Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders (TRIAD)

🧠📘 Want to better support autistic students with evidence‑based practices?

Explore TRIAD’s Evidence‑Based Practices for Autistic Students: Tips and Resources for Administrators and Educators tip sheet:https://vkc.vumc.org/assets/files/tipsheets/ebptreatasdtips-educators.pdf

The interventions students receive matter. Evidence‑based practices are supported by scientific research and, when implemented early and with fidelity, improve long‑term outcomes for autistic students across academics, communication, behavior, social skills and independence.

This tip sheet helps educators and administrators:

🔹 Define evidence‑based practices and explain why they matter.

🔹 Describe how researchers identify evidence‑based practices for autism.

🔹 Identify interventions that effectively support autistic students.

🔹 Connect educators and administrators to TRIAD trainings and additional learning resources that support evidence‑based practice.

📘 Explore the tip sheet and make informed decisions that create a lasting difference for autistic students.

🤔 Have you ever wondered what an autistic self‑advocate wishes school administrators understood?

🎥 In the video below, educational consultant and autistic self‑advocate Chloe Rothschild shares five key things administrators should know about supporting educators and the autistic students they serve.

Watch the video: https://share.vidyard.com/watch/YFqiitSijAdZnvN4H2BkyB

💡 This list includes:

🤝 1. Teach and model how to interact with peers with disabilities so students understand what inclusion looks like.

💛 2. Respond to meltdowns with understanding and recognize the impact masking can have on students.

🧠 3. Presume students are capable while recognizing that some behaviors are not intentional or may be outside a student’s control.

🧩 4. Remember that support should not be removed simply because a student is succeeding. Continued success often depends on continued support.

📣 5. Maintain open communication and actively advocate for all students.

👀 Watch the video to gain practical, lived‑experience insight and strengthen how administrators support educators and autistic students.

📚 For more information about autism, check out these TRIAD resources:

• A Brief Guide on Autism for Educators Tip Sheet
https://vkc.vumc.org/assets/files/triad/tips/Autism_Guide_Edu.pdf

• Introduction to Autism Spectrum Disorders Module
Log-in or create a free account to access: https://tinyurl.com/3wc22fkn

Administrator Engagement Social Media Video Vidyard video

💙 👩‍👩‍👧 Are you a caregiver of an autistic child? Let’s talk about why building meaningful leisure skills matters.

Leisure activities play an important role in your child’s daily life. Outside of school and therapy, leisure time should feel enjoyable, self‑directed and meaningful. When students learn leisure skills, they build independence, strengthen communication, develop relationships and improve quality of life.

🔍 Check out TRIAD’s Tips on Encouraging Engagement in Leisure Activities at Home and in the Community to learn:

• 🎯 What leisure skills look like

• 💡 Why leisure skills matter

• 🏠 How caregivers can support leisure skills at home and in the community

View the tip sheet:https://vkc.vumc.org/assets/files/triad/tips/Tips_on_Encouraging_Engagement_for_Caregivers.pdf

Leisure skills also support transition planning and help prepare students for life beyond school.

🗨️ Autistic self‑advocate and educational consultant Chloe Rothschild shares:

“Leisure skills didn’t come naturally to me. They required direct and explicit instruction.”

Preparing for life after high school takes planning, partnership and purpose.

Use this course to help your students learn, prepare and plan for their future. The Transition Access, Skills, and Knowledge (TASK) course supports high school special education teachers as they guide students on the autism spectrum through meaningful transition planning.

Funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences, the course was developed in partnership with special education teachers, adult service providers, autistic youth and their families.

📌 Topics covered include:

✅ Community living

✅ Employment

✅ Employment and Community First CHOICES

✅ Finances

✅ Postsecondary education

✅ Self‑advocacy and decision‑making

👉 Explore the Transition Access, Skills, and Knowledge (TASK) course. Log in or create a free account: https://tinyurl.com/4yx8ub25

📣 Research Participants Needed: Tennessee Special Education Teachers

Are you a special education teacher in Tennessee working with students with autism? The Transitions Lab at Vanderbilt Health is inviting teachers to participate in Project TASK, a research study focused on improving transition planning for students with autism.

What’s involved?

✔️ Surveys

✔️ Interviews

✔️ Classroom observations

Depending on group assignment, some participants will get to test new tools and resources designed to better support students and families in accessing adult disability services. Others will receive full access to these materials after the study ends.

💲 Compensation is provided.

👉 Interested or want to learn more?

Contact the TASK Study Team:

📞 (615) 412‑9087

📧 [email protected]

Please feel free to share with colleagues who may be interested!

🎓 Are you an administrator, educator, or caregiver supporting a student transitioning from middle school to high school?

🏫 This transition can feel overwhelming for many students and families. Early planning and strong collaboration help create smoother, more supportive experiences for autistic students.

🤝 When administrators, educators, caregivers and students work together, transition planning becomes more effective and student‑centered.

