Weekly Recap: How NC is Empowering Autistic Professionals, with NCBCE's Caroline Sullivan
+ This week's Advice Thread on SCHOOLS!
On the podcast…
Much of the content on my podcast centers around raising neurodivergent kids. But what about when they become young adults? How do we think about higher education options and entering the workforce?
This week, North Carolina Business Committee for Education Executive Director Caroline Sullivan joins me to discuss the groundbreaking LiNC-IT program.
Launched in 2018, LiNC-IT provides invaluable support for autistic individuals in the workforce, offering job coaches, tailored training, and personalized assistance. And, the training is not just for the autistic employee but also the employer.
You won’t want to miss this conversation…keep listening below!
On the blog…
Advice Thread: SCHOOLS
Are you raising a neurodivergent child and looking for tips navigating school?
Public, private, homeschool, unschool?
Let’s talk about all of the options and what you have found to be the best support for your child on their learning journey!
Head on over to the thread to share a successful school experience (be sure to include your location) OR to request help with a recommendation in your location.
You can include an actual school name, a certain type of classroom setting, an approach that worked for your child, or share a problem you are having with school fit.
Virtual Professional Development for teachers….
The Neurodiverse Classroom On-Demand Course
Believe it or not, teachers are already thinking about summer break and the extra time they will have, not only relax but also to get some professional development hours in. The Neurodiverse Classroom on-demand course is always available and gives educators forever access to keep learning on their own time.
Parents: You can purchase the course for your child’s teacher by putting their email address in at check-out.
Teachers: Ask your administrator now about funding for professional development to prepare you for the fall. I’ve got you!
In The Neurodiverse Classroom course you get:
Life-time access to the online course and any future revisions
Video lessons & downloadable worksheets will be immediately available for you to begin learning on your own time
Certificate of completion of 6 hours of professional development
Looking for even more ways to keep learning with me virtually?
Resource for parents…
FREE Referral Tracker
Are you new to the journey of raising a neurodivergent child? If so, you are likely in the process of building your child’s team. I created the referral tracker to help you stay organized.
The Referral Tracker will help you:
Prioritize the next step: Learn how to read through the recommendations of your child’s developmental evaluation and determine the next best step.
Learn who does what: The Provider Glossary comprehensively explains what each professional focuses on along this journey.
Organize your correspondences: Keep track of provider location, cost, availability, and who takes insurance in the Referral Tracker template.
Build your child’s team: Once completed, you will have an organized list of potential providers for your child at this point on the journey
Resource for teachers….
FREE Reframing Behavior Worksheet
If you’re looking for a more positive way to figure out student behavior, I’m here for you. Think of this resource as your brainstorm session before the Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA).
The Reframing Behavior Worksheet will help you:
Identify what’s going on underneath the behavior: Brainstorm what might be happening within the student’s nervous system that may have led to the behavior
Organize your observations: Make notes of what you notice in the student but also what you notice in yourself to determine if you need any additional support with this student
Brainstorm when students are successful: When we notice the moments that students CAN do things, we can apply lessons of what works into other areas of need to better support for them
Adjust the environment to meet needs: Rather than asking students to do all the changing to meet a goal, we can also meet the child with adjustments in the environment that can lift them closer to success
We are so grateful for the special needs preschool that our son attends, and our younger daughter is on their Waiting List. Little Lighthouse has acted as an extension of clinical intervention because therapists work with the students in the classroom. Thanks to their work, we've discovered our son's skills at riding a modified tricycle--and the Occupational Therapist is working with his PCP and insurance to approve one for home use! He will be attending for another year, and all things IEP lie in our near future.