MN Statewide ASD Newsletter
February 2022 MN Low Incidence Projects
The MN Low Incidence Project is here to support you!
NEW THIS MONTH!!!
Greater MN only!! Scholarships available for AuSM Conference Registration!!
Learn about Identifying Girls with Autism
Check out Minnesota's Autism Resource Portal
Share registration for Winning Strategies Para conference in March
Register for April's State AuSM Conference
...and more!
COMING NEXT MONTH!!!
Letter from the Editor
Welcome to the February MN ASD Newsletter!
This month's newsletter includes information and resources to help us better identify girls on the autism spectrum. Recent research shows that girls are significantly under-identified with ASD compared to boys. The resources included here will help us better serve girls on the spectrum here in Minnesota.
We continue to have almost 1,200 viewers of this monthly newsletter and would love to expand so that all ASD educators can benefit from the resources provided here. So PLEASE SHARE with your colleagues and friends far and wide across MN!
Please reach out to me if you have ideas on how to make this newsletter even better and most useful for YOU!
Stay Healthy & Warm,
Tami Childs, Statewide ASD Specialist
Metro ECSU
What's in this Issue?
- Monthly Featured Highlight!
- MN ASD Upcoming Events and Opportunities
- MN ASD Updates
- ASD Teacher and Related Service Provider Resources
- New Teacher/Educator Support & Training (NEST)
- STAR/LINKS
- MDE News and Resources
- Assistive Technology Tip of the Month
- ASD RESOURCE REPOSITORY
Here in Minnesota it takes a village!!
Meet Christy Zubke and Jill Yost from Greater Minnesota - way up north in Regions 1 & 2!! Christy and Jill have been supporting Regions 1 & 2 as well as longstanding members of the Statewide ASD Community of Practice!
Christy and Jill are very passionate about educating students with ASD. For the past year, I have been working with them to update the ASD Assessment Manual. Really, THEY did all the work! We are so proud to have educators like Christy and Jill here in MN to help forward the field of teaching students with ASD! Thank you, Christy & Jill!!
17th Annual Winning Strategies Conference for Paraprofessionals and Future Teachers
Flyer with more details: Winning Strategies Conference Flyer
Conference Goal: Due to the continued need for virtual opportunities, we will provide registrants a link to a web page filled with pre-recording presentations, replacing the in-person conference of the past. This link will include eight different one-hour professional development segments to provide practical strategies to develop potential, eliminate negativity, address challenges, and enhance school culture.
Four lucky registrants will win door prizes which will be mailed to your location of choice! Please share with colleagues, send to paraprofessionals, and post at your schools!
U of M Offering ADOS-2 Trainings Virtually this Spring
STAR Support Quarterly Webinars
These FREE webinars are open to all MN educators who are using or planning to use the STAR curriculum. In these quarterly webinars, we will provide guidance on the steps of implementing STAR as well as share resources and answer individual questions.
Time to Register: Minnesota Autism Conference!
The 2022 Minnesota Autism Conference will be held IN PERSON on April 27-29, 2022 at the Hyatt Regency in Bloomington, MN. Registration is now open! For more information: https://ausm.org/events/state-autism-conference/
If you work and live in GREATER MN, you are eligible for a scholarship to attend the MN Autism Conference!
STAR Media Center and STAR Online Learning System (SOLS) for the Classroom
The STAR Online Learning System (including the STAR Media Center) is FREE To anyone in MN for the 2021-2022 School year!
Statewide ASD Updates Presentation
New statewide update and current ASD Child Count Numbers coming April 2021!
https://www.mnlowincidenceprojects.org/documents/asd/Fall_2021_ASD_State_Updates.pdf
Are we under identifying girls with autism?
Linked here are four resources that provide more information to help us adequately identify girls with autism. The first resource is an actual checklist, the second and third include “lists” of symptoms, and the fourth is a research article on the under-identification of girls using the ADOS.
