AuSM Self-Advocacy Summit 2018 registration open

The first annual AuSM Self-Advocacy Summit presented by Anime Twin Cities will take place Sept. 22, 2018 at the University of St. Thomas Minneapolis campus and will include a keynote presentation and nine breakout sessions featuring topics including mental health, executive functioning, sensory needs, employment, relationships, and more. This event is for adults with autism by adults with autism. In addition to gathering wisdom from life experiences by adults on the spectrum, collect resources from the AuSM Bookstore, network with peers, and visit with vendors who support adults on the spectrum. Click here for more information and to register.

Cool down at the Sensory-Friendly Hour at Waterworks

Ramsey County is partnering with AuSM for sensory-friendly time at Battle Creek Waterworks. The first will be on Monday, June 18 at 11 a.m., and the second offering will be on Thursday, Aug. 16 at 11 a.m. The sensory-friendly hour will include earplugs and a quiet place with fidget spinners and other toys. To help plan for attending, a social narrative and more information is available at this link: ramseycounty.us/waterworks.

Vitals app offered free of charge, increasing access for safety

The Autism Society of Minnesota is pleased to announce that Vitals™ is being offered FREE of charge to individuals and caregivers in Minnesota. Vitals™ is an opt-in, app-based technology that provides first responders and police with real-time information about vulnerable individuals living with emotional, intellectual, and developmental disabilities. Click here for more information and o participate in this program.

1st annual AuSM Connections Jigsaw Puzzle Competition

Are you ready to take on the nation’s biggest puzzle competition challenge? Put your jigsaw puzzling passion to the test during the first annual AuSM Connections Jigsaw Puzzle Competition held at the Mall of America Rotunda on Saturday, July 21. Gather your friends and family into teams of four that will compete for the fastest puzzle completion time. Puzzle team divisions include Adult and Family, registration is $50 per team. All proceeds support Autism Society of Minnesota programs and services for our local autism community.

Adult Division (four players 18+): 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.; Family Division (at least one player must be under 18): 1-3 p.m.

Prizes will be awarded in both divisions to the three teams completing their puzzle in the quickest time. Teams will keep their competition puzzle created by PuzzleTwist®. Click here for more information and to register your adult or family team. Space is filling quickly!

Autism 5-Point Scale app surpasses 100,000 downloads

The free Autism 5-Point Scale Emergency app developed by the Autism Society of Minnesota and the Minnesota Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities in 2011 has achieved more than 100,000 downloads worldwide from locations including the U.S., Canada, Asia Pacific, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, India, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Based on concepts from The Incredible 5-Point Scale by authors Kari Dunn Buron and Mitzi Curtis (Autism Asperger Pub. Co., 2003), the app helps individuals with autism and other disabilities act, react, and interact quickly in emergency situations. With a touch of a screen, information is provided and can help facilitate interactions for a “safe” outcome for both the individual and first responder. 

The app was updated to "Autism Help!" in 2015 and was made accessilble on additional mobile devices. Click here to download the Autism 5-Point Scale Emergency app from the iTunes store. The Autism Help! app also is available for Android devices. Click on the following links to access the app for your Android devices: Google Play for Phone and Tablet; Amazon App Store for Kindle Fire and Fire Phone.