Autism Level UP!

???? Support Sunday???? (is back... for now) Here it is, finally available for download! The Daily Check UP! This follows up on a post made last week about revamping a behaviorally focused check in system. You can check the post out here, if you want - https://lnkd.in/evUXepd8 A few things about this FREE download - This tool is for verbal communicators who are reflective. It’s designed to be used at the end of the day (not to interrupt the flow of their day). The chart focuses on reflections about learning rather than behavior. It teaches the importance of regulation and the function of breaks. This structure empowers skill development, as opposed to labeling perceived problems. Nos: ? Do not use this if your student is not a symbolic communicator and reflective (or working towards that skill). ? Do not tell them their answers are wrong. ? Do not use punitively. ? Do not edit their answers without discussion. Gos: ? If a student fills this out independently, review it with them. Acknowledge the information they share. Take a genuine interest – comment, question, confirm - as appropriate. ? Use the system as an opportunity to build relationship, as well as skill. If your perception is different than the student’s around the use of breaks, share that information in an accessible way and tell them WHY you think differently than they do. Work towards agreement. ? Model your own use of use of the The Daily Check UP! System. ? Encourage the use the graphics and other means of expression to complete the system – not just writing. Download info https://lnkd.in/e7fZkB-R. Use it as is or as a base inspiration for your own forms. Image descriptions - the check in worksheet and the accompanying coversheet describing the tool and its use ????

????The intersection of youth development, education, & mental health????? We are so positively AMPED to be keynoting the bryt symposium on March 18 AND presenting the bryt full day learning institute on March 19 at Bentley University! We'll be Challenging Behavior Management (18th) and doing full day workshop/walk through of our Energy Regulation Framework (19th) IN PERSON!!!! We hope to see some of you there! Now, more than ever, this work is needed and we appreciate all of you who are doing it with us. Change. Compassion. Community. Healing. Hope! Registation info -? https://lnkd.in/ewxYnhiu The Brookline Center for Community Mental Health

Play is the Way! Play is the Way! Play is the Way! You may know Bumper as a Whole Body Learner, but what you may not know is that this little robot has a very full life and is not always in the classroom in learning mode. In fact, one of their very favorite modes is PLAY mode! Bumper takes play very seriously. You’ll often hear them scripting, “Play is the way.” What does that mean exactly? It means that Bumper knows in the depths of their circuitry that play is immersive. Play is exploration. Play is individualized. Play is restorative. Play is regulating. Play is fun. Play is functional for the person. Those are the essential, non-negotiable qualities of play. As a whole-body player, Bumper is here to ensure everyone has access to play that is authentic for them. Bumper uses all their tools, tricks, gears, and processing mechanisms to engage in play! Bumper believes modeling is best when it comes to helping people understand just how unique play can be. As such, they invite you to check out their “PlayDream” page and their completed “What do you look like when you are playing?” profile. There are 6 pages in this download, including several worksheets. The first worksheet asks you to reflect on one activity that you consider play. The second worksheet encourages you to think more broadly about play (beyond that one activity) because we all know most of us have more than one way we play. The third worksheet is the " What do YOU look like when you are playing? Doodle Sheet! " Bumper has one other important thought. They think it would be amazing if individuals had a way to share their profiles with one another, so that everyone can start to appreciate that different people play in different ways! Bumper sees this as a basis for authentic peer education creating an equitable environment where unique learning profiles are validated and supported and simply expected to be the norm. Download Bumper: A Whole Body Player for FREE from www.autismlevelup.com on the Tools Tab #AutismLevelUP #Autism #Neurodiversity #Play

New podcast episode. Thanks @Uniquely Human. Always a fun and far ranging conversation when the four of us are in the same virtual space. We discuss our NEW manual - ENERGY: The Framework, Tools, Strategies, & Logic to Support Regulation - and use that as a launching point for so many other topics (e.g., including but not limited to autistic people's intuitive abilities to provide regulatory support, presuming competence, and why always happy isn't a real or realistic goal....) https://lnkd.in/euu6evXz Interested in the manual - check it out here - https://qrco.de/bfSRs5

