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Autism

Autism Spectrum Disorders or ASD are a group of developmental disabilities characterized by abnormal or impaired development in social interaction and communication and the presence of repetitive behaviors or restricted interests. Some professionals may use the term Pervasive Developmental Disorders or PDD instead of ASD. Nobody knows what causes ASD. Scientists believe that there are chemical and biological differences in how the brain functions, and there may be genetic factors involved. Parents do not cause Autism Spectrum Disorders. No factors in a child’s experience or in parenting styles are responsible for ASD (source: CARD-USF The Journey with Autism).

* CDC Releases New Data on the Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders

Center for Autism and Related Disabilities

The Center for Autism and Related Disabilities at USF http://card-usf.fmhi.usf.edufocuses on providing communities, organizations, agencies, service providers and families with the knowledge and skills to support children and adults with autism in early intervention, school, community, work, and home settings. CARD-USF offers instruction and coaching to families and professionals through a training and assistance model in the following Florida Counties: Charlotte, Collier, Desoto, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lee, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, and Sarasota.

The Center for Autism and Related Disabilities offers a variety of resources that are helpful to families, teachers, and the community.

• CARD annual conference
• CARD fact sheets
• CARD on-line training presentations
• CARD trainings for families and teachers

The Professional Development in Autism (PDA) Center provides training and support for school districts, families and communities to ensure that students with ASD have access to high quality, evidence-based educational services in his or her local school district. Information on the Professional Development Center in Autism may be found at: http://depts.washington.edu/pdacent

Partnership for Effective Programs for Students with Autism (PEPSA)

Offering professional development opportunities and building capacity among educators working with students with autism and related disabilities across the state is essential to the PEPSA mission.The Partnership Program is funded by the Florida Department of Education, K-12 Public Schools, Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services, and is designed to provide training and technical assistance to teachers or a school program that wishes to enhance the educational program for students with autism. Each teacher or school will be matched to a Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD) professional who will mentor the teacher or school staff in developing a plan for implementing innovative and effective practices within educational programs for students with autism.

The project also provides opportunities for educators to receive professional development on the very specialized subject area of educational programs for students with autism and to provide an in-service training mechanism that would ensure that research based practices are implemented and evaluated within classrooms. Please visit us at our website: www.doepartnership.org

For more information, please contact Donna Casella at dcasella@fmhi.usf.edu