AUTISM Video & RESOURCE
Collection

Check out these great resources including articles, printables, crafts and recipes, games and apps!

When it comes to having a child who is autistic or who may have a developmental delay, we may get caught up in the stereotype that they don’t or can’t express emotion.

Transitions can be difficult for a lot of children, but you want to be sure to pay close attention to them when your child is autistic. Transitions come in many forms, such as from activity to activity, subject to subject, place to place, etc. 

While the autism diagnosis is common, public understanding is not. Stigma can lead to discrimination, verbal and even physical abuse. Sesame Street’s character, Julia – a four-year-old with autism – helps combat misconceptions and teaches acceptance.

Strong special interests and passions are a part of life for many autistic children. These special-interest areas are different from hobbies because of the strong intensity of the child’s focus and preoccupation.

CDC data reveals an increase in autism spectrum disorder in the U.S. The report shows in 2020, one in 36 children in America was diagnosed with autism. In 2018, it was one in 44, and in 2010, one in 68. Amna Nawaz discussed the findings with Dena Gassner of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee.

Helping children with autism make small steps toward overcoming hurdles in public life requires shifting some of the burden, says Whitney Ellenby, a mom to a son with autism. Parents need to educate others by disclosing a child’s disability, and bystanders need to offer tolerance.

Explore these resources to help discover, nurture and celebrate your autistic child’s amazing talents, abilities, and creativity.

Representation of a neurodiverse family is something that I crave as a parent of a child who is neurodivergent. I wanted my son to see himself reflected in the shows he loves. PBS KIDS is actively working to show an accurate representation of autism.

Autism and other neurodiverse diagnoses aren’t always well understood — and every child is different. Working with teachers and school staff to support your child’s unique needs sets them up for success and ensures they’re on their way to having fun, too.

This series follows the adventures of Carl, an adorable, warm-hearted raccoon on the autism spectrum who enjoys collecting things and loves his friends and family in Fuzzytown. This series celebrates our differences and commonalities, and that we all have something unique to offer.

Daniel meets a new friend, Max, who is autistic; Daniel and his friends help make Max more comfortable at Chime Time.

While Big Bird plays with Elmo and Abby’s friend, Julia, he notices that she does things a little differently. Alan helps him understand about autism.

Nine-year-old Elliot Garcia, who is autistic, voices the first ever autistic character in the Thomas the Tank Engine series: Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go. Bruno is a bright-red brake car.

All children experience the world differently, and those differences are even greater for children with autism.

What does autism spectrum disorder look like in young children? Jennifer Rymanowski, a licensed behavioral analyst at Rochester Hearing and Speech Center, will describe how different each case of autism spectrum disorder is for each person they encounter.

Check out these video clips, guides, and other resources.

Students with autism in two life skills programs at Vernon Township High School learn how to run a business from beginning to end in this episode of NJEA’s Classroom Close-up.

Iowa PBS began recording footage of Jack at three years old, just prior to his autism diagnosis in 2006, and updated his autism story in 2009 when he was six years old. Today, Jack is a 15-year-old student making progress typing on various communication devices and working on becoming more verbal.

Read A Friend for Henry with Emma Mueller from NYC Children’s Theater. This story, by Jenn Bailey, is told from the perspective of a boy on the autism spectrum that celebrates friendship.

In this video from Let’s Learn, Sharon Bricker reads My Brother Charlie by Denene Millner, Holly Robinson Peete, and Ryan Elizabeth Peete about a girl’s love for her brother who has autism. After reading the story, she leads students in an activity about celebrating differences.

Eric Marozine of Joseph F. Cappello School teaches children with autism and cognitive impairments how to enjoy music and develop motor skills in this episode of NJEA’s Classroom Close-up. For these children, small miracles consist of a smile or a simple nod to the music.

Tapping into social cues to fool audiences, magicians rely on a phenomenon called joint attention. Most people pay attention to what a magician looks at so a magician can trick them by looking away from the action. People on the autistic spectrum can have trouble noticing the cues of joint attention and may not be fooled by a magician’s sleight of hand. Learn how researchers are using magic to teach children with autism about social cues.

The brain is the most complex organ in the human body and everyone’s brain develops in a unique way. Unfortunately, neurodivergent people, including those with autism spectrum disorder, have historically been viewed through the lens of the medical model. The social model of disability turns this around.

Check out these great resources including educator and curriculum guides, and Carl the Collector short video clips paired with related resources!

Stretching the comfort zone and exposure to different environments are key techniques for helping young children with autism to engage with the world around them. Temple Grandin talks about some of these strategies to help children with autism.

Early intervention techniques are key to getting young children with autism engaged with the world around them. Temple Grandin was nonverbal until the age of four. Today, she is a professor of animal science at Colorado State University, and one of the leading authorities on livestock facility design, as well as an autism awareness advocate.