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This area of the POAC web site is dedicated to sharing resources, knowledge, and tools to help parents, teachers, and anyone who works with or loves a child or adult with autism.Here you will find articles on autism, data sheets, lesson plans and other useful materials.Many of these items are an accompaniment to our workshops, others are informational and even inspirational in nature. Please visit this area of our site often as we will be updating it frequently. We encourage you to tell others about the site so they may also benefit from these materials.

Autism Shield: Emergency Preparedness for Law Enforcement and Families

Helping Police Officers Understand the Autistic This article appeared in the New York Times.

Autism Emergency Form This form is for parents to provide to anyone who may require detailed emergency information on their child with autism. It can also be used by law enforcement officers to flag homes in an effort provide emergency services.

Avoiding Unfortunate Situations

Critical Medical Information Download cards to record and keep emergency information on hand.

Are You Prepared for An Autism Emergency This document explains how to create an informational handout for emergency preparedness.

Contact with Individuals with Autism: Effective Resolutions This article, written for law enforcement officers and first responders, gives an overview of autism, common signs of autism, appropriate response, and what to do if a crime has been committed.

Information for Law Enforcement This article outlines tips for successful resolution.

Information for People with Autism This article is directed toward people with autism and their caregivers. It discusses ways to handle contact with police and to avoid victimization.

What Is Project Lifesaver This article gives a description of Project Lifesaver, a tracking device for children and adults who wander, and contact information needed to access this service.

Teacher and Professional Support

Teaching Tips for Children and Adults with Autism Temple Grandin uses her own experiances to help parents and teachers interact effective with their students/children.

Tips For Teaching High Functioning People with Autism This article describes some of the difficulties people with autism experiance and lists some proceedures and tips to help in the teaching process.

Errorless Teaching This is a description of one ABA teaching technique.

Sharing Concerns This document outlines some options for telling the parent of a child you are working with that there might be some developmental issues. This is a difficult topic to bring up and this material gives tips on how to approach the subject in a positive, supportive way.

Legal/Advocacy

How to Get the Most From Your IEP Meeting Here are some tips to ensure to the greatest degree possible that an appropriate IEP is developed.

Improving the IEP Process Eight steps to better IEP meetings.

What is Autism

Autism In NJ This brief article outlines the CDC statistics on autism in New Jersey.

Temple Grandin: How People with Autism Think The struggle that made possible Temple Grandin´s early development, graduate education, and notable career as a professor of animal behavior, designer of animal facilities worldwide, and celebrated writer, speaker, and researcher on autism, is told in her books, Emergence: Labeled Autistic (1986) and Thinking in Pictures and Other Reports From My Life With Autism* (Vintage Books) 1996.

Transitional Issues

A Guide for Transition to Adulthood

Behavioral Issues

Functional Analysis Interview Form A tool for interviewing those associated with a child or adult who is experiancing maladaptive behavior

Data Recording Card An easy way to record data for maladaptive behavior

Life After Functional Assessment Tips for developing a good behavior plan

Functional Assessment A brief introduction to functional assessment, why it´s important, and where to begin

Applied Behavior Analysis

What is the ABLLS This article discusses the Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills, a tool used to assess, teach, and monitor the educational progress of children with developmental disibilities.

Inspiration

The Autism Paradox A little blurb about the paradox we see our autistic children living.

Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew By Ellen Notbohm, this article is written from the perspective of the child with autism.

The Beautiful Butterfly By Michelle M. Guppy

Some Mothers Are Chosen By God Written by Erma Bombeck

A Trip To Holland The classic Inspirational poem on what it is like to become a parent of a "special child"

Educational Issues

Inclusion Assessment This is a tool designed to assess readiness for inclusion.

Inclusion Plan This form helps to plan inclusion for individual students.

Parent Support

Temple Grandin: How People with Autism Think The struggle that made possible Temple Grandin´s early development, graduate education, and notable career as a professor of animal behavior, designer of animal facilities worldwide, and celebrated writer, speaker, and researcher on autism, is told in her books, Emergence: Labeled Autistic (1986) and Thinking in Pictures and Other Reports From My Life With Autism* (Vintage Books) 1996.

Teaching Tips for Children and Adults with Autism Temple Grandin uses her own experiances to help parents and teachers interact effective with their students/children.

Mommy/Daddy and Me Program Brochure Information on a program for parents of preschoolers

Milestone Chart This document outlines the developmental milestones of typically developing children.

Teaching What Matters It´s never too early to identify key life skills and start practicing the most important ones. Working consistently on these "core skills" will be much more effective than just peppering your kids with advice as it pops into your head.

Autism and Divorce This article was originally published in the February 2009 issue of New Jersey Lawyer Magazine, a publication of the New Jersey State Bar Association, and is reprinted here with permission

What is Project Lifesaver This article gives a description of Project Lifesaver, a tracking device for children and adults who wander, and contact information needed to access this service.

Past Articles from POAC´s Newsletter, the Difference

What is Verbal Behavior This is a brief, plain language, overview of B.F. Skinner’s Analysis of Verbal Behavior and how children learn language.

Building Rapport with the Learner This article introduces the concept of pairing with reinforcement. This is a necessary first step to any teaching program, at home or at school.

A Reading Program That Works Literacy can be a real challenge for those with autism. Many never master the skills needed to become proficient readers. There are many reasons for this failure and there are many students who are having great success. This article introduces one curriculum that has helped many students overcome the challenges to become competent readers.

Diagnosis Autism This article discusses the fears and challenges with the autism diagnosis. It outlines what parents can expect and what to look for in terms of effective educational programming.

Asperger &High Functioning Autism

The Hidden Curriculum This article lists the "rules" that teachers might assume that all students understand. This is directed toward children with Asperger Syndrome and other related disorders.

Asperger Syndrome - Classroom Success Next Year This article discusses some strategies to increase your child´s success in the upcoming school year.

Blinded By Their Strengths: The Topsy-Turvy World of Asperger´s Syndrome

Tips for Teaching High Functioning People with Autism This article describes some of the difficulties people with autism experiance and lists some proceedures and tips to help in the teaching process.

Strategies for helping children cope with social differences

Social

Sticks and Stones Will Break My Bones, and Names Hurt Too Strategies to help children cope with social differences

One on One Playdates Tips for having successful play dates