Karen Jaggers, NCC, LPC, CAS
State/Country: Texas/, USA
School/ Organizations: University of Houston, MS/Mental Health Counselling – Capella University, CalSouthern University (PsyD Clinical Psychology candidate)
AUG
IBCCES is excited to introduce Director of International Development, Alison Williams. In her role at IBCCES, Alison organizes international conferences, including the upcoming conference in September on teaching students with autism with our partner St. Andrew’s Autism Centre in Singapore. She additionally handles all international sales for global educators, international schools, and healthcare groups, working with the rest of the team at IBCCES and our partners around the world.
by Rachel Wise, CAS
In this article you will find 15 supportive behavior strategies for children on the autism spectrum (some strategies can be used with adults as well). Many of the strategies can also be used to help children without autism who have challenging behaviors.
When caring for or working with a child with autism, a parent, teacher, or other adult may become frustrated with the child’s behavior. Behaviors can come on suddenly, last for hours, be hard to control, or make the adult scared or embarrassed.
By Brigid Rankowski, Autism Advocate & National Speaker
For many professionals in the educational fields, the countdown to summertime has been going on for months. As the students yearn to be outside the classrooms, so do the educators long for a respite. However, when the classrooms are all packed up sometimes that’s the best opportunity to get some more work done. During the school year, it is difficult if not impossible to keep up to date on the newest books or educational tools while still maintaining the day to day operations. The free time allowed during the summer months can offer valuable time to reflect on the past year, prepare for the upcoming school year, and work on improving their skills working with disability community.
By Elayne Pearson, Special Needs Preparedness Specialist, Author, and National Speaker
July is great for recalling our amazing heritage in this choice land. I adore the patriotic music, programs, and parades. However, there were many years when even attending a local July 4th parade with Miss Heidi, our cute daughter with Down syndrome and autism, was very stressful. Personally, I loved the spirit of patriotism, the scalloped star-spangled bunting, and creating parade floats. Our four daughters in their crisp red, white, and blue outfits (and matching hair bows) undoubtedly felt the excitement in the air too, but our youngest, Heidi (who craved peace, quiet, and predictability) probably felt like she was entering a war zone, with random firecrackers, flashing police lights directing the excited mobs, smoke and BBQ odors from vendors, and bands playing with true vigor. More than once, Heidi darted off in a “parade panic” and our family (also in a panic) thankfully always found her.
Contributed by Awake Labs
At Awake Labs we are developing a tool to empower autistic individuals and their caregivers to better understand anxiety with the goal of preventing behaviour meltdowns. This tool is called Reveal. It’s a wearable device (it looks a bit like a fitbit) and app that measures and tracks anxiety in real time. I’m new to the team and the first couple of months have been eye opening. So far, these have been my main takeaways.
By Elayne Pearson, Disability Advocate, Motivational Speaker & Consultant
Hope everyone is having a great summer. I bet your thoughts have turned more than once to the students affected with autism in your sphere of influence. As a mom of Heidi, a young lady on the spectrum, I can tell you, summer is a difficult season with lots of open doors and windows, time on our hands and restless kids. UGH!
Professionals that work in the field of autism can now receive internationally-recognized ABA training and certification through the International Board of Credentialing & Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES). ABA, or Applied Behavior Analysis, is proven to have to have the highest rate of success in treating Autism Spectrum Disorder.
IBCCES is excited to introduce new Executive Director Dr. Melanie Bolt to the global community of autism specialists. As Executive Director of IBCCES, Dr. Bolt draws on her expertise in educational research and evaluation to unite people, processes, and productivity for the purpose of providing autism training and certification for professionals who work in the fields of healthcare and education. Her goal is to better-equip teachers, paraprofessionals, therapists and other healthcare professionals to successfully address the needs of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder.