Did you catch Floreo on CNBC?

We are grateful to the Autism Impact Fund for the work they are doing to support initiatives for diagnosing, treating, and living with autism (including Floreo!). We were thrilled to see Floreo mentioned as one of AIF's featured investments on CNBC this week!

Watch the clip here!

Suggested reading from Floreo's Lead self advocate
FROM JAMA PEDIATRICS

Floreo Advisor and Lead Self Advocate, Sam Farmer, is an autism spectrum community self-advocate, writer/author, and public speaker. He shared his thoughts on the recent article Naming Autism in the Right Context in JAMA Pediatrics.

"As an autistic individual who views his autism spectrum profile as being core to self-identity, I wholeheartedly agree with what "Naming Autism in the Right Context" is saying. Indeed, the discussion around autism can no longer continue to be one-sided, emphasizing only the "medical model", as has been the case for too long. There is considerably more to autism than what the DSM, and society at large, have decided are its associated deficits and symptoms, regrettably leading to the diagnosis being stigmatized. While some people in the autism spectrum community subscribe to the medical model, others including me subscribe to what's become known as the "social model" of autism, the notion that autism is not something that needs to be fixed or cured but which instead reflects the natural, neurological diversity inherent in the human population, which carries unique strengths and personality attributes as well as challenges, and which is worthy of being accepted as such.

No two people on the autism spectrum are exactly alike. One autistic person's strengths can be another's challenges and vice-versa. Both the medical and social models of autism are valid, as are the identity-first and person-first approaches to naming and writing/talking about autism. Those of us on the spectrum display a wide variety of lived experiences which inevitably results not in one, all-encompassing interpretation of what autism is and isn't but instead in differing views of what it means to be autistic.

Lastly, I celebrate what "Naming Autism in the Right Context" has to say about the importance of considering the autistic individual's point of view and preference. Our voices matter when it comes to public discourse about us."

Roman-Urrestarazu A, Dumas G, Warrier V. Naming Autism in the Right Context. JAMA Pediatr. Published online April 04, 2022.

IS FLOREO RIGHT FOR YOU?

We just released a new tool to help you determine if Floreo is a good fit for your family, practice, or school district. Visit "Is Floreo Right For Me?" and walk through the steps to get a personalized lesson plan and suggestions for your Learner. And, as always, you can contact us with details about your situation and we will be happy to talk through the ways Floreo can be helpful for your Learners!

Upcoming Events

LIVE & VIRTUAL EVENTS

Let us know if you plan to attend any of these upcoming events! We would love to schedule time to meet with you!

May 14: Floreo's Director of Therapy Content, Rita Solórzano MA CCP-SLP, will provide an Innovative Technologies Demonstration Session on Mobile Virtual Reality Skill Building for Autism Spectrum Disorder at the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR) Annual Meeting.

May 28-30: Meet members of the Floreo team at the ABAI Annual Convention in Boston.

We hope to see you soon!

Grant update
FUNDS AVAILABLE FOR SCHOOLS

Attention Schools and Districts in Texas: All Texas local education agencies are eligible to apply for grant funding to increase their capacity to implement innovative programs that effectively serve students with autism ages three through 21. It is a great time to implement Floreo in your district, school, or regional center with the help of this grant! Let us know how we can help support your efforts to secure funding through this grant.

Educators in other states: Our friends at RobotLab compiled a great list of grant opportunities to help you to creatively fund a Floreo subscription. You can use their helpful tool to search for grants by state. As always, if we can help you with wording for a grant opportunity you have identified, please let us know!

Research study opportunity
FROM OUR PARTNERS AT CHOP
Our partners at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia are recruiting participants for a compensated survey about autism and police. Please consider participating or sharing with others who might be interested!

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What have we been reading this week?
NEWS ROUND-UP

The remarkable brain of a carpet cleaner who speaks 24 languages
Tricare Facebook post provokes ire of military families
An autistic teen was found over 2 years after running away from home
NYC subway announcements delivered by kids with autism

Heather

Heather is Floreo's Director of Customer Success. She makes sure that all of Floreo's customers are comfortable and confident using Floreo. Prior to working at Floreo, Heather worked at Trove (a news start-up) and eBay for Charity. Heather holds an A.B. from Dartmouth College, where she also played varsity basketball (and won an Ivy League Championship) and a M.Ed. from the University of Mary Washington. In her free time she enjoys reading, tennis, skiing, and hiking around Western North Carolina with her husband, two sons, and adorable lab mix, Pepper.