New podcast episode. Thanks @Uniquely Human. Always a fun and far ranging conversation when the four of us are in the same virtual space. We discuss our NEW manual - ENERGY: The Framework, Tools, Strategies, & Logic to Support Regulation - and use that as a launching point for so many other topics (e.g., including but not limited to autistic people's intuitive abilities to provide regulatory support, presuming competence, and why always happy isn't a real or realistic goal....) https://lnkd.in/euu6evXz Interested in the manual - check it out here - https://qrco.de/bfSRs5

Very excited to be presenting at this year's bryt Symposium! The relationship between students' abilities to access and utilize authentic regulation strategies and their mental health requires schools to ensure a range of support.

ENERGY! Authentic support that validates experiences. Thanks Deborah Reber for helping us spread the word!

Thank you to Deborah Reber of Tilt Parenting for hosting this conversation about ENERGY regulation. This conversation was great fun and definitely flowed. It's a pretty quick listen and we think it is worth 45(ish) minutes of your time. Give it a listen and let us know if you have a question. We're curious to know what you think! You can have a listen here - https://lnkd.in/e87TqY-N Image description - 2 screenshots from home page of pod cast - one has a photo of Amy and a photo of Debbie and reads episode 422 Dr. Amy Laurent - shifting the conversation from emotional regulation to energy regulation. And the other reads - Things you'll learn from this episode - with 4 bullet points listed.

??NEW Free Support PARA Chutes and Ladders!!! (for saving and scaffolding) In school systems paraprofessionals often provide the most direct support for students and they also often have the least training. In our consultations with school teams, we find that most paraprofessionals care deeply about their students and really work to try to create safety and trust. We also find that many paraprofessionals have questions about how best to do that (e.g., what they should be doing and how they should be doing it so that they can be truly helpful and supportive). Sometimes, their questions come from a place of "being new to it all." Sometimes, they come from repeated failed attempts to reengage students using "go to" strategies. And, other times questions come from their instincts telling them that a recommended support isn't a good fit for their students. Enter - Para Chutes and Ladders !!! Para Chutes and Ladders is an “in the moment” decision-making framework for support staff who are attempting to provide safety nets and scaffold skills for the learners they support. It’s not exhaustive, but it is a good solid reference designed to help paraprofessionals to make decisions about what types of supports might be most useful in meeting their student’s support needs in authentic and validating ways. The cards can be used to both remind paraprofessionals of options and support students in advocating for their needs. The basic premise is to reflect on, “Why is the student I’m supporting not engaged?” in relation to common factors that may cause dysregulation: ? Unmet basic needs ? Lack of communication access – receptive and expressive ? Unfamiliar / unpredictable activities and transitions ? Lack of connection and attention from responsive partners ? Overwhelming (or underwhelming) physical and social environments ? Lack of accessible ways engage in and with activities ? Restricted access to regulation strategies We've been trialing it in a few districts we support and initial feedback from Paras is that it helps fill a need PDF Download link - https://lnkd.in/eHePN3WG Want more? We'll be hosting an online training 31 January 9am-12:15pm to discuss this type of in the moment decision making! https://lnkd.in/eFD7XMF6 Image description. cover sheet for para chutes and ladders that describes its design, how to use it, "gos and nos" for use. 2 pages of the cards ... and a organizational chart with the same info to get staff thinking "which of these lines of support should I lead with in this situation for this student."

Always so interesting (and exciting) to us to see what people take away from spending time learning with us. Thanks to the Irish HSE Networks for hosting this training focused on Energy - an alternative and comprehensive way to support regulation. Image description - a really great word cloud that is a bit difficult to read because of font size and colors - but the key messages - mutual regulation, energy levels, person centered, child led, individualized, first until next, match stand out in a field of 109 responses. #EnergyRegulation #NeurodiversityAffirming #Autism