Resources
Autistic individuals
This guide allows students to compare schools based on their anticipated major, reviews common accommodations, provides a sample letter to request accommodations, and lists scholarship and financial resources that may be available. Additionally, the guide provides a list of assistive technology applications for students with disabilities.
ASAN’s moto is “nothing about us, without us.” Their website explores neurodiversity and disability rights, self-advocacy, ways to change how people think about autism, healthcare, housing and community living among other topics of everyday life.
Felicity House provides social opportunities to women with autism. Felicity House is a small community with dedicated staff to help individuals with autism find events, learn new things, and be around other women with autism.
Think College is a resource page for students and families that includes a college information on over 300 postsecondary education programs for students with an intellectual disability. Additionally, they offer an emerging advocates student group, a dedicated student corner that teaches students how to learn more about going to college, and resources for families and parents.
Autism Grown Up is a non-profit organization that provides resources and education to support autistic individuals and their support networks across the lifespan. There are various templates and checklists available on the website for everything from resume templates, to financial literacy guides, to winter storm preparation checklists.
Respect Ability is a disability-led nonprofit that advocates for societal change for people with disabilities. Their theory of change encompasses changing attitudes, advancing opportunities, and developing leaders.
The Indiana Resource Center for Autism publishes a list of resources and references for puberty for females.
NJ Social Skills publishes a list of resources and references for puberty for males
ResumeBuilder has created a comprehensive guide that can help people with disabilities create an impactful resume to highlight their skills and value to potential employers. This guide includes important insights such as laws that protect their rights, workplace discrimination, and harassment to ensure they receive a fair chance at achieving their career goals.
Transition to Adulthood
Autism Speaks publishes a wide variety of tool kits. The transition took kit specifically addresses self-advocacy skills, legal issues, housing, and employment options.
Adults with Autism
IAN partners with the Kennedy Krieger Institute and provides information for adults transitioning to adult services, college, work, job training, or new living situations.
RCAAS has four main program areas in the areas of research, professional training and practical services for adults with ASD: supporting community access through leisure and employment, college support program, psychological services clinic, and an intensive outpatient clinic.
Autism Speaks publishes a wide variety of tool kits. They have a specific resource area for autistic adults that helps to identify solutions to address the diverse needs of adults with autism including transition plans, employment training and networking, and social groups for autistic adults.
ASAN publishes a self-advocate’s guide to Medicaid, offered in two versions, an easy read edition and a plain language version. This toolkit covers accessing Medicaid, Medicaid funding, and other important considerations.
Autism Speaks publishes an adult autism diagnosis tool kit, which is a guide developed by autistic adults for identifying autism in adults and identifying next steps.
The Organization for Autism Research (OAR) has a guide for sexuality and sex education for autistic people ages 15 and older that encompasses various different topics including articles and videos.
New Jersey Specific Resources
The ARC of New Jersey is an organization dedicated to advocating for and serving children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.
The New Jersey Department of Health Services, has a Division of Disability Services which provides information and referral services, a disability health and wellness initiative, information on NJ ABLE (savings accounts), and NJ WorkAbility which offers Medicaid coverage for individuals with disabilities who have a job and are otherwise ineligible for Medicaid.
NJ DDD has two programs, the Supports Program, and the Community Care Program which provide public funding for services to assist NJ Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, 21 years and older.
LINK or 1-800-4-AUTISM (1-800-428-8476)
Autism New Jersey is a nonprofit agency committed to ensuring safe and fulfilling lives for individuals with autism, their families, and the professionals who support them. Through awareness, credible information, education, and public policy initiatives, Autism New Jersey leads the way to lifelong individualized services provided with skill and compassion
AFSNJ provides family support services to the autism population. They have over 50 programs and services available for NJ residents with autism.
AFSNJ publishes a list of resources including agencies, organizations and contacts designed to support families.
The Boggs Center prepares students through interdisciplinary programs, provides community training and technical assistance, conducts research, and disseminates information and educational materials.
The NJ Department of Health maintains an autism registry that helps link families to available services and supports.
The NJ Department of Health publishes a list of Case Management Units organized by County.
PerformCare New Jersey provides youth and their families with the services, resources, tools, and support they need to optimally participate in treatment within their homes, schools, and community settings.
Families and Caregivers
SPAN provides assistance, training, and support for families on early childhood, education, health , mental health, human services, disabilities, and transition to adult life.
The Children’s System of Care serves individuals with emotional and behavioral health care challenges and their families as well as individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.
