Zak Kukoff is an 18-year-old social entrepreneur based in Westlake Village, California, and, at the time of this book's printing, a senior at Westlake High School. Zak is the founder of Autism Ambassadors, a nonprofit that builds friendships between students with special needs and typical students in more than 25 schools throughout the United States and abroad. In his spare time, he volunteers at the Westminster Free Clinic, which provides free medical services for those without healthcare. He also writes for the Huffington Post Education Section and helps organize both TEDxConejo and TEDxYouth@Conejo. He previously founded the education-technology startup TruantToday. His work has been featured in the New York Times, TechCrunch, Bloomberg View, The Next Web, and other well-known publications, and has been honored by the Clinton Global Initiative and NBC Education Nation. Contact him on twitter: @zck.
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Description
Foreword by Gary S. Katz Preface Part I. The Program 1. Autism And Society Today 2. Typical Students and Autism 3. The Importance of Peer Leadership: What the Research Says 4. Who and What is Autism Ambassadors? 5. What is an Ambassador? 6. Autism Ambassadors at Your School: The Nuts and Bolts of Implementation 7. Curriculum Overview Part II. The Curriculum Section 1. Younger/Lower Functioning Students Pay Attention/ Calm Hands Being Alone Logical Sequencing Passing the Baton Washing Hands at School Section 2. Academic/ In Class Asserting Yourself in Class Taking Notes Giving an Oral Presentation in Class Replacing Classroom Items Switching Desks Watching a Video in Class Writing an Intro Paragraph Section 3. School Related/ Out of Class Writing a "Chunk" Paragraph Writing a Concluding Paragraph Fire/Emergency Drill Getting to Class on Time Organizing Your Time Finding Favorite Books Organizing Your Notebook Study Hall Section 4. Outing/ Extracurricular The Bus Class Trip/ Museum Class Trip/ Zoo Interviewing for a High School Job Section 5. Social Asking Someone Out on a Date Cafeteria Etiquette Cursing and Offensive Language Explaining Your Diagnosis to Friends Finding Friends at Lunch Finding Favorite Popular Music Joining a Club at School Making a Plan School Dance Section 6. Sports Playing Football Playing Soccer Playing Tag Playing Tetherball Part III. Appendices Parent Letter Frequently Asked Questions Questionnaire Evaluation Tool About the Author
"This is an amazing idea from a young innovator! This manual provides an amazing contribution, not only to the field of professionals, but to future providers as well." -- Kate Boone, Case Manager "What's not to like about The Autism Ambassadors Handbook? This book, written by a 18-year-old entrepreneur, provides a complete program that allows empathic students to teach vital skills to their autistic peers. Student-teachers, autistic students, and teachers all win with this curriculum. Did I mention that it is free to implement?" -- Anne Beveridge * Seoul, Korea * "This book makes a distinct contribution by providing a different view of how to support students with autism. As the number of people with autism is increasing, creating awareness and supports across larger groups of people is important. Providing ways for students with ASD to interact and be supported by other students is needed." -- Mary Reeve, Educator "Zak Kukoff has provided a program curriculum that simply doesn't exist. This program is just what we were looking for. It's one thing to teach kids to be nice and accepting; it's another to teach kids how to engage with their peers who have autism. The students who learn from the modules become incredible peer models, mentors and leaders. Autism Ambassadors truly bridges the gap in social development programs for children with autism." -- Nicole Simon, Director of Programming