📘 Check out TRIAD’s Supporting the Transition from Middle School to High School tip sheet for practical guidance and helpful tools.

View the tip sheet:https://vkc.vumc.org/assets/files/triad/tips/Supporting_Transition_Middle_High_School.pdf

This resource highlights how to build a strong transition team and covers:

✅ Who should be involved in the transition process

✅ Key steps for middle school administrators to take in the spring before high school

✅ Guidance on transition meetings and assessments to support appropriate high school pathways

✨ Teaching self-advocacy equips students for lifelong success.

Self-advocacy means knowing and communicating one’s strengths, needs and rights, and making decisions that align with personal goals. These skills are especially important for autistic learners navigating shared classrooms and communities. With explicit instruction and meaningful support, students can develop the skills they need to participate, access supports and succeed across settings.

🎥 In the video below, autistic self-advocate and educational consultant Chloe Rothschild explains how learning self-advocacy skills in school supported lifelong independence and decision-making.

Watch the video: https://share.vidyard.com/watch/9KBfBxM59F9KEWbPPpT2vY

📘 Explore resources that support self-advocacy across education and transition planning:

➡️ Supporting Autistic Self-Advocacy in Elementary School
https://vkc.vumc.org/assets/files/triad/tips/Supporting_Autistic_Self-Advocacy_EDU_elem.pdf

➡️ Supporting Autistic Self-Advocacy in High
https://vkc.vumc.org/assets/files/triad/tips/Supporting_Autistic_Self-Advocacy_EDU_mhs.pdf

➡️ Self‑Advocate Transition Toolkit
Log in or create a free account to view: https://tinyurl.com/44ua3n3y

Transition Social Media Video Vidyard video

🧩 How We Talk About Autism Matters

The words we use to describe autism are shaped by both the medical and social models of disability. Understanding these perspectives helps us choose language that honors and supports individuals with autism. 💛

To learn more about key terms and how each model shapes them, explore TRIAD’s Disability vs. Disorder vs. Difference tip sheet, created with guidance from the Autistic Advisory Network. 📘✨

Download the tip sheet:https://vkc.vumc.org/assets/files/triad/tips/Disability_Disorder_Difference.pdf

🎥 Hear from lived experience:

Dr. Ricki Hurtado, Educational Consultant and self-advocate, shares why language matters and how it shapes understanding.

💛 Let’s keep learning, listening and growing together.

https://share.vidyard.com/watch/btNKhubk5Zqv967XbGtwVt

Disability Disorder Difference Social Media Video Vidyard video

🌟 Let’s Talk About Ableism and Autism 🌟

Ableism is discrimination against individuals with disabilities based on the belief that there is one “right” way to develop, behave, or communicate. This belief leads to harmful assumptions about individuals with various disabilities, including individuals with autism.

Ableism can show up when individuals:

➡️ Assume individuals with autism cannot do certain things.

➡️ Overlook the support needs of more independent individuals with autism.

➡️ Tell someone they are “not autistic enough” or question their identity.

➡️ Treat individuals with autism as if they need to be “fixed” instead of understood.

These assumptions erase the unique strengths, needs and identities of individuals with autism.

We can support individuals with autism more effectively when we listen to voices of those with autism and choose language that reflects respect and understanding.

✨ Check out this tip sheet on avoiding ableist language, created with guidance from TRIAD’s Autistic Advisory Council. It offers concrete strategies and examples to help you make your language more welcoming and supportive of individuals with autism. ✨

Let’s keep growing, learning and making our community a more welcoming space for everyone. 💜💛

View the tip sheet:https://vkc.vumc.org/assets/files/triad/tips/Avoiding_Ableist_Language.pdf

✨ April is Autism Acceptance Month—a time to value the lived experiences of people with autism, promote understanding, and create welcoming spaces for all.

One way we build understanding and foster connection is by listening to those with lived experience.

Have you ever wanted to hear about autism from a self‑advocate with lived experience?

If so, this poem may be meaningful for you. 💛🌟

Listen as Chloe Rothschild, educational consultant and autistic self‑advocate, shares her poem, “I Am More Like You Than You Think.”🎤📖

https://share.vidyard.com/watch/ATqUvg1HYqDSchZZEFCezE

In it, she reflects on how, as an autistic person, she shares many similarities with people without autism—and why those shared experiences matter. 🤝💬

If you’d like to learn more about autism, explore these resources:

📘 A Brief Parent Guide on Autism: Information for Parents of Toddlers and Preschoolers:https://vkc.vumc.org/assets/files/resources/apgtoddler.pdf

📗 A Brief Parent Guide on Autism: Information for Parents of School‑Age Children:https://vkc.vumc.org/assets/files/resources/apgschool.pdf

📕 A Brief Guide on Autism for Educators:https://vkc.vumc.org/assets/files/triad/tips/Autism_Guide_Edu.pdf

Neurodiversity Social Media video Vidyard video