MN Statewide ASD Newsletter
Sping 2024
The MN Low Incidence Project is here to support you!
MN Educators,
It is finally spring!! We are on to nicer weather, too much to do before the end of the school year, and mental countdown to summer, right?
This is our final quarterly newsletter of the school year and we will be sharing it at the Charting the Cs conference next week. We hope many of you are able to join us there! We will be in The NEST exhibit and would love to see you! Stop by to meet us, learn about resources, and enter to win prizes!
It's April so, at Charting the Cs, at the Autism Conference, and all month we will be celebrating Autism Acceptance Month! As educators, we are committed to celebrating and supporting our students!
Check out ways we can celebrate this month in the Quarterly Featured Highlights section below.
A big thank you to all who joined us for our quarterly webinar in March 5th, Unlocking Potential: Empowering Teachers with AAC Strategies for Use in Daily Instruction. We had over 140 registrants. If you missed this webinar, please feel free to contact me to receive a captioned recording.
Our final quarterly webinar for the school year will be May 7th, 2024 on Video Modeling.
Check this FREE opportunity out in the Upcoming Events section. If you can't join on May 7th, register anyway and we will send you the captioned recording.
Stay tuned for more information on the STAR Media Center for next year - we are hoping that we can offer this $500/educator resource FREE again next school year! Minnesota's regional low incidence projects have made this possible for the past several years.
Please feel free to reach out to me at tami.childs@brightworksmn.org and, as always, THANK YOU for your dedication to our MN students!
Tami
Charting the C's 2024 In-Person Conference
The Charting the Cs Conference is a statewide professional development event featuring Minnesota practitioners who implement evidence-based practices, practical strategies and innovative instruction to meet the unique needs of students with low incidence disabilities.
Day 1: Monday, April 15, 2024, In-Person, 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Day 2: Tuesday, April 16, 2024, In-Person, 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Day 3: Wednesday, April 17, 2024, In-Person, 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Download Charting the Cs Conference 2024 Flyer (PDF file format)
Questions?
Send an email to: chartingthecs@brightworksmn.org
Website: Charting the Cs Conference
Join Us at the Minnesota Autism Conference
The 29th Annual Minnesota Autism Conference will be held in-person on April 17-19, 2024 at the Marriott Minneapolis Airport Hotel. This year’s conference will feature keynote speakers Devon Price, Dr. Paula Kluth, and Lydia Dawley, as well as breakout sessions tailored for all audiences including autistics, family members, educators, and professionals. Visit the AuSM Shop, gather information from key autism exhibitors, and spend your conference days networking and learning from expert speakers.
ASD Evidence-Based Practices (EBP) Webinar #4: Using Video Modeling to Increase Student Engagement
Date/Time: May 7th, 2023 from 3:00-4:30
Where: Virtual
Cost: Free
Join us for our last ASD EBP Webinar (formally known as STAR Webinars) of the 2023-2024 school year! During this webinar, Michele Glynn, ASD Specialist, will discuss using simple video modeling, modeling, and peer modeling to practice and promote positive behaviors that support student engagement and learning.
STAR Initial Training
Date/Time: August 13th and 14th from 8:30-3:30PM
Where: BrightWorks in Arden Hills, MN
Cost: $150
The STAR Workshop focuses on teaching individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and other developmental disabilities using evidence-based instructional methods. These methods include discrete trial training, pivotal response training, teaching functional routines, and positive behavior interventions and supports. Participants of the workshop receive examples of lesson plans at different instructional levels to practice implementing the program. The workshop also covers the scope and sequence of the STAR Program, provides video demonstrations of the instructional methods, and teaches participants about developmental curriculum content and curriculum-based assessment techniques. The goal is to equip participants with the skills to teach new skills to students with ASD, promote independence, and generalize skills within their daily routines. Click here for more details.
