IEP Writing Mini-Series!

I like to think I’m pretty good at writing Individualized Education Plans (IEPs). I pride myself on well-written work of all kinds (goes back to all those advanced English/composition classes, as well as a husband who studied journalism) and poorly written IEPs make me want to claw my eyes out. Seriously. My co-workers can attest that I pretty much Hulk-out over terrible IEPs because it means three things: 1) someone out there thought their product was acceptable and that makes me sad, 2) someone out there is lazy and/or doesn’t understand the process and could get in trouble with compliance, and 3) my team now has to clean up the mess.

“Poorly written” can mean a lot of things: unrealistic goals, a lack of quality information (or you know, any information at all), spelling/grammar errors or the wrong child’s name in the document (ugh!!), no quantifiable data, old/irrelevant information, overly negative… etc. IEPs are legally binding documents that are meant to be a holistic “snapshot” of a child’s current academic, social/emotional, and physical functioning, with appropriate accommodations and modifications to meet their needs, and goals to work on for the school year. That means they’re pretty stinkin’ important.

Since starting at my building four years ago, I’ve slowly taken over writing all initial and reevaluation IEPs from my Committee on Special Education (CSE) chairperson, who admits that it isn’t her strong suit. I definitely did not receive much/any training on IEP writing during graduate school, and have picked things up from supervisors/mentors, in-services, and reading exemplar IEPs. I’ve supported my special education teachers on how to write quality IEPs during annual review time through in-services and consultation. While I’m by no means an expert, I hope that small changes and education can lead to documents that are more in compliance, more representative of the student, and staff members who better understand the IEP writing process. As such, I’m going to start a mini-series here on the blog to tackle some of the “poorly written” IEP issues that come up most often! Keep in mind that I am no expert and am only sharing what I’ve learned along the way. Also remember that I’ll be discussing the way my district writes IEPs and that may not be representative of your district/area/state, but that general tips and tricks can translate into better documents anywhere.

Catch up on all the IEP writing mishaps and blunders here!

• Lesson #1: Time Saving Tricks
• Lesson #2: Every IEP is an English 101 Term Paper

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You're a New School Psychologist! Now What?

Waaay back in June, Erika over at Finding the Thyme asked my Facebook page for ideas about "...where/how to get started when you enter a new school/1st job." I blame HGTV, Food Network, and The Murph-inator for the incredible delay in posting a blog entry with all the fantastic advice!

One big, huge theme was definitely on relationship building. 

• "Bring yummy snacks for lounge with a card introducing yourself."
• "...get to know the students, teachers and how the building works."
• "Get to know [your] office and custodial staff. They truly run the school!"
• "...make a point of introducing [yourself] or "checking in" individually with all the teachers/staff prior to the start of the new school year." 
• "...don't forget to smile. For a lot of kids we work with, yours may the only smiling face they see."
• "Immerse yourself into your new school community. Attend school and community sponsored events (open house, ice cream socials, PTA meetings, etc). Get to know your students, teachers, and parents. Most importantly, make sure they know who you are."

I think getting the lay of the land, figuring out whose office is where, and the general climate of a building is paramount, and also one of the most challenging things for a new professional. It took me a year to feel like I "belonged" to my current building when I was first hired. I was learning new software, new assessments, new procedures, and more, all of top of keeping in line with state timelines, managing the daily apocalypse, and of course, typing reports like a crazy woman. 

One of my cohort mates was telling me about a new psychologist hired at her preschool program who came in guns blazing, in-your-face, the ultimate resource and problem solver... and everyone hated her. She spent no time getting to know people or the system, did not consult with teachers regarding plans she was putting in place, and had an attitude that she was an all-knowing island. Not gonna fly. Remember that you can really accomplish nothing without the understanding and support of your staff, special education teachers, administration, and students. Spend time just chatting with people, learning their needs and expectations, asking questions, and listening! Introduce yourself at a faculty meeting or with a note in everyone's mailbox/email explaining who you are personally and professionally and what the school psychologist does to help the school ("What Is A School Psychologist?" from NASP might be good for this). Come March Madness, you're going to have a lot more support... and you'll need it. :)

People also toted the importance of organization and time management.

