edWeb.net is delighted to announce that Monarch Center for Autism has joined the consortium that sponsors Teaching Students with Autism, a free professional learning community (PLC) where educators can share information to help support the needs of students with autism.

This community provides a forum where educators can participate in conversations on best practices and technologies, hear from experts, and learn about the latest research on autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The community hosts free webinars that offer CE certificates for educators, live chats, online discussions, and a resource library.

Monarch Center for Autism recently hosted a webinar on “Current & Emerging Technology for Individuals with Autism: Building Communication & Education Skills,” presented by Howard C. Shane, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, Harvard Medical School and Director of the Autism Language Program at Boston Children’s Hospital and Christian Karter, M.A., Educational Technology Specialist at Monarch Center for Autism. The presenters discussed case examples of applied technology used to enhance communication and education skills among individuals with mild, moderate, and severe autism, and answered specific questions posed by the 356 attendees. An archived recording of the webinar is available to educators in the learning community.

“Monarch Center for Autism is so excited to be a sponsor of the Teaching Students with Autism community. We are very fortunate to work with more than 200 individuals with autism spectrum disorder on a daily basis in our school-based, adult day and residential settings. We look forward to sharing our knowledge and best practices with this special edWeb community, and collaborating with its members,” said Debra Mandell, Director of Monarch School.

Lisa Schmucki, founder and CEO of edWeb, commented, “When we founded edWeb, one of my first priorities was to create a community to support teachers working with students with autism. That community has grown to over 11,000 educators. We are delighted that Monarch Center for Autism is providing both financial support for the program and professional development for this growing community of educators who are seeking ways to help their students.”

All educators are invited to join the Teaching Students with Autism community on edWeb.net for invitations to upcoming webinars, online discussions, and access to an invaluable archive of past webinars and resources. Join the community at www.edweb.net/autism.