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This newsletter is designed to provide all MN educators the necessary resources to increase their skills in teaching students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Special education teachers, related service providers, administrators, and paraprofessionals alike are encouraged to subscribe to this quarterly newsletter.
The MN Low Incidence Project is here to support you!

Warm Winter Greetings MN Educators!

Congrats on making it through the beginning of the year AND the beginning of the cold and snowy weather! I hope you are staying warm and bundling up when outside! :)

As you can see, we have changed our monthly newsletter to a quarterly newsletter. We do not want to overwhelm your inboxes and we determined that 4 times a year would be a good timeframe to update you on the happenings in MN. As always, you can reference our other resources or contact me directly with any questions at any time.

Please join us this winter and spring for our upcoming activities and trainings. You can learn more about these below. Most of all, enjoy your time off for the holidays - hopefully you will get to take some time for yourselves - you deserve it!

Tami Childs, Statewide ASD Specialist

Metro ECSU

tami.childs@metroecsu.org

• Quarterly Featured Highlight!
• MN ASD Upcoming Events
• MN ASD Current Opportunities
• MN ASD Updates
• ASD Teacher and Related Service Provider Resources
  
• New Teacher/Educator Support & Training (NEST)
• MDE News and Resources
• STAR Media Center Tip
• ASD RESOURCE REPOSITORY

We invite you to watch this excellent 1 - hour webinar by GoManda Founder/CEO Dr. Celest Austin. This webinar does a great job of explaining the difference between person first and identity first language. This webinar also includes a description of the three waves of the disability movement, ableism, masking, and more.

Dr. Celest Austin started the company, GoManda, as a way to help others understand and celebrate the unique mind of autism. While growing up with her autistic sister, Amanda, Celest Austin grew to appeciate her sister's unique way of thinking. You will enjoy her inspirational talk and discussion! If you have seen this webinar, you can access her follow up webinar Autistic Voices that features a panel of autistic individuals here: https://www.gomanda.com/resources

The STAR Online Learning System (including the STAR Media Center) is FREE To anyone in MN again this school year! The STAR Media center includes thematic monthly units packed full of engaging activities to support academic, communication, and social emotional learning; visuals and resources to successfully implement routines; and a visual classroom slide deck (REEL) for each content area in order to provide visual instruction and engaging digital content to your learners. Additionally, we have recorded a demonstration on how to easily get this up and running in your classroom with just a few clicks of the mouse!

Click here for more information about these tools

Click here to request your FREE account

The STAR Media Center/SOLS can transform your classroom instruction and lesson planning with just a few clicks of the mouse! Watch the DEMO that is located in the Autism Repository at the end of this newsletter to learn how to use the STAR Media Center today!

This PEERS® Virtual Dating Boot camp is open to all including teens, young adults, parents, and professionals. Attendees are presented with targeted skills through didactic instruction and role-play demonstrations, and have the opportunity to practice newly learned skills through independent practice and behavioral rehearsal exercises.

More Information and Register HERE: https://forms.gle/RjBgxLA5q7KFon377

Need help? Contact tami.childs@metroecsu.org

Open Conversations is a curriculum for kids of all abilities in preschool - grade 3 that teaches about bodies, boundaries, consent, safety, and healthy relationships. The family kit comes with an instructor manual, coloring book, activity pages, flip book and breathing sphere. If families/schools are interested in purchasing these tools without the whole curriculum, here are links:

Coloring Book - Social Stories about all of the topics in the Open Conversations Curriculum.

Kids Boundaries Flip Book - a way to discuss healthy and unhealthy boundaries with kids.

We have also finished modifying the Sexuality for All Abilities curriculum to be used with learners with high or complex needs. If you are interested in seeing more info on the Modified Lessons, the password is "modified". We have also created Communication Boards to be used with the curriculum that will be helpful for so many learners - we consulted with an SLP to create these.

The SMART Center at the University of Washington is recruiting paraeducators for a study designed to train and support paraprofessionals in providing behavior support.