• "...set up some times to meet with the special ed teachers you will be working with to get an idea of what triennials are due this year and what initials they may know are coming up... Find out what kiddos they may need your support with and review their files and observe."
• "...you need to set up your office, get your resources in order, get at least a primer on your district's procedures. Get phone lists for each of your buildings, get all the passwords you need for student data systems etc., get your e-mail set up, request your business cards, set up your e-mail, and download all your testing software if that's not already done."
• "Meet with your principal and ask what his/her expectations are for you, what would they really like to see done/ etc."
• "...coordinate [your] schedule with the special ed teachers and related service providers...at each school to be sure there is some overlap so you all can be available for meetings...check-in with the admin asst at the main office to see where your space will be, if you are sharing a space with anyone else, file cabinet space, etc...Try and get a map of the school or at least a list of teachers/classrooms."

You'll need a bigger Post-It.

They hit the nail on the head--you can't do your job without the essential resources. I know from my experience after getting hired that it took me over a month to have my business cards, log-ins, email account, and laptop straightened away. Without a solid organizational and resource base, you'll be scrambling. It would seem that it comes back to relationship building: it can help you figure out the right people to get important items like a schedule, phone list, etc from, will let you consult with your new staffy friends on cases and upcoming meetings, and will allow you to meet with students to get to know them and their needs.

To all of you who have just embarked upon a new position and/or new school year, or who are about to do so, good luck! I have two weeks left of summer... so I'll be over here on the couch, sitting in my sweat pants covered in puppy hair, watching Pioneer Woman. :)

PS: Check out this stellar compilation of "Musings on Survival from School Psychologists." It has a wealth of great advice from school psychologists like you! Also, consider purchasing Dr. Rebecca Branstetter's The School Psychologist's Survival Guide, because it's rather awesome.

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Puppies and Children: Not That Different

The day we brought Murphy home

At the end of the school year, Husband and I became "parents" to an English Springer Spaniel puppy named Murphy. Since I would be home full-time for the summer (minus 20 half days of summer school), timing couldn't have been more perfect--two weeks at home with adorable Murphy to play, snuggle, work on crate training, house breaking, and general obedience before summer school... what could be better?

LONGEST TWO WEEKS OF MY LIFE.

Fave sleeping spot: under the couch

Now, don't get me wrong, I love that furry little booger. Murphy is well-behaved (aside from typical puppy behaviors like nipping and accidents) and quick to learn commands (he mastered "sit" within half a day). He is such a love bug and just wants to be with his humans, whether it's sitting directly on my feet while doing dishes or crawling onto Husband's chest while he lays on the floor. He's social and loves meeting new people in the neighborhood and other dogs. Perfect on paper.

Oh hai... rub my belly?

Reality: puppies are the worst. They are so much stinkin' work. I honestly think that raising a 10-week old human baby would be easier than a 10-week old puppy. Sure, they're freakin' precious and do totes adorbs things all the time, but you have to watch them at every moment to make sure they're not harming themselves or your things, don't come when called because they're eating a tasty mouthful gravel, will stare right at you while having an accident on your beautiful new rug (right after coming inside), lay down in the middle of the street during walks, screech-cry-bark until 2:30am in the morning because they hate their crate and want to be with you, bite you in the face while playing... etc.

Murphy : Content; Clam : Happy

Terrible hide-and-seeker

I have to say, my behaviorist training has surely helped. In undergrad, I took a semester long animal behavior lab where, among other behaviors, we taught white rats and guinea pigs to use a Skinner box for research on food hoarding behaviors. With the help of positive reinforcement and oodles of training treats, Murphy recognizes verbal commands and hand signals for "sit," "shake," "down," and is working on "come" and "stay." Lots of practice, time in the crate, and rewards for going inside means that we get to sleep the entire night with minimal (pathetic) howling when he first goes to bed. Although Murphy occasionally has accidents and doesn't consistently ask to go outside, he does his business quickly when he hears "go potty" or "go poop." In fact, I think he's manipulating me with going to the bathroom, because he'll pee 2-3 times when we go out, all the while looking at me for a treat when he finishes. Now, he only gets one treat... smarty stinker

Hoarding: Puppy Edition

Please sir... I want some more.

It's really no different than "training" kiddos to accomplish the behaviors we desire. We started by flooding Murphy with praise and treats when we first were teaching behaviors so that he would quickly learn that by doing something right, he would be rewarded. We even went more basic at first by rewarding approximate behaviors--things that were close to what we wanted, but not quite. For a student you want to stay in his seat, start with him staying a designated work area or part of the classroom, then when he has mastered that, begin rewarding for in-seat behaviors. The more you consistently reward kiddos (and puppies!) for completing desired behaviors, the less they should engage in undesirable behaviors because they're getting the reinforcement they want through positive means.

