DRIVING FORCES BEHIND SUCCESSFUL POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT FOR YOUNG ADULTS WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES AND AUTISM

*SAVE THE DATE*

March 13th, 2012

Working Conference

Self Determination *

Standards-Based Conceptual Framework

Interagency Collaboration

Conversation with Employers

Problem Solving Local Issues

University of California, Davis -MIND Institute

2825 50th Street Sacramento, CA 95817

For more information: Wilbert Francis, UCLA Tarjan Center, wfrancis@mednet.ucla.edu, (310) 206-2626.

The Autistic Self Advocacy Network ( www.autisticticadvocacy.org ) put the attached college transition handbook together.   It’s a great resource for young adults and their families!

By Alan Zarembo, Los Angeles Times, Photography by Francine Orr

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that nearly 1% of children across the country have some form of autism — 20 times the prevailing figure in the 1980s. The increase has stirred fears of an epidemic and mobilized researchers to figure out what causes the brain disorder and why it appears to be affecting so many more children.

Two decades into the boom, however, the balance of evidence suggests that it is more a surge in diagnosis than in disease. The Times explored the phenomenon and its repercussions. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/autism/

Dominican University now offers an Autism Spectrum Disorders Added Authorization program, which is designed for individuals interested in teaching students with autism spectrum disorders. Candidates accepted into this Added Authorization program must currently hold an Education Specialist Level I teaching credential or be eligible for an Education Specialist Level I teaching credential prior to recommendation for the Added Authorization. For more info, please visit the Dominican University program page.

This is a great article on compassion for children with autism and how to teach tolerance among our children.

This seems to be a great resource for parents and professionals seeking information and resources about autism. Check out Autism College.

The Marin Autism Collaborative held its 2011 Annual Meeting on April 2 at the Marin County Office of Education. Dr. Peter Mundy, from the UC Davis MIND Institute and the Department of Education, spoke on “Social Attention Impairments in Autism.”

Dr. Mundy provided a comprehensive history of autism and the role of joint attention as an indicator of autism and social impairments. Joint attention is a pivotal, gateway behavior, as it plays a key role in learning. Problems in joint attention lead to difficulties in learning both language and social skills. Dr. Mundy then went on to discuss the research-based interventions for school-age children and older children. There is still much work to be done in this area and Dr. Mundy is currently working on a virtual reality research project to help children and young adults learns these skills in a simulated environment.

For more information on the talk, contact Katrina Ferreyra, MAC Coordinator, at kferreyra@lifehouseagency.org.

In case you haven’t seen it, it’s worth viewing the many great interviews and news clips from PBS this month!

Do2Learn.com offers a new service for individuals with autism, JobTIPS, provides real world examples, videos, and interactive materials to help people with autism learn how to be successful in the workplace.

Autism Society has lots of great information about the latest efforts in advocacy to protect services for individuals with autism and other disabilities. See the latest newsletter for great information and get involved!