Over the past few months, I have been blessed to attend several conferences and workshops related to Autism, Autism Spectrum Disorders and Asperger’s Syndrome. I’m always eager to learn more, meet new people and return home with a renewed sense of encouragement, stamina and hope.
Late last fall, I attended a tremendous event hosted by the NAA (National Autism Association). Holly Robinson Peete keynoted the conference and there were countless amazing speakers on hand to discuss treatment options for our kids. On Monday, I helped to organize a presentation and book signing with Mark Blaxill and Dan Olmsted, authors of THE AGE OF AUTISM. This week I am attending a local conference hosted by the FEAT-NT (Families for Effective Autism Treatment – North Texas).

Classroom Recommendations for Children on the Autism Spectrum
Part of my job as the lead evaluator for a non-profit organization is to come up with practical recommendations that teachers can use to successfully include children with developmental and physical disabilities within their daily routines and activities. After all, that's what the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) is all about. As educators, it is our responsibility to develop and implement functional and measureable goals for children with disabilities, so that they can find success alongside their typically developing peers. However, if children are going to meet those goals (outlined in their IEP), we must first make some basic recommendations in the child's evaluation report to help us get there.
Many children on the spectrum may need to improve in the following areas (though it is imperative to note that each child on the spectrum presents differently):

Here we are a few weeks into the school year. Some parents may want to request for in home providers to go into school and observer the child. Requesting a classroom observation can be difficult and I often get a lot of questions from parents on how to approach the teachers. Here are a few tips on how to keep things child focused and accomplish a lot in a short time.
First of all, it is important for the teachers to be on board and feel comfortable with another person in the classroom.