Snuggling with Husband on a car ride

We are starting to use intermittent reinforcement for some of the behaviors Murphy has down pat--he does not always receive a treat when he sits or shakes hands. Intermittent reinforcement is great because Murphy still gets rewarded, it just isn't as often and is more random, so he continues to do desired behaviors hoping for a treat. Think of it like a slot machine--it's going to hit at some point, you just don't know when, so you drop a few more nickels in and hope for the best. Intermittent reinforcement can increase resistance to extinction, meaning that if we decide to forgo any treats for mastered behaviors, Murphy is less likely to notice and will continue to do the right thing. It can work for kiddos, too! Surprise or spur of the moment reinforcement, like "caught being good" tickets or a Hershey kiss during work time, for desired behaviors can be more exciting than predictable reinforcement because students may be more attuned to what they're doing in the classroom, hoping for the possibility of a reward.

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Another Year Under the Belt...

Third year down and probationary period over, huzzah! At the end of last school year, I did a Committee on Special Education year in review to recap the very busy, very fulfilling year I had for '11-'12. While '12-'13 didn't quite measure up in terms of the sheer amount of CSE meetings I held, let's take a peek at the numbers...

• The proportion of meetings held for male vs. female students held steady with disproportionality: 69 males vs. 30 females. The district remains heavily African American and male in the special education population.
• We had 20 new initial referrals for special education this year, down 10 from last year. These referrals were still predominantly for significant behavioral concerns, only 6 were solely for academic difficulties. 7 of the 20 did not qualify for services, with 4 being recommended for 504 Accommodation Plans.
• This year, we had 16 reevaluation meetings for more restrictive settings, such as to Integrated Co-Teaching, Special Classes, or agency/day school placements. We also held 11 reevaluation meetings where changes were made to programming or as part of a three-year reevaluation, in accordance with legal mandates.
• We had just 3 declassifications from special education services this year, and all were students who receiving only speech who had met their goals. 
• There were a whopping 36 amendment meetings this year, up 12 from last year. These meetings included minor changes to the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) included changing goals, fixing/cleaning up parts of the Present Levels of Educational Performance (PLEP), and adjusting program modifications and testing accommodations. 
• Last year, the highest volume of meetings came during November and December. This year, it was May and June (much more traditional). During those two months, we held 26 meetings and most were initials or reevaluations that required a lot of testing and time--yeouch! This number was much higher than normal because...
• We were assigned 10 preschoolers out of our building to transition from Committee on Preschool Special Education (CPSE) services to CSE services for kindergarten. These kids were all placed in Special Classes as special sites, so we did lots of traveling to go out to see them. More to come on that!

That puts me at 99 meetings for the '12-'13 school year, 16 less than last year. Almost makes me wish I had one more meeting to make it an even hundy... but that's the mildly OCD overachiever talking.

Happy summer, you Super Psychologists!

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But I Didn't Get to Say Goodbye

A few years ago, I wrote about W, who at the time was a kiddo in a social skills/anger management group I was running. Ever since that group, W has been one of my buds. If I needed a manly favor, he was there ready to carry Food Bank deliveries and unload holiday gifts donated by a local church for the primary students. When W was performing with our chorus in the community and didn't have transportation, Husband and I were there on the bright to pick him up from his house on one of the worst streets in the city so he could sing. W was always eager to tell me about something going on with his mom or sister, the book he was reading on the Civil War, his latest tracks laid down in his uncle's recording studio, how much he likes his teacher this year, and more. He gave me a run for my money every time we played Uno, and he was even more interested than some of my female co-workers to hear about my wedding! I loved having lunch with he and his classmates, and if it had been awhile, they made sure I knew with an excited, "Miss, can we eat with you today?" W appreciated that I let him "be him" and even curse in my presence when angry (gasp!), I appreciated him just being a kid when he would goof with his friends.

I probably won't get to see W again.

2013 has been a rough year for W. While his behavior in school this year was stellar (minus hiccups that can be expected of a student with an Emotional Disturbance), he became increasingly involved in street life and bad things outside of school. I was astounded and shocked to hear that he was running away from home, stealing from corner stores, and drinking alcohol. Certainly that wasn't my W? His mom, who is an incredible person and cares deeply about her kids, was at her wits end and sent W to live with another family member. Things continued downhill, family court became involved, and W hasn't been back to school since.

