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FYI Newsletter April 23, 2007
Quick Scan:
- Strengthening Our Roots Conference
- Downloadable Tool to Assess the Health and Safety of the Environment and Practices in Childcare Programs Available
- New Book Helps Parents to Prepare Respite or Alternative Caregivers for the Task of Childcare
- Library Corner
Strengthening Our Roots Conference
The Institute's Indiana Resource Center for Autism will host a one-day conference entitled Strengthening Our Roots: A Conference For and About Families of Children on the Autism Spectrum, on Saturday, June 16, at Penn High School in Mishawaka, Indiana.
This conference, supported by the Indiana Department of Education, Division of Exceptional Learners, and in collaboration with many Indiana partners, is designed to provide practical information for families living with an individual on the autism spectrum. Conference outcomes are intended to provide attendees with opportunities to gain useful information, network with others, and learn about the various resources in Indiana.
Keynote speakers include Barbara Bloomfield, a Speech-Language Pathologist at Orange-Ulster BOCES, Goshen, New York, where she provides consultation and therapy services for children with autism. Additionally, Jerry and Mary Newport, both savants with Aspergers Syndrome, will also be featured.
Registration fee is $50.00 per person. Training Funds for family members or individuals with disabilities are available through the Governor's Council for Persons with Disabilities at (317) 232-7770 or IN*SOURCE at 1-800-332-4433 (only families whose children are under eight years of age are eligible to apply for IN*SOURCE Training Fund dollars). Certificates of attendance will be provided. Upon approval by the Indiana Professional Standards Board, Certification Renewal Units (CRUs) and Continuing Education Units (CEUs) will be available.
For questions regarding conference content, contact Brian Ketzner at (812) 855-6508 or e-mail bketzner@indiana.edu. To register, contact Diana Stille (dstille@indiana.edu) or Donna Beasley (dbeasley@indiana.edu) at (812) 855-6508. Visit http://www.iidc.indiana.edu/irca/conferences/StrengthRoots.html for additional conference information.
Downloadable Tool to Assess the Health and Safety of the Environment and Practices in Childcare Programs Available
The Indiana Child Care Health Consultant Program announces the availability of a tool to assess the health and safety of the environment and practices in child care programs. A health and safety assessment and application manual, suitable for all child care settings, is available for download on-line. Notation of the accreditation standards for homes and centers, National Health and Safety Standards, and Head Start Performance Standards that are congruent with the assessment items are referenced. Programs submitting a print or electronic copy of the assessment to the Indiana Child Care Health Consultant Program are eligible for child care health consultation to aid in the program's compliance with the assessment items. The on-line survey may be submitted anonymously. To access this downloadable tool, visit https://www.iu.edu/~cchealth/assessment/index.php. For more information on the Health Consultant Program, contact Pat Cole at (812) 855-6508 or e-mail pacole@indiana.edu.
New Book Helps Parents to Prepare Respite or Alternative Caregivers for the Task of Childcare
Beverly Vicker, Speech Language Pathologist with the Institute's Indiana Resource Center for Autism, is the author of a new book entitled Sharing Information About Your Child with Autism Spectrum Disorders: What Do Respite or Alternative Caregivers Need to Know. Leaving a child with a paid respite care worker, friend, or neighbor, or even an extended family xmember, represents a potentially stressful situation for parents of children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or any other developmental challenge. This book offers strategies to ease some of the apprehensions associated with parents communicating their child's behavior, daily living patterns, and food rituals to a person who may not be familiar with the child.
Sharing Information About Your Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder is broken down into five sections. Section one describes how parents can document their child's medical issues, preferences, skill levels, and other information. The second section consists of short handouts that can help respite workers understand general topics such as the importance of routines or relaxation strategies. In the third section, case studies illustrate, for example, how information about behavior and positive behavior supports might be shared, in a written format, between a parent and respite worker. Section four contains blank forms for parents to use for paper-and-pencil preparation of information material. In addition, an accompanying CD allows parents to use their computer to prepare the information sheets and to print the supplementary handouts. Updating information is especially easy when the computer option is used. Section five provides references and suggested reading or viewing material. For more information on this book, contact Beverly Vicker at (812) 855-6508, e-mail vickerb@indiana.edu, or visit http://www.asperger.net/.
Library Corner
New Items: The following new materials may be borrowed by Indiana residents from the Center for Disability Information and Referral (CeDIR) at the Institute. To check out materials, contact the library at 1-800-437-7924, send e-mail to cedir@indiana.edu, or visit us at 2853 East Tenth Street in Bloomington.
Mertens, D.M. (2004). Research and evaluation methods in special education. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Vernon , A. (2006). Thinking, feeling, behaving: An emotional education curriculum for adolescents, grades 7-12. Champaign, IL: Research Press.
Vernon , A. (2006). Thinking, feeling, behaving: An emotional education curriculum for children, grades 1-6. Champaign, IL: Research Press.