31st Annual NJ Autism Conference in Atlantic City

This past weekend I attended the 31st annual NJ Autism Conference in Atlantic City.  Governor Christie was scheduled as a keynote speaker and was a no show!  A good highlight was Julianna Kusz was in attendance.  She is the Director of Special Services for Millburn Township, and I saw her buying books from Brooks Publishing for our township!  Brooks Publishing is definitely a friend to Millburn, for the third year in a row they have given us books. Each year I have brought some books home to our town that are housed in the Hartshorn Elementary School. We (MSPEC) considered the public library to house these books, but we wanted those teachers (many of whom are not town residents) to also have access to these books. 

I have added 5 new titles to our library this year.  They include "Social Skills and Adaptive Behavior in Learners with Autism Spectrum Disorders", "Autism Services Across America", and "The Special Educator's Toolkit".  I also purchased 2 books that may be found in the library titled "Autism in the family, caring and coping together", and "The Principal's Handbook for Leading Inclusive Schools" (that one I gave to Mr. Frattini, the school's principal).  All that you need to do is go to Hartshorn's library or contact the librarian to check these books out under your child's name. The teachers may check these books out as well.  

As for the conference, my very best take away (besides the books) was to learn that there is a new rise in higher education programing for people on the spectrum.  It was stated in more than one of the seminars I attended how people affected by autism spectrum disorder have many strengths; along with more and more employers are looking for individuals that can provide attention to detail, engage in savant thinking and commit stern dedication to tasks.  Most individuals on the spectrum possess these types of attributes, and with the right help and support go on to lead healthy normal lives. The school programs will aim to foster a bridge regarding chosen career paths by individuals on the spectrum and employers seeking those strong characteristics.     

The future looks bright.  Enjoy the books. 

Strategic Planning in Millburn Township Public Schools/ Professional Development

The first day I dropped my son off at kindergarten the red flags went up.  I realized his regular education teacher received little to no training from the school prior to my son's entrance to her class concerning his disorder. While it is not mandated that the regular education teacher received this type of training, it seemed like a missed opportunity (especially for my son). Since the teacher said she knew not much about his disorder, I have made it a mission to figure out a positive way to help support the teacher's who help my son.  Along with donating a small library of special education books housed in the school, I have gotten involved with the school districts strategic planning process.  I helped with gathering the data and research, the planning, and now we are up to the action.  The following article from the patch is a snap shot of where this process is in it's implementation.  I think one of the most valuable parts is that the district has created a "hub" ("Millburn University") where teachers can access and share professional development opportunities.  I am happy and proud to be a part of this process.  See the following article from the local Alternative Press:

Millburn School Officials, Residents Begin Implementing Strategic Plan Process