Flash forward to a few weeks ago when W's fate was being decided in court. We were worried that he was going to be put into a detention facility for adolescents, which has a reputation in the city for being kid jail (we're talking bars on the windows, here). A curious and kind student like W would've been crushed there, so my colleagues and I had our fingers crossed that the judge would rule differently. Thankfully, W was "sentenced" to a year in a residential treatment facility. He would go to school there, live there, receive mental health and behavioral services, and be virtually on lock-down at all times.

While W will be getting a different, "better" home for the next year, it means that he will not be back to my building before he begins high school. Next year would've been his 8th grade year, the last before he applied to high schools and graduated from us. I was so looking forward to seeing him get his 8th grade diploma, because I know how hard he has worked for it. I also half expected him to ask me to "pin" him at Moving Up Day.

Once W gets a permanent bed at a facility, I plan to write him a letter. I'm not sure what it's going to say yet, but I think it'll be something along the lines of, "You're a special kid. You're going to get through this. You're going to do great things someday."

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Guest Post! - Confessions from a Former School Psychologist

It's that time again... a guest post! This guest blogger gives unique insight into leaving the field for bigger pursuits--namely, school administration. Trained as as a school psychologist at Temple University, Dr. Ari Yares is currently the Upper School Principal at the Schechter School of Long Island. He has previously worked as Head of Middle School at Krieger Schechter Day School and as a school psychologist for the Anne Arundel County Public Schools. Visit his blog Not Reinventing the Wheel!

Confessions from a Former School Psychologist

It has been five years since I last touched a WISC or any other testing kit.

No, this is not my introduction to a school psychologists’ anonymous meeting, but rather a reflection on the biggest change that I have undergone since handing in my testing kits and becoming a school administrator.  Otherwise, so many of my skills and training as a school psychologist have transferred directly to my new role.

As a school psychologist, I was very fortunate. I worked in a school district with an excellent student to school psychologist ratio and our leadership in student services pushed us to support our students through more than just the refer-test-place process. I actively consulted with teachers, had ample time for counseling, and was heavily involved in the implementation of my schools’ Positive Behavior and Intervention Support (PBIS) programs. I helped develop student support teams in my schools while working to make sure that the more restrictive special education placements that I supported worked successfully. All of this existed in a collegial atmosphere of our psychological services office which encouraged us to grow and collaborate as practitioners.

Somehow, in the midst of this, I came to a conclusion that I was feeling limited by my role. As I worked to support PBIS and other programs, I was restricted, not because of anyone’s conscious desire, but because as a school psychologist, I often functioned parallel to the educational system that I supported. While I could consult, advise, and plan, I was unable to supervise or mandate and certainly did not have direct access to a budget to support my efforts. Perhaps most importantly, I wanted to have a different kind of impact on changing the school environment that I saw as a factor in my students’ difficulties.

It was at this point that I decided to pursue additional training as a school administrator. Since that initial certification as a school administrator, I have continuously marveled at the overlap between my two chosen fields. While I am now in a position to supervise teachers, I get my best results when I apply my skills as a teacher consultant. The line of students and teachers who just want a few moments to chat and get something off their chests has not changed-- I’m just in a different place to address them. Likewise, I still support our intervention teams as we work collaboratively to eliminate student problems.

There are differences, of course. As an administrator, I worry about the budget that I once longed for. Sometimes, what had been a supportive consultation with a teacher needs to move to being a directed conversation where my authority as the principal is used. Mundane issues, like the boiler or trash in the cafeteria, can fill my days and sometimes I feel a greater distance from the students that I went into both of my careers to help.

At the end of the day, though, I am grateful to have had the opportunity to have crossed the bridge between school psychologist and school administrator. Most of my colleagues in administration are former teachers. Very few share my background as a school psychologist. Yet, it is this background that I feel has made me a more effective instructional leader and helps me navigate the murky waters of school administration.

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Declassification: When a Student No Longer Qualifies for Special Ed. Services

A reader on my Facebook page asked: "How [do you] ease the anxiety teachers may feel when students are doing well and you are recommending that the student be dismissed from special education?"

Dismissal, or declassification, from special education can be a tenuous celebration. The student has made adequate progress where support services are no longer needed, yay! But, what if the student starts to really struggle without those services, boo?