Click here for more information about this opportunity!

The Statewide ASD Updates presentation is updated two times per year and available to all MN educators. This is the current state updates presentation from November 2022. Please feel free to share this presentation with your staff.

STATEWIDE ASD UPDATES 2022

We are excited to announce the addition of a new section in next quarter's newsletter!

We will be starting The Communication Corner for Speech Language Pathologists and those interested in learning more about how communication impacts students with ASD as well as communication intervention strategies. Check it out next time!

Over 100 educators participated in an initial STAR training last month. We are offering a number of trainings/resources to help you begin to implement STAR. If you have recently attended an initial STAR Training (held August 2022 and November 2022), please consider accessing these resources we are offering for YOU!

STAR Quarterly Webinar #2 - Pivotal Response Training

December 6, 2022

3-4:30 pm

Click here to register

STAR Mid- Year Training: Setting up Your Classroom

February 7, 2023

9am-3pm VIRTUAL

Click here to register

Virtual Office Hours with EBP/STAR Coach

Monday afternoons we are offering individual coaching support for STAR and EBP implementation Sign up for a session here

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The NEST is designed specifically for all of you teachers out there who are new to working with students with ASD. Feeling overwhelmed? We get it and want to help!

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The Minnesota Mentor Program (MMP) is continuing to accept applications for new teachers (protégés) for Minnesota teachers who are new to teaching students in low incidence disability areas: autism spectrum disorders (ASD), blind/visually impaired (B/VI), deaf/hard of hearing (D/HH), developmental cognitive disabilities, and physical/health disabilities (P/HD)!

Even though the school year has started, mentors are still available to support protégés for 2022-2023.

Click here for more information

A big thank you to Jill Yost from Regions 1& 2 (way up north) for putting together this resource that provides many options for websites to create visuals. Many of these sites offer premade visuals FREE and you can use them create individualized or classroom supports for your students. Click here to view.

We are now creating Tuesday Tips and Tricks to provide educators in the field with quick ideas weekly! Many of these will come directly from classrooms in MN. Check out an example below! Click on the link to fill out the form to receive these weekly tips via your preferred email.

Tuesday Tips 'N' Tricks Sign Up Form

Description:

Related service providers, teachers, paraprofessionals and parents often struggle with new, exciting ideas on how to meet the needs of individuals with complex needs—2% of Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). Learn how to use a strengths-based approach to guide active and meaningful participation for our students with multiple disabilities/complex needs. Let's focus on what our students can do and "think outside the box" to not only increase participation but allow meaningful interactions, communication and access! Here you will learn ways to teach, adapt, and modify everyday games/activities and instructional materials to better meet your student's needs. You will also learn to meet the participatory needs of your students using both direct and indirect access methods, along with a plethora of other ideas and hacks. Attend and leave re-energized, creative and with activities that are cost-effective and easily adapted. There will be a focus on new partner-assisted scanning techniques, "yes and no," and ways to adapt curriculum and math.

Click here for more information

This quarter's recorded STAR Media Center tip is Using Routine Essentials to Improve Transitions in the Classroom. Transitions are often an area of growth for our students. The STAR Media center has several resources, how-to videos, and tips to teach students to successfully transition. Watch the recorded tip below to get more ideas on how to use the STAR Media Center to strengthen transitions in your classroom!

November 2021

December 2021

January 2022

February 2022

March 2022

April 2022

Summer 2022

September 2022

Tami Childs, MN ASD Statewide Specialist

Gail Jankowski, MN Low Incidence Project Support

Email: tami.childs@metroecsu.org
Website: https://www.mnlowincidenceprojects.org/Projects/asd/index.html
Location: 2 Pine Tree Drive, Arden Hills, MN, USA
Phone: 612-638-1527
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/525786611465791

This repository will include all evidence based practice resources that are shared in the newsletter on a given month. This is your go-to place to access the tools that ASD educators need! We will add to this as we continue to roll out excellent resources!