638.4676. Please note: Our social events provide opportunities that people with autism, their immediate families, and facilitators would not otherwise be able to experience. Families who RSVP, but do not attend, will be placed on the waiting list for the next event they wish to attend.
- Autism Unbound Moms' Night Out
Would you like to get together with some other moms for some drinks, food, and conversation? Please join us on November 19th at 7:00 PM at The PorterHouse Bar & Grill at 4608 West Market Street in Greensboro. The PorterHouse owners are part of our autism community and will be giving us specials on food and our own separate room. If you'd like to attend, please RSVP by November 18th to Marcy at [email protected] or 336.638.4676.
- Picking Up The Pieces: An Auction For Autism
Picking Up The Pieces: An Auction For Autism, our silent auction to benefit those with autism and their families in Guilford County, will be held at Temple Emanuel at 1129 Jefferson Road on November 23, 2013 at 7:00 PM. There will be an exciting variety of items to bid on and some door prizes! The dress code for our event is dressy casual. Tickets are available for $25 online until November 22nd at 10:00 PM. After that time, tickets may be purchased at the door for $30. Dinner will be provided by Mythos Grill and there will be complimentary beer and wine. Music entertainment will be provided by Chris Pappalardo on acoustic guitar. All proceeds from Picking Up The Pieces: An Auction For Autism go toward parent support meetings, parent training, family social activities, a housing initiative, and a teacher grant program, which provides training and classroom materials to teachers in autism classrooms here in Guilford County. If you'd like to donate an item to our auction, please contact Chris Hocker at[email protected] or 336.854.9497. For an additional fee, we will be providing respite for a limited number of children. For more details, please email Leslie Evans at [email protected]. More information: http://autismunbound.org/auction.asp
- Tanglewood Festival Of Lights
Come experience the Tanglewood Festival Of Lights! On December 7th at 7:45 PM, Autism Unbound will sponsor a free hayride through Tanglewood Park located at 4201 Manor House Circle in Clemmons. We will be meeting at the location at precisely7:45 PM that evening. Spaces are extremely limited, so please RSVP by contacting Marcy Morris by email at [email protected] or by phone at 336.638.4676. Please note: Our social events provide opportunities that people with autism, their immediate families, and facilitators would not otherwise be able to experience. Families who RSVP, but do not attend, will be placed on the waiting list for the next event they wish to attend.
We will use a special entrance to get into the park that evening. Click here for directions to that entrance.
 Hello everyone! Here are our events for October as well as information about Hoot On The Farm: - Coffee Break
Please join us on October 11th at 9:30 AM at Delicious Bakery at 3700 Lawndale Drive in Greensboro for a rewarding and informal morning with fellow parents with children on the autism spectrum. We'll exchange ideas and strategies over coffee.
- Autism Unbound Fun Falloween
This is not a trick! On October 18th from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM, please join us at The Independence Place at 111-C Pomona Drive in Greensboro for our free Fun Falloween. Kids are invited to practice trick-or-treating skills in a safe setting, create seasonal crafts, and play games. Costumes are welcome or come as you are! Please RSVP by October 16th to Marcy at [email protected] or 336.638.4676 and let us know how many adults and children will be attending so we will have plenty of candy and crafts!
- Hoot On The Farm
On October 19th from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM, the A-O Civitans are once again sponsoring this free and terrific event for persons with autism and their families at 6236 Hwy 87 N in Caswell County. There will be hayrides, Humvee rides, horseback riding, moonwalks, crafts, an inflatable slide, live bands, a trampoline, and lots of great food. Please RSVP by Oct. 17th to Therrel and Marie Brown at 336.585.0908 or [email protected] and tell them how many adults and children are planning to attend so they know how much food to prepare.
- Mr. B's Pumpkin Patch Outing
Join us for free fall fun at Mr. B's Pumpkin Patch on Sunday October 20th at 12:00 PM! There will be a corn maze, petting zoo, hayride, scarecrow station, and all children will get to take home a pumpkin. Mr. B's Pumpkin Patch is located at 1706 S. Main Street in Graham. If you'd like to attend, please RSVP by October 18th with the number of adults and children attending to Marcy at [email protected] or 336.638.4676.
- Autism Unbound Moms' Night Out
Would you like to get together with some other moms for some drinks, food, and conversation? Please join us on October 22nd at 7:00 PM at The PorterHouse Bar & Grill at 4608 West Market Street in Greensboro. The PorterHouse owners are part of our autism community and will be giving us specials on food and our own separate room. If you'd like to attend, please RSVP by October 21st to Marcy at [email protected] or 336.638.4676.
- Picking Up The Pieces: An Auction For Autism
Picking Up The Pieces: An Auction For Autism, our silent auction to benefit those with autism and their families in Guilford County, will be held at Temple Emanuel at 1129 Jefferson Road on November 23, 2013 at 7:00 PM. There will be an exciting variety of items to bid on and some door prizes! The dress code for our event is dressy casual. Tickets are available for $25 online until November 22nd at 10:00 PM. After that time, tickets may be purchased at the door for $30. Dinner will be provided by Mythos Grill and there will be complimentary beer and wine. Music entertainment will be provided by Chris Pappalardo on acoustic guitar. All proceeds from Picking Up The Pieces: An Auction For Autism go toward parent support meetings, parent training, family social activities, a housing initiative, and a teacher grant program, which provides training and classroom materials to teachers in autism classrooms here in Guilford County. If you'd like to donate an item to our auction, please contact Chris Hocker at[email protected] or 336.854.9497. For an additional fee, we will be providing respite for a limited number of children. For more details, please email Leslie Evans at [email protected]. More information: http://autismunbound.org/auction.asp
'Fun on the Farm' on Saturday, 19 October (Rain date: 26 October)
Attached is the flyer with all the details!
Please feel free to share it with other persons with Autism and their families!
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