Johnson County Autism Support Group, Inc.  609 Treybourne Drive, Suite D  Greenwood, IN  46143
Text Box: Now that school is back in session, I thought it would be a good time to remind everyone of the resources available through Special Services Johnson County. Toni Flowers and Mary Irvin, along with their Autism Team (ANTS), are the go to people for autism in Johnson County. They do ongoing development and implementation of trainings for school staff, students, community organizations, and parents. They also provide support for the six school districts in Johnson County. Training is available for numerous ASD topics including: First Responders (Police, Fire, EMS) Medical personnel & the importance of working with schools Students Parents Private schools Text Box: Before and after school programs School personnel, including bus drivers, cafeteria workers, and secretarial staff Instructional assistants College classes Special Services staff Other contributions include: ANTS Team – made up of Mary, Toni, school psychs, speech therapists, Program Support, OT and PT AOLs – ANTS on location. School staff trained to provide daily support Classroom set up (Structured Teaching) Autism library Sensory area development Mary also provides additional support to families in the home. She has been with Special Services for a total 20 years. She initially taught Text Box: mild disabilities  and then taught essential skills. Her passion for kids on the autism spectrum started when over half of her class consisted of students with autism.  In her current position as Autism Consultant, she has the opportunity to yearly train an average of over 2500 people to better understand individuals who face the day-to-day challenges of autism. Contact Mary at mirvin@ssjcs.k12.in.us Toni has been with SSSJC for 14 years and was their first autism consultant.  She started the ANTS team and has planned and implemented the Center Grove Summer SNACK program for the past 3 years. .  She has 3 books published on autism: The Color of Autism, Reaching the Child with Autism through Art, and Developing Pre-Skill Concepts in Children with Autism. Contact Toni at tflowers@ssjcs.k12.in.us Text Box: Autism & SSJC Text Box: A Work in Progress Text Box: We are frequently asked about area programs that offer social skills training. A Work in Progress is just north of Johnson County and provides social and leisure skills group therapy. Vicki Mabanta and Tatia Kortepeter have worked together for the last few years, providing co-assessment and treatment to Text Box: children with autism spectrum disorders. They have presented at both local and national conferences on sensory and communication issues in autism. In addition, they have established social skills groups involving children with ASD who have similar language skills and typically developing children who serve as Text Box: peer models. The focus of the groups is on expanding play skills, increasing social interaction, and accommodating the children’s sensory needs so that they can actively participate with others. For dates, times and payment information, call 787-3375. Text Box: Fall Festival Appleworks October 11 5:00 pm RSVP to Sheila@jcasg.org

September Meeting:

Amy Moore-Gaffney will join us for our September 18 meeting.  She is a speech-language pathologist who specializes in autism and will teach us how to create a comprehensive intervention plan.  Her tips will be very useful for school planning.

 

Send your RSVP to Sheila@jcasg.org

Meeting Childcare:

It is very important that you RSVP childcare needs for meetings to Sheila@jcasg.org.