• Hats Off To Columbus Area Support Group and Bartholomew Community School Corporation: Partnership
• Hats Off To Hamilton-Boone-Madison Special Services Cooperative: Movie Day
• Hats Off To South LaPorte County Special Education Cooperative and Autism Society of Central Indiana: Start a Walk in Your Community
• Hats Off To M.S.D. of Wayne Township: Creating Building Level Autism Teams
• Hats Off To Johnson County Special Services
• Hats Off To Switzerland County Middle School Autism Team
• Hats Off To MSD of Lawrence Township: Training via District Website
• Hats Off To MSD of Warren Township: S.A.F.E. Supporting Autism for Everyone
• Hats Off To MSD of Martinsville: Camp Discovery: A Place for Kids to Have Fun!
• Hats Off To An Autism Team Working in Indiana: First Responder Training
• Autism Teams: Building Capacity Across Indiana
• Hats Off to Noblesville Schools for Creating Training Classrooms: Using Evidence-Based Practices of Visual Supports and Work Systems
• Hats Off To Asperger Autism Group of Goshen
• Hats Off to East Centeral Indiana Autism Society of America Chapter: Interlock
• Hats Off To Greater Lafayette Area Special Services Autism Team

Hats Off To Johnson County Special Services

Contributed by Melissa Dubie

In Johnson County, the autism team has a catchy title: Autism Network Team Support (A.N.T.S.). The A.N.T.S. team focuses on working with teachers and parents. It is their goal to encourage parents and school to work together. They believe it is important to learn to be partners to ensure that successful techniques are used in both the school and home. Creating consistency is best for the child.

The members of the Johnson County Special Services autism team work diligently to inform, teach, and include the parents of individuals on the autism spectrum in their community. The team constantly tries to think of ways to work together with parents and to help support them. Johnson County Special Services consists of six school corporations, which include: Center Grove, Edinburgh, Greenwood, Franklin Community, Ninevah-Hensley-Jackson, and Clark Pleasant Community Schools. Currently, there are over 300 students identified as eligible for services under the autism spectrum diagnosis in Johnson County Schools.

When individuals are first identified on the autism spectrum disorder, autism team members feel it is imperative to start developing a relationship with the parents immediately. When the team is informed of a newly diagnosed student, a welcome packet can be shared providing local and state contacts parents need to get connected to for support. Also included are numerous articles from the Reporter and other important information about autism spectrum disorders.

One of the opportunities includes monthly classes provided at the Earlywood Learning Center in Franklin for parents, teachers, and staff from all schools in the area. The informal workshops are held at two different times after school (i.e., 3:15 and 4:15) to accommodate different release schedules. Each month, members from the autism team present on helpful strategies to use at home and at school. In January, the occupational and physical therapists from the autism team presented on sensory integration. The parents who were in attendance said they learned so much about sensory integration issues that they hadn’t heard before. Specific strategies which could be used at home were shared with parents. The parents are also invited to attend the make-it-take-it sessions where materials are provided (e.g., laminator, card stock, actual pictures) to make visuals to use in their settings at home and within the community.

Several years ago, the autism team was instrumental in helping start a support group in the Johnson County area to give parents an opportunity to collaborate with one another. The group has grown in numbers of families involved and is one of the strongest support groups in Indiana. It is called the Johnson County Autism Support Group (www.jcasg.org) and meets the fourth Monday of every month. In addition, the parent group has created several fund raisers (e.g., golf outing, Jack’s walk) to allow them to provide grant money for teachers, teacher assistants, counselors, administrators, and student groups for specific use with individuals on the autism spectrum. Over $8,000 was awarded last spring.

Several members of the autism team have started a friendship pilot group funded through one of the grants ($500). Parents bring their children grades 3, 4, and 5 to learn social skills through games and craft-type activities. Currently six children are participating. One boy had trouble talking in front of a group and when he tried another boy said aloud, “boring”. This offended the boy. The autism team wasn’t sure he would return, but he did and presented the information with confidence next time. The goal is to expand the group to other schools and include peers from general education classes.

Four years ago, Super Saturday was created for all parents with students with special needs in Johnson County Special Services. The autism team collaborated with the staff supporting students with other disabilities and parents to identify what topics parents wanted to learn during a half day free training. The breakout sessions on autism spectrum disorders have included parents sharing their own experiences, using communication strategies at home, creating a 911 registry, and information applying for the autism waiver. Eighty parents attended last year so another Super Saturday is scheduled for April 2008.

The autism team spends many hours on the phone daily talking, listening, and providing resources to parents so they feel supported. Through this relationship, the parents approached one of the autism members to start a summer program for their children who attended the essential skills classroom in Center Grove. That summer (2007), a six week program was created called S.N.A.C.K. (Special Need Academic Camp for Kids). Parents from the Johnson County Autism Support Group volunteered. YMCA summer program employees got involved and several other parents helped in various ways to support the twenty-four children who participated.

During one of autism team meetings, a need was shared to help individuals on the autism spectrum to become comfortable and in some cases desensitize themselves around firefighters in their community. As a result, in collaboration with the Greenwood Fire Department, the Johnson County autism team created activities to learn about firefighters (e.g., coloring table, sensory table, running the siren on the fire truck). For students this occurred one evening and again on a Saturday to allow parents the opportunity to bring their children to the fire station. The team hopes to set up similar events for other departments in Johnson County.

Another activity the autism team has started is A.N.T.S. on location (A.O.L.’s) which helps create a school building-based support mechanism. Individuals meet five times a year to receive training in specific methodologies (e.g., social stories, data collection, sensory integration, etc.) that work well for individuals on the autism spectrum. Each member of the autism team teaches the specific methodologies related to their own expertise and interests. The individuals then become the support for the rest of the school personnel within each of the buildings. Last year eight people were trained by the A.N.T.S. team and this year (2007-08) nine different people will be trained. It is a slow process, but great success has been seen.

For more information about the autism teams in Johnson County Special Services, contact Toni Flowers or Mary Irvin by calling 1-317-736-8495 or emailing Toni (tflowers@ssjcs.k12.in.us) or Mary (mirvin@ssjcs.k12.in.us).

Dubie, (2008). Hats off to… Johnson county special services. The Reporter, 13(2), 16-17.