This summer, Tanager Place Welcomes you to join their social skills groups for youth on the autism spectrum –
Please contact Monica Ryan-Rausch at 319-310-6845 if anyone is interested in enrolling in this summer social skill camp.
Author Archives: Admin
ECIAS Swim School Grant Application
The East Central Iowa Autism Society (ECIAS) has teamed up with the Eastern Iowa Swimming Federation to offer a pilot program for teaching basic safety swimming skills to children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. This program will cover a series of swimming lessons, to help teach the child beginning level swimming skills, taught by a qualified swimming instructor on a 1:1 basis.
The skills taught to the swimmer will be bobbing, floating, jumping from the side of the pool, treading water, and other basic level instruction. Children that are beyond basic level swimming skills would not benefit from this program. Due to regulations, the child must be toilet trained and cannot wear swim diapers during the lesson.
Lessons: This program will GRANT up to a maximum of twenty-four (24), 30-minute lessons, Monday-Thursday, from 3:00pm – 3:30 pm, to be completed as follows:
Session 1: June 18th – June 21st, and June 25th – June 28th (8 lessons)
Session 2: July 9th – July 12th, and July 16th – July 19th (8 lessons)
Session 3: July 23rd – July 26th, and July 30th – August 2nd (8 lessons)
Registration will be open from April 15th-May 1st. Recipients of the grant will be emailed/called within 2 weeks after May 1st for confirmation of acceptance.
Please complete and email the application below to contact-us@ecias.org.
Providing Evidence-Based Educational Programming for Children on the Autism Spectrum – Using SCERTS
Providing Evidence-Based Educational Programming for Children on the Autism Spectrum
Register now for “A Developmental Framework for Evidence-Based Practices for the Autism Spectrum: Using the SCERTS Assessment to Identify Social and Emotional Priorities” with presenter Emily Rubin, April 25, 2018 at Grant Wood AEA. Rubin will share a review of the research in social neuroscience and how this helps us understand how children acquire the foundations of social and emotional competence before they are talking, at emerging language stages, and at the conversational level. Rubin will also share how neurodevelopmental differences need to be considered when implementing evidence-based practices and how the SCERTS assessment framework can be used to generate educational objectives that are predictive of developmental shifts toward social emotional competence. Registration information:https://buff.ly/2HUB7Ah
April 25, 2018
8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Providing evidence-based educational programming for children on the autism spectrum relies not only on selecting appropriate strategies, but also an understanding of neurodevelopment. What we determine as the child’s targeted educational objectives should be as important ashow we are providing accommodations.
The lecture will begin with a review of the research in social neuroscience and how this helps us understand how children acquire the foundations of social and emotional competence before they are talking, at emerging language stages, and at the conversational level. Participants will learn how neurodevelopmental differences need to be considered when implementing evidence-based practices and how the SCERTS assessment framework can be used to generate educational objectives that are predictive of developmental shifts toward social emotional competence.
TARGET AUDIENCE
PreK-12 Teachers, Consultants, OT/PT, Psychologists, Early Childhood, Speech Language Pathologists, Social Workers, Parents, Administrators, Counselors, Paraeducators, Special Education Teachers
INSTRUCTOR
Emily Rubin MS, CCC-SLP
REGISTRATION
Registration Deadline: 6:00 a.m. on April 18, 2018
**We Need Your Support! Fundraising for Autism Swims Through the Month of April **
April is Autism Acceptance Month! The Iowa City Autism Community works for autism acceptance and inclusion everyday. We are a volunteer-only group.
We have been organizing Autism-Friendly Swims at the University of Iowa Campus Recreation and Wellness Center’s Leisure Pool for the past several months. They are, by far, our most popular events. Not only is the pool a lot of fun, but they also have family locker rooms, which is critical to making swimming pools accessible to families who cannot use uni-gender locker rooms together.
The only problem is they cost about $190 each time, so we are completely dependent on donations to make this accessible to families for FREE.