Typically, declassification reevaluations in my building are initiated by the teacher or speech/language pathologist (for kiddos who receive speech only). The direct service provider knows best how the student is functioning day-to-day in the classroom and can make the determination better than myself or the team alone. If a case comes up where as a Committee on Special Education (CSE) team we feel that services are no longer warranted, we start gathering oodles of information: standardized assessment data, classroom scores and curriculum based measurement data, attendance and report card grades, state-wide test scores, parent input and concerns, teacher interview and report, etc. We need to cover all bases to see how the student is functioning within the classroom. The key thing for school psychologists to consider when conducting any reevaluation is: does the student continue to meet the criteria that once qualified them under a certain special education classification?

If we make the decision that declassification is appropriate, we can choose a few different final outcomes. (it's important to remember that a kiddo's testing accommodations will follow them throughout their schooling and they can always access them if they choose) Some students we may choose to declassify "with support services" for a given period of time. For instance, if we are reevaluating for declassification mid-year, we can choose to continue to give the kiddo support services for the remainder of that school year, having them terminate for September. This would allow a sort of adjustment period. Another option would be to declassify from special education but refer for a 504 Accommodation Plan, which provides educational supports (program modifications, testing accommodations, formalized Functional Behavioral Assessments/Behavioral Intervention Plans) under general education. These options are both good for teachers and parents who may be unsure or uncomfortable with declassification because they allow the student a transition period.

The team may also recommend that a student no longer needs any services, and thus doesn't receive any further special education supports aside from testing accommodations, as mentioned above. If there is any uneasiness with this, we refer back to the data gathered--we don't make declass decisions lightly and without lots of supporting information. We also may recommend that a student receive tutoring with an adult or staff member in the building to reinforce skills, or suggest other ideas that can be done within the classroom (i.e. peer tutoring, flashcards, small group work, etc). Sometimes it helps assuage any fears when the teacher or parent remembers that the student will still have supports and help available to them, even if it isn't under special education.

How does your building or district handle special education declassifications? Do you have suggestions on how best to support teachers and ease their anxiety about it?

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Guest Post! - Conducting Comprehensive Autism Evaluations

Another marvelous guest post, and very timely since April is Autism Awareness Month! Today, we discuss best practices for Autism evaluations from an expert. “Dr. Tonya” Gscheidle, NCSP received her PhD in School Psychology from UNC-Chapel Hill, which is the home of TEACCH. She has been actively participating, leading, and/or training others in the art of Autism evaluations for the past 7 years. Tonya currently has the pleasure of “torturing” public school kiddos through evaluation in the Oklahoma City area. 

Conducting Comprehensive Autism Evaluations

According to the CDC, 1 in 88 children have been diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), with boys four times more likely than girls to receive that diagnosis. While no one cause for Autism has been identified, many debates are ongoing with various hypotheses about a cause(s), as well as if Autism is being overly diagnosed. The rapid increase in prevalence also prompted significant changes to the diagnostic criteria for Autism in the soon-to-be-published DSM-5, due to be released May 2013.  One way we, as school psychologists, can help ensure that only students who meet diagnostic criteria are labeled as having Autism is by conducting comprehensive evaluations. How can we be sure our evaluations cover all bases?  

• Screen, screen, screen! How many times have you been pulled aside by a teacher or parent stating that a student may have Autism because they do not make eye contact? Or does not speak in class? Prefers to play alone? Each one of those observations is a symptom of ASD, but in isolation, does not necessarily mean a child warrants a formal diagnosis of an Autism spectrum disorder. Just as we do not automatically rush to evaluate for Emotional Disturbance based on a single tantrum or ADHD if they are easily distracted, it is best practice to do classroom observations and gather information to develop a profile of behaviors for a particular student before rushing to obtain consent for an evaluation for special education. Screening is a relatively quick and easy way to do that – and there are screeners published for both the home and school settings. (We use the Autism Screening Instrument for Educational Programming – 3^rd Ed (ASIEP-3) for school and Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) for parents.) Screeners help you know how to proceed with your evaluation, as well as to help further educate parents and teachers. If they are insistent on an Autism evaluation based on one isolated symptom (e.g., does not make eye contact) but the screeners do not show that a full evaluation is warranted, you have documentation that you addressed their concern and can provide that information to the team without completing a full Autism evaluation (though an evaluation in another area may be indicated). 
• Social-Developmental/Medical History is crucial! Diagnostic criteria clearly state that symptoms must be present before age 3 for a student to be diagnosed with Autism. How else can you gather that information other than interviewing a parent?  Although some questionnaires can be sent home with a student for the parent to complete and return, I have found that it is better to do these interviews face to face or via phone conference so that you can ask follow up questions. Remember to include questions about sensory differences, responses to transitions/schedule changes, and family/peer relationships in any interview you use. Part of the history gathering should also include a medical history to rule out any possible diagnosis that could be causing the behaviors of concern.
• 

