The Autism Society Event and Education Recordings Archive

The session will examine the necessary tools for systematically teaching individuals to participate in their community-based settings. Participants will learn how to develop individualized Community Integration Plans (CIPs), based on goal development and teaching strategies to apply learned skills as well as identify gap areas which could further steer education. “We need to do a better job of preparing children with ASD for adulthood and provide the help and services they need to reach their full potential,” shared by Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) in reference to the newly passed CARES Act.

This session is designed to train educators and family members to develop individualized Community Integration Plans (CIPs) as a means to systematically teach students on the autism spectrum to fully participate in a wide range of community-based experiences.  The Community Integration Model offers a unique, data-driven approach to analyzing which skills need to be applied, or learned, to specific contexts within the community, empowering individuals to productively and confidently integrate into their local society. Furthermore, it will identify gap skills that need to be addressed, which could steer the next stages of the individuals' education.

While the discussion of employment for individuals on the autism spectrum is receiving more attention and funding, the foundational skills from which to build job experiences, to the greatest degree of independence possible, needs to be addressed.  This session will highlight the areas of skill development that must be thoroughly expanded to everyday contexts, such as communication, adaptability, problem-solving, and navigating social conditions, at an earlier age than adulthood.  

The presentation will be offered as a PowerPoint, including a worksheet for participants to complete, which will serve as a tool to directly apply the information presented to the individuals in their lives. Participants who attend this session will be able to:

1. Identify specific, individualized, desired skills as goals for individuals to learn or transfer from known environments in to a variety of community-based settings, leading toward greater independence and inclusion.

2. Apply knowledge of supportive documents and intermediary aides in creating systems to teach the identified goals in the community-based settings. 

3. Develop individualized, goal-based Community Integration Plans (CIPs), including choosing experiences based on the selected goals; design of creative and comprehensive approaches for teaching them; and create supportive materials which will aid the individuals' independence of the process, and serve as a transfer tool to additional conditions or support people.

The community of individuals on the autism spectrum, their family members and professionals have reached a critical time of needing to bridge the gap between learning and living. The formal educational systems can only prepare students with isolated skills, and the level of adult services can only provide low ratio based services; we are in need of a bridge, such as the Community Integration Model, to effectively bring the skills and talents of individuals in to varied areas of society.  This session will not only deliver this message, but also provide the tools for how to do it.

Learning Objectives: