**USEFUL RESOURCES**

• Wisconsin First Step offers an information and referral hotline for children and adolescents age birth to age 21 with special needs. Direct referrals are provided to Birth to 3 Programs and Regional Centers for Children and Youth With Special Health Care Needs across the State of Wisconsin.
  
• Connections from The Waisman Center
• Communication Options when parents disagree with school decisions.doc-- document from DPI Parent Resource page
• Department of Public Instruction Special Education Data
• Local Resource Directory by the Autism Society of Greater Madison
• Wisconsin Autism Directory of Resources 
• Middleton-Cross Plains School District--Special Education--Student Services Department
• Professional Development Classes: MCPASD Professional development classes parents can take too!! Want to learn more to be a better advocate for your child but don't have the funds? Even though parent attendance is not indicated explicitly, we can still register for these classes. They are offered throughout the school year and over the summer. Learn more on-line and register:
• Work Experience Program at Middleton High School--The Work Experience Program at Middleton High School is available to students in special education. Students can earn up to one credit per semester after satisfactory completion of course requirements. The goal is to prepare students to work.
• Madison Area Down Syndrome Society is a member-driven organization striving to support families and individuals with Down syndrome from birth through adulthood.
• United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Dane County provides services to individuals with cerebral palsy and other disabilities across their life span.
• Special Olympics Wisconsin provides sports training and competition for nearly 10,000 athletes with cognitive disabilities in 18 different sports year-round.
• Autism Society of Greater Madison offers a multitude of programs, workshops, social groups, support groups, etc.  Become a member!
• MSCR Inclusion Services' mission is to enhance the quality of life for individuals with disabilities in the Madison Metropolitan School District, and for the community, by providing recreation and enrichment opportunities year-round that are accessible to all. MSCR is committed to an inclusive approach to recreation and will provide reasonable accommodations to enhance program participation without fundamentally altering a program.
• Gio's Garden currently is a respite care facility located in Middleton serving the Madison Area.  Gio's seeks to grow into a one-stop special services delivery organization for special needs children and their families. Examples could include a respite care facility, professional therapy, client advocacy, and social work/support.

SUMMER PROGRAMS! Check out this resource for a lot of different programs for kids in K-12 in the area and elsewhere.

WORKSHOPS

Autism 101: presented by the Autism Society of Greater Madison

When their child is first diagnosed, most parents aren’t exactly sure what autism is let alone PDD-NOS, or Aspergers.  It’s hard to explain your child to others if you don’t understand him or her yourself. At this session, learn about ASD, discuss parenting issues and ASGM.  The class will be held at Midvale Community Lutheran Church (Room 131 on main level), 4329 Tokay Blvd in Madison.  Please register via email autismmadison@gmail.com, or call: (608) 213-8519. Visit www.autismmadison.org for more info.

The Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District offers professional development classes for staff throughout the school year and over each summer. These classes are for MCPASD staff and are also open to staff from other districts. We have been told by Student Services Coordinators at the district that parents may attend these classes for no credit for free but book/material fees will apply.

Professional Development Courses offered for the 2011-2012 school year

A Class for Parents and Family Members of Newly Diagnosed Children and Those Interested in Learning About Autism.

Offered the last Wednesday of January, March, May, July, September and November from 6:30-8:30 p.m. (see our calendar for the date of the next workshop) at Midvale Community Lutheran Church (Room 131 on main level), 4329 Tokay Blvd in Madison.