Comprehensive Autism Consulting

10/13/2024

Hear Dr. Laurie Vismara discuss how to support caregivers with a number of strategies for building social interaction and development as they interact with infants during play, caretaking, and other family-based routines. Handouts are online HERE (.zip) Learning Objectives: Understand eight infant c...

03/04/2022

03/04/2022

Announcing the 2022 Open Interest Period for the DDS/DESE Program

The DESE/DDS Program is a collaboration between the Department of Elementary and
Secondary Education (DESE) and the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) for DDS-eligible students who are at risk of a future residential placement.

The program provides students and their families:

-The chance to have in-home supports including senior level therapists and skills trainers

-A dedicated navigator agency to identify and hire staff

-Life-long skills development

-Opportunities to practice skills in their home setting and community

This Open Interest period is offered to refresh the list of interested students and families.
The DESE/DDS Program is near capacity; however, there are students who leave the
program because they turn 22 or for other reasons throughout the year. New participants are added from the Interest List as spaces become available.

The application and information letter are available in: English, Spanish Arabic, Cantonese, Cape Verdean Creole, Haitian Creole, Khmer, Nepali, Portuguese (Brazilian), Simplified Chinese, Somali, and Vietnamese on the website link.

If you need a language not found on the website, please let your Regional Family Support Director know.

https://www.mass.gov/lists/desedds-open-interest-period-2022

03/23/2021

Let’s facilitate inclusion!

Psychology researchers hope to improve the social success of autistic adolescents and adults by promoting understanding and acceptance of autism among non-autistic people instead of focusing on teaching them ways to think and behave more like their non-autistic peers.

04/21/2020

As part of our  COSA response  to the COVID-19 outbreak, MAC will be holding its next weekly virtual chat for parents  of children with disabilities on Thursday, April 23 at 8 pm,   focusing on how to address anxiety experienc

04/15/2020

Parents who are working at home during the coronavirus quarantine face many challenges. But the boundaries between work and home life are blurred even more when your child has autism. To commemorate National Autism Awareness Month in April, international autism expert Temple Grandin spoke to Parade....

12/14/2019

Hope for the future.

When they go low, we go high.

12/12/2019

Help support Reece-a wonderful young man that I am privileged to know!

"Hello, would you consider posting this post about my son, we both live in Fairhaven and are very excited about this book that he wrote!" -Andrea Therrien Arnold.

Fairhaven Man with Autism ‘Shoots for the Stars’ with New Children’s Book

Reece Arnold, 2013 Fairhaven High Graduate, has just released “Mike’s Big Space Adventure”, which tells the story of a young boy who loves astronomy. One night, he dreams that he becomes a shooting star and travels through different galaxies in space, meeting new friends – and getting into some scary situations – but having a wonderful adventure along the way!

Come visit Reece at the Millicent Library at 45 Center Street, Fairhaven where he (and other local authors) will be signing and selling his book during the Old-Time Holiday event on Saturday, December 14, 9:30am-2:00pm. The book is also available on his website at www.reececycledfun.com.

Read more about Reece and the book here:https://reececycledfun.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Press-Release-Reece-Arnold-book.pdf

11/11/2019

11/11/2019

Many kids say, "I don't care" or "I don't want friends" or "I don't like people." I don't care is a heavy topic to cover in a blog, but here is my shot at it! Here is my spin on this. Our kids struggle to do something that appears so easy and seamless to everyone else. Those who are "higher function...

11/06/2019

Just presented some of this material at a Professional Development for school staff.