Stages Connect
Leslie Stebbins, M.Ed. M.L.I.S.
ContributorLeslie Stebbins has more than twenty-five years of experience in higher education with a background in library and information science, instructional design, research, and teaching. She has a Masters in Education from the Technology Innovation & Education Program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a Masters in Information Science from Simmons College. For twenty years she created and led information literacy and research skills programs for students and faculty at Brandeis University. Currently she is the Director for Research at Consulting Services for Education (CS4Ed). Her clients both at CS4Ed and as an independent consultant have included Harvard University, the California State University Chancellor's Office, the U.S. Department of Education, Facing History and Ourselves, Tufts University, and the Joan Ganz Cooney Center. She is the author of numerous articles and four books including Finding Reliable Information Online: Adventures of an Information Sleuth. For more about Leslie visit LeslieStebbins.com.
Articles by Leslie
Emotions & Social Skills Four Critical Areas of Development for 4-Year-Olds
What are the Four Critical Developmental Milestones for 4-Year-Olds?
Leslie Stebbins, M.Ed. M.L.I.S.
Mar 29, 2024 · 7 min read
Classroom Strategies How Can AI Best Serve Special Education Students? Let Me Count the Ways...
Jen, a neurodiverse student, struggles to communicate her needs. She wants to ask her teacher for an extension because she didn’t finish her homework. She asks an AI-powered robot in her classroom to present her with a few scenarios of how the conversation with her teacher might
Leslie Stebbins, M.Ed. M.L.I.S.
Feb 4, 2024 · 8 min read
Life Skills & Transitions Pre-Employment Transition Services for Autistic Youth: What Works?
Once an individual on the spectrum finds just the right crew, they may very well wind up being the glue that holds it together (I actually had a boss in the past year describe me as such, and that was definitely a good day on my end). –Grady Bolding
Leslie Stebbins, M.Ed. M.L.I.S.
Nov 28, 2023 · 5 min read
Classroom Strategies 5 Strategies for Employers to Help Autistic Employees Thrive in the Workplace
A neurodiverse friend of mine who works at Trader Joe's has found that the support of her co-workers and managers has allowed her to truly thrive in her job as a cashier.
Leslie Stebbins, M.Ed. M.L.I.S.
Nov 24, 2023 · 4 min read
Classroom Strategies How to Set Up a Homeschool Classroom for Your Autistic Child: 10 Key Strategies
Setting up space in your home to homeschool your autistic child is where your own creativity can come into play. Even in a small home and on a tight budget there are ways to design your space that can have an enormous impact on how well your autistic child can focus and learn. T
Leslie Stebbins, M.Ed. M.L.I.S.
Oct 5, 2023 · 8 min read
ABA & Therapy How ARIS® Supports MTSS Tier 3 Interventions
Supporting Preschool Students With Language Acquisition or School Readiness Challenges MTSS is a multi-tiered system of support that provides a framework for teaching that is proactive and preventative. MTSS provides schools with a systematic method of identifying students with
Leslie Stebbins, M.Ed. M.L.I.S.
Apr 1, 2023 · 9 min read
How Universal Design for Learning Powers the ARIS® Autism Curriculum
A Research White Paper
Leslie Stebbins, M.Ed. M.L.I.S.
Jan 20, 2023 · 9 min read
Language Delays: How to Rule out Hearing Loss for Autistic Children
Language delays in children can occur for many reasons including cerebral palsy, intellectual disabilities, or autism. If a child has a language delay ruling out hearing loss is an important first step, because if there is some deficit in hearing it needs to be addressed quickly
Leslie Stebbins, M.Ed. M.L.I.S.
Dec 12, 2021 · 3 min read
School Guide to Expanding Medicaid Reimbursements for Special Education and Other Health and Behavioral Services
NOTE: New Guide Just Released to Help Schools Give Care to Children Covered by Medicaid Is your school or district doing all it can to take advantage of these new funds? Any eligible service you are not currently billing for is money lost. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Ser
Leslie Stebbins, M.Ed. M.L.I.S.
Aug 27, 2021 · 13 min read
ARIS & Curriculum Autism, Art, Music and One Father’s Connection to his Autistic Son
Justin Morell is a composer and guitarist whose work crosses genres between classical and jazz styles and is featured on several acclaimed recordings including the recent Concerto for Guitar and Jazz Orchestra. He is an associate professor of composition at Lebanon Valley Colleg
Leslie Stebbins, M.Ed. M.L.I.S.
Apr 25, 2021 · 3 min read
ABA & Therapy Teletherapy for Autistic Children: Research-Based Best Practices
STAGES® Learning worked hard at building an online distance learning platform designed specifically to provide teletherapy to autistic children. Distance Learning, also called remote learning for autistic children, has been proven to be effective as a therapeutic intervention fo
Leslie Stebbins, M.Ed. M.L.I.S.
Jan 23, 2021 · 8 min read
ARIS & Curriculum Social Narratives: Helping Autistic Children Understand Social Situations
This resource was created as a supplement for the ARIS® Academic Readiness Intervention System Language Builder complete early autism curriculum. Learn more about the ARIS curriculum . Social narratives (often referred to as Social Stories TM ) are carefully designed short stori
Leslie Stebbins, M.Ed. M.L.I.S.
Oct 4, 2020 · 7 min read
Life Skills & Transitions Follow Your Passion: 5 Steps to Finding the Best Career Match for a Young Autistic Adult
1. Follow Your Passion I love flying! All my life I have been interested in anything aviation-related: airports, travel, planes.
Leslie Stebbins, M.Ed. M.L.I.S.
Apr 2, 2020 · 7 min read
ABA & Therapy A New Curriculum for All Children with Autism
The new Language Builder: ARIS (Academic Readiness Intervention System) was developed to provide a curriculum to any teacher or parent interested in helping a child with autism develop to their full potential. ARIS was designed so that even school districts that cannot afford to
Leslie Stebbins, M.Ed. M.L.I.S.
Apr 2, 2020 · 4 min read
A New Curriculum for Autism: ARIS
Teachers, parents and Speech Language Pathologists (SLPs) have been asking for an “all in one” autism education curriculum for years. Language Builder: ARIS (Academic Readiness Intervention System) is now available to support teachers and parents helping children with autism lea
Leslie Stebbins, M.Ed. M.L.I.S.
Mar 22, 2020 · 3 min read
ARIS & Curriculum The Most Popular Action and Movement Songs for Children with Autism
FREE ARIS Lesson Plan Download: Participation in Group Songs with Action {{cta('dd592bfe-679e-4e5a-9f99-6923f3082c63')}}
Leslie Stebbins, M.Ed. M.L.I.S.
Apr 13, 2019 · 6 min read
Emotions & Social Skills 5 Ways We Can Make the World More Autism Friendly
What it Means to be Autism Friendly and How You Can Help An exciting and fast moving effort is under way to create “Autism Friendly” spaces so that children and adults with autism can feel more supported and families can better enjoy visits to the theater, restaurants, and even
Leslie Stebbins, M.Ed. M.L.I.S.
Apr 1, 2016 · 6 min read
ABA & Therapy The Therapeutic Power of Pets for Children with Autism
Jackson Tillman is in third grade, lives in Kentucky, and has autism. The biggest challenge Jackson’s family has is that when a situation becomes overwhelming Jackson bolts, and when Jackson is with his grandmother she can’t keep up. That’s where Jackson’s buddy Mateo comes in.
Leslie Stebbins, M.Ed. M.L.I.S.
Jan 27, 2016 · 5 min read
ABA & Therapy Grandparent's Guide to Shopping for a Grandchild who has Autism
As a grandparent it can be a struggle to find presents for a granddaughter or grandson who has autism. Sometimes traditional gifts can backfire for the child with autism.
Leslie Stebbins, M.Ed. M.L.I.S.
Dec 18, 2015 · 1 min read
Family & Home Life How to Enjoy the Holidays with a Loved One Who Has Autism
Holidays can be a time of great joy and excitement, but they can also be stressful and disruptive. For families who have children with autism, extra planning is essential to keep everyone on an even keel. Managing expectations about what a holiday “should” be like, and minimizin
Leslie Stebbins, M.Ed. M.L.I.S.
Dec 18, 2015 · 5 min read
ABA & Therapy New Tools to Help Your Child Sleep
Research [i] confirms what many parents of children with autism already know: children with autism have a higher incidence of sleep challenges, and the more severe the autism symptoms the more severe the sleep challenges. Research, [ii] as well as common sense, also tells us tha
Leslie Stebbins, M.Ed. M.L.I.S.
Nov 18, 2015 · 6 min read
Life Skills & Transitions Autism Parents: How Do You Rate on Self-Care?
As a parent our needs are often the first to be postponed or set aside. Sometimes there is no choice: we have to attend to the immediate needs of our children. But in the long run we could be doing significant damage to our physical and emotional health by not attending to our o
Leslie Stebbins, M.Ed. M.L.I.S.
Oct 2, 2015 · 7 min read
ABA & Therapy A Closer Look: Pivotal Response Training (PRT)
Overview Pivotal Response Training (PRT) is a variation of Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) type therapy. It focuses on more comprehensive “pivotal” areas such as increasing a child’s motivation to learn, initiate communication, and monitor their own behaviors. This focus on mo
Leslie Stebbins, M.Ed. M.L.I.S.
Jul 30, 2015 · 5 min read
ABA & Therapy A Closer Look: Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention (EIBI)
Overview EIBI is a type of Applied Behavioral Analysis focused on children under five years of age. New research has shown that while intensive behavioral interventions work well with all children, children starting before the age of two were likely to make the most significant
Leslie Stebbins, M.Ed. M.L.I.S.
Jul 30, 2015 · 4 min read
Effective Treatment for Autism: It’s Never Too Early to Start
There are many promising treatments for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Decades of research and a recent synthesis of 6 major research reviews indicate that the therapies listed below are all based on solid research.
Leslie Stebbins, M.Ed. M.L.I.S.
Jul 29, 2015 · 6 min read