My New School: A Transition Book to Personalize: Templates for Preschool, Kindergarten, and Primary Grades - Paperback

by Paula Kluth Ph. D. (Foreword by), Dylan S. Carelli (Author)

Visual supports are an evidence-based practice to increase predictability and decrease challenging behavior. Many special educators spend endless hours creating and re-creating visual supports for their students with autism and other special needs. Instead of re-creating the wheel multiple times, My New School: A Transition Book to Personalize provides multiple template pages that can be individualized to develop transition books, a type of visual support designed to reduce anxiety about new classrooms and school settings, resulting in students who are more comfortable and successful. School teams can save time by creating a master document for their school or classroom and then personalize further with specific information for individual students. Parents can create transition books for a new school, and then update the information as their student progresses through grades. Helpful tips are provided on creating transition books and adding information throughout the school year to help each student settle in to new settings and routines. Mix and match template pages to create the most helpful support possible for your students.

Author Biography

With a background in Social Work, Dylan Carelli has worked with children of all ages, from infancy through the teenage years, but found that her passion lies in working with children with developmental delays after her older son was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Dylan has received training in various intervention modalities, including Applied Behavior Analysis, Verbal Behavior, Son-Rise, and Floortime; she has her Master's degree in Early Childhood Education, and is certified as an Early Childhood Special Education teacher. Dylan has worked in public school settings as a paraprofessional, a preschool teacher, an itinerant ECSE, and a member of the local Child Find evaluation team. She has also worked as a member of interdisciplinary teams doing center-based and home-based therapy for young children with autism. She has developed and presented workshops across Colorado as a member of the Colorado Department of Education's Autism Leadership Cadre. She currently runs her own business providing home-based Early Intervention services both privately and through the local Community Centered Board. Dylan lives in the Denver metropolitan area with her two sons and celebrates their successes, as well as the many successes of the families with whom she works.