The Mid-Year Contract Progress Report is available and is due by January 31, 2025. If you have any questions, please reach out to your START RCN Representative or Jana Benjamin.

The 24th Annual START Conference will be held on April 28, 2025 at the Lansing Center (333 E Michigan Ave, Lansing, MI 48933).

Registration for the Conference will open on January 22, 2025. We anticipate the Conference will reach capacity so we encourage you to register early! 

Registration Information:

Relationships matter! Sibling dynamics are both complex and meaningful. Brothers and sisters often form strong connections that last a lifetime. Siblings are play partners, supporters, and advocates. These relationships can also sometimes lead to feelings of frustration or stress that affect the family. The following resources offer helpful tips and ideas for parents to support all their children, including siblings. 

The Organization for Autism Research provides a comprehensive resource titled Brothers, Sisters, and Autism: A Parent’s Guide to Supporting Siblings. This guide is designed to assist families in discussing autism with their other children. It offers practical strategies to address the feelings and concerns of siblings, while also emphasizing the importance of nurturing relationships and preserving family balance. The guide outlines various resources that enable families to create opportunities for one-on-one attention and special time together, along with ways to maintain a normal family life. Read more about this resource here!

The Elementary and Secondary Peer to Peer Program Playbooks are available to the RCN at no cost. START will collect orders for both Playbooks through May 2025. Orders will ship out on a monthly basis

Order Elementary and Secondary Peer to Peer Program Playbooks here. Please contact Avis Merry if you have any questions.

The 2024-2025 START Training Catalog is available to the RCN at no cost. START will collect a one time order for the Training Catalog. The order deadline is December 13, 2024.

Order the Training Catalog here. Please contact Avis Merry if you have any questions.

→ We invite the RCN to distribute the START Training and Training Series Flyers to staff, community members, and families across your region. 

START also developed Training and Training Series Slides for use in presentations.

 The Statewide Autism Resources and Training (START) Project is funded by the Michigan Department of Education, Office of Special Education to provide training and technical assistance to educators in Michigan that serve students with ASD.

START Project | autismed@gvsu.edu | (616) 331-6480