1. Autism In Girls Checklist https://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/Education/Access-to-learning/Graduated-response-toolkit/School-toolkit/Communication-and-interaction/Social-communication-autism/SEN-support-in-school/Autism-in-Girls-checklist.pdf
2. Signs of Autism In Girls https://www.verywellhealth.com/signs-of-autism-in-girls-260304
3. Pay attention to these hints that ASD may be the correct diagnosis:
- A girl who never fits in socially, or has only had a few friends ever, or whose friendships, on detailed review, are not truly reciprocal and spontaneous.
- A girl who has acquired many diagnoses but there still seems to be unexplained features.
- A girl whose parents describe very unreasonable behavior— but who do not recognize it as abnormal anymore after many years.
- A girl who takes it upon herself to study the behavior of others so that she can learn how to behave socially and not be noticed.
- A girl who has other atypical features which may have gone unnoticed: fixated on routines, delayed echolalia, some motor and sensory habits, intense, though ordinary girl interests. Atypical behaviors and interests must also be present in addition to social impairment to make an autism diagnosis.
- Girls, however, socially incompetent, may still be interested in ‘people’. A social interest does not rule out autism.
- Even a previous negative autism assessment done when the girl was younger, though apparently ruling it out, attests to early suspicion.
Source: https://thischangedmypractice.com/autistic-spectrum-disorder-in-girls/
4. The ADOS misses identification of Girls more than Boys https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/diagnostic-tests-miss-autism-features-girls/
Check out the AUTISM RESOURCES RESPOSITORY at the end of this newsletter for more resources!
This repository will include all evidence based practice resources that have been shared in the newsletter. This is your go-to place to access the tools that ASD educators need! We will add to this as we continue to roll out excellent resources!
Don't forget about the other FREE resources Autism Internet Modules and AFIRM Modules. Information on these resources is available in the ASD RESOURCES REPOSITORY at the end of this newsletter.
Special educators are often called upon to help families be aware of and navigate services and supports for their child across environments. If you are new to working with students with ASD, you likely need to learn this information yourself.
Here in MN, we have a Minnesota Autism Resource Portal that provides guidance to families and service providers. In the portal, the Pathway to Services and Support for ASD document is a great place to start understanding the services available as well as differences in educational eligibility versus medical diagnosis. Take a look!
Additionally, there are opportunities for educators to receive training, coaching, and free resources for STAR/LINKS implementation. For more information, contact Tami Childs at tami.childs@metroecsu.org
NEW DATES for Minnesota Accessibility Center aka MAC
Minnesota Access Center Open Office Hours coming up: March 1, 2022
Purpose of MAC Open Office Hours:
The purpose of MAC Open Office Hours is to provide an opportunity for individuals to ask questions, discuss issues, and connect with specialists, colleagues, and vendors.
Previous Newsletters
Contact Us
Tami Childs, MN ASD Statewide Specialist
Gail Jankowski, MN Low Incidence Project Support
Email: tami.childs@metroecsu.org
Website: https://www.mnlowincidenceprojects.org/Projects/asd/index.html
Location: 2 Pine Tree Drive, Arden Hills, MN, USA
Phone: 612-638-1527
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/525786611465791
ASD RESOURCE REPOSITORY
AFIRM Modules
The Autism Focused Intervention Resources & Modules (AFIRM) are free, self paced modules on evidence based practice strategies for individuals with ASD. These modules include step-by-step guidance on each of the EBPs from the National Clearinghouse on Autism Evidence & Practice (formerly NPDC-ASD). These modules include activities, case examples, and videos as well as resources such as an implementation checklist and data collection sheets.
Autism Internet Modules
The Autism Internet Modules (AIM) include 50 free, self paced modules on evidence based practice strategies for individuals with ASD. They include case studies, instructional videos, discussion questions, activities and more.
Check out the modules that are labeled “Autism in the Classroom”!
Click here to viewMany Faces of Autism
This 1.5 hour training video is an essential training for ALL educators working with students with ASD. Consider having your paraprofessionals or others who are new to working with students with ASD watch this video for professional development. This training includes insight and information directly from individuals with ASD.
NEW!!! Autism Center Grab and Go Resource Gallery of Interventions
These interventions support all learners, including those with ASD. Completed and blank templates are free and available to download. Each intervention has a how-to explanation so it can be tailored to meet the unique needs of each individual you support.