KATC Family Guide

KATC RESOURCES

Kentucky Autism Training Center

University of Louisville Autism Center

Kosair Charities Centre

1405 E. Burnett Ave.

Louisville, KY 40217

[email protected]

(502)852-4631

 The Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) has an online webinar library .  These webinars contain timely information from experts and have the flexibility of being viewed at your convenience without the expense of travel. AUCD's new Webinar Library puts all AUCD-hosted webinars at your fingertips - when you want them. In this library you'll find only webinars which have been hosted by AUCD, and a convenient search function makes it easy to find the specific webinar(s) of interest.

KATC Field Trainer Laura Ferguson

KATC welcomes our new Field Trainer, Laura Ferguson.  Laura will be working with the model site program and providing training regarding school related issues.  Laura received her undergraduate degree in Psychology from the University of Louisville. During her undergraduate years she began working in homes providing one on one therapy to children with Autism. She then went on to get her Master's in Education with an emphasis in Autism from the University of Louisville. She continued to work in homes providing therapy, training staff, and consulting with families.  In 2010 Laura became a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). After receiving her BCBA she moved to New York to work as an instructor at the Carbone Clinic. Laura is excited to be back in Kentucky and looks forward to future training opportunites with the Kentucky Autism Training Center.   

 2011-2012 Model Training Sites Here We Come!

Being Your Own Case Manager

 By Jennifer Bobo, LCSW

In the world of Autism we know there are many services and individuals in our child's life that we need to balance and coordinate!  It's always necessary to advocate for your child, and one way to advocate and get the best treatment and services is to become an active member of your child's health care and educational team.  I cannot imagine working with as many systems, services and treatment providers as you do on a regular basis, which is more than a full time job in itself, you all are amazing! 

KY PLANS July 2011 focus was to strengthen your skills as your own case manager!   We have provided you with some helpful tools we hope will make your life a little less stressful; a great tip sheet on becoming your own case manager, two examples of care notebooks to keep and organize all medical information, and a great article to better advocate within IEP meetings. 

Additionally we have outlined a "Meet and Greet" for local support groups to invite local service providers within your area to the next meeting to better understand the services offered within your region.  If you're looking for a support group close to you, a link is provided that lists all support groups throughout the state.  I encourage you to check them out, not to brag but I think we have some of the best support groups throughout the country!

I know this all takes time, but also know you are the best advocates for your child, knowing them better than anyone else, and being prepared makes life much easier.  I hope this is helpful.

Autism Support Groups in Kentucky

 Helping to Build a Support System for your Child with ASD

By Maya Chan and Jennifer Bobo

Researchers tell us that people with strong support systems are happier, lead fuller lives and are more successful.  Often, individuals with ASD aren't given the same opportunities to develop a strong support system.  Regardless of your child's age, there are steps you can take to help build a support system for your child with ASD:

1.    Facilitate social opportunities with peers outside of the classroom.  Call parents of other children in the class to set up play dates.  Call the teacher to find out who your child spends time with at school and what they enjoy doing while at school.  Have you looked into opportunities such as Special Olympics, summer camps, after school programs, or social skills groups?

2.    Assist your child in choosing age appropriate clothing (no Mickey Mouse for older kids!).  It is much more difficult for your son or daughter to make friends if they look different!

3.    Whether through friends or at home, make sure your child is exposed to age appropriate interests.  Although we know that many students may have interests more appropriate for younger kids, it could be that they have not been exposed to other things.  If we expect our children to grow up, we need to treat them that way.  If you're finding it difficult to identify interests and age-appropriate opportunities, think about other children you may have and what their interests were at this age.  To prepare your child for a new opportunity think about using a social story or video modeling to give them a better idea of what to expect.

4.    Make sure your child has an opportunity to have connections in the community.  If your child loves stars, help your child research star gazing clubs and camps! 

5.    Include others in your plan!  It is best that your entire support system is involved.  Don't forget to include your child's teachers, peers, siblings, extended family member and any other community members.

KATC Toolbox

The University of Southern California's  University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (USC UCEDD) at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles   have translated the CDC "Learn the Signs. Act Early." Autism Fact Sheet into multiple languages. The USC UCEDD completed an extensive review process in developing these translations, consulting both parents and health care professionals. The Autism Fact Sheet provides a one-page tool for clinicians to share with families, to raise awareness about developmental delay, which may be related to autism or other developmental disabilities. The fact sheet encourages parents who have concerns about their child's development to speak with their doctor.

• English and Spanish versions of the fact sheet are available from the CDC.
• The Autism Fact Sheet is available in Arabic, Armenian, Farsi, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Tagalog, Thai, and Vietnamese.

Autism Awareness Resources Posted by the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities 

The National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD) recently posted feature articles about autism on CDC's home page: