Download, view, or print toolkits produced by the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center. These resources are designed to expand awareness, skills, attitudes, and practices for all students, including neurodivergent students.
View "A Comprehensive Guide for Clinicians and Researchers with a Focus on Needlesticks and Blood Draws: Helping your Patients with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities" in PDF Format
This toolkit provides school personnel and related professionals with information, tools, and strategies to support students with autism and co-occurring mental health challenges. View "Addressing Mental Health Needs in Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders" in PDF Format.
More strategies and resources can be found in the Toolkit for Educators: Educating Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder & Mental Health Challenges self-paced online course. Launch the course here.
View "Advocacy Toolkit for Families with a New or Potential Diagnosis of Intellectual or Developmental Disability" in PDF Format
View "Autism Parent Guide [Early Childhood]" in PDF Format
View "Autism Parent Guide [School-Age]" in PDF Format
The purpose of this toolkit is to provide parents and caregivers a guide for building a home-school partnership to support their child’s education and development. This toolkit is intended for caregivers of children of all ages and skill levels, in general education and/or special education settings. Click here to access a free PDF of the toolkit. More strategies and resources can be found in the Building a Home-School Partnership self-paced online course. To access, first register for a free account or login to an existing account at triad.vkclearning.org. Then log in here to launch the course.
This toolkit provides strategies and resources for those within the public education setting who are supporting autistic students. It focuses on the areas of social awareness and relationship skills in order to improve student connections. Click here to access a free PDF of the toolkit.
More strategies and resources can be found in the Building Social Connections in Schools self-paced online course. To access, first register for a free account or login to an existing account at triad.vkclearning.org. Then log in here to launch the course.
Cognitive Behavioral/Instructional Strategies (CBIS) are interventions based on the simple principle that thinking (internal behavior) impacts emotions/feelings and controls overt actions (external behavior). These are interventions used to teach learners to support their self-awareness and self-management skills.
Click here to access a free PDF of the toolkit for elementary school settings.
Click here to access a free PDF of the toolkit for adolescents.
If you are a caregiver of a child who has been diagnosed with autism or other developmental disability and will be transitioning from early intervention services to preschool in Tennessee, this toolkit is for you. Click here to access a free PDF of the toolkit.
More strategies and resources can be found in the From Early Intervention to Preschool: A Toolkit for Parents self-paced online course. Launch the course here.
View "Healthy Bodies Toolkit: A Parent’s Guide on Puberty"
This booklet is also available in the following translations:
View "Navigating Puberty, Sex, & Sexuality: A Guide for Supporting Autistic Teens and Adults" in PDF Format
More strategies and resources can be found in the Navigating Puberty, Sex, and Sexuality: A Guide for Supporting Autistic Teens and Adults self-paced online course. To access, first register for a free account or login to an existing account at triad.vkclearning.org. Then log in here to launch the course.
This toolkit is intended for educators and school teams who want to promote neurodiversity. This could include teachers, school staff, administrators, paraeducators, school psychologists, and others working with autistic students and students with developmental disabilities. Click here to access a free PDF of the toolkit.
More strategies and resources can be found in the Neurodiversity in School Age Populations self-paced online course. To access, first register for a free account or login to an existing account at triad.vkclearning.org. Then log in here to launch the course.
The purpose of this toolkit is to introduce a framework for engaging in team-based, family and student-centered autism evaluations that are data-focused and designed to identify the specific areas of educational impact to be targeted for intervention. This toolkit will progress through a series of five key steps, starting from the time a concern is first initiated by caregivers or a school team and ending with the development of the student’s IEP. The information provided in this toolkit is intended to be used by members of the school team who are involved in the autism eligibility process. Click here to access a free PDF of the toolkit.
More strategies and resources can be found in the Optimizing the Autism Eligibility Process in Schools: A Team Based Approach self-paced online course. Make a free account at triad.vkclearning.org, then go to the “School-Age Services” folder. If you already have an account, log in here.
This toolkit outlines important steps and evidence-based practices to help organizations continue to create an inclusive culture and community for all. It is intended for anyone interested in making their organization more accessible and inclusive. This includes any key organization member who works at or contributes to their community organization. The resources and techniques in this toolkit focus on supporting accessibility and inclusion for individuals with varied cognitive and behavioral abilities. View "Promoting Inclusive Practices in the Community" in PDF Format.
This toolkit is intended for early childhood care providers who want to learn more about how to promote neurodiversity in early childhood, including early interventionists, developmental specialists, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, behavior analysts, preschool teachers, and anyone else who provides services to young autistic children and children with developmental disabilities. Click here to access a free PDF of the toolkit.
More strategies and resources can be found in the Neurodiversity in Early Childhood: A Toolkit for Early Intervention and Early Childhood Providers self-paced online course. Make a free account at triad.vkclearning.org, then go to the “Early Childhood Services” folder. If you already have an account, log in here.
This toolkit is intended for early childhood care providers who want to learn more about how to promote self-determination skills in early childhood, including early interventionists, developmental specialists, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, behavior analysts, preschool teachers, and anyone else who provides intervention and support to young autistic children and children with developmental disabilities. Click here to access a free PDF of the toolkit.
This toolkit is focused on autism and autistic individuals, but the information shared within can be applicable to all children. Additional strategies and resources can be found in the Promoting Self-Determination in Early Childhood Services self-paced online course. Make a free account at triad.vkclearning.org, then go to the “Early Childhood Services” folder. If you already have an account, log in here.
View "Puberty, Sex, and Sexuality: An Introduction for Autistic Teens and Adults" in PDF Format
This booklet is also available in Portuguese here. Language translation by Jennifer Bremer with the Grupo Método Intervenção Comportamental in São Paulo, Brazil.
More strategies and resources can be found in the Puberty, Sex, and Sexuality: An Introduction for Autistic Teens and Adults self-paced online course. To access, first register for a free account or login to an existing account at triad.vkclearning.org. Then log in here to launch the course.
View "Setting and Pursuing Self-Determined Goals" in PDF Format
View "Taking the Work Out of Blood Work" in PDF Format
View "Taking the Work Out of Blood Work: A Provider's Guide"
This toolkit provides information about how to help students with autism improve their ability to communicate, with a focus on teaching skills for initiating, sending a message, and skills for responding, receiving a message. View "Teaching Communication Skills" in PDF Format.
More strategies and resources can be found in the Teaching Communication Skills: A Toolkit for Educators self-paced online course. To access, first register for a free account or login to an existing account at triad.vkclearning.org. Then log in here to launch the course.
View "Toilet Training" in PDF Format
View "Taking the Work Out of Blood Work and Needle Sticks: Helping Your Child with an IDD" in PDF Format
View "Visual Supports and Autism Spectrum Disorders" in PDF Format
Popular Resource [July 2023]
These educational resources were created by the VKC’s Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorder (VKC TRIAD) and Vanderbilt Consortium LEND Training Program.