Resources

=**__Teacher Resources__**= As the prevalence of ASD rises, more and more information and resources are available on Autism Spectrum Disorder. The following page is a selective list of teacher and community resources that we have found useful in creating our teacher resource file and that we plan to use in the future.

[|Dr Temple Grandin's Official Website] This site has a very valuable FAQ page that provides a lot of detailed information and suggestions for challenges that parents and teachers face daily. This is the official website of Temple Grandin, highly successful autism advocate and leader in her field of animal science.

[|Practical Autism Resources] This site provides many free printables to utilize with students in your classroom who have ASD. It contains picture cards in the areas of associations, behaviour and emotions, behavioural supports, social stories, and blank templates. These are great visuals to support nonverbal or struggling verbal students.

__Social Stories Sites:__ [|Social Stories-Teaching Children with Autism] This site provides an introduction to social stories and includes a collection of social stories. It outlines what social stories are, explains the needs for social skills intervention, and outlines the benefits of social stories. These social stories can be adapted to meet the needs of particular children with an ASD. The site also provides guidance and ideas to write your own social stories.

[|Social Stories-The Gray Centre] Carol Gray is a former consultant to students with autism spectrum disorders. She first defined Social Stories in 1991 and her site outlines what a social story is and provides assistance to write social stories.

[|Teaching Students with Autism] This document (available in print or online) is a comprehensive guide for teaching students with autism. It is loaded with information on Autism, its diagnosis, characteristics, and strategies. The ideas presented are concrete and easily transferrable to the classroom. It was created by the special education unit of Saskatchewan Education. The information in the package was created for teachers but may be useful for parents or other professionals working with students who have ASD.

Teaching Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder This book is part of a series called //Programming for Students with Special Needs// created by the Alberta Learning Special Programs Branch. This document is intended for teachers and administrators to use a resource when working with students on the spectrum. It contains information on characteristics, collaborating with parents, planning for support, classroom instruction, facilitating inclusion, transition planning, and case studies.

=__Community Resources__= Autism Canada Foundation Autism Canada Foundation is a national, volunteer led organization, providing treatment and resource information to families living with autism, and influencing related health care and government policy. "We believe that recovery from autism is possible. We believe autism is a treatable medical condition affecting the whole body. We believe in a multidisciplinary approach to treating autism. We believe that individuals with autism contribute positively to society ." (519) 695-5858 PO Box 366 Bothwell, ON N0P 1C0 Email: info@autismcanada.org

[|Autism Services] A Saskatoon-based service agency which provides consultative supports, as well as education, referral and advocacy services to parents of children with an autism spectrum disorder. Recreational, social and social skill and summer programming available to children and adolescents with autism. Adult residential services. 302-506 25th Street East, SASKATOON, SK S7K 4A7 Phone: (306) 665-7013 Fax: (306) 665-7011 Email: admin@autismservices.ca

__Blogs:__ Through our process of learning about autism, we have found many great resources and read several informative research articles. These findings provide us with background knowledge that is much needed as we enter the field of education. Despite all that was gained through these resources and articles, it was the personal accounts of those living with autism or those directly related to someone with autism that we learned the most from. Reading these individual's stories and sharing their personal struggles and triumphs have helped us understand ASD through their perspective. It reminds us that those with autism are different, but in no way less. It reminds us that every child, regardless of their cognitive or physical ability, has worth and value in this world. The following blogs are ones that we particularly connected with. These blogs help us remember how important the parents' roles are when we are planning a classroom environment and climate to support a student with autism. Parents are usually experts on their children and their diagnosis and have so much invested in their child. By listening to their stories (and reading their blogs) we can learn so much about that child and in turn, provide a nurturing and supportive educational environment for him. [|LovethatMax] [|JoeyandMom] [|Cailyn's Dad]

[|Our Autism Handout] This is the hand out created for our Autism presentation to summarize the work done in this wiki.