Back to School
Helping Children with Autism Spectrum
Disorders Get Off to a Good Start
By Cathy Pratt
Courtesy of Indiana
University Newsroom
A
s fall approaches,
parental concerns
such as, “Will my
child be successful in the
new school year both aca-
demically and socially,”
and “Will his/her new
teachers command a good
understanding of autism
spectrum
disorders
(ASD),” seem magnified
with all the unknowns that
the new school year
brings. At times, parents
might know staff and have
a good working relation-
ship with them. Other
times, staff is unknown.
Cathy Pratt, director of
the Indiana Resource Cen-
ter for Autism at the
Indiana Institute on Dis-
ability and Community at
Indiana University, offers
tips to help parents
become a proactive and
positive advocate for their
children.
— Many teachers may
have had limited or no
experience with students
with autism
spectrum dis-
o r d e r s .
Parents need
to proactively
educate but
not
over-
w h e l m
educators
with too much informa-
tion. Identify your special
education planning dis-
trict’s autism leader, who
might be able to assist
with training or support.
— Staff will need
information about how
autism impacts your
son/daughter. List specific
information about learn-
ing styles, communication
systems, medical issues,
behavior supports and
other topics. Make sure to
describe the student not
only in terms related to
their ASD (e.g., sense of
humor, kind, gentle,
smart). Ask that informa-
tion be shared with
relevant staff including
cafeteria workers, custodi-
ans, bus drivers, the
school secretary, the
school nurse, and admin-
istrators. Specific items to
list include:
My son/daughter has the
following strengths, gifts
and special interests (fixa-
tions); these are struggles
or difficulties at home or
in previous school set-
tings; these strategies
don’t work (e.g., creates
boredom, increases anxi-
ety, leads to behavior,
decreases learning); more
information that is impor-
tant for you to know (e.g.,
diet, eating habits, toilet
training, sensory issues);
my child communicates in
the following way; these
are my top three priority
goals for my child on the
autism spectrum; my
son/daughter receives pro-
gramming from these
professionals outside the
school district; these
strategies work best with
my son/daughter (e.g.,
increases
motivation,
interest, learning and suc-
cess).
— Request informa-
tion about the school
routine and resources.
This can include bus
schedules, parent teacher
organizations, and avail-
able resources such as
counselors, social workers
and nurses.
—
Alleviate
the
unknown. Before begin-
ning the school year in a
new school, parents can
take steps to alleviate any
anxieties they or their
children might have about
the new setting. Prepara-
tion for this move can be
facilitated by obtaining a
map of the school, a copy
of the students’ schedule
for the fall, a copy of the
student handbook and
rules, and a list of
teacher about how classmates
will be informed.
— Establish a communica-
tion system. At the very
beginning of the new school
year, establish methods and a
schedule for communicating
between home and school.
Suggestions for maintaining
ongoing
com-
Finding Back-to-School Deals
By Joseph Pisani
AP Business Writer
S
tores are going all out to pull you in
the door for back-to-school shop-
ping.
That’s because every retailer wants a
piece of the $83.8 billion that the Nation-
al Retail Federation expects Americans
will spend
avoid getting sucked into buying stuff you
don’t need.
Greutman suggests putting a list of
everything you need and sticking to it. If
school hasn’t started yet, check the
school’s website. Many schools post a
supplies list early. If not, call and ask.
Do some research before you head out
shopping to see which retailers are offer-
ing deals. RetailMeNot, the coupon
website, updates its site with back-to-
school deals several times a day at
retailmenot.com/ backtoschool . If you
have an iPhone, you can also download
RetailMeNot’s free app to keep up with
new deals while you’re out shopping.
Experts say you can expect back-to-school
deals to continue until the middle of Sep-
tember.
To get you started, here is a selection of
some of the better back-to-school dis-
counts big retailers are offering:
CLOTHING
munication include journals,
daily progress notes, mid-term
grades, scheduled appoint-
ments or phone calls, e-mails,
informal meetings, report
cards, or parent teacher confer-
ences. Inform teachers of the
method of communica-
tion that works best for
you. These forms can be
used to facilitate home
school communication.
— Be clear and
proactive about your
expectations for the
school year. When par-
ents and school staff
collaborate, the students are the
ultimate winners.
At times, rumors can circu-
late about a district, school or
The ultimate goal is to
promote a successful
experience for children
and parents
clubs/extracurricular
activities. Ask to take a
tour with your son/daugh-
ter before the school year
begins. Request a list of
school supplies, locker
combination, and clothes
needed for physical edu-
cation. Practice getting up
in the mornings and eating
breakfast.
Visit the lunchroom.
Parents can help their chil-
dren learn how to navigate
the lunchroom, where to
sit, and the rules of the
lunchroom. Work with the
staff to develop a social
narrative or visual task
analysis if needed.
— ID a mentor or
helper. Ask the school to
identify key people or
identify a mentor the stu-
dent can contact if she/he
is having a difficult time
adjusting or understand-
ing a certain situation. Ask
for the name and contact
information for this per-
son. This is especially
important
if
your
son/daughter is in middle
or high school.
Pictures. If possible,
obtain pictures of your
student’s teachers, staff,
bus driver, cafeteria work-
ers, etc.
— Classmates of the
new student also may
need information. This
should be provided in a
respectful manner and
without stigmatizing the
student on the autism
spectrum. Talk to the
2012
see AUTISM on page 8
this year during the back-to-school sea-
son.
J.C. Penney is offering kids free hair-
cuts, Microsoft is giving
out a free Xbox if you buy
a computer and Aber-
crombie & Fitch is selling
jeans for half-off their reg-
ular price.
Sound tempting? Put
your armor on.
``They’re trying to get
you in the store and keep
you in there and spend
more money,’’ said Lauren
Greutman, deal expert at
coupon
website
Savings.com and founder
of savings site IAmThat-
Lady.com.
In order to actually save money, you
need to focus on getting the deals and
Teen retailers are cutting prices on their
jeans. All of American Eagle Outfitter’s
blue jeans are $29.99 for a limited time, as
much as $20 below regular price. At Aber-
crombie & Fitch, all jeans are $39 until
Aug. 21. Regular priced jeans at Aber-
crombie can cost between $70 and $90.
Sears is offering 15 per-
cent discounts on clothing
and shoes at stores in
states that have tax holi-
days. Chck to see if your
state has an upcoming tax
holiday.
Kmart is taking off 5
percent of purchases that
are put on layaway. But
keep in mind that Kmart’s
layaway plan costs $5.
The free haircuts at J.C.
Penney are for kids during
August and only at stores
that have a salon. You
need to book in advance.
If you’re looking for school uniforms,
Do some
research
before you
head out
shopping to
see which
retailers are
offering deals
see SHOPPING on page 8
August 22, 2012 The Portland Skanner Page 7