Anne Arundel County Public Schools Increases Availability of "Building Bridges"
Thursday, October 22, 2009

Resource for educators created in partnership with Autism Society Anne Arundel County Chapter

Anne Arundel County Public Schools, in Maryland (AACPS), is pleased to announce that they have established a “store front” on their website for those wishing to purchase Building Bridges - A Multidisciplinary Team Approach to Supporting Students with Asperger’s Syndrome and Autism in the Classroom.

The Building Bridges guide was developed by the school system in partnership with several community organizations, including the Anne Arundel County Chapter of the Autism Society. It provides a variety of materials to support successful educational experiences and the inclusion of students living with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in classroom settings.

Materials in the Building Bridges guide include information regarding ASD for educators, community members, parents and peers. It also includes sample social skills lesson plans and activities, social skills group outlines, peer/classroom disability awareness and empathy trainings, and teacher resources.

The Building Bridges guide can be used by a variety of providers (educators, speech/language pathologists, occupational therapists, social workers, psychologists, guidance counselors, teaching assistants and community group leaders) in grades K- 12. It can be used for students with and without disabilities.

The resource is available for purchase via the store-front site as a DVD. It can be purchased for personal use or through a licensure agreement. The store-front Web site is www.aacps-store.org.

In addition, the first item in a series of supplementary materials for the Building Bridges guide is also available for purchase on the store front: a Building Bridges portfolio. This booklet assists in data collection and the analysis of groups. It includes teacher/parent weekly feedback forms, attendance and participation forms, pre- and post- questionnaires, and group lesson templates.

Additional supplemental materials for the Building Bridges guide are being developed, including a social skills group 101 training DVD and a parent resource manual. These will be available for purchase via the store front as separate items early next spring.

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