The Families Reimagining Inclusive Lives (FRIL) Toolkit is a central source of resources for parents of school-aged children with disabilities. This Toolkit provides a wide range of resources and guidance parents can use in everyday life and throughout their child’s lifespan.
This project, Families Reimagining Inclusive Lives (FRIL), is funded by a grant from the Pennsylvania Developmental Disabilities Council.
Psychology Today: This article focuses on five strategies to assist an individual with I/DD and autism with transitions from one task to another.
The Home School Resources: This article talks about twenty-one accommodations that can be beneficial to an individual with I/DD and autism learning experience.
Autism Speaks: Back to School: Seventeen Tips to Help Autistic Kids provides a number of tips for all school-aged children to help with a smooth back-to-school transition.
Back to School: 17 Tips to Help Autistic Kids
Autism Parent Magazine: Tips for Making the Adjustment for Summer. For families, transitions to school become a primary focus. Often, the transition from school to summer break can be overlooked.
Tips for Making the Adjustment to Summer
The Autism Helper: The Autism Helper is a great resource that provides information, speakers, curriculum, etc., to educate and assist families with school-aged children. The resource below focuses on transitions back to school for the beginning of a school year.
Transitioning Back to School
Autism Research Institute: more resources for the annual transition back to school.
Back-to-School Resources
Advanced Autism: Transition from Preschool to Elementary School: Additional tips and guidance on the transition from Preschool to Elementary School.
From Preschool to Elementary School for Children with Autism
National Autistic Society: The National Autism Society (United Kingdom) is a great central source of information when it comes to autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This resource provides guidance on transitions for starting or switching schools.
Starting or Switching School
Interagency Autism Coordination Committee (IACC) is a central resource.
These PowerPoints are the training modules of the FRIL Program. The modules focus on the transitions of a child's scholastic journey from early intervention all the way to adulthood.
Click a link to begin downloading a FRIL module PowerPoint:
FRIL Module 2: Transitioning Your Child from Early Intervention to Kindergarten
FRIL Module 3: Transition from Elementary School to Middle School
Smart911: This platform allows people to add key information associated with an address or phone number that would assist first responders in the event of an emergency. There are a variety of features available; however, those features vary from county to county in the state of Pennsylvania.
Smart911
Pennsylvania State Police: Information Cards. PA state police have unveiled a new "Information Card" program. Individuals with I/DD and autism carry a Blue Info Card that can be presented to first responders with guidance on how to assist the individual in a particular emergency.
After Meeting with Advocates, Pennsylvania State Police Unveils Informational Card for People with Autism
Safe2Say Something: Safe2Say Something is an app where students and parents can report and track safety concerns with their local schools and community.
Safe2Say Something
Safety Toolkit: Autism Speaks has a comprehensive Safe Toolkit with a wide range of safety information and tips for individuals with autism and their families. This Toolkit can be beneficial for everyday life and be applied when planning for the school year.
Safety Tool Kit
Spectrumlife.org: This website highlights a variety of information from stories, news, resources, webinars, etc.
Spectrum Life Magazine from Autism Empowerment
Autism Research Institute: The link below is to a particular section of the website that focuses on transition to school. The topics that are covered range from diet, safety, social skills, etc., and are explained in webinars, articles, and additional toolkits.
Back-to-School Resources
Kidsburgh: A website of resources for families with children with ID/DD and autism.
Kidsburgh
Slack Journals: Understanding the Barriers to Receiving Autism Diagnosis for Hispanic and Latinx Families. This article sheds light on the challenges within the Hispanic community when it comes to early diagnosis.
Understanding the Barriers to Receiving Autism Diagnoses for Hispanic and Latinx Families
Autism Speaks: Bringing Family-Centered Support to the Latino Community. Creating a circle of support is important for an individual with a disability to live an inclusive, self-directed life. This article talks about family-centered support within the Latino/Hispanic communities.
Bringing Family-Centered Support to the Latino Community
Autism Latino Magazine: Autism Latino Magazine was created by parents who are raising children on the autism spectrum in the Latino/Hispanic community. This site provides resources, information, and supportive community for families and individuals with autism to empower them throughout their life journey.
Autism Latino Magazine
HipLATINA: This article brings to light the diagnosis disparities in the Latino/Hispanic community.
Barriers to Diagnosing Autism Among Latino Families
Autism and Hispanic Families: Written by Kristina Lopez, PhD, MSW, Assistant Professor, School of Social Work, Arizona State University, this article helps educate Latino/Hispanic families on the challenges they face and how to be proactive when it comes to I/DD and autism diagnoses.
The Help Group
Early Intervention in the Latino Community: National Institute of Health: This article focuses on the early diagnosis/intervention of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the Latino community.
Conceptualization of Autism in the Latino Community and its Relationship with Early Diagnosis
PA's PROMISE for Children: Supporting Children’s Mental Health and Community Inclusion.
PA Planning for Future Transitions Checklist.
PEAL Transition Checklist (PDF)
How to Instruct a Child with Autism to Transition – Building Flexibility
The Autism Classroom Resource Podcast: This podcast covers a wide range of topics for special educators who are looking to expand their knowledge and professional growth. Parents can utilize this information as a way of collaborating with special educators on what is best for their child in the classroom.
Autism Classroom Resources
Charting the LifeCourse: The Charting the LifeCourse (CtLC) framework consists of principles designed to drive individuals with I/DD and autism to help guide them and their families to live a self-directed life. This is a tool that can be used by people of all ages throughout their lifespan.
LifeCourse Nexus Training and Technical Assistance Center
National Technical Assistance Center on Transition: The Collaborative. The National Assistance Center on Transition: The Collaborative (NTACT:C) is a resource that provides information, tools, and instruction for secondary students with disabilities.
NTACT The Collaborative
PaTTAN: Understanding the Languages of Special Education: A Glossary for Families and Educators. This guide was developed to give families and educators in Pennsylvania an understanding of the language of special education so they can more easily participate in educational decision making.
Understanding the Language of Special Education: A Glossary for Families and Educators
