eWorks tour introduces students to electronics recycling jobs

The transition class and some of the high school students visited eWorks, an electronics recycling company in Elk Grove Village that employs workers with disabilities.  They saw workers taking apart cable boxes and computers and sorting the components.  They also got to watch scrap metal from electronics being smashed in a baler.  Back at school, the students were able to reflect on what they observed to decide if they would like to work in that type of setting.

Celebrating our incredible team: Prepare to be spoiled!

Yes, spoiled! Of course, we love our teams year-round, but ... this week, we set aside a whole week to give our school teams some extra, extra love! Each and every one is a teacher around here in one way or another, and we can not begin to express our gratitude for the work they do each day. It can be difficult. And draining. And painful. But it is also fun and exciting and rewarding in ways we may never quite expect! So, School Teams, sit back and enjoy the festivities!

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!

Clubs: A time for exploring

This month, we introduced Monday afternoon Clubs to our weekly schedule. Students and staff have the opportunity to spend time with new peers and adults, and explore new activities. In April, clubs included Art, Gardening, Yoga, Movie chat, and Community Clean-Up. Clubs time also gives some of our paraprofessionals time to take on more of a leadership role. Art Club, led by para Christy Wynveen, is a prime example -- her activity from this week was even featured on a local artist's site!     

Here are some pictures from this week's explorations:

  

  

  

Autism Awareness Month wrap-up

Throughout April, PACTT has been sharing autism resources on Facebook and Twitter. Here's a wrap up of everything that was posted, in case you missed it:

* Have you ever stared blankly at your (fill-in-the-device-here), wondering whether there's an app to help with routines, or sensory sensitivity, or teaching social skills? Here's a nifty wheel that pulls many of them together. http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/07/a-wonderful-wheel-featuring-ipad-apps.html

* Did you know that PACTT has its very own Pinterest page, with a collection of fun resources? www.pinterest.com/pactt

* OCALI. Ohio Center for Autism and Low Incidence has an abundance of FREE online resources and trainings on all things autism: (www.ocali.org)

* Texas Autism Resource Guide for Effective Teaching (TARGET). TARGET has detailed info sheets on effective teaching practices for individuals with autism. They also have quick videos of effective tools and strategies: http://www.txautism.net/toolkit 

* PACTT's Transition Timeline is a quick way to help get a student's post-school planning on track. /transition-resources/

* Looking for sensory-friendly options for movies, museums, or sporting events? This blogger shares some useful tips and tricks: http://www.friendshipcircle.org/blog

* A playlist of TED talks about autism: http://www.ted.com/playlists/153/the_autism_spectrum

Happy Thanksgiving!

PACTT school's annual Thanksgiving Feast was a grand success! A HUGE thank you goes out to all the moms, dads, siblings, and grandmas who took time out of their day to join us today. Whether you were able to enjoy the turkey and stuffing with us, or sent Turkey Day greetings from afar, we are SO thankful that our students all have such supportive families. It makes a world of difference to them - and to us.

 

Tips for an autism-friendly Halloween

Halloween, with its candy and costumes and traditions, is an exciting time of year for most children. But for folks on the autism spectrum, it can be downright overwhelming. So, we've pulled together a couple of great resources on how to make it all a little more autism-friendly:

First Up:

Blogger Bec Oakley of Snagglebox.com fame shares her tried-and-true tips for a more inclusive holiday for individuals with autism in a guest post here: http://gladerun.org/tips-for-an-inclusive-halloween/ 

(And for reminders of why we love Oakley's Snagglebox.com site, check out this previous Principal's Desk post.)

Last but not least:

The Indiana Resource Center for Autism (part of Indiana University Bloomington) has a fantastic amount of useful research and information - wander around their site for a bit, and you'll see what I mean. This month, they've posted a useful list of tips for Sensory-Friendly Fall Activities and Celebrations.

Whatever you do, have a safe and happy Halloween season!

Have another great resource to add to the collection? Share it with us in the comments!

Robert Crown Center brings puberty education program to PACTT

Today, we welcomed two instructors from Robert Crown Center's Health Education Program. They recently received an Autism Speaks grant, to modify their puberty education program for students with autism and we at PACTT got to be their guinea pigs as they roll out this new program. The Robert Crown folks were incredibly flexible in the planning and presentation of the material to meet the needs of our students, with lots of hands-on materials, photos and other visuals. We even had a student volunteer to demonstrate how to take a shower (water-free, of course!). We were impressed with how attentive and engaged so many of our students were throughout the one-hour session. Thank you, Robert Crown Center!