Dear Friends,
I hope you are all enjoying this holiday season and are staying safe and healthy. We know this time of year can be difficult for our loved ones with autism, so we included a video social story about opening gifts in the Consultant Corner section of the newsletter.
We are all working hard to figure out the best way to navigate our way through this ebb and flow of COVID-19 outbreaks and variants while carrying out the mission of CARD. We have been busy going back into schools and other places in the community within our 18 counties, while still offering several training opportunities online.
One exciting online training you do not want to miss is the 29th Annual Statewide CARD Conference on January 14-16, 2022. There is an extensive line up of speakers and topics. Please see the article below for more information. There are also several webinars available from our colleagues at Autism Navigator. We highlighted a couple of the ones available below.
Our Autism-Friendly Business Initiative is growing; however we are always looking for more partners to add to our list. One of our newest partners is Catalyst Fabric Solutions, located in Marianna, Florida. The story about this new partnership is one of our features listed below. If you are interested in learning more about our Autism-Friendly Business Initiative, visit our website: http://ph6.165.myftpupload.com/community/.
We are systematically reaching out to everyone registered and listed in our database to try to ensure the information we have is accurate. You may have received or will receive an email asking you to fill out our annual update form (see weblink below or in the Client Corner section). We look forward to receiving your responses and updating our records. If you need assistance from FSU CARD, please be sure to visit the Contact/Forms section of our website http://ph6.165.myftpupload.com/contact/ and complete the form that best suits your needs.
Finally, as we approach the end of 2021, I would like to thank each of you who make FSU CARD the community resource it is. We value each and every one of you and look forward to working with you in the new year. If you are looking for a place to direct your end-of-year gifts, please consider supporting the FSU Autism Institute and FSU CARD https://give.fsu.edu/autism.
Have a wonderful holiday and happy new year.
Sincerely,Catherine Zenko
Features
2022 CARD Conference
January 14th – 16th, Online
Don’t miss the 29th Annual Statewide CARD Conference on January 14-16, 2022. The conference will be offered virtually again this year for the health and safety of all attendees. It’s not too late to register. To read about the exciting line up and schedule, click the button below.
Autism-Friendly Business Update
We wanted to share this article that appeared on themomkind.com website about one of our newest Autism-Friendly Business partners in Marianna, Florida.
Catalyst Fabric Solutions – Marianna, FL
Marianna, Florida (November 30, 2021) — Catalyst Fabric Solutions, a web-to-textile fulfillment manufacturer in Marianna, is prepared to hire up to five NextStep at Endeavor Academy participants in January now that it has completed Florida State University’s Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD) Autism-Friendly Business Initiative training.
Articles
Holiday Gift Video
Holiday traditions can be challenging for people with autism. We found this video social story that may help your child understand what is expected when opening gifts. We hope this video social story will help show your child how to open their gifts, say thank you, and interact during a gift exchange.
Congratulations to our New PEPSA Partner!
Catherine Chancellor was selected to be a teacher partner with FSU CARD and the Partnership for Effecitve Programs for Students with Autism (PEPSA), working with CARD Consultant, Debi Cassidy. Catherine is currently in her third year as an ESE Instructional Coach for the Okaloosa County School District (OCSD). She works closely with ESE teachers, paraprofessionals and administrators to help with best practices for students with any disability. Serving 20 schools on OCSD’s southend, Catherine often finds herself looking for additional resources to help her teachers be successful with their students. In her spare time she enjoys being physically active and loves that she moved to the beach! She spends her free time with her husband of 29 years, who is an Assistant Principal in OCSD, so education is paramount in their home. Her three adult children, Shalesa, Adara, and Carston keep her grounded and have helped her to grow into a person who tries to find balance in everything she does.
Client Corner
Click the links below to request assistance:
Intake/Referrals for New Clients >>
Request for Technical Assistance >>
Public Awareness Request >>
Training Request Form >>
Annual Update Form >>
Baby Navigator Website
The Executive Director of FSU CARD and Director of the College of Medicine’s Autism Institute, Dr. Amy Wetherby, launched a new website, BabyNavigator.com, that walks parents through early childhood development and alerts them to early signs of autism.
Baby Navigator Conversations Webinar
This free webinar series is for regular education and special education teachers, district-level personnel, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, early interventionists, psychologists, behavior specialists, social workers, paraprofessionals, college students, and anyone else interested in learning about students with autism. This webinar is a companion to our new Classroom Success course, but anyone interested can attend. More Information →
Autism Navigator for Classroom Success in PreK to 2nd Grade Webinar Winter Series Begins January 26, 2022
Six week winter series begins on January 26th
Health & Nutrition
Protein Guide 101
