To develop an effective transition plan for their autistic young adults, parents need to do some “homework” of their own. This process starts before you begin the actual paperwork and planning with your young adult’s school and IEP team. By collaborating with and empowering your young adult to think about their future, you can lay…
For the fourth consecutive year, Jewelers for Children has pledged an additional $50,000 to support OAR’s Kit for Kids program. This brings Jewelers for Children’s total contribution to OAR to $170,000. The Jewelers for Children Board of Directors announced the 2021 contribution during the organization’s annual board meeting in Las Vegas on August 29, 2021.…
My little brother was diagnosed with severe autism. He wasn’t able to focus on his tasks or studies. One day I realized his interest in smart devices while he was playing with my smartphone. I immediately looked for content and apps that were educational and fun, but found none that suited his needs. They were…
How can parents and educators foster self-determination skills in autistic young adults and engage in student-centered transition planning? Student-centered planning, also called “person-centered planning,” is an approach to transition planning that prioritizes the interests and aspirations of the individual student. Specifically, the focus is on helping students develop the tools and skills necessary to design…
OAR congratulates the five recently awarded recipients of the Autism Education Grant Program. We are grateful to The Sunshine Foundation for contributing to the grants provided to this newest group of grantees. Launched earlier this year, the Autism Education Grant Program supports projects that aim to promote autism awareness and acceptance among K-8 students through the…
The academic year has just begun and schools have begun re-opening for in-person learning, but the rapid spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant has prompted some districts to continue offering remote learning as an option. In collaboration with Commonwealth Charter Academy (CCA), a public cyber charter school, OAR has expanded its peer education program so that it can be…
In April 2021, OAR’s Board of Directors authorized a board-designated grant to fund a two-year project implementing that program at Empire. Led by Noor Syed, PhD, BCBA-D, assistant professor of applied behavior analysis and director of the Center for Autism Inclusivity, “Creating an Inclusive Institution through Multitiered Systems of Support” seeks to expand inclusivity and…
Academic supports are never one-size-fits all. Teachers can best support autistic students when they have a range of strategies to choose from. As a general principle, interventions that provide predictability, support, and empowerment, while also reducing anxiety and building on strengths, are effective. When applied in the classroom, such interventions enable autistic students to best…
