The number of people diagnosed with autism and other cognitive disorders is increasing, and the world is becoming more aware of how we should accommodate individuals with special needs. The travel and hospitality industry must also demonstrate that destinations and staff are equipped to offer the best experience possible, whatever an individual’s hidden disability. If not, organizations risk losing those guests to a competitor.
Elmwood Park Zoo is the first zoo in the world to become a Certified Autism Center (CAC). The designation, given by the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES), is awarded to organizations who have completed a training and review process with the goal to better serve individuals with autism and other sensory needs.
Certification readied for April’s Autism Awareness month and start of new season
Sesame Place®, the nation’s only theme park based entirely on the award-winning show Sesame Street®, in conjunction with the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES), today announced the completion of a staff-wide autism sensitivity and awareness training at the theme park. The completion designates Sesame Place as a Certified Autism Center (CAC) as distinguished by IBCCES, — the first theme park in the world to receive such a distinction. The certification aligns with National Autism Awareness Month and comes as the park readies for its 38th season, opening on April 28, 2018.
The need for education and professional credentials today is very different from what it was just fifty years ago, when what you needed to get a good job was a high school diploma. That diploma provided a meal ticket that enabled a worker to get a good job that supported a family, paid the mortgage, bought a car, and provided a two-week family vacation each year. At that time, only 5% of American adults earned a bachelor’s degree, while 52% held a high school diploma. Over the years, high paying jobs in manufacturing disappeared. To get the good jobs, you needed a bachelor’s. By 1990, nearly 10% of adult Americans had a bachelor’s, and the pay gap between what they earned and what high school grads earned grew dramatically. The college degree replaced the high school diploma as a basic meal ticket.
Guest post by: Dr. John Kelly
School Psychologist at Commack Schools
Past-President National Association of School Psychologists
Find him on Twitter: @jkellyphd
Depression has affected more than 10 percent of teenagers in the last year, yet most educators are not prepared to help students deal with depression.
The statistics are alarming; one out of every five adolescents between the ages of 13 – 18 years old will experience a mental health disorder that is significant enough to impact their daily functioning.
The International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES) will be conducting autism training for deputy sheriffs and first responders for the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office in St. Augustine, FL beginning January 2018. Over 400 St. Johns County law enforcement officers will take part in the training, which will address what Autism Spectrum Disorder is, how to recognize and communicate with an individual who may have ASD and how to reduce risk.
By Taveesha Guyton
When a child is diagnosed with Traumatic Brain Injury, otherwise known as TBI, this diagnosis is devastating to the family, as well as the community in which the child lives. Traumatic Brain Injury leads to death and long-term disability and expands across all social and economic levels. “Traumatic brain injury in childhood is the most prevalent cause of death and long-term disability in children and affects all socioeconomic levels” ( Bond Chapman, 2006). The cost of TBI is expensive to the child, the family as well as to the supports which serve the children.
By Anita Lesko, BSN, RN, MS, CRNA
For some teenagers, getting a driver’s license might symbolize their freedom and new life as an adult. But not every teenager counts the days until they get their driver’s license. I learned to drive in high school along with the rest of my classmates. At that time in my life, I didn’t know I’m autistic. What I did know, however, was that I felt scared and instinctively knew I wasn’t ready to drive. I did great on the written exam. Being behind the wheel out on the road with the instructor was a different story.
by Rachel Wise, CAS
In this article you will find 15 supportive behavior strategies for children on the autism spectrum (some strategies can be used with adults as well). Many of the strategies can also be used to help children without autism who have challenging behaviors.
When caring for or working with a child with autism, a parent, teacher, or other adult may become frustrated with the child’s behavior. Behaviors can come on suddenly, last for hours, be hard to control, or make the adult scared or embarrassed.
