The Connection

May is such a busy month, as we wind down the school year, and the weather is beautiful! It's hard to resist spring fever! Hang in there though! In this edition of The Connection you will find quit a few resources you don't want to miss!

We hope you'll take some time to read through these resources, and don't forget that if you need a question answered or just aren't sure where to turn, you can contact our Parent Liaison, Erika Chapman, at 843-292-1008 or echapman@f1s.org. She would love to connect with you!

You are invited to join us for this free webinar for parents and caregivers of autistic children. Register today by clicking the link below!

Parenting Can Be Difficult: More Strategies for Helping Caregivers of Autistic Children Manage Anxiety and Stress

Thursday, May 22, 2025

5:15pm - 6:30pm EST

This is the fifth in our new 10-month webinar series for 2025 provided

virtually by experts at the National Autism Center at May Institute.

Please stay tuned for future webinars.

ABOUT THIS WEBINAR:

Parenting comes with many joys along with many challenges as well. This is especially true for many parents of autistic children. If you often feel overwhelmed, stressed, or exhausted by parenting responsibilities, you are not alone. During this webinar, we will review application of strategies to manage anxiety and stress that were discussed in Parenting Can Be Difficult: Strategies for Reducing Caregiver Anxiety and Stress and expand on additional strategies to manage anxiety and stress for caregivers.

ABOUT THE PRESENTER:

Abigail Rix, M.A., BCBA, LABA
Senior Program Director, May Center for ABA Services, West Springfield, MA

Register here!

Once you register, you will receive an email within 48 hours

to confirm your attendance and more information about the training.

Check out this entire article by Vicki Clarke on the DTA blog!

Many students use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices (...) to communicate. These systems are carefully designed to help students build language skills over time. However, well-meaning caregivers and educators sometimes make changes that unintentionally disrupt learning. One common mistake is moving words around or creating too many special pages for specific activities. While this might seem helpful in the moment, it can actually make communication more difficult in the long run.

Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them
Pitfall #1: Placing Commands or Routine-Based Phrases in the Core Vocabulary

Pitfall #2: Creating Too Many Activity-Specific Pages

Supporting Language Growth with Good AAC Practices

• Keep words in a consistent location.
• Teach navigation skills.
• Support word generalization.
• Limit special pages.

For AAC users, consistent word placement and navigation routines are key to long-term language development. While it may be tempting to create new pages for every activity or move words for convenience, these changes can disrupt learning and reduce communication independence. By prioritizing consistency, structured navigation, and generalization of vocabulary, we can help AAC users become more confident, flexible communicators.

Make sure to check out the entire blog post here!

Save the Date!

Frozen in Time

Exceptional Prom

May 17, 2025

6pm-8pm

Staybridge Hotel

150 Westpark Drive

Florence, SC 29501

For more information contact:

Melissa Heiden at mheiden@fsd1.org

Alician Timmons-Perdue at atimmonsperdue@fsd1.org

Breathe - Take 5 deep, slow breaths

Rest - Close your eyes until your mind is clear

Empowering words - Say 3 nice things about yourself

Absorb - Check in with your senses. What do you see, feel, hear, smell and taste?

Knowledge - Stop and think before you act

Erika Chapman is the Florence One Schools Parent Liaison for our Program for Exceptional Children. Erika serves as a liaison between teachers, parents, students, support staff and the community regarding educational programs, services and student issues in areas of Programs for Exceptional Children.

You will receive our PEC parent newsletter, The Connection, twice a month. It's full of helpful information, announcements and the dates for all upcoming parent training events. Erika can help parents/guardians to connect to resources both within and outside of the district; as well as get connected to agencies like DDSN, fill out paperwork for Medicaid and understand your child's IEP.

The Parent Liaison website also has lots of helpful resources for families. On the website you can find all past PEC newsletters and helpful webinars on Understanding Your Child's IEP and All About Resources in the Florence area. Check it out!

Please feel free to reach out to Erika if she can assist you in any way! Her email is echapman@fsd1.or and her phone number is 843-292-1008.

Do you want to know what your student's school is offering for breakfast and lunch during the month of May? Find out here!

We would love to hear from you! If you have a question or comment you can contact our Parent Liaison, Erika Chapman, at echapman@f1s.org or 843-292-1008 or visit the Parent Liaison website for helpful resources.

You also can contact us at exceptionalchildren@f1s.org or at 843-673-1161.

Email: exceptionalchildren@f1s.org
Website: f1s.org
Phone: (843) 673-1161