Family Voices is a family-led organization of families and friends that connects a network of family organizations across the country to support children with special health care needs.
POAC focuses on making a positive impact on the lives of individuals with autism and their families, with a focus on safety. They offer events, workshops, conferences, and blog posts about increasing your ability to navigate your child’s needs and care.
Operation Autism is a resource guide for military families. They publish a guidebook for services, resources, and support available to military families.
OAR has a resource guide that helps parents to identify high quality research. Specifically, the resource guide includes information on the types of research, how to identify high quality research, how to read research, and how to find research. There is also a guide on participating in research.
The Family Resource Network offers a variety of services including behavioral supports, advocacy, mobility, education & training, health resources, employment services & training, support coordination, and support services.
The CDC posts milestones for each developmental age so that parents can identify if there is a concern and act accordingly.
The CDC milestones are also available in Spanish.
NJ Department of Education (NJ DOE) publishes a guide for parental rights in special education.
Children’s Specialized Hospital has a family organizer that serves as a tool to coordinate special education information.
The National Center for Learning Disabilities has a guide for strengthening your child’s IEP through talking points about common concerns.
OAR has a “Kit for Kids” which is designed to teach elementary and middle school kids about their autistic peers.
CSH has an Activity Connections program that includes recreation, sports, and social activities for children and teens with special health care needs.
CSH has a list of questions that parents can use to help talk with an attorney during the guardianship process.
Dr. Harris at Children’s Specialized Hospital has a resource guide that was designed to help parents of children who were recently diagnosed with autism.
This Autism Speaks toolkit is best utilized for children 4 and younger for the first 100 days after diagnosis. The toolkit is designed to help parents learn more about autism and how to access the necessary services.
This document is a list broken down by county of all of the Developmental Evaluation Centers in NJ.
The ARC publishes a list of resources available by county broken down by “all ages”, “under 21” and “over 18.”
This Autism Speaks toolkit explains why autism is associated with challenging behavior, some strategies to manage challenging behavior, how to create a treatment team, and supports for managing a crisis.
Dentably publishes a guide for how to prepare for a child’s dental appointment.
National Organizations
The Association for Science in Autism Treatment has a comprehensive website that covers a variety of topics related to autism treatment. They also publish a monthly newsletter and have a Media Watch Initiative that responds to both accurate and inaccurate portrayals of autism treatment in the media.
NCSA is an advocacy platform that educates the public about severe autism, promotes research, and educates policy makers about the impact of legislation on individuals with severe autism.
National Autism Resources is a vendor of classroom and educational toys.
The Autism Society connects people to the resources they need through education, advocacy, support, information and referral, and community programming.
AUCD is a membership organization that supports a network of university-based interdisciplinary programs which bring resources both to the universities and the communities they are a part of.
Autism and Mental Health
The Autism Research Institute has a page dedicated to providing resources for mental health conditions in the autistic population.
Safety
Community Access Unlimited and the NJ Council on Developmental Disabilities partnered to write a revised family crisis handbook that provides resources for mental health, stabilization, and overall wellness. The handbook includes real life stories from lived experiences by community members.
Autism New Jersey published an article on elopement and wandering which includes ideas for prevention, what to do if your family member elopes, safety products and resources, and education and training.
Getting Help
This link provides a list of designated screening services in NJ for individuals with a psychiatric emergency, crisis intervention services, information, and referrals.
Dial 988 to reach the Lifeline
The Suicide and Crisis lifeline is a 24/7 free and confidential support for people in distress.
1-800-950-6264 or email info@nami.org
The National Alliance on Mental Illness provides advocacy, education, support and public awareness so that all individuals and families affected by mental illness can build better lives.
1-800-THE-KIDS (1-800-843-5437)
The Family Helpline is a 24-hour service that connects families with volunteers to help them work through frustrations and stressors to avoid a crisis from occurring. Volunteers also can provide referrals to resources in your community.
The ARC advocates for equal justice for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and provides a list of contacts for law services in the state of NJ.
The ARC of NJ maintains a list of free and low-cost advocacy and legal services in NJ.
The ARC of NJ maintains a list of free and low-cost advocacy and legal services in NJ. This list is available in Spanish.
Mom 2 Mom is a helpline program that provides peer support, clinical assessment, and a network of referrals for mental health needs for moms of special needs children.
The Autism Speaks Advocacy toolkit provides basic information about advocacy skills and ways to apply these skills.