  There is no “I” in play based evaluations! ASD is characterized by significant disruptions in language and communication, reciprocal social interactions, and repeated/restricted stereotyped behaviors. The best way to assess those areas is thru a structured play-based assessment. The Psychoeducational Profile – 3^rd Ed (PEP-3) and Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule – 2^nd Ed (ADOS-2) are the two most commonly used standardized play-based assessments used in Autism evaluations and allow direct assessment of those specific areas through activities or presses. As communication and sensory differences are two main diagnostic areas, Autism evaluations should be completed using a multi-disciplinary team approach to the greatest extent possible. If that is not the practice in your school district, consider seeking out your Speech/Language Pathologist or Occupational Therapist to see if the findings they found in the course of their evaluations support or contradict your own. The ADOS-2 has a scoring algorithm built in to quantify observations through ratings to determine if a student’s behaviors rise to the diagnosis of an ASD. When doing the PEP-3, teams in my district complete the CARS-2 rating scales to quantify our observations. The focus of your report should be on the behaviors observed in response to the presses/activities and NOT on the scores obtained.  In fact, the authors of the ADOS-2 advise NOT to report scores from the ADOS-2 in the report.  
• What – more behavior rating scales? In most instances, Autism is considered to be a life-long disability. A student may (and should!) learn compensatory strategies to be productive in school and the community, but in most cases Autism will always be present.  This “life-long disability” label should not be taken lightly. Additional rating scales can be collected to further validate your observations. Preferred rating scales for teams I have been involved with include the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) and Gilliam Autism Rating Scale-2^nd Ed (GARS-2). 

A word about cognitive testing: I would strongly recommend using low-verbal batteries that utilize manipulatives such as the KABC-II NVI or Stanford-Binet 5.  Remember that while we engage our worlds socially and through language, those with ASD tend to engage through the sensory realm.  It may help to start a student with a brief sensory activity (e.g., using a Rain Stick, Bumble Ball, texture bocks, or digging through a bucket of dried beans) to help them regulate emotionally before putting academic stressors on them. To keep sessions structured, I almost always use a sticker chart and allow students to put a sticker in a box for every activity (subtest) completed. The chart gives students a visual of the progress made, how much is left, and something to take with them as tangible evidence of how much was able to be completed during a given session.

Recommendations should address particular concerns that drove the initial referral as well as behaviors observed throughout the evaluation. Commonly, recommendations include strategies to increase structure in the classroom (including structuring play scenarios for younger students), warn students of impending transitions, provide frequent sensory breaks, and explicit teaching of expected behaviors followed by immediate consequences or rewards.  Often, it takes students with ASD a significantly longer time to directly associate specific behaviors with rewards or consequences. Many more discreet trials are often needed. Visual supports and hands-on learning may also be considered depending on the needs of the student.

I end with a few recommendations of my own. The number of resources out there for Autism is exponential but there is a handful that I use regularly when consulting with parents and teachers and keep close when asked for resources that I will share with you lucky readers out there. This list is not at all meant to be comprehensive, rather just “tried and true” suggestions you may want to consider adding to your toolbox.

Parent/Teacher Resources

-Practical Ideas That Really Work for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders – Kathleen Mc Connell and Gail R. Ryser

-Educating the Young Child with Autism Spectrum Disorders – Michael Abraham

-*Anything* by Temple Grandin [side note from Musings--I'm reading The Way I See It, 2nd Edition and it's stellar)

Student Resources (fictional stories about living with an Autism spectrum disorder)

-Understanding Sam and Asperger’s Syndrome – Clarabelle van Niekerk and Liezl Venter

-Mockingbird – Kathryn Erskine

Websites

www.do2learn.com (picture cards and picture schedules)

www.autism-society.org

www.autismspeaks.org

www.teacch.com

Please consider “Lighting it Up Blue” this April to show support for those with Autism Spectrum Disorders! 

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