Contact: Alexandra Wladich, Scholastic Inc., 212-965-7353 or awladich@scholastic.com

Author Barbara Boroson Readies K–8 Teachers to Support Students with
Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Inclusive Classroom

New York, NY – July 7, 2016 – With one in every 68 children now being diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and a national trend toward inclusive education, every teacher needs to be ready. To ensure that K–8 teachers have the tools and knowledge they need to support students with ASD, Scholastic (NASDAQ: SCHL), the global children’s publishing, education, and media company, today announced the release of Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Inclusive Classroom: How to Reach and Teach Students with ASD, by Barbara Boroson.

As a nationally-recognized professional development provider with 25 years of experience in autism spectrum education and the mother of a teenage son with ASD, Boroson brings her unique perspective as both an educator and a parent to Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Inclusive Classroom. In her conversational and compassionate voice, Boroson shares classroom-tested strategies for addressing specific challenges faced by K–8 students with ASD such as executive function, sensory stimulation, and engagement, while also providing the most current statistics, diagnostic criteria, and clinical research.

Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Inclusive Classroomdelivers critical information and proven strategies to help students with ASD succeed in school, including:

• Classroom set-up and environment
• Building an inclusive classroom community
• Teaching strategies and pitfalls
• Behavior management and support
• Incorporation of adaptive technology and apps
• Collaboration with families
• Engagement with paraprofessionals, coaches, building staff, and bus staff

Boroson’s “Ten Things You Can Do Before Day One” is a handy fact sheet in which the author outlines the most vital steps teachers can take to prepare for their students with ASD before school begins. These tips include ways to ease the transition to the new school year and ideas for adapting the classroom for optimal learning. Additionally, throughout the book, Boroson offers “There’s an App for That” which provides modern tips for using technology to support focus areas of the book.

“As both an autism educator and the parent of a child on the spectrum, I know first-hand the overwhelming challenges that face these children—and their teachers and families, too,” said Barbara Boroson. “In this book, I bridge my personal and professional experience, helping educators to understand the functional strengths and challenges these students bring to the classroom and providing practical strategies for breaking through. With all of the demands on teachers these days, I wrote this book to be a lifeline—accessible, friendly, engaging, and above all, supportive—just what teachers need when the going gets tough.”

“Barbara’s book is essential reading for every teacher and we are honored to publish it,” said Tara Welty, Vice President, Group Editorial Director of Scholastic Teacher Resources. “Her clear, concise strategies will help them create a classroom community where children with ASD thrive, while keeping the rest of the class engaged and on track.”

As a national keynote speaker on Autism Spectrum Disorder, Boroson travels the country presenting and providing professional development to educators. Her full list of scheduled speaking events, which includes the International Literacy Association (ILA) conference in Boston, MA on July 9, can be found here: http://barbaraboroson.com/speaking/.

For more information on Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Inclusive Classroom: How to Reach and Teach Students with ASD, please visit http://bit.ly/29ppAgz