Program Questions: Contact Tami Childs at tami.childs@brightworksmn.org
Registration Questions: Contant Gail Jankowski at gail.jankowski@brightworksmn.org
BrightWorks will be using a new registration system starting June 1, 2024. Therefore, we are unable to register participants for the August 13-14th STAR training until that time. Please fill out the form below and you will be sent the registration link by June 1, 2024. You will then be able to register for the training at that time.
Cam MNprov 2024
Date: July 29th- August 1st
Are you looking for a way to support students’ mental wellness and social-emotional learning in a way that is fun and sticks? Camp MNprov is a FREE professional development opportunity for educators and a workshop for students ages 13 - 18. MNprov uses applied improvisation games that allow students to practice these skills in a safe, authentic, and really fun environment. Everyone laughs, and that’s a great way to learn! Information and registration details are on our website. Please contact kelly@mnprov.org if you'd like to learn more.
Special Education Hosted Trainings and Webinars Series
Check our the MDE website for some great trainings that are FREE to access! Below is the list of trainings available:
Alternative Delivery of Special Education Services (ADSIS) 101
Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) 101
Integrating PBIS and School Linked Behavioral Health Services
Evidence-Based Practices Used by School Linked Behavioral Health (SLBH) Providers and Exemplar Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Schools
Statewide Assessment General Supports and Accommodations
Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS)
Five Practically Good Ideas for Any Reality
Returning to School During and After Crisis
Check-in/Check-Out as a Tier 2 Support
The Interconnected Systems Framework
Systematic Screening in the COVID-19 Era
Behavior Specific Praise: Implementing, Coaching, and Measuring the Impact of this Simple yet Specific Strategy
Welcome to the Communication Corner! My name is Leah Hicks, and I am an ASHA Certified Speech-Language Pathologist with over 10 years of experience in the educational setting.
Gestalt language processing has emerged as a hot topic recently, garnering significant attention for its insights into how some individuals perceive and interact with language. So what is it? Gestalt Language Processing, also known as Natural Language Acquisition, is a style of language development with predictable stages that begins with delayed echolalia or gestalts, and ends with production of novel, self-generated utterances.
Did you know that 75-85% of autistic individuals use echolalia (Rydell and Prizant, 1995)? In the past, it was common practice to encounter delayed echolalia or scripts from an autistic student and instantly think, “Should I ignore that?” or “How can I extinguish that?” That’s because previously, echolalia was considered a meaningless, self-stimulating behavior, with no perceived significance as a form of communication. HOWEVER, current research suggests that echolalia is a language-learning strategy - Natural Language Acquisition used by Gestalt Language Processors (ahem, many of our autistic students).
As educators dedicated to supporting individuals with autism, understanding how gestalt processing influences language acquisition and comprehension is paramount. Click on the handout to learn more and to find additional resources!
The STAR Media Center is a FREE resource available to all Minnesota educators! It includes everything you need to run a structured and engaging classroom. Including resources to support routines, play, language, and behavior. It also includes an updated Themes First! These themed units include original songs, books, and activities that support students’ skill development and generalization with content that’s fun, accessible, and theme-based. These monthly units now include an expanded Social Studies suite, containing fun, theme-related activities that reinforce cultural engagement. Included in all Themes First! units are lessons, activities, and worksheets for group and independent work at a wide range of levels.
Watch the updated demonstration below to find out how to access visuals and resources for routines and monthly thematic units. As well as how to use these resources during your center rotations.
Check out the World in Bloom unit in Theme's First! Theme units include original songs, books, and activities that support students’ skill development and generalization with content that’s fun, accessible, and theme-based. These monthly units now include an expanded social studies suite, containing fun, theme-related activities that reinforce cultural engagement. Included in all Themes First! units are lessons, activities, and worksheets for group and independent work at a wide range of levels.
Autism Center Grab and Go Resource Gallery of Interventions
MN Autism Resource Portal
MN Low Incidence Projects Autism Assessment Resources Guide ‐ 2021
Contact Us
Tami Childs, MN ASD Statewide Specialist
Jen Guettler, MNLIP ASD EBP Coach
Gail Jankowski, MN Low Incidence Project Support
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