Donations to this gofundme campaign will be used to sponsor more FREE swimming events for families with autistic members.
Click HERE to support.
Checks may also be made out to The Iowa City Autism Community. Contact us at icautismcommunity@gmail.com to set up your donation.
THANK YOU for your support of the Iowa City Autism Community!
Volunteer at Harvest Preserve! Meet-Up for Adults with ASD
Adults on the autism spectrum are invited to come and volunteer at the Harvest Preserve Foundation in their annual Garlic Mustard Pull! Come do something good for the earth while meeting and making new friends. There are no expectations for participation – come as you are! Meet in the parking lot and look for Leah Donald- she will be holding a sign with her name on it. The entrance to the Preserve is directly across the street from the barn on Scott. The only tools that are needed are hands! Gloves are optional.
Learn more about Harvest Preserve Foundation on their website at http://www.harvestpreserve.org/
If you need any additional accommodations, please email Jessie Witherell at icautismcommunity@gmail.com
This social group is facilitated by Access2Independence and The Iowa City Autism Community
Miracles in Motion Classes Announced
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Therapeutic riding classes focus on building strength and confidence for riders with social, motor, or other developmental challenges. On a horse, these children feel like “everyone else” and develop their skills at a remarkable rate that carries over to other improvements in day-to-day life.
More from Miracles in Motion, including classes for 2018 can be found here.
Group Adlerian Play Therapy for Children With Emotional and/or Behavioral Difficulties
**CANCELLED** ICAC Adult Social Group
The ICAC Adult Social Group scheduled for March has been cancelled. The next meeting will be on April 8th.
UPDATE** EVENT FULL! Autism – Friendly Swim at Campus Recreation and Wellness Center
Update! The autism swim event at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center is now full. We apologize for any inconvenience. Due to the popularity of swim events, we now ask that attendees pre-register via EventBrite. Check our calendar for future swim events.
Genesis Pediatric Therapy Now Offering Summer Camps!
We are excited to announce that Genesis Pediatric Therapy – Coralville will be offering a variety of Summer Camps this year! 
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– Preschool Sensory Group, June 4-7th, 10-11 AM
– Elementary Sensory Group, June 18-21st, 10-11 AM
Explore the senses with activities such as dancing, singing, obstacle courses, rolling, jumping, messy play, and sensory walks! Children will be provided an opportunity to negotiate a rich sensory environment with each other while improving language, social, and developmental gross and fine motor skills!
– Preschool Prehandwriting Group, June 4-7th, 11-12 AM
– Learning Letters Handwriting Group, June 11-14th, 11-12 AM
– Elementary Handwriting Group, June 18-21st, 11-12 AM
Come brush up your handwriting skills before school starts! These groups will address skills on an age appropriate level including prehandwriting skills, letter formation, utilizing adequate spacing, letter sizing, and writing on a line more efficiently. Activities will include writing practice and other play activities to promote knowledge of handwriting and help develop muscles needed to write effectively!
– Get Moving Group, Ages 4-6, June 25-28th, 10-11 AM
– Get Moving Group, Ages 7-12, June 25-28th, 11-12 AM
Have fun while learning the importance of physical activity! These groups will promote age appropriate play-based gross motor skills that will help improve balance, coordination, and strength!
– Constraint Induced Movement Therapy Group, July 16-19th, 10-11 AM
This group will focus on increasing functional arm and hand use in children with decreased active range of motion, strength, and coordination on one side. Children in the group will work together with their peers to accomplish fun, functional tasks using their non-dominant hand in order to help build important upper extremity skills needed for increased independence with self-care, community, school, and leisure tasks.
– Yoga Group, Dates & Times TBD
Yoga has shown many benefits for children including improved muscle strength, body awareness, stress release, and emotional and behavioral regulation! Learn the basics of yoga in this fun group!
Call (319) 853-0596 to learn more about which Summer Camps would be the best fit for you child or to reserve your child’s spot today! Limited spaces available for each group! Hope everyone is as excited for summer as we are!