Understanding a complex spectrum disorder like autism is difficult enough in a purely academic setting. Yet when parents learn of their child’s autism diagnosis, they are tasked with educating themselves about autism and the wide range of treatment options available. Research can play a critical role in that education. That is why we created A Parent’s Guide to Research, a basic primer on autism research.
A Guide to Safety was written with help from parents, first responders, educators, and community members, who shared their strategies and resources to address safety threats that commonly arise during childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. This resource helps educate parents, caregivers, educators, first responders, and other community members about how to prevent and mitigate emergency events, safety threats that may affect their child in the future, and how to teach safety habits that will build a foundation for safety in adulthood.
More autistic children are attending public school than ever before. Many teachers, administrators, and school support staff lack the background and training to meet the unique needs of autistic students. It falls to the parents to make sure that their child’s challenges, whether with social interactions, communication, or behavior, are addressed with research-based interventions within the school setting. To assure this, parents must have a basic understanding of special education services, their child’s rights, and their own.
When a military family has an autistic child, they face all the emotions and challenges that accompany this diagnosis, compounded by the realities of military service: war, extended family separation, frequent moves, varying access to specialized healthcare, and other stressors that complicate and often work against effective treatment for autistic children. These families need help navigating these uncharted and difficult waters.
Operation Autism is a web-based resource specifically designed and created to support military families that have children with autism.
The formal assessment process can be a daunting experience for parents of children newly diagnosed with autism. The professionals who conduct assessments often rely on objective measures that use technical language around “deficit performance” or what your child cannot do. Rarely do they explain outcomes in terms that parents can use to set goals for their children. A Parent’s Guide to Assessment is intended to remove the mystery surrounding assessment and provide the tools to help parents better understand the process and utilize assessment outcomes to improve services and interventions for their children.
An Educator’s Guide to Autism provides parents, teachers, and education professionals with a plan for teaching an autistic child in the general elementary classroom setting. The heart of An Educator’s Guide to Autism is a six-step approach for a teacher preparing to educate autistic children in their classroom. The discussion of each step includes practical tips on what a teacher should look for and how to navigate the challenges that may arise. Following these steps offers the teacher the potential to create the most favorable educational environment for all learners in the classroom, including the student with autism.
The revised guide serves as a primer for general education teachers to support their students who have Level 1 ASD, as introduced in DSM-5 and defined as a mild form of autism that requires support.
Everyone deserves a fulfilling college experience, including students on the autism spectrum. OAR’s Finding Your Way: A College Guide for Students on the Spectrum is intended to help autistic students become better prepared for college life and academics. This guide addresses challenges that are both universal and unique to students on the autism spectrum by providing helpful information, guidance, and resources. Finding Your Way offers practical advice from autism experts, powerful narratives from self-advocates, and relevant resource tools. It is intended to help readers anticipate and improve their academic and social situations by advocating for themselves.
This online resource hub helps families of young autistic children find useful tools, reliable information, and ways to connect with others. The website includes a tool for selecting local Georgia organizations based on support type sought and educational content for families seeking information about autism and evaluations.
Today, one in 36 children is born with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Although the number of diagnoses is increasing, early intervention remains the best way to ensure a bright future for individuals on the autism spectrum. To ensure children with ASD are properly diagnosed, it is essential to learn about developmental milestones and behaviors that may be cause for concern. This booklet comes with text in English and Spanish.
