Supporting Children with Autism in Child Care and at Home

This initiative offers families ways to manage common challenges, to simplify everyday activities, and to grow connections and support from family, friends, and community.

This provides links to resources from a variety of organizations to help individuals to learn more about autism spectrum disorder.

This page provides information and resources regarding autism awareness and acceptance in early childhood education. Links to a tips and concepts document and a parent’s guide are also provided.

This site provides a link to the Autism Navigator which is a unique collection of web-based tools and courses that integrate the most current research in autism with an interactive web platform and lots of video footage showing effective evidence-based practices. It’s intended for professionals as well as families.

The Autism Professional Learning and Universal Support (A+) project at Illinois State University assists the Illinois State Board of Education in addressing the significant behavior needs of children and youth with Autism Spectrum (ASD) and related behavior and communication disorders.

This resource guide includes books, videos, organizations, articles and other resources related to Autism.

This article explains that children with autism have differences in the way their brains develop and process information. This can cause language delays and behavior problems. Symptoms and severity vary from child to child. New research can help diagnose and begin treatment for an autism disorder in a child at an early age.

This provides information and resources regarding Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Included is information on signs/symptoms, causes/risk factors, diagnosis steps, treatments and finding help.

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) are a group of developmental disabilities that are caused by an abnormality in the brain. Children with ASDs tend to have problems with social and communication skills. They also are likely to repeat certain behaviors and resist change in their daily activities. ASDs begin during childhood and last throughout a person’s life. This online source discusses symptoms, prevalence, treatment, and additional resources.

The Center for Intensive Behavioral Supports (CIBS) project at Illinois State University partners with the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) to develop professional learning and resources to reduce the use of physical restraint, time-out, and isolated time-out.

Challenging behavior will vary according to the severity of a person’s autism and their age, however there are core issues that affect most people with an autism spectrum disorder. In this resource, aggression, self-injury, social and communication problems, repetitive behaviors, restricted interests, and other topics are addressed.

The latest data on autism spectrum disorder (ASD) from CDC’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network.

The purpose of this toolkit is to present ways for early childcare providers to better manage challenging behaviors in a childcare setting.

Kids can get lost anywhere—at an amusement park, in a store, in a crowd, and sometimes even right in their neighborhood. Many parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) know this experience. Tips on how parents can keep kids safe, including in and around water, are included.

Though circle-time may be difficult for students with ASD, with the appropriate modifications and additions to the activities and environment, the experience can be successful for students and staff alike. Get ideas that will help make morning meetings more meaningful to students, and will assist in increasing student success.

The Organization for Autism Research publishes and provides resources to support families, autistic individuals, educators, employers, and clinical professionals.

This article explains the purpose of visual supports for young students with autism as an important part of the classroom physical and visual environment. The article gives six strategies that an early childhood educator could use in a preschool classroom to try out visual supports.

The Autism Project (TAP) provides a variety of services and resources throughout the state of Illinois, including a referral service. Caregivers can reach out to TAP to learn more about resources or to request a free customized photo or line drawing schedule.

This article includes early signs of ASDs, definitions of the different types, diagnosis methods, and strategies to help a child with an ASD.

This 25-minute video by Jennifer Rosinia, occupational therapist, child development specialist and owner of Kid Links Unlimited, Inc., shares insights and need-to-know information for families, teachers, and caregivers on sensory processing.

This 6-minute video podcast explains the benefits of using visual supports in the classroom and provides a variety of examples that can be used to support all children.