Parent Resource Center Monday Message: 4.5.21

Good evening, and welcome back from Spring Break! We hope you all had a pleasant, relaxing and restorative spring break week. As we return to greet a new month, April is filled with a number of events that we hope you’ll join us at. Details are below.

SEPTA Award Nomination Deadline: Midnight – April 6th, 2021
Arlington SEPTA is accepting nominations for its annual Excellence in Supporting Special Education Awards until midnight, April 6th, 2021. All nominees will be recognized for their participation, and winners will be announced by May 12, 2021.Please note:

Please choose the most appropriate award for each nominee.  Award descriptions are provided below.

• Turner Award – to an outstanding administrator. Submit your nomination HERE.
• Crawford Award – to an outstanding educator. Submit your nomination HERE.
• Exceptional Support Award – to an outstanding aide/assistant or support staff. Submit your nomination HERE.
• McBride Award – to an outstanding school or program. Submit your nomination HERE
• Howie Award – to an outstanding parent or volunteer.  Submit your nomination HERE
• Nannini Award – to an outstanding student advocate. Submit your nomination HERE
• Exceptional Ally Award – to an outstanding student ally.Submit your nomination HERE

View award descriptions. View past awards.

Understanding Autism in Girls Podcasts

Episode 141: Understanding Autism in Girls with Dr. Donna Henderson Part 1
Dr. Donna Henderson talks about the autism diagnosis and how it has shifted over the years. She talks about the benefits of diagnosis and when diagnoses can be helpful. She teaches how nuanced autism is, how it presents differently between males and females, and why girls are so often misdiagnosed.
Click Here to Listen
Episode 142: Understanding Autism in Girls with Dr. Donna Henderson Part 2
In this continuing conversation with Dr. Donna Henderson, hear about the validation that families can feel from receiving a diagnosis, a framework for helping families to understand a diagnosis, and an in depth conversation about “context blindness” and context impacts our entire understanding of the world.
Click Here to Listen

Please contact the Parent Resource Center at 703.228.7239 or prc@apsva.usat least 7 days prior to events to request ADA accommodations.

ADHD Parenting Series
Mondays, April 12 – May 10: 6:30pm – 8:30pm
Register here
Join us for a virtual 5-week series on parenting students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). This session will be facilitated by the Parent Resource Center Coordinators Kelly Mountain and Kathleen Donovan, along with parent leader Susan Scott. Kelly has a background in school psychology, Kathleen has a background in special education, and Susan is a parent who has facilitated ADHD parenting sessions for many years.  Topics covered will include:

• Session 1: ADHD – What Parents Need to Know
• Session 2: ADHD – Diagnosis and Treatment
• Session 3: ADHD at Home
• Session 4: ADHD at School
• Session 5: ADHD and Adolescence

Interested participants are asked to commit to all five sessions. For additional information, please contact the PRC at prc@apsva.us or 703.228.7239.

Irritability in Children and Youth
Tuesday, April 13th: 7-8:30pm
Register here
Join us as we welcome Dr. Jamell White from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) who will address irritability in children and adolescents, including:

• Defining what irritability is
• Discussing common themes in irritability
• Identifying irritability and co-morbid disorders
• Discussing why it is important to study irritability and how it’s studied at NIMH
• Identifying new treatment for irritability; and
• Sharing strategies parents can use to respond to irritability.

Dr. Jamell White is a staff clinician for the Neuroscience and Novel Therapeutics Unit (NNT) in the Emotion and Development Branch at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Dr. White received her Ph.D. from the University of Maryland in Human Development and Quantitative Methodology. She also has master’s degrees in social work (Catholic University of America) and special education (Johns Hopkins University). Prior to coming to the NIMH, much of Dr. White’s clinical work specialized in working with children, adolescents and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder and related disorders.
View event flier

April is Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month
Autism 101
Thursday, April 15th: 7pm – 8:30pm
Register here
Presenter: Deborah Hammer, APS Autism and Low Incidence Disability Specialist
This session will provide parents and guardians with an overview of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), including an explanation of how ASD impacts social and communication skills, executive functioning, and sensory processing. Strategies for success will also be introduced.
View English.Spanish Autism 101 Flier

NOVA Vision Conference 2021
Tuesday, April 20th: 7-9pm
Arlington Public Schools and Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) are offering an opportunity for students with disabilities (students with IEPs or 504 Plans) to learn about accommodations in college. The virtual conference will include a presentation from NOVA Disability Services, a student panel, and a parent Question/Answer session.
If you require accommodations in order to participate in this event, send your request at least one week in advance to: Tracy Bell tbell@nvcc.edu
Registration is required. Please submit an individual registration form for each participant, and please note that there is a separate form for student registration.
Parents/Guardians: Register here
Students: Register here

Conferencia NOVA Vision
Martes Abril 20: 7-9pm
Sesión virtual
APS y NOVA están ofreciendo una oportunidad para que los estudiantes con discapacidades (estudiantes con IEP y planes 504) aprendan sobre adaptaciones en la universidad. La conferencia incluirá una presentación de los Servicios para Discapacitados de NOVA, un panel de estudiantes y una sesión de Preguntas / Respuestas para los padres.Si necesita adaptaciones para poder participar, envíe su solicitud con al menos una semana de anticipación a:Tracy Bell tbell@nvcc.edu
Parents/Guardians: Registrarse aqui
Students: Registrarse aqui

Arlington Special Education Advisory Committee (ASEAC) Meeting
Tuesday, April 27th: 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Virtual Meeting –  via Zoom
Registration coming soon
The Zoom meeting link will be sent to those registered prior to the meeting. Please note that the business portion of this meeting will be recorded through Zoom.At the beginning of each meeting, ASEAC welcomes comments from the public regarding the needs of students with disabilities in APS. See the ASEAC Public Comment Guidelines at https://aps2016.apsva.us/special-education-advisory-committee for information about submitting public comments. Any person who would like an interpreter and/or any person with a disability who needs accommodation to access the meeting should contact the Parent Resource Center at 703.228.7239 or prc@apsva.us as soon as possible to request assistance.

Understanding Transition Services: Building Interdependence with Our Students—Part 2
Wednesday, April 28: 7:00pm-9:00pm
Register here
Arlington Public Schools Transition Services, Parent Resource Center and Program for Employment Preparedness (PEP) continue to sponsor a monthly Transition Series. As students and children grow into adulthood, we often strive to support them in obtaining independence. What often gets left out is teaching them interdependence. Humans have the capacity for meaningful relationships with one another that are mutually beneficial. This is interdependence. Teaching interdependence to people with disabilities demonstrates that they are valued by society and shows how building connections with others can support and enrich their lives.
Join Deborah Hammer, Autism and Low-Incidence Disability Specialist; Christina Eagle and Karen Shimkus, Transition Team Members; and  Kelly Mountain, PRC Coordinator, to continue to explore the importance of interdependence and learn strategies for how to build this critical lifelong skill.For additional information, contact Kelly Mountain at 703-228-2136 or Kelly.mountain@apsva.us.

Visit the PRC’s EVENTS PAGE for additional Arlington County & community events.