I have added a new school to the Florida Autism Schools page – Beyond The Spectrum, Inc in Sarasota, Florida. The school has two programs, the Mariposa Program is designed for children with autism spectrum disorder in grades kindergarten through 8th grade. The Monarch Program is for children with Asperger’s Syndrome, High Functioning Autism, ADD, ADHD and General Behavior Disorders. The Monarch Program is designed for children in kindergarten through 5th grades.

For more information about the school, call 941-907-3443.

Last week I received notice of a new autism conference in Gainesville, Florida and have added it to my Autism Conferences in 2011 page but I also wanted to write a new post with more details about the event.

Visual, Behavioral and Social Strategies for the Student with ASD
February 24-25, 2011 at the Paramount Plaza in Gainesville, Florida

Speakers: Susan L. Stokes MA, CCC-SLP and Brenda Smith Myles, Ph.D.

Of Interest: One of the topics Susan Stokes will be covering is how new technology, including the iPhone, iPod Touch and the iPad is helpful for individuals on the autism spectrum. During Brenda Smith Myles’ discussion, she’ll be covering the three stage cycle of tantrums, rage and meltdowns, among other topics.

Continuing Education: ASHA CEUs are offered for this event

Registration Fees: $130 for one-day or $200 for both days

More Info: Call AEP Connections at (920) 224-4794

The Palm Beach School for Autism (PBSFA) in Florida has opened a new middle school for students on the autism spectrum in grades 6 through 8. The primary focus of the new middle school is to teach students life skills so that they can become independent adults. The program’s emphasis on pre-vocational skills and community involvement will help this middle schoolers prepare for their future.

A few of the skills that will be taught at the Palm Beach School for Autism Middle School include:

• Writing grocery and shopping lists
• Using a calendar
• Paying bills
• Writing checks
• Social skills including playing games
• Using e-mail to communicate with friends and family
• Riding bikes
• Office skills
• Data entry
• Self-help skills
• Meal planning
• and much more

For more information, contact the school directly at (561) 533-9917.

The Scott Center for Autism, part of the Florida Institute of Technology’s College of Psychology and Liberal Arts, will be hosting a free parent workshop on June 23 at 6:00 pm. This month’s workshop will cover current research at the Scott Center including:

• “Computer Instruction as a Supplementary Tool in Intensive Behavioral Intervention Programs” – Genevieve Coxon
• “An Evaluation of Measurement Procedures Employed by Specialists” – Ashley Lugo
• “Teaching a Child Diagnosed with Autism Syndrome Disorder to Play Multiple Songs on a Piano” – Alexander Lorenzo
• “Effects of Multiple Treatments on Pica Behavior” – Tabitha Bond
• “Effects of Choice of Preferred Activity on Social Behavior” – Tara Loughrey
• “Food Selectivity” – Janelle Allison
• “Food Refusal” – Jessica Sparling

The seminar is scheduled to run until 8:00 pm and will be held in the Seminar Room at the Scott Center for Autism Treatment. The Seminar Room is located on the second floor of the Scott Center for Autism Treatment in the south side of the Florida Tech campus. Parking is available around the building.

For more information, call the Scott Center for Autism at (321) 674-8106 Option 1.

Thanks to a comment on my post Autism Schools in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, and Utah, I have added a new Florida autism school to my site – The Chase Academy.

Located in South Daytona, FL (Volusia County), The Chase Academy held a ribbon cutting ceremony on August 5. The school is a private non-profit organization with a mission to “provide educational services specifically tailored to meet the individualized needs of students with high-functioning Autism or any of the related Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and to focus these services on maximizing the students’ potential for inclusion into mainstream society.”

For more information about The Chase Academy, contact the school at (386) 690-0893.

In honor of back-to-school time, I’ve begun a series of articles on the Suite 101 website that focuses on specialized autism schools across the nation. The first three articles include Autism Schools in Arizona, Autism Schools in Colorado and Utah, and Autism Schools in Florida.

Although the list of schools I included in the article is by no means comprehensive, I chose to focus on a few select schools in each state.

Autism Schools in Arizona

• ACCEL
• Chrysalis Academy
• Gateway Academy
• Pieceful Solutions

Autism Schools in Colorado

• The Joshua School

Autism Schools in Florida

• Florida Autism Center of Excellence
• Jacksonville School for Children with Autism
• Peace by Piece
• The Victory Center

Autism Schools in Utah

• Carmen B. Pingree Center for Children with Autism
• Spectrum Academy

I just received an email about the Florida Department of Education. The state is looking at implementing new rules governing the use of force, including restraints, to maintain order in their classrooms.

This action alert is designed to tell the Florida Department of Education that their proposed rule on the “Use of Reasonable Force” in the classroom is inadequate and inappropriate for the protection of students with and without disabilities in Florida.

Read the alert and take action here: Protect Florida’s Students Against Abuse through Aversives, Restraint and Seclusions

A 13-year old teenager with Asperger’s Syndrome went missing from his Florida home yesterday. Kenton Weaver’s father, Dean Weaver, first reported his son missing early Tuesday morning. Fast forward about 24 hours and the elder Weaver received a phone call informing the dad that his son has been located. The call came from a police officer in San Jose, California. The teen made the cross-country trip by plane because he wanted to visit his mother.

“The previous two days, Weaver says, his son made unsuccessful attempts to leave, going to the Boca Raton Tri-Rail station. The first time a taxi cab driver brought him home, the second time a security guard returned him to his father.

This time, though, 13-year old Kenton apparently drove his father’s car to Ft. Lauderdale airport. Mr. Weaver says he doesn’t believe his son had any identification with him. How he was able to get on a flight across the country is still unknown.” Source: CBS12.com

I know, first-hand, the persistence that a child with Asperger’s Syndrome can have. I am glad that Kenton was found and that he is safe.

I love Twitter. I just learned about the Palm Beach School for Autism after the organization followed me on Twitter. I’m adding the PBSFA to my Florida Autism Schools page and included a few notes about the school here. If you’d like to follow me on Twitter, here’s my link: @MommyMellie.

The Palm Beach School for Autism is located in Lantana, Florida. It is a charter school that has both a preschool and an elementary school program. The school’s mission “is to provide a developmentally appropriate intense behavior intervention program for children with autism spectrum disorder and related disabilities.”

The school works with children on the autism spectrum, those with a speech and language delay as well as children qualifying for an IEP under the Other Health Impairment (OHI) category. Enrollment is on a first-come first-serve basis and students must be residents of Palm Beach County.

If you would like more information on the Palm Beach School for Autism, the school can be reached by phone at (561) 533-9917.

The worldwide financial crisis is hitting one Florida special needs camp hard. The Pasco Association for Challenged Kids (PACK) needs to raid tens of thousands of dollars in order to open its doors for its traditional, four-week summer camp.

An article by Carl Orth on The Suncoast News website tells of the camp’s plight:

“Our kids have nowhere else to go!” Barry Cohen wrote in the e-mail plea for help. “Most of our kids are severely autistic, and we have several Down’s kids as well as many with (cerebral palsy) who are in wheelchairs. Our kids are often non-verbal, not potty trained, have medical needs which require a full-time nurse, and have very challenging behaviors.”

For more information on the issue or if you’d like to donate, read the entire article: PACK deals with possibility of canceling summer camp